ALEX FERGUSSON

"The Castle"

Eis & Licht - 2006

CD

You will surely remember of Alex Fergusson as a member of crazy pop-punk duo Alternative TV in the late 1970s', as well as main partner of Genesis P. Orridge in Psychic TV across the 1980s'. Less well-known are probably his solo releases, the latest of which is the here present "The Castle", produced by German neofolk label par excellence, Eis & Licht. The English guitarist's love for acoustic ballads with a pop-rock edge manifests at its best across the twelve titles of this new CD, which anyway manages to surprise the listener with some interesting variations and shifting on different musical territories.

The intro and outro are two creepy instrumental pieces, built around sinister squeaking violins, a perfect soundtrack for the scene of the entrance into the castle taken from an old Hammer Film movie. The first song, "Dark Angel", sounds however a lot brighter, a sort of folk-rock anthem with a strong new wave feeling, dominated by Alex's beautiful voice. "Bar Noir" is the first acoustic moment, the man and his guitar telling a story of ordinary sadness.

The album is structured along an alternation of electric tunes, like "Ways Of Pleasure" and "Hope", that shift between 1960s' flower pop and late 1970s' early new wave, and moody unplugged ballads, of which the best examples are certainly "Solitude", "Daybreak", and the aforementioned "Bar Noir". Other interesting moments are the instrumentals "Odyssey", a dark noisy and experimental nocturnal scenario worth of early Clock DVA, "Twilight", a fairy-tale medieval tune, and "Mirror", a twinkling of tiny bells. Rose McDowall makes a special appearance as lead singer in "Let The Sorrow Go".

On the whole, "The Castle" is a very nice melancholic pop album, in the best and purest meaning of the word. It's a pleasantly enjoyable and articulated collection of songs and tunes, perfect for those who are not looking for anything particularly experimental or difficult. Folk pop? Dark pop? Taste it and decide for yourself.

- Simon V.

Website: http://www.eislicht.com

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