Sometimes when you trail through Rough Trade and see "a must hear for fans of zola jesus, siouxise and fever ray" you expect it to be too good to be true, though in the case of Religious to Damn it perhaps is not. The moniker of Afghan-American Zohra Atash, whose breathy vocal recalls Kate Bush and Siouxsie, the former in the fragile, alluring voice that encapsulates so much of 'Glass Prayer', the later on the ferocious moments where Zohra releases herself from the shackles with the wails of a siren.
The titles surmise the mood too; "Drifter", "Sunset", "Terra" and "Black Sand" are amongst the titles in a very earthly album, evoking imagery of rattlesnakes, burning embers and galloping horse-bound over the American west. I've no idea what 'Gypsy-Rock' is (it's the phrase that the reviews I read here and here used) but the sound of Religious to Damn certainly has an ethereal hazy quality to it, as well as that of a highly seductive and exotic dream.
The brooding "To Love the Machine" introduces the album with haunting and moody rhythms lead by acoustic guitars and of course, the vocal. Together it's an intoxicating cocktail, the album continues in fine form with the more pop approach of "Drifter", whilst the ambient textures of the blossoming "Glass Prayer" is also quite beautiful. Tamaryn makes a guest appearance on two tracks here, adding her dreamy backing to "Let the Fires Burn" and "The Wait" which is a particularly pleasing and dirty rock stomp.
My favourite moments come during the galloping "Terra" with increased tempo and pulsating rhythmatic drumming and on the bewitching "Sunset" where a psychedelic Bat for Lashes springs to mind, with black-hearted bass-lines leading the track to a dramatic pinnacle where Zohra's love-lorn yelps and cries give arguably the best minute of the record.
If I had a fault with the album it's probably that it is too restrained in places and doesn't switch into a higher gear quite enough, although the album flows beautifully well I can't help thinking that a demented shift on a couple more tracks would have been the icing on the cake - this of course could just be because I've got more than a weak spot for dark, nightmarish pop.
Still don't take anything away from the album, 'Glass Prayer' is a rich and thoroughly enjoyable album. Released via the great M'Lady Records, order via them or Rough Trade. 7.5 / 10
Here is the video for "Sunset", it's very Pagan (or my perception of pagan at least!).
Religious to Damn "Sunset" from Tiffany Frances on Vimeo.
Religious To Damn - Drifter
Religious To Damn – Glass Prayer
No comments:
Post a Comment