Soft Black Stars

Durtro 042LCD, 1998, Running time: 53:45

Soft Black Stars
  1. Judas As Black Moth I - 02:44
  2. Larkspur and Lazarus - 06:04
  3. A Gothic Love Song - 04:05
  4. Mockingbird - 04:02
  5. Soft Black Stars - 03:07
  6. It Is Time, Only Time - 05:05
  7. Antichrist and Barcodes - 02:25
  8. The Signs in the Stars - 03:42
  9. Whilst the Night Rejoices Profound and Still - 04:22
  10. Moonlight, Or Other Dreams, Or Other Fields - 02:07
  11. Judas As Black Moth II - 06:16
  12. Chewing On Shadows - 09:45

Unlike more mainstream groups, Current 93 has never confined themselves to a single style or theme or sound. This album, to my mind, is a reflection of that ability to change and to find new directions in which to take their music. In other words, it doesn’t sound like anything they’ve done previously. I wish I could wholeheartedly recommend this album to everyone, but as with any major change, I know that some people will not like it. No lyrics are included, and for that matter, no song titles either.

Since all the songs (except for the last) share essentially the same elements, a track-by-track description on my part would be a little pointless. So instead, I offer you my thoughts and impressions on the album as a whole.

The primary musical sound is simply of piano and David Tibet’s voice, and could almost be described as “minimalist.” Gone are the electronics, the loops, the drones, and even a lot of the post-production (at points you can hear various rustling and movement in the back of the studio). Tracks one through eleven are melodic and melancholy piano, simple yet effective, mixed with Tibet’s quiet, soft vocals and occasionally punctuated by strings or by flute. It’s very simple, very stripped down. But despite this apparent lack of variation, the album, to me, is at no point boring.

The final track differs a little from the first eleven. Those absent drones and electronics make a brief reappearance and float along with Tibet’s vocals and a mandolin. Overall, it’s quite a heartbreaking ending.

Of possible note, the version of A GOTHIC LOVE SONG that appears on this album is ever-so-slightly different from the version on the A Gothic Love Song single. This version cuts straight to the piano/voice section, while the version on the single is preluded with a minute or so of a slow harmonium-sounding swirl.

As the music has changed, so have Tibet’s lyrics. Instead of apocalypse, death, or even the inmost light, his words strike me here as being intensely personal and introspective. When I first heard the A Gothic Love Song single, I felt it was an indication that Tibet was recognizing a part of his past and, hearing the song again in the context of this album, I feel this is true and more. From my perspective, it almost seems like the album is a memorial of sorts; perhaps it is an exorcism as well, since in it Tibet seems to say that he is no longer the person he used to be, that the things that were true for him in the past are no longer true for him now. His line in track two is especially poignant: “If I could have one wish, as in the fairy tales, I would unmake my past, and rise like Lazarus and stand in sunlight and banish all the dark.”

The album has a very analog, very “live” sound to it, as though the musicians sat down in someone’s house one afternoon and started recording. Considering the lyrical and thematic content, this live sound seems especially appropriate.

In terms of structure, the album reminds me a lot of Of Ruine or Some Blazing Starre. Content-wise, they’re both quite different, but they share a distinct sense of cohesiveness and continuity. However, I’m told that unlike Of Ruine or Some Blazing Starre, this album was not intended to be a single long piece.

The other parallel that comes to mind is, surprisingly enough, with In a Foreign Town, In a Foreign Land. It’s more of an abstract comparison, since the two albums are musically quite different, but to my ear the pacing of the two feels very similar. Or maybe it’s just me…

As I stated above, some of you will not like this album. That’s ok. When a band has such a diverse range of sound as Current 93 has, it’s inevitable that some aspects will not appeal to you. For me, however, I think it is perhaps Tibet’s most personal and revealing work yet, as it seems to be a reflection of the changes within his self. The earnestness and sincerity really appeal to me, and I feel that the stripped-down musical sound is entirely appropriate. However, see what you think.

No epilogue.