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...according to our Ant on Thu 20 May, 2010.
John Twells' offers up the second part of his new trilogy that has him in sinister gothic church mode. 'A Corpse Hangs In The House Of The Lord' begins with loads of church bells and then comes in a voice of some kind of sermon/preacher guy mixed with some spooked out drones and black ambience. So yeah, proper deathly gear that reminds me of my fragile existence and my own mortality. 'Of The Light And Of The Stars' builds nicely until eventually angelic sounds emerge through the tension. Certainly one for candlelit listening.
"The Divine" marks the second phase in the trilogy proposed by John Twells aka Xela. Crawling out of a castle dungeon in pursuit of its predecessor, "The Illuminated", this LP finds itself trapped in an abandoned church somewhere in a damp Southern wilderness. Church bells chime and rattle through the record's first piece, echoing and distorting through a fog of chattering voices and prayers. Tape loops stumble over tape loops and the solemn, ecclesiastical drone slowly decomposes into thick, crackling noise. Through the mists choirs sing, heralding the introduction of the second side of "The Divine" which takes the human voice into cavernous and smudged, yet strangely alluring territories. There is almost a Basinski-like charm to this work as the choirs effortlessly degrade into an unrecognisable mud of harmony and abrasiveness. This is music informed by a religious world; Xela has edged from the scriptures of cults and secret societies to the spires of organisation and power. God is in the detail.
...according to Richard.
Picked up the tape version from Digitalis before realising a vinyl version would be one the way and I wish I had waited to get the wax. I bet it sounds great on this format. 2 excellent 20 min+ tracks of monged out hazy fuzz, chants, bells, and muddy flickering sounds that just wind their way into your brain and leave you feeling all woozy. Great for lazing about to in the summer sun, and I bet it's just as good for creating a spooky atmosphere on dark winter evenings. Like Mouthus but even more whacked out and less abrasive. I'm not a fan of all things Xela but this is superb. Nice work Mr T!
So, what do you think? Best reviewer each month gets £10 off their next order!
Norman Records,
Unit 20, Croydon House,
Croydon Street,
Leeds,
LS11 9RT, UK.
Tel/fax: (+44) 0113 245 4399
Email: phil@normanrecords.com
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