SWAN MEAT – LATHE OF HEAVEN

Ever wanted to, like, gut yourself? In lieu of the courage to disembowel myself out of morbid curiosity, I often turn to the dependably harrowing music of Swan Meat (AKA Reba Fay). It is music that jars and lacerates and bludgeons and torments, weaponising the scarred recesses of a burdened mind to both distressing and unbelievably compelling effect. Having said that, new mini-release LATHE OF HEAVEN switches it up, withholding overt brutalisation for a vibe that touches on the plaintive and playful (!!).

Opener ‘THE CRUCIBLE / CANDYLAND’’s orchestral first half bleeds into a gorgeously bleak dirge incorporating Fay’s defeated-sounding vocals and shards of shred-toned guitar, while ‘ALL DOGS GO TO HEAVEN’ comes off like an impish, spectral R&B beat from some craggy netherworld. The latter is about “getting to 1st base w/ the 1 you love”, an enviable experience that probably rivals unspooling your own entrails. Do one, do both… either way, ensure it’s Swan Meat soundtracking the experience.