Datura
Songs From A Dark House
Engineer Records
Any serious music fan will understand the “sixth sense”. There’s some bands which, even if you are unfamiliar with their music, you instinctively know that it will strike a chord and that’s the case with Datura’s sophomore album ‘Songs From A Dark House’. I’m pleased to report that opening track ‘Tired’ proved my premonition correct and the bouncing bass and spiky, angular guitar that introduces the song immediately entwined itself around my memory bank. Then, when you factor in some vampire-esque vocals and hypnotic drumming you have an irresistible combination. As with many bands who operate as a trio, Datura derive a lot of power from reduced numbers and create haunting soundscapes that are bigger than their constituent parts. Think an amalgamation of the coolest bands on the Beggar’s Banquet label and you’d have something approaching Datura, yet they are more than the sum of their influences and bring a freshness that renders them totally contemporary, and ‘Songs From A Dark House’ is going to bring the dark delights of gothic rock and post-punk to a whole new generation.
Review by Peter Dennis