A Place to Bury Strangers

If A Place to Bury Strangers were one of the presidential candidates, the hypnotic trio would be John McCain. Politics notwithstanding, this Brooklyn band, like the Straight Talk Express, tends to noisily echo the past more than strut into the future. Suturing syncopated drum loops with eerie synthesizers and bandaging the oozy mess with a glittery, distorted feedback, A Place harnesses the most dangerous flashes of Joy Division and the Smiths. Oliver Ackerman’s stoic vocals and sparse guitar work suggest genuine emotional turmoil. Either way, with drummer JSpace and bassist Jono MOFO’s clipping and clopping the beat, this group could get any grave-bound shoegazer moving.