(((S))) – Phantom (T&E Records)
As cryptic as the name is, the music is also. One moment it has me thinking of underground bunkers where Gary Numan records are played all day (what torture!), but then there’s The Cure side, arriving in time to save a drowning scribe from mutilating it with a torrent of unhealthy words. Also, a New Order guitar sound is often to the fore, so this is not an unforgiving musical journey. The 80s seems to spread through this music like a healthy germ (can you have such a thing as that, I wonder? I mean, the 1980s… come on!), and the songs, although they run the whole gamut of oppressive imprisonment to searching the blue skies, always appear to be upbeat, hiding the bleeding heart well.

Lyrically this dark side is visited more often than the light. For instance, take these lines from “Addicted To My Dreams”: ‘This is a city where even the air is painted grey… And slowly the fog is penetrating peoples minds… Goodbye good times…’ or this, from “Hole In My Heart”: ‘Sometimes… I’m feeling… Like a never ending love song… Played… On a very… Very… Very… Slow speed’. This gloom is countered, though, with passages of sunshine: this, from “Walk”: ‘Like nomads in the sun… We can’t get lost… Everywhere is home… As long as you are right here with me…’ although that song is given a tinge of sadness by having to ask the question of his desire ‘Do you wanna come… Please come…’.

A very novel album from a novel artist, who has now contributed to Krautrock by opening up a new page, even though his music is steeped in past Goth romanticism, bleached-out washes of 80s’ synths, and a genuine attempt to be progressive whilst looking backwards. Surely worth investigating for these things, alone.
www.myspace.com/fustydk
Kev A.

(((S))) – HOLE IN MY HEART

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