The Exploding Eyes Orchestra. Began as a bit of a hobby for Ancient Ones guitarist and songwriter Thomas Corpse, and has since expanded to accommodate no fewer than five out of seven Jess and the Ancient Ones members.
At time it shows real promise and there are moments of brilliance, but at others, it feels far too much in thrall to 70s rock. It shouldn’t be so much of a surprise, given the album’s self-conscious title and the somewhat curious cover.
It starts well enough: ‘The Smoke’ comes on with a heavily vintage feel, theatrical arch-gothic with a spiralling organ and melodramatic horror slant whipping things up over an instant riff, cultivating in a splintering frenzy of fretwork. But ‘Crazy Heart’ sounds like Jefferson Starship and is marred by overwrought guitar soloing and clumsily anthemic piano. There’s worse to come on ‘My Father the Wolf’, which sounds like a folk Florence and the Machine.
|
‘Two-Zero 13’ is a dark, throbbing beast of a track, and if it’s pure 80s and revels in post-punk tropes with its lyrics about suicide, it still ignites a Siouxsie-esque rush of excitement. The glam-rock stomp of ‘Black Hound’ has got some chops, too.
On balance, it’s about a 50/50 split, although the chances are half the people who hear this will prefer the other 50%...
|