Review of Garlands

This is the debut album of a very unique band, and it finds them still in the process of finding their signature sound. There’s a dash of goth here, and a heavy amount of post-punk sensibility.. (Think Joy Division, early Cure, Siouxsie & The Banshees and so on.)
Compared to the lush majesty of their later albums, Garlands is like an icy dip in a glacial lake. Stark, eerie, with Liz Fraser’s voice lilting over an unadorned and fairly crunchy soundscape. Standout tracks include “Blind Dumb Deaf”, “Grail Overfloweth”, and “But I’m Not”.