- Ms Kaye is a Tyee Builder. You can be, too.
- Mary Carlisle is a Tyee Builder. You can be, too.
- Prem Gill is a Tyee Builder. You can be, too.
- Nancy Flight is a Tyee Builder. You can be, too.
- Justin Everett is a Tyee Builder. You can be, too.
- John Westover is a Tyee Builder. You can be, too.
- Nora Etches is a Tyee Builder. You can be, too.
- Edward Henderson is a Tyee Builder. You can be, too.
- Bharadwaj Chandramouli is a Tyee Builder. You can be, too.
- Dean Chatterson is a Tyee Builder. You can be, too.
- Marius Scurtescu is a Tyee Builder. You can be, too.
- Robert Parkes is a Tyee Builder. You can be, too.
- James Murton is a Tyee Builder. You can be, too.
- Susan Doyle is a Tyee Builder. You can be, too.
- Vincent Strgar is a Tyee Builder. You can be, too.
- Helen Spiegelman is a Tyee Builder. You can be, too.
- Subir Guin is a Tyee Builder. You can be, too.
- Kimball Finigan is a Tyee Builder. You can be, too.
- Joanne Manley is a Tyee Builder. You can be, too.
- David Leach is a Tyee Builder. You can be, too.
Dodging from a Distance
How Cold Cave sidesteps the long shadow of Joy Division.
Cold Cave, looking all cold and cavey.
Listen To This:
Cold Cave -- "Love Comes Close"
If you happen to be a musician with a penchant for moody post-punk riffs, you probably have a bone to pick with Ian Curtis. I realize that the poor lad is dead and gone, so he's probably not the liveliest candidate for a good tongue-lashing, but clearly the iconic Brit is still wreaking havoc from the grave.
Whether you're a regular Steve Jones on the guitar or write hooks tighter than Janice Dickinson's Botox-injected face, if your band also happens to dabble in a certain, particular Manchester Sound, you might as well call it a day -- unless of course being heralded as Joy Division-lite sounds enticing to you. Philadelphia's Cold Cave has evidently found a way around all this with "Love Comes Close" the title track from the outfit's Matador debut, out Nov. 3rd. Injecting the Unknown Pleasures archetype with electronic fuzz and disco gloom, this enterprising pack of J.D. devotees have crafted melodies intriguing enough to keep those nasty copycat slags at bay.
Perhaps it's singer Wesley Eisold's perfectly chilled vocals set against a pulsating drum machine and twinkling synth that give this gothic number its allure. Or maybe it's the trance-like pace of the forlorn chorus that accounts for its inexplicable charm. In any case, the melodramatic tune feels more like a spooky new wave homage than a blatant rip off of yesteryear. Eisold's steady croon: "Everything is changing to remain the same" may be unsettling -- his eerie vocal style would make a song about kittens and cupcakes sound painfully tragic -- but it leaves a lasting impression with listeners.
Choosing to explore the poppier side of things -- noir synth-pop to be precise -- rather than chugging straight through post-punk waters may be Cold Cave's wisest decision as far as derailing the wannabe comparisons. "Love Comes Close" certainly has all the earmarks of a decade past, but it floats along with an air of ingenuity that could only come from a group of present day hipsters who spent the better part of their teenage years perfecting the look of disaffection. ![[Tyee]](http://thetyee.cachefly.net/ui/img/ico_fishie.png){kind=small}
- BC snuffs out AirCare test program
- AFN national chief Shawn Atleo to launch re-election bid
- Citizens group releases video to fight undead Bill C-30
- Conservative MP says he might vote against budget, then 'clarifies' his position
- Genetically modified plants won't take root with councillors in Richmond, BC
- Hundreds at Vancouver rally to support Quebec students
- Could Fort Mac become an eco-tourist hotspot?
- Rick Hansen's Man in Motion anniversary tour concludes in Vancouver
- The Gem of Canadian Science that Harper Killed
- Who Mowed Down the Premier?
- Canada's Economy, Deconstructed (by a 12 year-old)
- Death in Remand: a Tyee Inquiry
- Bill C-38: the Environmental Destruction Act
- Now Is the Time to Talk up Big Ideas
- Sexism Tinges Criticism of Teachers' Job Action
- Death In Remand: 'A Gut Feeling'
- Bias in BC's Pesticide Decision? Follow the Bouncing Verbs
- The Ethics of Addiction Studies
- The Gem of Canadian Science that Harper Killed
- Sexism Tinges Criticism of Teachers' Job Action
- Now Is the Time to Talk up Big Ideas
- The Ethics of Addiction Studies
- Bill C-38: the Environmental Destruction Act
- Alberta Fills Pipes with Corrosive Denial
- Bias in BC's Pesticide Decision? Follow the Bouncing Verbs
- How Our Immune Systems Exaggerate Fear
- BC biotech company seeks approval for GM apple
- What's Behind BC's Doors?
- Sexism Tinges Criticism of Teachers' Job Action
- Should You Run from that Medical Test?
- 'The Dictator'
- Death in Remand: Stacked Deck
- 'Moonrise Kingdom'
- Tyee Builders Tally: Amazing!
- From Financial Advisor to Occupier
- 'Storage Wars'
- Seven Goals to Build the Conservative 'Dream'
- How Our Immune Systems Exaggerate Fear
- Double lung recipient dances on Ellen show
- ISS astronauts grab DragonX space capsule by the tail with Canada Arm
- Metro Vancouver gas prices peak at record levels
- Ottawa posts $9-billion deficit in March despite pledge to avoid spending spree
- BC phases out AirCare to focus on fighting bigger vehicle emissions
- Tsunami senors to be dropped into deep sea off of Vancouver Island
- Student groups file court challenge against Quebec protest law
- ...while on the streets, pirates and ninjas put aside mutual animosity to join student protests
2
Login or register to post comments
DavidN
2 years ago
Noir-ish
I think it verges on too-poppish, but you can play it in mixed-misical taste company without making anyone want to run away, which is really useful these days.
Noir? Maybe it is nouveux beige, but I really it, especially when my mind is not fully functional.
DavidN
2 years ago
Later
When the guests leave, depending on who they are, play "Heartworm Press". More Noir, less pop. Great article by the way, thanks...new music is good to find.