Lark Blames - Chimney

What a potential collaboration this could be! Lark Blames is a two man collaboration of two of the most innovative minds in the Neofolk scene. Marc Blackie (of Sleeping Pictures ) and Lloyd James (of Naevus ).

This debut album 'Chimney' is a freestyle experimental release, ranging from Dark Folk to the most intrusive of Ambient compositions. Neofolk lovers might be wondering what would make this worth having? Well it has John Murphy and Rose McDowall on it too. (If you need to ask who either of these people are, get off of this site right now).

Lark Blames has been hotly anticipated since it was revealed, and those of you with penchants for either of the artists full-time projects may well want to delve deeper into this release.

We open with "Music" a near eight minute Ambient introduction, at times deeply deeply reminiscent of Coil and some of the Black Sun releases, at other times just like standing underneath a Buzzsaw. Both of these portrayals work well together, and with the added Wind Chimes, there's a nod to the early days of Current 93.

With the introduction to "Vuvka", the album almost becomes a Noise release, with a fantastic beat like a Helicopter hovering overhead and putting, and some razor sharp noises like Cladding being torn, and occasional abrupting samples of what I can only interpret as a gunshot, this is pure chaos echoing back to the days when Nurse with Wound, Boyd Rice, and NON were still new names and shocking with their collective entries.

At other times, the album goes into Sludge and Doom, before almost churning out Dark Ambience. (Convenience and Palms Down respectively). "Black Butterfly" is the first proper folk track here, sounding very similar to Sol Invictus on guitar, but overlapped with electronic distortion, and the legendary Rose McDowall on vocals. Possibly the highlight of the album.

The Latter half of the album admittedly has significantly more Guitarwork than the former half - whereas the first half of "Chimney" focuses on chaotic and experimental electronic distortions, the second half is a direct and humble return to the more Guitar-based apocalyptic direction taken by many of the classic Neofolk bands in the early Nineties.

Please do not expect this to sound anything like "Kapo!" or "Swastikas For Noddy" - Lark Blames has a sound very unique, and the only thing I can really compare it to is Coil's "Horse Rotorvator", when remixed under the effect of a nasty Speedball.

Fuck the trends though, this is an out and out success, and It's yet another reason why OEC is a Label that cannot be equalled. Also a fantastic addition to John Murphy's CV. Nov 07 2006