Eyeless in Gaza
Eyeless in Gaza guitarist Martyn Bates and keyboardist Peter Becker borrowed Punk's DIY approach and applied it liberally to their own mutant hybrid of lyrical poetry and sonic minimalism -- their early recordings are imbalanced fusions of spare instrumentation and emotionally effusive singing. On Photographs as Memories and Drumming the Beating Heart, Eyeless in Gaza stood justly accused of emphasizing Romantic poeticizing over engaging songmanship. As they progressed, however, the duo developed a canny ability to set musical moods that gather like radon in the shut up places of the subconscious. Back from the Rains (1986) is an under-appreciated gem chock full of bristling, moody, faintly anti-pop melodies. Their best songs can lift you from the ordinary world like a memory from childhood or an image from a dream. It's just unfortunate that it's impossible to call any music "timeless" without sounding buttery and insincere. In the case of Eyeless in Gaza, "sublime" will have to do.
Chad Driscoll
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