Black Tape For a Blue Girl : "These Fleeting Moments"

This is where we separate the hipsters from Brooklyn who latched onto a Sisters of Mercy album from the real goths. With fans ranging from David Lynch to Sasha Gray the neo-classical goth band returns on their 30th anniversary for their 11th album. The album opens with an almost 18 minute song called the vastness of life. Oscar who sang on the band's first seven albums in back in the fold. There is a lengthy atmospheric break in the opener. The string bring a thicker layer of sadness to the gloom. Oscar's daughter Dani lends here voice to the album and is pretty impressive. The fact that Sam Rosenthal runs Projeckt Records enables them to nab many guest musicians including Dresden Dolls drummer Brian Viglione makes his presence known on "Limitless" which might also be the album's strongest song.

His voice isn't as confident on "One Promised Love" . The strings on this song and the backing vocals keep the song afloat. The vocals show improvement on "Absolute Zero". The synths are more kraut rock like in there drone on "Affinity". "Please Don't Go" carries an atmosphere that is a shade darker. It is goth as fuck and doesn't need vocals. "Six Thirteen" sounds like something that Black Philip could have gotten down to in "the Witch" and even then it's not as exotic as the song that follows which might make you want to seek out the closest opium den. I really like the Pink Floyd like guitar solo on this song. There is a very ritualistic quality to "Mediation on the skeleton".

There is a more traditional choral tone to "Desert Rat Kangaroo". Lyrically it ponders who the universe favors. It sounds a little like a children's song to me. The folk ballad "She's Gone" might be fitting for the mix tape, "Songs For A Heart Broken Lesbian". Though she could be singing about her mom. The distorted guitar helps switch things up toward the end. More rolling atmosphere twinkles in the dusk on "She Ran So Far ..." . It wanders with a very post-rock feel . There might be more rock on this album than you would expect from this project. There is an angular plastic sound to the synths that open "Your'e Inside Me" to close the album. I am unsure of some of the vocal choices, they are not always in key. In some way I suppose it might be influence by David Byrne. I'll go ahead and round this up to an 8.5 as it touches on moments of vastly dark beauty.