If you’re a devotee of Depeche Mode, New Order, and The Cure, Wesley Eisold is your man. If you’re not, well, he may still be your man. Cold Cave, Eisold’s musical nom de plume, is quite a departure from his past endeavors. Having fronted hardcore and noise rock bands Give Up The Ghost and Some Girls, with Cold Cave Eisold dives head first into ’80s electronic synth-pop. The opening track, “The Great Pan is Dead,” is a high energy Franz Ferdinand-style assault complimented by Eisold’s melodramatic vocals, which bridge the small gap between Robert Smith and Dave Gahan.
On “Pacing Around The Church,” Eisold tips his hat to the darker, goth end of the electro spectrum, and the music, which at times can get a bit cloying, takes a refreshing back seat to the vocals. The pop songs are the ones that shine–like “Catacombs,” where Eisold focuses more on the song rather than playing around with synth effects. The closing track, “Villains of the Moon,” is subtler, more melodic, and atmospheric. Where other ’80s synth-pop revival bands simply give a nod to their roots, Eisold goes whole hog and wears his influences not just on his sleeve, but in a full body cloak. [Anna Blumenthal]
