2 A.M. Wakeup Call

Goth Rock! Every once in a while, one of Trent Reznor’s henchmen breaks free to work on some project that usually ranges from tolerable (Underworld Soundtrack) to atrocious (Filter). When I heard Chris Vrenna’s first album under the name Tweaker, I placed him closer to the latter category, thinking he should go back to making noises for video games. This second release, however, is significantly better, with stronger songwriting, production, and a slew of guest vocalists that suit the style. The guitars are crunchy, the synths are edgy; an overall great record.
1. alt-country singer Will Oldham gives an awesome performance on this rocker
2. total NIN instrumental, mostly ambient with moments of synth intensity
3. piano intro, catchy chorus with Mellowdrone, glitchy drums
4. who is this terrible singer? Oh, it’s Robert Smith. Oops. Sexy bass groove,
though Smith says “shit” once quietly. I don’t think it’s that big a deal…
5. extremely cool instrumental with unnerving synths and menacing grooves
6. decent low-key song with david sylvian, cool quiet distorted guitars
7. typical guitar synth riffs with an industrial beat, singing gets a little old
8. cool ambient instrumental – think “A Warm Place” off The Downward Spiral
9. most “goth” song, with echoed whisper singing and a brass synth chorus
10. Nick young sings, track is a little boring compared to others, rocks some.
11. starts with lo-fi radio playing national anthem, decent instrumental rock
12. feels like a mellow trip-hop song, Jen Charles croons over wistful synths