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3 January 2018

Roe
Enney: Glare (Root Strata)

If
you happen to be a former goth/industrial kid or have a reverence
for early 80s post-punk gloom, Roe Enney is going to hit all the
right, sparse notes for you. Glare has all of the dreariness of
vintage Cure albums (particularly Faith and Seventeen Seconds), early
80s Factory Records (Joy Division’s Closer or, more so, early Ike Yard),
and a bit of Nico’s morose tone. But like Trentemøller’s Fixion that
came out last year, this feels like an homage without being a mere
copycat. Enney’s deadpan voice and minimal production — often
limited to simple melodies, bass guitar, and miniature drum machine
patterns — makes for a stark and haunting solo music excursion.

Chances are if opening cut “Comme Everyone” doesn’t appeal, the
rest of Glare won’t either, but I find myself playing it time and
time again. “Itashi Sings” feels very much like an old Cure
cast-off, with Enney’s guitar recalling the simplicity of vintage
Robert Smith. Likewise, despite how thin it sounds, her drum patterns
remind me of the highly repetitive and minimal drumming of The Cure’s
Pornography (one of my all-time favorites, I might add). It’s a great
dead of winter album, stark and isolated, even dirge-like. Fans of
the aforementioned acts, early Cocteaus, Raime, Tropic of Cancer, or
90s minimal darkwave projects like Lycia will likely consider Enney a
kindred spirit. One of my favorite later discoveries of 2017.

Buy it: Forced Exposure

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