An enchanting and exceptional album that I have no hesitation in recommending.
Most of my reviews are selected by our Reviews Editor, but sometimes recommendations come from elsewhere and this is one such occasion. Two friends in quick succession mentioned this band and intrigue quickly got the better of me. Purple Nail is a four piece female fronted Gothic Rock band from Sweden formed in 2008. They released their debut 'Crazy Things In Black' in 2011, with this follow up now available.
Despite some dense and crunchy guitar, 'Night Lights' has a relaxed feel to it, partly down to the pace of the songs and partly to the silky delivery of singer Lady Crow. Most of the tracks are played at a slow medium pace, and if this was a cricket bowler it would be Angus Fraser; there is no Bob Willis express pace to be found here. But PN avoids this becoming repetitive by finding other ways to spice things up, like using different melodies, diverse background effects and varying the instruments used. This could be compared to HIM or a toned down Midnattsol with Enya or Moya Brennan (Clannad) fronting. The title track is pushed along by the deep gothic progression backed by some quality strings and synth. There is also a solid chugging riff in 'Bring Me Down' which flows into the songs chorus where everything erupts. The likes of 'Inverted Dreams' represents the bands other side that is more driven by Crow's echo filled singing than a riff. The mixture of her sailing vocals and the synth creates a hypnotic effect that is until the guitar arrives to add some punch. Crow's sensual lyrics also fill 'Not Afraid' before another catchy chorus arrives whilst the piano is allowed to come to the forefront in 'Lust And Desire' and 'Whenever' adding another different slant.
What we have here is an album that has the potential to appeal to a swathe of our readers. It isn't too furious on the heaviness or pace fronts, nor is it too experimental. It is gothic in many ways but even that manages to stay the right side of gloomy. What you have here is a beautiful singer supported by lots of gothic guitar work and plenty of scintillating synth: an awesome album full of atmospheric songs and catchy melodies. Lady Crow is a classy vocalist who floats effortlessly from soprano-like heights to husky folk. The rest provide her with a glorious background, especially guitarist Hellsinki who seems as equally versatile as the bands singer. This was always going to resonate well with me and I absolutely adore it. 'Night Lights' is an enchanting and exceptional album that I have no hesitation in recommending, regardless of people's tastes. If the urge I have to repeatedly listen to this is anything to go by, this could possibly sneak its way into the year's Top Ten.
Dave Scott