I last heard Suishou No Fune on Prayer For Chibi, their epic psych-drone lament for their sadly departed cat, which largely jettisoned their more song-oriented side in favour of a more glacially paced sadness. On Phantom of the Eternal Night they retain that intimacy which sometimes has you feeling like you're intruding on the private mass of a pair of melancholy loners, while returning somewhat to their earlier sound, sort of a Les Rallizes Denudes gone folk-tinged slowcore kind of thing, with a two-pronged guitar approach which builds upon trebly strumming with wailing, seemingly never-ending lead lines from an axe with apparently infinite sustain. Some aspects might almost bear comparison with the great early stuff from The Verve, albeit with far more freedom and experimentation and far less of a concern for the anthemic. A cool start to the week, obi strip and all.
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Sound clips for Phantom of the Eternal Night by Suishou No Fune: on CD at Norman Records UK. CD, There, TRCD-07, £11.99.
