Review

"Look at this body
Remember You and Me"

There’s a story that has been given some credence by those that should know better that the Emperor Nero played his lyre as ancient Rome burned. Equally it’s held that the band played on as the passenger liner Titanic sank after that less than successful date with an iceberg mid Atlantic. Adding to the mythology is the latest release by Aaron Stoquert, who takes up a guitar and mike as the zombie apocalypse threatens an extinction event. And I have to say Remaining Days presents the best death song compilations since Nick Cave stunned critics with a series of sensational albums through the 1990s.

Quick bit of background, Remaining Days marks the album debut for New York folk artist Aaron Stoquert, proving both that the Big Apple is still producing some outstanding music and that this site has finally gone cosmopolitan with our music coverage. Hey I’m sipping on a Kilkenny Irish Ale during a hot Aussie summer as I type this, benefits of multi culturalism yo!

The album kicks off with static and about as a mournful a piano solo as one could want on a winter’s night. Simple, heavy hit piano keys introduce an album that is locked into its emotion and subject matter with The Guests setting the listener up to what they are going to be experiencing. When the second track, Flesh and Bone, hits high gear you are going to get one hell of a shock, this album is from the Zombie point of view and not from the expected human survivors holed up in some isolated farmhouse. Aaron Stoquert begins his journey through the sense of humanity lost and of things falling apart.

What follows is track after track of excellent folk guitar, vocals, keyboards, painting a pretty bleak picture that would have Nick Cave high fiving his Dealer. The music chords are stunningly simple, get the job done, and will have you wanting to play the album on repeat. I should point out this is all acoustic guitar, don’t come looking for death metal or similar horror tropes.

Aaron Stoquert’s vocals are uniquely New York, a sort of smoother version of Lou Reed if you will. Stoquert punches out his vocals with authority and injects real raw emotion into Remaining Days that raises the album above what you might have expected given the subject matter. If the zombie apocalypse is upon us then Stoquert can play on as civilisation burns.

As a song writer Stoquert is kicking a major with Remaining Days. While we might be talking a zombie winterland, and who doesn’t dig on that concept, we’re also talking a palatable feeling of things lost, of the erosion of feeling. Tracks such as Plead No More and Prisoner are infinitely moody, bringing Stoquert’s subject matter to the fore and forming a pretty bloody solid middle section to the album. Clearly the tracks are meant to be listened to rather than forming background noise, thankfully Stoquert is strong enough in his craft to make that a pleasure rather than a chore.

While I’ve been pointing out the whole zombie thing through this review I would be amiss if I didn’t also mention that Remaining Days can be appreciated as a straight folk album without bothering with all the apocalypse trappings. If you appreciate some good music then dial on in, you don’t need to get hooked up on the background story unfolding. So yeah full recommendation to appreciators of music, regardless if you like the odd dark genre outing or not.

Interestingly while Stoquert is strong enough on guitar and vocal to carry an album effortlessly he does enlist other musicians and the wonderful Krista Masino on backup vocals during some songs. Masino here adding depth to a couple of tracks that really made Remaining Days stand up and be counted. Just pointing out the album is more richly textured than I might have led some to believe in this review.

I’m giving Remaining Days two thumbs up, and buying it a beer into the bargain. Stoquert presents us with a solid debut album that should have lovers of music, or horror for that matter, standing up and applauding. While I did love the background story unfolding, decay can play havoc with relationships folks, it was Soquert’s music that had me entranced from first track to last. This is one album you are really going to play time and time again. Full recommendation Kids, death songs don’t have to be all driving guitars and barely discernable vocals, it actually works better in a more folk orientated setting. For sure I’m not about to trade in my Alice Cooper CD collection on the strength of Remaining Days, but I will be adding Stoquert’s debut release to my regular play list.

Now here’s some really good news kids, you can check out and make your own decision on Remaining Days via Aaron Stoquert’s own site. Right over