On the Isle of Man there exists a group of individuals who when they come together is known under the moniker Mark E Moon.
These individuals are responseable for one of my favourite and most played releases of the modern age of post-punk/darkwave, that being their phenomenal 2021 album Old Blood.
Since then, the gang has drip-fed us new material in the form of singles and the Lux Vindictae EP (2022)
I recieved an early pre-release copy of the new album and while I would have liked to get this written and published alongside the March 3rd release, life got in the way. Better late than never I tell myself.
Resist comes enveloped in fantastic artwork by a young painter acquanted with the band, it brings to mind a certain sci-fi atmosphere, like a shot from a walk in the future, perhaps through a desert at dawn.
Opening track and lead-single Daemons does exactly what an opening track should do, it immediatly drags you in with a pulsating bass, synth arpeggios before a bombastic chorus with near choral backing vocals.
Beneath the grandiose music however lurks a lamentation of giving in and crumbling under the weight of your past, present and future sins, real or imagined.
While I`d rather avoid the comparison of one album to another it is on some level inevitable, where Old Blood grappled with corruption and bigotry,Resisthas a more introsepctive lyrical quality all around with the narrator of each song displaying their flaws and failures and putting it all to soaring synths and all the atmosphere youd need.
The musical drama perfectly compliments the lyrical.
Blind has our narrator thrown into the all too relatable scenario of heartache, love-gone-hellwards and the racing thought it always brings as you lay in bed staring a hole in the ceiling.
Resist`s use of dual vocals offer a wonderful contrast to the songs and creates an interesting lyrical dynamic you`d otherwise not have as much of if it was all one voice singing each line. Vertigo however, does not suffer whatsoever from its use of a singular siren.
Dark Love saw the light of day back in 2022 when released as a single that at the time Im sure was taken as a stand-alone piece by listeners, and perhaps it was seen as such by the band as well, whos to say?
Its addition on the albums tracklist however is a great choice and a perfect conceptual and thematic fit alongside the rest of the tracks.
It`s simply put, a song tailor-made for your local BDSM club. Make sure your favourite DJ adds it to their playlist next time you find yourselves crawling on your knees.
Closure is exaclty as its opening line states in that it is the Beat of the broken heart, hopeless romantics, please stand for the national anthem. Emphasis on hopeless, of course.
Now, if you were in need of an alternative to the hopeless romantic anthem where the emphasis is not ,for once, on hopeless. Crystal is here and she will surely take great care of you in the back of a limousine of course.
Heart Keeps Bleeding is a musical noir of hollow yet desperate romance, it`s the moment of walking in a lovless desert, depraved enough of any semblance of compassion that you kiss arsenic lips just to feel something.
The Signal And The Noise is that deep-cut song towards the end of any album that you may not always hear but when you do it quickly becomes a favourite.
Daylight is for the vampires, this may not be a compliment so still your blackened hearts children.
It is however full of ambiance and a wonderful closing track, if we were to see the addition of a demo version of `See Me` as just that, an addendum rather than the finale proper.
Mark E Moon does not dissapoint. But they do not merely repeat past successes either, they play around, they explore and they reap a bountiful harvest.
Buy the damn album.
https://markemoon1.bandcamp.com
