The Rock Blogger

Lycia. A Day in the Stark Corner. 1993. 4.5 stars.

Good God, this is a beautiful album. Lycia play gloomy, down-tempo Gothic rock that bears neofolk and darkwave/industrial influences. Soothing synth drones slowly pulsate throughout, as chilling keyboard passages careen across, providing a dreamy atmosphere where harsh whispers and stark percussion pierce through the darkness. A Day in the Stark Corner is haunting and alluring, conveying a psychedelic state lying somewhere between a mystic trace and modern romanticism.

In spite of Lycia’s reliance on a synthesized aesthetic, with cold electronic beats and echoing reverb, this album still has an organic feel, as each composition moves fluidly into the next. Several of these songs do sound strikingly similar in length, pacing and mood, adding to the spacey effect of its overall presentation. Calls for more variety may be warranted, but the fluid cohesion of this record is hardly anything to pass over. From the opening beats of “And Through the Smoke and Nails”, this album sucks you into its misty, vaguely menacing landscape. While the lyrics may be hushed and undecipherable, the spooky ambiance speaks volumes on its own, opening a world of vivid sonic detail.
There is a lot of depth to A Day in the Stark Corner and its emotional power is hard to deny. Recommended.

Lycia - And Through the smoke and nails

This entry was posted on Saturday, November 15th, 2008 at 7:32 pm and is filed under Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.