Eye – Dark Light
Eye – Dark Light
New Heavy Sounds
Release Date: 26/04/24
Running Time: 43:36
Review by Dark Juan
Score: 10/10
It is Sunday at Crow Cottage and Dark Juan is doing his best to procrastinate, because he has to go to shops and Dark Juan is not feeling very peopley today. This is mainly because we had part of our kitchen refitted yesterday and therefore had to have someone who is not a regular visitor, and if you are neurodiverse as Dark Juan is, it is an uncomfortable experience. Granted, the person who was in our home was the estimable and very genial Gordon Wilkinson, drummer of Lazarus Blackstar and Ironrat, among others, and a friend of many years’ long standing, but it is still a deeply unpleasant experience as a neurodiverse person, to have someone in your sanctum for a long period of time. However, this was somewhat mitigated by the fact we were listening to Genesis live albums and a smattering of Van Der Graaf Generator (both Dark Juan and Gordon are not so secret lovers of Prog, although this soon gave way to The Mission and the Sisters Of Mercy) so at least we had decent tunes, and Mrs Dark Juan is happy because she now has a Belfast sink and a unit that looks like it belongs in Granny Weatherwax’s kitchen. Doubtless, it will be filled with herbs and poultices and oils and unguents in short order. We will have to rethink where to put the recycling though…
This is all incidental. Enough of the incredibly boring life of Dark Juan and more about music! The Platter of Splatter™ has been called into service once again and this time, spinning upon it, is Eye, being a new work from the frontwoman of Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard (or MWWB, as they are also known), Jessica Ball. Jessica had moved from Wrexham to join her partner Gid Goundrey in Cardiff just as the COVID pandemic hit (don’t even start with me about it being a fucking plot by the Deep State, the New World Order, the Rothschilds, the Chinese or anything like that, because you are spouting a complete fucking load of diseased, rancorous bullshit. I state this because I lost too many friends to COVID and having had it twice its no fucking picnic. If you think it was all part of the Great Reset, you’re a deluded ****) and therefore was constrained to remain indoors for a large amount of time. Naturally, they began making music together and this album, “Dark Light” is the result.
If you’re expecting a rehash of Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard, you’re going to be either A) extremely disappointed, or B) entranced by a whole new sound. Dark Juan is a firm adherent to option B.
I have had this record in my possession for a couple of weeks now, and I have deliberately not listened to it because I wanted no preconceptions about it. I even ignored MWWB, who I am a big fan of, in order to approach Jessica’s new work with an open mind.
The best way I can describe it is Doom Metal without the Metal – it takes in Dark Folk music, Coldwave, Darkwave, Drone and Dreampop. It is eclecticism in musical motion and Dark Juan is here to tell you that it is very, VERY good, if you are willing to put aside preconceptions. For example, ‘Respair’ owes much to the likes of Beth Gibbons and Portishead – Jessica’s clear, waifish, bell-like voice soars effortlessly over a laid-back drumbeat, an electronic bassline and gently chiming, swaying guitar lines. The whole experience of this whole song is like having been through some kind of appalling trauma and then emerging into sunlight and warmth – enjoying it massively but knowing that you have been irreparably changed and challenged by an experience that you never want to repeat and then learning to live with that new, unwelcome, black nugget of sorrow in your soul even as you forge forwards to new opportunities and happiness.
‘Out Of Sight’ is where the Dark Folk influence comes to the fore – Southern Gothic, slightly discordant guitar and another slow, dreamy drumbeat give the song a kind of misery-laden, American roadtrip kind of feel. Like driving through the endless desert on a straight, featureless road with only your own thoughts for company as the car stereo is buggered and you’re out of mobile signal so you can’t even stick Spotify or Tidal on instead. It’s a song that somehow manages to convey a melancholic silence broken only by your internal monologue through music.
It is an expertly produced record as well – Chris Fielding (MWWB, Conan, among others) has managed to compress and condense the sorrow and melancholy of the lyrics and arrangements into something affecting and deeply worrisome for Dark Juan as it appears that he does have feelings after all, and Eye are able to tug on the few heartstrings he has left with disturbing facility. Every instrument occupies a perfect place in the mix and perfectly set themselves as the foil for Jessica’s haunting, deceptively simple vocals, which never occupy the forefront of the music to the detriment of everything else, content to be a part of the composition rather than using the music as a reason for being. The melding of Electronica to guitar and a stubborn Psychedelic Doominess to the music (it ain’t Metal although it has the leaden heaviness of Doom (‘See Yourself’ cranks up the fuzz and distortion to the max, but it doesn’t make it a Doom tune, rather something more delicious that counterpoints the noise with an angelic vocal and some Electronic squelching and atmospherics), although shot through with unexpected rays of light) makes this album a singular listening experience.
To attempt to sum this all up into some kind of coherent whole then – if you like your music to be a slow-burn of emotion and beauty with a core of steel, Eye is the band for you. If you are the kind of person who appreciates the work of Hope Sandoval (both solo and with Mazzy Star), Skew Siskin, Chelsea Wolfe, and Portishead, then you will find much to enjoy. If you’re expecting Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard Mark II, you are going to be disappointed. This is a record for fans of MUSIC, rather than for fans of a genre, and Dark Juan is deeply in love with it.
The Patented Dark Juan Blood Splat Rating System (Y system sblatter gwaed Dark Juan patent, ar gyfer fy ffrindiau Cymreig. Ydw, dwi’n gwybod ei fod yn anghywir. Na, nid oes ots gennyf gan fy mod yn Sais ac er fy mod yn caru Cymru yn llwyr, wedi byw yno am gryn dipyn yn Sir Gaerfyrddin, ac wedi gweithio yno ac wedi syrthio mewn cariad llwyr ag ef, ceisiais ddysgu eich iaith ac a dweud y gwir, mae’n eithriadol o dda. anodd, hyd yn oed gyda fy llyfrau Cwrs Mynediad! Ymddiheuriadau am gigyddiaeth eich iaith hardd, ond dwi’n ceisio! ) has absolutely no hesitation in awarding Eye 10/10 for a record that is extremely powerful in ways that Metal rarely accomplishes.
TRACKLISTING:
01. Window
02. Dark Light
03. The Other Sees
04. In Your Night
05. In The Sun Eternally
06. Respair
07. Out Of Sight
08. Stillness
09. See Yourself
10. Rescue You
LINE-UP:
Jessica Ball – Vocals, Instruments
Gid Goundrey – Drums, Instruments
Johnny TK – Keyboards
LINKS:
Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Dark Juan and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.
