Review: Cold Cave – 'Full Cold Moon'

COLD CAVE
'Full Cold Moon'
HEARTWORM

2011's outing for Cold Cave, 'Cherish The Light Years', may have thrust Wesley Eisold into the limelight. The album left nobody cold but it's creator. Now freed from his previous label, Eisold returns with a compilation of singles he released over the course of 2013. it's not a new album per-Se. There's no sense of linearity to it. Just an sense of unfettered playfulness.

The icy, goth-influenced new wave core that made Cold Cave stand-out in the first place is ever present. But with this loose collection of standalone tracks Eisold is free to do whatever he wants. Tracks such as 'Oceans With No End', 'People Are Poison', 'God Made The World', and 'Don't Blow Up The Moon' still exemplify the best aspects of Eisold's writing style melding the big pop aspirations with a gritty demo-like edginess.

While songs such as 'A Little Death To Laugh', 'Tristan Corbiere', 'Meaningful Life' and 'Dandelion' display a stripped-back and minimal approach that plays with expectations without any fear of repercussions. Its certainly an honest and raw approach that captures the essence of someone rediscovering their sound with only the tools of a home studio at their disposal.

The whole collection has the rough production style of a demo tape, albeit a pretty long one. Also, with the lack of a linear construction the tracks can jar somewhat as they change. But it isn't really unlike listening to a rarities or singles collection such as 'Some Girls Wander By Mistake' – yes the quality varies, and it comes off as incomplete in a few places. But it has a raw charm and some fundamentally strong offerings.

This is only a stop-gap release and shouldn’t really be taken for anything other than what it is. A collection of raw singles that see Eisold regaing control over Cold Cave and exploring his options for his project's future. Hopefully though we'll get a more complete presentation sooner rather than later.

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