Czars

So, Cold Dark Place is actually a thing! Back, when Mastodon were writing Emperor of Sand, there was talk about a double album, with the second half being written entirely by Brent Hinds. That obviously didn't happen, as EoS ended up being a single record. Then, in the best interview ever made (check it out below), Brent said an album called "Cold Dark Place" will be released "on Record Store Day in June". The record is supposedly about a "nasty breakup". Brent described it as "pretty dark, beautiful, spooky, funky, ethereal, melancholy music, which also sounds like the Bee Gees a little bit."

The National - Sad Songs For Dirty Lovers (2003) {Talitres Records TAL-011}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 302 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 105 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (png) -> 26 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 2003 Talitres Records | TAL-011
Rock / Indie Rock / Alternative / Chamber Pop / Sadcore

For a band that's been compared to Joy Division, Leonard Cohen, Wilco, and Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, the National sure sounds a lot more like the Czars or Uncle Tupelo on this sophomore album Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers. Where the band might lack Joy Division's angular fury, Cohen's existentialism, and Cave's vampiric attack, vocalist Matt Berninger and company whip up a murky alt country meets chamber pop vibe that's quite potent. The five-piece mostly keeps things on the country side of the fence during the album's first half, as slide guitars and fiddles overpower just about any hint of rock styling except the drumbeat, occasional feedback, and some screeching guitar freak-outs.