In my initial exploration of Darkwave and Etheral music I discovered Cold, a striking record luring me into a world of music I now adore. Thirty three years strong as a band, there recent outings A Line That Connects and In Flickers had been fun listens with a couple of memorable songs but this new EP has a powerful breath of fresh air. Some how, these tracks leap out at me, with each one presenting some sort of angle, perhaps adjacent to an influence or idea. It makes sense that they come in this packaging with such variety and a stiff sense of flow. It feels experimental but the more I listened, the more I loved how it moves, held together by aesthetic and voice as its bold pallet of moods tilt from one direction to the next.
On The Messanine, Salt & Blood are these slow and dreary journeys through haunted dreams, beautiful yet wrapped in a sorrow. It fondly reminded me of Autumns Grey Solace but even more so the opening A Quiet Way To Go. Tara Vanflower's wordless voicings sound so much like Erin, with the bleak guitars behind her luring in that familiar Ethereal feeling. Its Mike Vanportfleet who ushers in the pivot as he softly whispers the songs name and it blossoms with color and resonance. The guitar chord that turns the corner is luscious and stellar. Its acoustic tone is sublime. The tracks structure alternates back and forth a couple of times and that is all it needs.
Do You Bleed is one meaty grinder of a track, its percussion hammers out strikess of distortion in its industrious menace as rumblings of dirty bass pound away below. Its ugly guitars birth a wicked sense of atmosphere and Vanflower watches over it all with a touch of venom in her voice as she commands suffering. Reminded me of Punisher & Author's take on Industrial. Where this one reached low the following Except glides on a high with a graceful atmosphere and warm strings a poppy melody propelled by its mechanical drum machine. Its opening synth jive strongly reminded me of something but as the song grows that tends to fade. I think its initial influence would be something to the likes of Gary Numan or the Tubeway Army.
Lastly Galatea is quite the upbeat, pop track with a more modern feel too. It weaves its chirpy melody into the Ethereal unraveling of its airy synths and Vanportfleet's gothic and pained voice as he sings soft words into the reverb with a ghostly incarnation. I'm not sure if these songs were particularly special or if this just scratched an itch but I found myself captivated by the albums better numbers. These songs just felt so vivid and full of identity. A great little record!
Rating: 6/10