See my destination there tonight

The Horrors - Primary Colours

I have no basis for comparison as to me this is the first album from this band. The first one passed me by in a vague blur of pictures of big hair, tight trousers, substance-lacking scensterism and Peaches.

This is good stuff though. A treacle-like album of dark, oozing (in a nice way, not like pus) bitter/sweet layers. Discordant touches sit over caught-in-a-swarm-of-bees fuzz. Lyrically there is intelligence which manages to only occasionally slip into the know-all cod-clever of cocky youth.

It builds up in most surprising ways. Who Can Say is backed by a jarring melody like an ancient evil riding a helter skelter while the ghost of rock and roll commentates.

It's all building toward the peak of Sea Within A Sea. An electro-disco of a tune, a hint of Sparks and just when you think you've got the measure of it out of nowhere stand-off guitar while the synth ebbs and flows.

It comes together as beautiful, dark and brooding and yet stays away from maudlin. Even goths must smile sometimes.

An interesting direction which peaks my interest. Perhaps it will turn out to be a decent enough album in an otherwise unremarkable musical career. Perhaps it signals that this band has it in them to turn out melancholy tunes smartly dressed in black. Time will tell...for now, Primary Colours happily inhabits the electro-goth void.