Moving Staircases

While were formed by two former members of U.K. act , their first and only album, , shows they were capable of a lot more than the tacky horror show play-acting that was their former band's trademark. While there's a faint hint of visible around the edges of ' music, for the most part leans heavily towards , with a gloomy yet curiously inviting aural cloud hanging over the music. Bassist and drummer give the music a firm and steady pulse, but they also let it fade back just enough to give these tunes the determined plod of the walking dead, while ' guitar work blends twang with a dash of fuzz, and the finished product manages to sound ominous without turning into a cartoon. The lyrics also lean towards real-life horrors rather than monster movie shtick on songs like and while the excesses of mid-'80s British consumer culture are raked over the coals in And though vocalist doesn't have a wealth of range, he certainly makes himself understood, and there's a direct, unpretentious tone to his work that gets the job done with no fuss and significant impact. lasted less than a year, and judging from this album, that's a shame -- they rocked with genuine nocturnal force, and they avoided the sillier excesses of their peers to make an album that rocked with heart, soul and intelligence. Certainly worth a listen. ~ Mark Deming