Album Review: Louise Patricia Crane - "Deep Blue"

 

Well, this is a bit different. Formed Eden House singer Louise Patricia Crane's debut album is described by the press release blurb as being a mixture of '80s dream pop (good) and '70s prog rock (erm, no comment). But the truth is that (to these ears at least) this owes more than anything to late '80s goth (ie when bands like the Mission and the Sisters of Mercy started to up their production budgets away from the movement's skeletal sounding origins). And you know what? That's alright with me.

Opening song Deity reminds me of the Banshees (somewhere circa Peepshow or Superstition if you want a specific point) with Crane's vocals definitely sounding like Siouxsie Sioux with maybe a small hint of All About Eve's Julianne Regan in the mix as well. The tribal drums and chanting vocals of Snake Oil which recall the Banshees' Kiss Them For Me continues the vein well while the folk-tinged Painted World and Ophelia could easily be early All About Eve (think Lady Moonlight or Every Angel) with the layered sound and yearning vocals working to good effect. The hazy Cascading meanwhile, takes things into almost Slowdive territory with the warm fuzzy guitars and ethereal vocals (with an unexpected bluesy guitar solo towards the end) while the piano-led title track recalls Kate Bush which is no bad thing at all. Isolde takes a trip into more orchestral territory with Crane's vocals almost going into Tori Amos territory a bit before the epic Eve of the Hunter brings things to a close 

I wasn't sure what to make of this album going in but I have to say I enjoyed it. Certainly any fans of the more ambitious end of '80s goth looking for something new to listen to at the moment should find plenty to enjoy here. You can download or stream from Louisa's Bandcamp page if you're curious to find out more.

NITE SONGS RATING: 🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌑🌑 (8/10)

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