Aural Fixations

CURRENT 93
Judas As Black Moth
(Castle/Sanctuary)
Songwriter David Tibet has been a mainstay of England's underground music scene for a quarter of a century, leading the iconoclastic Current 93. The freefloating ensemble began as pioneers in the noise/industrial scene, but underwent a startling change in the late 80s. Taking inspiration from the sounds of obscure British acid folk acts like Comus and from his own spiritual leanings, Tibet transformed Current 93 into the literate, strange and passionate psychedelic folk project it is today. Judas Black Moth is a two-disk overview of this aspect of the band, lovingly compiled by Tibet and some of his closest friends and collaborators. It's a interesting, engrossing journey into the mind and soul of a man who uses his music to gain an intimate knowledge of God.

The found sounds and electronics of Current 93's early days are rarely in evidence in these 32 songs. Tibet often uses little more than an acoustic guitar or piano as backdrop for his spiritual and romantic musings, sometimes illuminated by a horn, accordion or light percussion. Tibet vocalizes his poetry in a manner closer to a recitation, avoiding choruses or obvious vocal hooks; tracks like "Alone" and "The Inmost Light Itself" (one of the few that does add some samples as spice) sound like direct lines from his stream of consciousness that just happen to conform to melody. While the libretto makes use of all manner of fantastical imagery, this isn't escapist Dungeons & Dragons rock, but an attempt to make sense of a very personal Gnostic philosophy. Some cuts are more accessible than others: "Mary Waits in Silence," "Earth Covers Earth" and "Sad-Go-Round" (which has an immediately engaging electric guitar hook that calls to mind the Bevis Frond) would pass muster on any semi-adventurous triple-A radio station. "All the Pretty Little Horses" and its sister "All the Pretty Little Horsies" even take the extra step of using guest vocalists. However, since said singers are Nick Cave and Shirley Collins (an early 60s UK folkie who is also a key Tibet influence), Tibet can't be accused of pandering to popular sensibilities.

Most of the tunes, though, walk a fine line between appealing obscurity and quirky beauty. Songs like "Red Hawthorn Tree," "Oh Coal Black Smith" (a traditional British folk song), "Lucifer Over London" (which boasts distorted electric guitar as backing) and "So: This Empire is Nothing" channel Tibet's unique confluence of pagan symbols, traditional folk atmospheres, violent imagery and Christian mysticism into oddly engaging, often lovely, always strange tunes that inhabit a distinctive universe. Judas Black Moth is a window into a room some won't want to walk into, but those that do will find endless variations on uncommon themes from a fascinating musical mind. Michael Toland [buy it]