John Robb is never out of the limelight when it comes to music journalism. He is ever present to those that follow alternative music. He has been a main stay in the industry for many years and commands a great deal of respect. The Membranes are his mainstay musically. Although he has other outlets, it’s the music he is best known for. Although the band had a long hiatus, their return to recording and live appearances has seen them rise in popularity. With the release of the album “Dark Matter/Dark Energy” in 2015, it achieved the critical acclaim it deserved. The re-birth, recalibration of the band had come full circle and now, with a strong foundation, this new album has a standard to maintain.
It’s been a long time coming; I feel I had waited a lifetime for this album as its inception whetted my appetite. I now have something tangible to review, I resisted all forms of media until I had the new album on vinyl, delivered by mail, one day ahead of the official release date. “D” Day was here, not just figuratively but actually. In light of the fact that it was the 6th of June, I decided to wait one more day, to the 7th and give the album the gravity I anticipated it would respect.
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The Membranes – John Robb, Nick Brown, Peter Byrchmore and Rob Haynes |
SPRING
“A Strange Perfume” having heard this song live last year, I felt an immediate affiliation with this song. It was like seeing (hearing from) an old friend. Great opener for the album and it is subtler than hearing it live and the addition of the choir really gives the song more depth.
The title track of this double album is reminiscent of pure 80’s dark post punk at its best. With the bass driving the song, which is almost expected we get a pure stroke of genius with the orchestration, as it demands your attention. The keys fill the mix with marvellous minor chords and makes the mind wander with subtle melodies you hear your self hum along to with any inspirational song. The choir round off the song with “What Nature Gives… Nature Takes Away…..” bliss. I just played this song twice on first hearing.
The next song “A Murder of Crows” is timeless Membranes. You think you’ve heard it before and the immediacy of the stark harsh driving beats are accented by some manic piano as it crashes to an end. As the echo bass pulses and hypnotises, the eerie guitars pick there way through the song. The spoken effected vocal delivery adds to the ethereal menace. “The City is an Animal” is a bleak reality of a song. If the concrete carnivore in the previous song didn’t do you harm, then “The 21st Century is Killing Me” might do more harm. The choir comes to the fore in this song and the under lying menace again is uplifted by the rapture from the harmonious voices. It has a feel of an album ending song but it’s only the end of side 1 of 4!!! Glorious.
SUMMER
Flip to side two with anticipation and the immediate dark overtones keep coming.
“Deep In The Forest Where The Memories Linger” builds from the opening bars of a bassline that wouldn’t be out of place on “Unknown Pleasures” by Joy Division, the song builds with some choral chanting underpinned by guitars that are on the edge of insanity. As the song comes to an abrupt end, “Black Is The Colour” picks you up and drags you back into the world The Membranes inhabit. It’s dark and powerful. The menace in John Robb’s voice is offset by the wondrous voices of the choir yet again. Black is THE colour but there’s light in the darkness.
As “A Murmuration of Starlings on Blackpool Pier” begins, the synth wraps around your brain like a flock of starlings as they flock and dance in the air. The poem written and read by Shirley Collins is complimented by john’s spoken word. It’s another great song to end an album and does so for the second time as the record stops.
AUTUMN
As we move into the second disc of this double album, side one starts with “Mother Ocean/Father Time”. Another classic Membranes feel to this song as it marches at pace, much like father time does. Stark and obtuse, bleak and unforgiving but the beauty is still there. The analogue synths hit you like breaking waves. It’s more of the same with “The Magical and Mystical Properties of Flowers” and it begins in the same vain. Kirk Brandon lends his signature voice at the highpoint of the song. As the guitar crashes in on “Snow Monkey”, it’s sharp, edgy, angular delivery, reminiscent of Andy Gill at his best slices through the ether [sic]. The drums and bass drive the song but it’s the guitar that provides the purpose. Another guest voice on the album as Jordan reads at the beginning of “Demon Seed/Demon Flower”. The heavily effected echoed drums are the backdrop to the final song of side three. The song has the flavour of a remix in parts and Robb’s vocals cut through the onslaught of sound to burst through like an explosion of pollen bringing life to tundra of silence.
WINTER
As the final side of this double album begins, the winter of discontent is populated by ghosts and poltergeists in this haunting melody. “The Ghosts of Winter Stalk This Land”, another bleak offering but the multi-layered masterpiece musters the imaginations of what could possibly be around you. Try listening to this in the dark with your headphones, I dare you. “Winter (The Beauty and Violence of Nature)” a poem spoken by Chris Packham, the description of nature and life’ itself. A wonderful depiction and set to the backdrop of crows cawing over some tribal music. “Nocturnal” is another song plucked from those dark days of the 80’s. The Membranes of course pre-dated post punk but came to the fore in the genre. The heavy drums and bass line transport you back to halcyon gothic times. You wish you’d heard this song 35 years ago but there’s a time and place for all things and it sits well as a penultimate song on the album.
As “Pandora’s Box” looms large as it’s nearing the end, how do you bring closure to this behemoth expansive album. Bring the wonder of what might be by opening Pandora’s box and suffer the consequences. As the box lies open, are we left with misery and sickness? I’m left with a sense of emptiness as the song ends, not through the lack of satisfaction but that the aural exhilaration has stopped. Where do I go from here, back to the strange perfume that lured me in all those months ago? This album compliments it predecessor and has moved the goal posts for The Membranes. They have set themselves apart from their peers (if there are any!). The limelight is firmly on John Robb for his music and The Membranes should be proud of this album.
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