Review by Jay Mukherjee
One of the cool things about being a contributor to this great blog is that I get to review bands that I love that are below the radar. This term certainly fits Black Swan Lane. Black Swan Lane, specifically Jack Sobel and John Kolbeck, emerged from the ashes of Atlanta band The Messengers. In 2007, along with The Chameleons singer Mark Burgess, Black Swan Lane was formed. This began a relationship between Black Swan Lane and a revolving door of different members of The Chameleons, a relationship that makes total sense as both bands delve into a similar bass-heavy, atmospheric, brand of post-punk.
On their latest album, Vita Eterna, Black Swan Lane treads on much of the same ground as on its earlier seven albums, which as you may have guessed, is something I consider a good thing. I will say that this album seems more atmospheric and ambient than the others, a sure sign of the influence of another Chameleon, Dave Fielding, who contributes shimmering guitar stylings on this record. Though, for all the moodiness, there is one honest-to-God Rock song on the album in the driving "Happy". My wife compares Jack Sobel's singing style to that of Dave Gahan, which I had never thought about, but she is right as these songs are delivered in an emotional, but resolute baritone.
The album begins with "Pure" and its opening guitar-riff is reminiscent of Interpol. Jack sings, "Take the world and make it so pure, so insecure..." over and over. Beautiful. The single, "The Prisoner", starts off with the signature guitar sound of Dave Fielding's other band, The Reegs. The video for the song perfectly encapsulates the mood of this album: a prisoner in the dark, slowly moving toward a light at the end of the hall and perceived freedom, just to be brought back down again by the sight of prison bars. This song is definitely recommended for fans of The Chameleons and Kitchens of Distinction.
Other highlights on Vita Eterna include "Tremble", with its lyrics, "Now everything is over and now everything is gone, I tremble...". If parts of that song are simply atmospheric heaven, the epic "Slip", with its outro which reminded me of the chorus of Black Swan Lane's song "Love and Light" from The Sun and The Moon Sessions is just as great. However, my favorite song here on Vita Eterna is "These Old Wounds", with its sparkling hook and uplifting tone. "Find the joy in silence, where the dark will purge all things. Go as fast you can," go the lyrics. Fantastic.
Vita Eterna is out now via the band's own Eden Records.
More details on this album and Black Swan Lane via the band's official website, or their official Facebook page.
[Photo: Black Swan Lane Facebook page]