Turn Pale
Kill the Lights
What Else?
O.K. goth types: put on your eyeliner, form your best pouty scowl and dress in your artiest black outfit, because Turn Pale is going to kick the crap out you! Hot diggity dog, these guys totally ignore the ridiculous music being released by Projekt Records and Cleopatra under the “goth” rubric and go straight to the source, study it and improve on it. There’s nothing pretentious about Kill The Lights; it’s just one of the most inventive gothic post-punk records to be released, ever.
I have made some pretty bold statements here, and I am fully aware of that fact. But seriously folks, imagine this: the plodding drums of Bauhaus, the chunky and melodic bass of Joy Division, chaotic and frighteningly discordant guitars, a la the Gang of Four and Birthday Party, and a bit of sassiness, courtesy of lead vocalist Michael Anderson (whose vocals sound like a cross between PIL-era Johnny Lydon, Ian Svenonius circa Nation of Ulysses and David Byrne). This is the sound of the incredible Turn Pale.
You could have told me that this record was recorded in 1982, and I might have believed you – for a second. Turn Pale has managed to suck literally everything good out of early 1980s gothic post-punk, without holding on to any of its corniness, and simultaneously modernizing the sound with an unintentional hipness and swagger. I am willing to bet that this masterful work will be on more than a few “best of the year” lists. Take notice, pseudo-goths: your end is near, and you have been warned!
What Else Records: http://www.whatelserecords.com/
