Nick Grey - Candlelight Eyes Ep [Barl Fire Recordings - 0000]This is a wonderfully morose mix of dark electric guitar, come folk, come synth hover and downtrodden pop craft. With Nick Greys voice bringing to mind a more mournful take David Gahan of Depeche Mode dark crooning. Though it’s called an ep and only taking in five tracks it last on just over 40 minutes- so you get you moneys worth. Through out it has such a rich, but always darkly melancholy air, Sort of coating you in it’s velvet like depression and weariness. It feels like waking into a vast limb leding darkness, that's oddly warming and comforting. Grey makes his slow moving song craft both memorable, haunting and darkly original. Wsing a mix of throbbing and dark breathing synth work, black drape sample string swoons, guitar elements that move towards been almost metallic in places and surprising forays into electronica. The album floats by with such dark wonder that as soon as it finishers you find your self reaching to repeating it once more. Simply put it’s a wonderfull collection of tuneful tracks that hover in a darkly romantic and gothic air, which will easily find pride of place in my end of year list. Roger Batty
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