Current 93 - Black Ships Ate the Sky (2006, Durtro-Jnana)

Prophecy? False prophecy? Apostacy? No matter your opinion, David Tibet knows that Armageddon is coming and he's been sharing his own doomsaying gospel for thirty years. Here, he employs a central theme with Idumea, Charles Wesley's 1763 Methodist Hymn of doom and doubt.

"And am I born to die?
To lay this body down?
And must my trembling spirit fly
Into a world unknown -
A land of deepest shade,
Unpierced by human thought,
The dreary regions of the dead,
Where all things are forgot?"

"Soon as from earth I go,
What will become of me?
Eternal happiness or woe
Must then my portion be;
Waked by the trumpet's sound,
I from my grave shall rise,
And see the Judge with glory crowned,
And see the flaming skies."

There are eight fantastic versions of this death-addled hymn. With vocals by Bonnie "Prince" Billy, Antony Hegarty, Marc Almond, Shirley Collins, Baby Dee, Clodagh Simonds, Pantaleimon and Tibet himself. And with a cast of musicians like Ben Chasny, John Contreras, William Breeze, Michael Cashmore and Steven Stapleton (Nurse with Wound), this a recipe for disaster...er...which, in this context, is a success.

Each version of the hymn is surrounded by lovely and simultaneously disturbing tomes and drones which are composed and executed impeccably. He speaks of endtimes, its characters, their insanity and their virtues.

Once again, the sheer intensity of Tibet's sackcloth and ashes murmurs and dream-like wailings make the impending apocalypse appear oddly romantic.

"I am the black ship...I am the black ship."

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Gil Scott-Heron - I'm New Here (2010)

I was skeptical. I thought it would be impossible to feel any impression from this album at all. Minutes into my first listen I knew I had judged prematurely.

Its been 16 years since his last studio album. After spending much of the last decade behind bars and continually battling drug problems, it seems he decided it was time for a collection of redemption songs.

His distinct voice is weathered and raspy these days. This combined with Richard Russell's Post-Hip Hop / Post-Industrial beats, Folk / Blues guitar and delicate string arrangements results in a production that is as diverse as it is creative.

With his classic mixture of spoken word and singing, he covers a lot of ground. Oddly enough, there are times when he even reminds me of a very serious and intense Ken Nordine.

As far as the subject matter, we hear him paying homage to the women in his life that taught him how to be a man, reminiscing on a childhood in a broken home, regretting the sheer hardship of existence itself as well as attempting to instill genuine hope in the listener.

The staunchly militant aggression has faded away, leaving the core of a man who is merely reflective and still bent on helping his fellow man, woman and child.

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Legendary Pink Dots - Seconds Late for the Brighton Line (2010)

Three decades and over fourty albums on and the Dots still fail to disappoint me. This follow up to the accessible pop deviation that was 2008's Plutonium Blonde sees Ka-Spel and Knight returning to their trademark Post-Industrial and Neo-Folk brooding that we know and love.

Eschewing guitars and drums, they rely on heavily psychedelic keyboard and synth sounds, producing a somber and melancholy yet warm and intellectual work that softly penetrates the dark recesses of the mind.

The lyrics feel like Ka-Spel is reflecting on the history of the band and its output and although its probably hard to believe, the lyrics are even more impenetrably cerebral than before. Regardless, the creepy electronics coincide with this ever darkening narrative.

I must say that as a long-time fan I sincerely miss Niels van Hornblower's occassional but brilliantly effective skronking but I'm thankful for the return to
the pre-pop Dots.

If you're unfamiliar with their body of work but enjoy misanthropic pop music and the drone aesthetic, begin with this and prepare to research back through thirty years of deeply beautiful contemplation of the subconscious.

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