Esben & The Witch // A New Nature
Distinctly Gothy, distinctly good,
Released 1 Septermber 2014
Esben & The Witch // A New Nature Nostromo
Ever get the feeling you’ve missed the point? The PR material for Esben And The Witch’s third LP references post-punk, Sonic Youth, Swans. There are elements of these but this is distinctly Goth. And that ain’t a bad thing.
Based around Bauhaus style guitar, opener Press Heavenward is the kind of dark, driving rock music the Fields of the Nephilim made their own,
Dig Your Fingers In recalls All About Eve at their most experimental. Reminiscent of FotN’s Trees Come Down, No Dog shows that programmer Daniel Coperman should have abandoned the drum machine and got behind the kit some time ago.
Fourteen minute psyche jam Jungle is equal parts Bardo Pond, Cocteau Twins, Black Mountain and iLiKETRAiNS. It is a glorious thing that will be an absolute storm live.Those Dreadful Hammers is a noise piece bringing to mind Sunn 0))).
Things get gentler and more melodic on Wooden Star, showcasing Rachel Davies’ rich, PJ Harveyesque vocals and Thomas Fisher’s inventive but never flashy guitar. Blood Teachings starts in a similar vein and develops into a Bo Ningen jam. After this, acoustic closer Bathed In Light is anticlimactic.
All in all, a rather special album that proves Goth can be both inventive and good.
Pavlis (9/10)
Released 1 Septermber 2014
Esben & The Witch // A New Nature Nostromo
Ever get the feeling you’ve missed the point? The PR material for Esben And The Witch’s third LP references post-punk, Sonic Youth, Swans. There are elements of these but this is distinctly Goth. And that ain’t a bad thing.
Based around Bauhaus style guitar, opener Press Heavenward is the kind of dark, driving rock music the Fields of the Nephilim made their own,
Dig Your Fingers In recalls All About Eve at their most experimental. Reminiscent of FotN’s Trees Come Down, No Dog shows that programmer Daniel Coperman should have abandoned the drum machine and got behind the kit some time ago.
Fourteen minute psyche jam Jungle is equal parts Bardo Pond, Cocteau Twins, Black Mountain and iLiKETRAiNS. It is a glorious thing that will be an absolute storm live.Those Dreadful Hammers is a noise piece bringing to mind Sunn 0))).
Things get gentler and more melodic on Wooden Star, showcasing Rachel Davies’ rich, PJ Harveyesque vocals and Thomas Fisher’s inventive but never flashy guitar. Blood Teachings starts in a similar vein and develops into a Bo Ningen jam. After this, acoustic closer Bathed In Light is anticlimactic.
All in all, a rather special album that proves Goth can be both inventive and good.
Pavlis (9/10)
