viarosa - porous (mini album)
having been on the peripherals of the britpop explosion of the mid 90's viarosa's main protagonist richard neuberg teams up with various cohorts to realise his dark pop dreams now that the frivolities of those earlier times has passed. so along with josh hillman (part of william grant conspiracy) richard has crafted these songs from the same clothe as nick cave and the wonderful walkabouts, his vocals have the same richness. the songs are not lightweight radio friendly pop songs, instead they are sonically dramatic, emotionally open, and musically rich, as elements of folk, country and death knoll blues with mandolins, violin, lap steel, pianos etc etc making appearances throughout. standout track is the excellent 'where killers run' where the full on band backing really drives home the intensity, with its drawn out intro, building up to a stunning conclusion.
admittedly this kind of music is not to everyone's taste (though fans of glitterhouse releases will lap this up i suspect), but when the nights are long and cold, the mood often dictates a lack of modern noises this mini album could indeed be an appropriate soundtrack.
track listing :
porous
where the killers run
call to arms
wake
poor man's prayer