Over at the Deathrock.com forum someone was asking for great unknown atmospheric bands of the Goth persuasion and Deadbeatboy1334 (Justyn on LJ) recommended this, which I knew virtually nothing about so I bought it from the Projekt store and Gawd ‘elp us, it’s a classic just like he says, it really is (and not to be confused with band called Sleep Of Reason on myspace).

The only thing which isn’t good about this record is the sleeve booklet which graciously provides all lyrics but bugger all info about the band. Early to mid-80’s, with vocalist Oscar Herrera going on to the early Black Tape For A Blue Girl line-up (hence Projekt’s interest in this retro release of their only single (including two numbers the label originally discarded), plus a nifty live recording. But what of signing guitarist/pianist Kevin Janosky, drummer Tony Klinakis, bassists Gregory L. Young and Dave Brascalla, or violinist Lara Radford? Of course we could just ask Greg Fasolino (he probably knows their phone numbers for God’s sake!) but it would have been nice to have the proper tribute and details on the liner notes.

Pah! cry the uncaring, tell us about the music, and so, head bowed, I shall, because it’s a vibrant hotbed of cross-genre fusion between Post-Punk, Goth and Indie the way many things were back then. It’s Post-Punk in sound without a doubt, but they didn’t necessarily know that and their dress is Goth, of a non-formulaic variety, because the uniform approach hadn’t been embraced when they were thrusting their ideas about.

‘Shelters Are Melting’ is automatically spry with the snappy drumming, glycerine guitar and strongly visual literary lyrics, which buck and straighten over the melody not unlike Music For Pleasure, a great lost British band, but with a higher chorus contrasting words of subterranean despondency. ‘The Sleep Of Reason’ has wrigglier guitar and darting bass, with a corrosive dance intention, benefiting from a very stylish vocal guide with more miserable imagery. ‘Metropolis Medley’ is essentially three songs welded, featuring a doomy, sonorous ‘Moloch Machine’ which has plenty of space and piano (imagine a powerfully graceful Ritual with the gnashing energy vacuumed out), although at that point we’ve passed into the picturesque ‘Creation’, and then ‘The Alchemist’ scampers around with some comparatively lightweight guitar which although agile and cosseting the playful vocals, a little out of character with the other songs.

Then you cut to them live, from a gig recorded at somewhere called Brassy’s at Cocoa Beach in Florida on 6th May, 1985. ‘I Have A Task’ is sombre but still powerful, and if you want another comparison it’s a prettier Section 25, because that’s the thing about this band. They’re very similar in tone to what happened in Britain but they seem to have a slightly brighter musical outlook, so where we often had tension they have coruscating power

‘Alabaster’ is a bit of a crazed mess initially, the vocals shouting, the bass jutting, and slowly becomes a weird jumpy creature. ‘Monkeys & Clowns’ swoops along with a terse rhythm and brilliant guitar, while ‘The Sleep Of Reason’ slaps and sneaks about artfully and that Oscar sure was a pert, bouncy singer live which must have been a rare treat. ‘When I’m Called Divine’ is also well strained with dramatic vocal offerings as the song stays dark but limber, then skips off skittishly with great bass and drums bustling along.

‘Achilles Scratched The Moon’ is overwrought with some guitar clearly a bit too frothy indie, but it’s got nicely moody phases too. In fact that guitar which sounded silkily dramatic back then was also wielded by that git out of Fine Young Cannibals and other chart tosser (including Haircut 100) so it’s become devalued through time. ‘She Could Have Been A Dancer’ starts with Swan Lake on guitar and yes, I do have an encyclopaedic knowledge of ballet (or, to put it another way, I went and asked Lynda, ‘what’s the music that goes durrrr, da-da, dur da dur da durrrr…?’) before going raucously punky then hot indie reaching.

‘To Shoot Birds’ does the Tina Weymouth bass thing, and a stern song unfolds, which isn’t particularly pleasant, a patient drum-stoked ‘A Logical End’ is a wonderful change in style, bounding along almost ungainly, and unravelling, then ‘The Black Harvest’ ends it all grumpy and slightly demented, topping off a class gig.

A majestic record, as though Theatre Of Hate and early ABC had a musical child, this has such quality about it you believe after just a few listens that you’ve had these songs around since they first came out. Don’t be a traitor to yourself, buy this record, currently in the Projekt sale at a criminally low $6.98!