Album review: Cold Cave – Love Comes Close (Matador Records)

Are you tired of listening to bands who sound like the lead singer has a serious Nick Cave complex? Who use monotonous synth soundscapes adopted from experimental new wave of the late 1970s? US threesome Cold Cave may not make the kind of music that you would appreciate, then. I'm not saying that it's terrible or anything - quite the opposite, actually - it's just... well, it's all a bit on the trendy side, I'm afraid. 'Love Comes Close' (but apparently it won't tear us apart) is the debut album from the aforementioned band, and kudos to them for recreating a sound that is far more authentic to its heroes than the likes of some unmentionable musicians that have cropped up seemingly everywhere as of late. It begins and ends a little slow, but with that, it's a grower, until its warps and droning scuzzy bleeps are embedded in your brain and stomach like a bad hangover. It's unabashedly nostalgic; it owes that to its influences though, and you can't argue with Cold Cave when they clearly know who those influences are. Cabaret Voltaire-esque 'The Laurels of Erotomania' and the almost sing-a-long verse-and-chorus 'Youth And Lust' are perhaps the most accessible tracks on 'Love Comes Close', and proof that the experimental can sound both authentic and comprehensible at the same time, if done right. TW Buy from iTunes Buy from Amazon