Cold Cave is a testament to the benefits of experimentation. The brainchild of Wes Eisold has produced a debut full-length that is both stark and emotional, filled with plenty of catchy melodies and inventive samples to keep it interesting throughout.
Background Check:
Wes Eisold formed Cold Cave after a run as singer of a few well-loved hardcore bands (Some Girls, Give Up the Ghost) and as front man for some more electronic-based bands like XO Skeletons and Ye Olde Maids. He decided he wanted to start making music on his own, but a lack of facility on guitar forced him to experiment with synths and effects pedals, and the results were dramatic. Edgy, dark electronic pop emerged: a winning mix of new wave, goth, experimental noise, pop and indie rock.
For 2009’s Love Comes Close , Eisold teamed up with Caralee McElroy (Xiu Xiu) and Dominick Fenrow (Prurient) to craft a collection of syth-driven numbers that speak to the tortures of modern life and love. Noise, samples and programmed rhythms make Cold Cave’s tunes sound simultaneously otherworldly and danceable.
Layering harshness and odd recorded sounds with melody and beats results in an edgy, intoxicating whole. There’s a little jangly New Order guitar mingled with Whitehouse-esque noise and Joy Division frontman Ian Curtis’ deep baritone. One of the real treats here is the great female vocals of McElroy as counterpoint. Cold Cave’s trippy, brooding debut presents a project truly rounding into form.
Artist: Cold Cave