The Polish Black Flames Records has made a good deal by seducing Australian band The Crystalline Effect. With time they may become the leading band of the label, even their debut album is progressive and interesting that we have voted it 'one of the best surprises of the past months' without even the slightest sense of doubt. Listening to this work leaning into trip hop and reinforced by some noted artists I forgot to get off the bus in time on my way to work.
Driving past night lights shining through a misty, alcohol-drenched haze in our old shebang, gnawing at some past loves, harrowing experiences, reaching regularly for the bottle of whiskey on the passenger's seat hoping for the occassional stinky kiss of the bottle. After the dangerous drive tainted by the danger of accidents we return to our suburbian rented apartment, retreat into the depths of our solitude, while we keep looking around suspiciously at the shabby, soaked walls from the corner of our eyes. These are the feelings this disc induced in me.
The band was brought to life in 2002 by Elenor Rayner (vocals, lyrics) and Pete Crane (music). The style is a gripping blend of trip hop, lo-fi, dark electro, EBM and ambient scapes. The cover was dreamed by that Alexander G. who generally designs the booklets of Assemblage 23, Icon Of Coil, Hocico, Haujobb, or even Psyche. By the way, the debut release is a double, the second disc contains remixes.
Breakbeat, triphop, 4/4 bases richly layered with lo-fi effects, intelligent and fluent lyrics are the main strengths of the album. The presence of female vocals is pleasant, but Eleanor's range of voice leaves some to be desired, apart from a few songs she doesn't really herself. Repetitious, a bit shrouded, we've heard the likes of this several times, but it keeps the standard. The guitars sounded at spots sound real good, Why Do I Hate Myself is the totally driving-friendly hit, Another Rainy Day's line sticks deep, I Feel Fear, Cold, Alone is dynamically cold and at the same time introspective instrumental take. The spiritual high is the exceptionally well-organized Gabriel, and Eleanor at last sings some long-overdue backing vocals for it. The weakness of the album may be its basis requiring slow, piece-by-piece getting-in-tune, the songs only blossom with time, but I can guarantee that you will find some tunes on it that will make you hum along, and our head is also likely to start bobbing. On the second disk are sometimes surprising, sometimes startling, but they surely mean more party-friendly versions. I can only recommend the mixes made by Angel Theory, Ivory Frequency, Angelspit and Stark.
A pleasant start, which hopefully will be followed up by an even better work, the aim was set right, we expect the videos, the new songs, the only thing that remains would be the redesign of the hideously simplistic webpage.
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