Emerald Vein
Existence
Sub Rosa (Belgium) 1988
SUB 33013-18 (LP)
sleeve : EX(SRW)
media : EX/EX(some slightly noise)
Issued in 1988 on the Brussels-based avant-garde label Sub Rosa, this is the debut album from Emerald Vein, the recording project of Robert Young, also known as a member of the gothic post-punk band A Scanner Darkly. Apart from two tracks featuring Trence Donahue on drums, all instruments and vocals are performed by Young himself. With artwork drawn from a painting by the 16th-century Venetian master Tiziano Vecellio, the album presents a striking form of gothic new wave where decadent atmospheres and a sense of the eternal seem to intertwine. A3 and B1 are especially beautiful, balancing melancholic sound production with Young’s delicate vocals, while B2 stands out for its deeply echoed electric guitar, ringing out with a haunting presence. Highly recommended for listeners drawn to the darker, more atmospheric side of post-punk and new wave.
B1: Promise
B2: Out of Mind