2009's "love comes close" came as a surprise to many of Wes eisold's many devoted followers.After the intensity of seminal hardcore band American nightmare (or as they were known after a forced name change Give up the ghost) and the screaming chaos of Some girls, Eisold's collaboration with justin pearson of san francisco spazzcore legends The Locust, Eisold's new project were a completely different project, eschewing distorted guitars and harsh screaming vocals for casio synths and clean 80's influenced singing, cold cave could not have been further from what many had come to expect from Wes Eisold.
To be fair Wes Eisold has always stood out from his musical peer group.His lyrics in AN/GUTG were miles ahead of other hardcore bands at the time.With songs that dealt with heartbreak, alienation and loss, Eisold's lyrics read more like a smiths record than a run of the mill hardcore punk band.this combined with a britpop influenced dress code which seemed to challenge the confines of the boston hardcore scene from where they came from should have softened the synthpop blow of cold caves first record.
"cherish the light years" begins with the bellow of "the great pan is dead", its too loud synths almost drowning out Eisolds lyrics of stars exploding and heaven caving in giving the listener the mental image of Eisold whirling around onstage throwing shapes, emoting every anthemic note.cold cave's sound is a noise indebted to 80's goth gloom,glacial synth pop and at some points even factory records dance/post punk ( there are shades of manchester post punk outfit the durutti column that drift through parts of the album).
With production duties helmed by producer Chris Coady (who produced the jaw dropping "Eye contact" by NYC's Gang Gang dance also released this year) making sure the sound is full and is not just limited to casio keyboards and drum machines, "alchemy and you"' with its disintegration-esque guitars and the urgent horn section lifted from dexy's midnight runners or yazoo's british pop.
For the first few listens you find yourself preoccupied with a "spot the influence" game which almost threatens to taint the record. the human league keyboards on "confetti", the new order synths on "icons of summer" or the sisters of mercy thump of "underworld u.s.a" willing you to dismiss it as nothing more than ironic plagiarism.
Once you start to see the influences as something more celebratory rather than a hindrance the appreciation starts.For a start there are some immense songs on here.The aforementioned title track with its urgent bursts of noisy keyboards, the guitar driven arena goth of "pacing around the church", album highlight "burning sage" with its dark brooding keyboards and minimal techno beats leading into the epic album closer "villains of the moon" where Eisold and mika miko's Jennifer clavin trade harmonies over chiming guitars and the propulsive beat of drum machines.
On the whole the darker goth and synth influence on "cherish" works better than say, the pure john hughes nostalgia of M83 or cut copy's pet shop boys camp, the darker indulgences fit in to an album Wes eisold has said is an open love letter to his adopted home of new york and the depressive mood conjures up images of a bleak grey city in contrast to the vibrancy of other,more well known musical celebrations of the big apple.
this is Eisold's 2am walk through the empty desolate streets of an overpopulated town shot in black and white with no one around and just headphones and shadows for company,
You get the impression Wes Eisold would not want cold cave or indeed his life to sound any other way.
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