Blood Red Shoes
Ghosts On Tape β Veleveteen Records
Β If, like us, you find yourself drawn to the darker side of the human psyche then youβll find a spiritual home in Blood Red Shoes and their latest album, the aptly titled Ghosts On Tape. Both ethereal and otherworldly, yet sometimes heavy as hell, this a record that seems to emanate from another dimension and they donβt come more phantasmal than opening track βComplyβ. With a haunting piano motif, itβs akin to a fishing hook in the cheek and you have no choice but to obey its irretractable pull as layers of glacial synths entomb the listener and make songs like βGive Upβ and βSuckerβ the very epitome of gothic coldness. The lyricism, told from the perspective of outsiders and the ostracised, is equally disconcerting and the two combine to create an uneasy (though not unpleasant) experience. However, Ghosts On Tape is a strangely therapeutic listen and by the time we hit final song βFour Two Sevenβ and the words βIβm scared to let go, it hurts so comfortableβ weβre left with the feeling that certain evil spirits have been exorcised.
Review by Peter Dennis