"It is becoming more difficult day by day to sustain this level of magic."
On Camouflage Heart, Cindytalk's 1984 debut, Gordon Sharp created a hopelessly dark, yet starkly beautiful, proto-industrial descent into psychic despair that made so-called "Goth" albums of the time sound like little more than cartoonish attempts to paint facile forms of despair in shades of cheap black paint. Central to the effect of this truly singular album is Sharp's harrowing vocal performance, ranging from the despondent to the cathartic, sometimes within the same song. A decade later, Cindytalk released its second masterpiece, Wappinschaw, which seems, on the surface, to emanate from emotional regions far calmer than that of its heady predecessor, but on repeated listens reveals itself as constructed from the same emotionally wrenching cloth. Wappinschaw was to be the last album Cindytalk would release for 15 years, and as such, it can be seen as both a culmination and integration of the various elements comprising Sharp's first three albums. Wappinschaw starts with a song as surprising as it is stunning: Sharp's beautifully sung a capella cover of Ewan MacColl's "The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face." Elegant, raw, austere, and sounding like a fallen angel, Sharp masterfully sets the tone for the album's dynamic exploration of the extremities of emotion, a tone which moves into more familiar Cindytalk territory on the second track, "A Song of Changes." Mournfully melodic while eschewing anything resembling traditional song structure, Sharp creates a strange dirge-like atmosphere for another of his beautifully-wrecked vocal performances. Perhaps the biggest highlight is "Return to Pain," which features Sharp's heavily reverbed voice backed by some wonderfully moody experimental guitar noodling. Wappinschaw is easily one of the most under-appreciated albums of the nineties, and though it is not a comforting listening experience, it is an exquisitely dark corner offering its own kind of recompense.
Wappinschaw
Tracklist-
1. The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face (1:55)
2. A Song of Changes (2:56)
3. Empty Hand (3:03)
4. Return to Pain (6:50)
5. Wheesht (3:33)
6. Snowkiss (4:19)
7. Secrets and Falling (2:24)
8. Disappear (3:37)
9. Traumlose Nachte (4:15)
10. And Now in Sunshine (4:29)
11. Prince of Lies (3:03)
12. Hush/Muster (18:11)
Ol' Foggy, my apologies for taking so long to post this gem
You just made a grown man squeal. I never knew I could hit the high notes until now. I don't know why but this one has always eluded me. I always get outbid on it on the Bay and I've never seen it for sale in the flesh. I've rarely seen it on-line. I saw it at 192 once but decided to wait for a a lossless copy.
ReplyDeleteI was browsing through the new arrivals at a used record store once and came across Camouflage Heart. I bought it based solely on the album cover. You can, as a matter of fact, judge a book by its cover. I never really could describe Camouflage Heart. You did it well. All I can say is that I first heard it one summer afternoon in 1991 when I was 16. I wish that I could have heard it earlier. It would have been a great comfort to me. I consider it an artistic statement beyond compare and one of the few albums I've heard that can fathom the depths of emotion.
I've never met another Cindytalk fan which is a fact that I find depressing. As Current 93 got more and more popular I thought some of the more obscure post-industrial bands would get their due. I was wrong, of course. There's something in this band that people find truly unsettling. They can accept David Tibet screaming about menstrual night or Douglas Pierce's strange brand of homo-erotic crypto-fascism but there's something unsettling about Cindytalk. It's just a little too close to home.
I've never heard this album. I have all their other works, even the Secrets & Falling CD. I've been looking for this for around 15 years now so you need not apologize. I am, as usual, humbled by your generosity.
So now it's time to pour a glass of wine and finally hear for myself. I suspect that I'll be moved to tears shortly. Perhaps I might even feel like I did one summer when I was 16.
many thanks for this.... a lossless copy is truly incredible. gordon sharp is just... just... amazing. i found cindytalk through this mortal coil and i've always found the music so haunting. going back and discovering all of the cindytalk work has been amazing. more lossless cindytalk would be amazing.
ReplyDeleteOl' Foggy, an absolutely beautiful comment. All I can say in response is that moments like this are why I started blogging in the first place. Thank you
ReplyDeleteAnon. you're welcome. I've already posted several. Here are the pages:
ReplyDeletehttp://killingmoonmusic.blogspot.com/2011/03/cindytalk-camouflage-heart-1984-in-this.html
http://plasticpalacepeople66.blogspot.com/search/label/Cindytalk
yes yes - I've already availed myself of both of those. ;) thank you.
ReplyDeleteAnon. I think their is only one more that hasn't been posted. I'll see what I can do :)
ReplyDeleteAs a fan of both Current 93 and Death in June, I can assure that there are a few of us that are also Cindytalk fans.
ReplyDeleteDuring a discussion with Mike and Tara of Lycia before one of their shows in the mid 90's, Mike was extolling the greatness of Cindytalk. I nodded and went along thinking to myself that I must find this gem that he is praising. I did manage shortly after to find a cut-out of The Wind Is Strong and In This World–both great albums, but clearly not indicative of the true Cindytalk of which he spoke. It wasn't until a few years ago that I actually heard Camouflage Heart and Wappinschaw–amazed I was.
There really is nothing quite like this music, and most definitely greatly overlooked.
ANd again, this is Jeff. Blogger still wants to act as if I don't exist.
Jeff, it's good to know there are Cindytalk fans out there. Such a unique band, and while I realize they're nor for everyone, more people need to hear their music
ReplyDeleteIndeed sir.
ReplyDelete