House of Mythology 26th August, 2016
Deep and portentous synth strings prepare the way then swell to carry the theatrical voice, declaiming: “Create Christ, sailor boy”. Strange and unsettling organ rides side by side with a deep and pompous drone. Sixth-form poetry becomes emotionally meaningful albeit ontologically opaque through the vocal cords of David Tibet of legendary band, Current 93. The delivery, worthy of a dramaturge, sells the significance of the dark imagery and transforms it into a cabaret-style delivery of beat poetry – oh, but what a dark cabaret – not a place you’d want to be. A sinister glamour takes hold and the sound is filled with blood and fierce beauty.
Much of the deep soundscape is the work of Youth – once bassist with Killing Joke, and over the last few decades, producer to bands as disparate as The String Cheese Incident, Paul McCartney (who he formed a duo – The Firemen with) and Alien Sex Fiend. The album conjures up hallucinations and I suspect is actually a work of chaos magic, summoning changes through incantation and its verbal structure. Tibet says: “There was no plan—it was spontaneously channelled by both of us from The Spheres above. Youth is the master,…….. he is an Archon!” Lyrically, this is not unfamiliar territory for followers of C93 but more is always good and the partnership here is seamless. “The main instruments are Moog synth and my Vox Repeater vintage guitar,” says Youth – the result shows a lot more acoustic and synthesised sounds, making a wash that co-authors the spell.
This is a deep and sunless space, coloured in reds and blacks. A place inhabited by wizards and incantatory voyagers.