Neon Waltz’s debut release ‘Bare Wood Aisles’, plays like a smoke-stained snapshot of an abandoned fairground ride seated in 70s and 80s nostalgia. Located in the wilderness of Caithness, Scotland lies Neon Waltz, a band who are gaining attention through their early demos alone, from the gothic chimes of ‘Veiled Clock’ to the winter morning ‘Sombre Fayre’. The closest we have to an official release is the mysteriously haunting ‘Bare Wood Aisles’, which gets a limited 7-inch release.
‘Bare Wood Aisles’ is a 70s and 80s melancholia indie dream, reminiscent of young Echo & The Bunnymen and a sorrowful Lighting Seeds. A mist of cymbals crash around a waltzing fairground organ, while poignant guitar stabs encircle the gentle yet soulful lead vocals.
Neon Waltz are refreshingly trying to avoid any hype (or so it would appear), choosing not to go down the usual music press and radio airplay circuit. Instead, building mystique and notoriety through releasing teaser material and playing small and unpredictable venues, for instance the 11th century Freswick Castle, where they chose to play before and after their first UK tour, to a crowd primarily made up of onlookers. Slowly releasing material to gain a loyal fan base before the inevitable onslaught of the music press which will hopefully mean they avoid the pitfalls of an overhyped band.
Still, hopefully it’s not long before we can hear more of the strange, evocative and lusciously retro tones of Neon Waltz.
[Rating:3.5]
