This is a review of the EP We Saw the Moon (2013), by Swedish duo Hearts of Black Science, and the tenth review here on Track-By-Track.
Though almost half-a-year old, this EP was new to me when I heard it recently. It’s a lot like deservedly well-respected bands meeting equally talented lesser-known bands, musically. Observer Drift (whose latest album was my first review on this blog) definitely comes to mind, as well as electronic artist Liars, goth staples The Cure, and U2, among others. The EP is engineered, performed, and written, like a band at the top of their game. And that’s exactly what they seem to be.
What really surprised me was the ability that Hearts of Black Science -- the Gothemburg-based duo of Daniel Änghede on vocals and physical instruments, and Tomas Almgren on production/mixing, digital instruments, and more-than-fitting album art -- has of blending goth tones and themes with lighter and more atmospheric genres. It’s really the combination of Almgren’s and Änghede’s two different perspectives on music that makes We Saw the Moon not only unique, but uniquely enjoyable. This is a release that lulls and swells with mood and emotion, and mixes a nighttime atmosphere with different takes on that theme. Great music conveys emotion, and this is a softly-lit warm reminder.
Get out your candles; here’s my 10th TBT:
“Winter In Tar Garden” starts the EP, with a decidedly chilly atmosphere. A pleasantly dark track, with processing all over electronic bass, piano, and a modern drumbeat. It reminds me of milder songs from the ongoing genre crossover (and continual miscategorization) of black metal and shoegaze, but done properly with wafts of electronic and mildly ambient tones. There’s enough time to get the atmosphere of the track through instrumental breaks between the sparse vocals, and the vocal-lyrical combination give it a whole other level of mood. The vocals are processed to perfection (in the alternative-music sense, not the pop-music sense), and great synths are just loud enough to almost totally mask some great guitars. This obscuration somehow makes the track better than if the guitars were at the forefront, like the generally obscured or low-volume vocals in shoegaze proper. Synths bring out a dark atmosphere, but in a way that's like a dark Van Gogh, rather than a depressing or unpleasantly dark movie. It reminds me a bit of Curve's song “Coast is Clear”.
“College Dreams” comes next, and it’s a definite 80s-style hit. It’s probably my favourite on the EP, and it has loads of glo-fi with some hints of dream-pop throughout. Great synths, and vocals with classic lyrics are sung, processed, and harmonized, like a collaboration between U2 and Duran Duran at their best. It sounds nostalgic, and there’s definitely a chillwave sound to the track. Drums are in that addictive eq, and guitars are very 80s. Though on first listen, I wasn’t huge on the mid-range-bandpass-equalized vocal cuts, by the second listen, I was looking forward to them like a long-overdue release from The Postal Service (as if such a thing were ever announced). It’s heartening that such a happy-sounding track has mildly foreboding lyrics, such as: “For now we’re young and we’ll never die”.
“Icon” is the 3rd track, and though it starts with a lo-fi electronic goth sound, it quickly becomes an electronica anthem. This one has the least prominent guitars yet it fits the scheme of the EP by being smack-dab in the middle. Guitars are mainly underneath loud bass synths and old-school drum samples, and let’s not forget the classic chorus-effected-piano, and choral samples. The vocals once again are amazing, and emotive without fault or over-production. There are definitely parts that remind me of The Cure (especially the better tracks of their 4:13 Dream album), and Peter Murphy’s “Cuts You Up”, among other great goth progenitors.
“Fathoms” is the penultimate track. Some glitchy drums and tremolo-processed synths are the perfect backing for what sounds like Slowdive meeting The Unforgettable Fire-era U2, and it interestingly becomes a goth glo-fi/chillwave track, which I never thought could ever mix , let alone so well. The drums are slow, and guitars appear in odd places, as well as providing a great atmosphere for the vocals (in all their modulated and harmonized glory) to drift on. Bass takes a back-seat, but still remains important in keeping the darker tone of the song. And somehow, somewhere, a string section (or samples of) make their way into the track, and seamlessly blend with guitar through heavy reverb.
The title track puts it all in perspective. Although all the tracks are well-done, this is a major contender for the airspace “College” also deserves. I must say, I wish I knew where the vocal sample at the beginning comes from, but it escapes me. The track sounds like both a total acceptance of the night, and darkness itself. I love anything that captures that true energy and atmosphere of a warm dark starry night, and this delves in and presents the auditory and lyrical equivalent of that feeling of walking in such a night. It’s a bit like a stripped-down Adore-era Pumpkins song, and retains the positivity of chillwave even through its warm and slightly dark tone. Guitars set it up, drums drive it on, “1979”-esque synths lift it upwards, bass tethers it to the ground, and vocals bring it home. And it ends on a perfect note -- literally, like Nine Inch Nails’s “Right Where It Belongs” played by “1979” chorus synths.
Overall, an amazing atmospheric EP, upbeat and dark in all the right places. Almgren and Änghede have good reason to be proud of their latest fully-new release (they’ve since released their first volume of B-sides and remixes). You can stream We Saw the Moon for free at http://heartsofblackscience.bandcamp.com, and purchase CD-quality downloads of their music at that link. If this EP is any judge, the moon must look pretty great in Gothenburg.
