Pin Eyes — Lover Of The Void
Pin Eyes is a French bedroom psychedelic folk and ambient collage project whose recordings possess a surprising degree of tonal and melodic sophistication, and thick woodsy atmosphere. "Lover of the Void" is a short EP released for free by the artist via Bandcamp in 2013.
The album starts with a harmonized vocal incantation, cleverly recorded so that it is spoken by one voice and sung by another, and thus quasi-melodic. The lyrics are poetic, and conjure images of villages and hillsides changing and eroding across time.
The dry, dusty sound of Pin Eyes' guitar is introduced in the 2nd track "I Got Something to Say", muted and patient at first, then erupting loudly into a bluesy twang on the right chords. It has a nostalgic, wistful mood that is somehow reverent and spiritually charged, in that particular way I associate with 'neo folk'.
"Mice" begins with a brooding, grunge flavored low register riff, and the singer's breathy repeated gasp of "Escape, little mouse". Each note becomes a harmonized chorus of moans as the piece progresses, and there is a rough charm to his attempts at overdubbing, the detuned chords quivering with raw emotion.
Title track "Lover of the Void" is the most folky and song-like of the release, and should appeal to fans of 90's Current 93 and Michael Cashmore with its nostalgic minor key chordwork. By the end, the singer's lilting moan has a Thom Yorke-esque inflection and melancholy.
The closer "My Body Is A Mess" is based around a lo-fi loop of homemade percussion and numerous layers of delicious consonant guitar arpeggi. The guitar sound is a watery, warm flavor of funky 'wah' tone. Most of the vocals are slightly above a whisper in volume and tone, but on this track he very nearly yells, and the chantlike rhythm of the vocals is quite catchy and almost recalls classic rock.
The EP in its entirety is only 16 minutes, but with 5 short tracks, there are plenty of distinct ideas to be found. The humble simplicity of this music works to its advantage. The pieces have few elements, yet manage to tug powerfully on the heartstrings. I look forward to more music from this project in the future.