Judith
Pills
Neue Asthetik
I wasn’t nearly as impressed by Judith’s last full-length release, Play of Light, as several other listeners seem to have been (including fellow Ink 19 scribe Dave Aftandilian who reviewed it back upon its 2001 release), finding it too melodramatically gothic for its own good, the band’s potential hidden away in a sludgy mass of theatrical atmospherics.
Lyrically, they may still struggle with one worn-out metaphysical question too many (“Another day is at its end / I wonder where the sun goes” • spew!), but their musical focus is much more controlled and far more enticing these days. It’s still Neo-romantic Goth pop, hugely indebted to the introvert British chart-climbers of the mid-‘80s (Echo & The Bunnymen, Marc Almond). However, it’s done with more style and substance than the last time around, with Judith proving they’re a far better band when they dare to bare their songs instead of drowning them out.
Neue Asthetik Records: http://www.asthetik.com/
