Night Sins
To London or The Lake
Reviewed By: Sebastian Mackay
Goth + 70s synth pop + sexy vocals = To London or The Lake. This record grooves into a smoke filled room in a sweaty unground goth club with only enough light to just make out the features of the person before. Yet somehow, despite the smoke and sweat, the moody zombie like dancing won’t die down. “Rain” has reverb into synths (which, along with the drums, provide the musical basis for this record) a whispering of vocals and provides an electric and dark interlude between the album’s parts.
“Bound ‘Round The World” is considerably more upbeat and active. You can’t move past the vocal style though, it’s capturing and enchanting to the point where if he was singing the phonebook – you’d still stop and listen. Title track “To London Or The Lake” is one of the faster, more upbeat, tracks and fits perfectly into the atmosphere of the album. And that’s what Night Sins do so well. They create a very deliberate atmosphere that carries through the record and allows tracks to stand out on their own but also keeps a cohesive whole.
“Dear Marquis” wins out as my favorite track. It takes everything great about this record and turns it up a notch. There’s another worldly aspect to this music and one can almost picture Stoker’s Dracula playing it while he gorges. Part of the success of this record is changes in pace for each of the songs. It keeps them from becoming amalgamated and each one brings in an extra aspect of the musicianship. By the time you hit “Neon Light Intoxicants” you’re ready to bring out the black nail polish and Manson’s Eat Me, Drink Me.
Rating: Bad-Ass
