And so the shoegaze renaissance continues. This time around, it's Lanarkshire duo, Derek Bates and Steven McGilvary recording under the moniker of Bottle of Evil who are offering up their ethereal wares. Quite why shoegaze should have suddenly become popular I'm not entirely sure: while I thought the first Ride album was great, at least in parts, and consider myself a fan of Slowdive, much of the material sounds rather weak and wishy-washy now. Still, what goes around comes around, and most contemporary bands apply the trappings with the addition of a new-millennium twist, often approaching the style through a post-rock / folk filter.
In this instance, the emphasis is largely on the folkier side of things, with a number of quite charming and simple acoustic numbers that skip along quite nicely, if perhaps a little unchallengingly, populating this debut eleven tracker.
However, 'Milmartin Valley' really slaps on the echo and transforms a simple chiming folk number into a shimmering post-rock dreamscape. There's a hint of The Cure in the downbeat and subtly dissonant 'November Evening,' which is a truly captivating three and a half minutes of shadowy instrumental. 'Fall From the Sky' is very much in the Chapterhouse / Slowdive / Ride mould, the vocals airy and dripping reverb, while the guitars are a swirling mass of FX, but there's a robust and slightly dirty bass sound that cuts through the mist, lending the track some quite admirable balls.
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Overall, 'Bottle of Evil' showcases a sound that's quite distinctive, and while it's very much of 'the now' and there are other bands doing similar stuff, there's enough variety - and, importantly, quality - here to make for a rewarding listen.
http://www.last.fm/music/Bottle+of+Evil
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