Western Bloc - Rules are Bourgeois Porn

Western Bloc

Rules are Bourgeois Porn
​self-released; 2023

4.0 out of 5

By Jamie Funk

The fifth album from Western Bloc aka Barry James McCarthy is entitled Rules are Bourgeois Porn. It contains ten songs and a number of different styles. The artist mentions “This album was focused on making interesting changes and arrangements of songs, avoiding anything that could have gone on the previous albums, and wanting some big, epic, choruses.” 

The album begins with “Paradox Lost” which is a ballad. It revolves around piano and bass soaring guitars. McCarthy mentions Roxy Music as an influence and I was picking up on that here. I also found the band Pulp to be closely related and this song had major Jarvis Cocker vibes to me. Very cool opener.

The title track “Rules are Bourgeois Porn” is next and  right off the bat I could tell this was going to be a very different song. It comes closer to sounding like electronic and industrial in the spirit of the NIN. I couldn’t shake the feeling that the vocals were inspired by the late Scott Walker. It’s a unique singing style. 

“The Quantum Nature Of Bird Migration” is next and this felt like a highlight. I loved the instrumentation which has this ’70s type quality. The chorus is pretty epic. It’s a dynamic song all around and arguably one of the best songs I’ve heard from Western Bloc.

“Sometime In The 1970s” is sort of lush and relaxed. There’s organ, various sounds from guitar and bass parts that keeps the whole thing moving. “Alway Crashing In The Same Karma” was a fun one and also quite catchy. David Bowie came to mind at points. Something about the production sounded similar to what you hear on his album Low.

“The Ashes Of Bridges” is interesting. It’s a pretty upbeat and joyous sounding tune, although I found something a little haunting about it. “A Very Small Scene Of One” was fantastic. It’s got a punk flavor and felt covered in a goth vibe not too far from Joy Division with a more contemporary sound. “It Ain't Easy” has its moments as well. It goes in a lot of different directions and I thought the guitar and piano worked really well together. The energy ramps back up with “The Last God (Are There Eukaroytes In Heaven)” while the closer “Obsidian Knives” expands with shoegaze aesthetics.

​This is a very strong release from Western Bloc. McCarthy went out on a limb and I thnk the results paid off. Recommended.

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