Eyeless in Gaza - Photographs As Memories (Post-Punk 1981)

With no real songs to speak of, Eyeless in Gaza's debut was inundated with an erratic pop sensibility and a frustrating non-style-over-substance sense of work ethic. Only the occasional success hinted of things to come. The one-two punch of "Speech Rapid Fire" and "John of Patmos" would go on to stand up well against anything the band later released, the former a mangled, melancholic take on '80s synth pop and the latter squealing off in far too many directions to suggest a well-adjusted mindset and using both pre-IDM beat mechanics and structureless Arkestra anti-music to deconstruct the ubiquitous mid-album ballad. [This was later reissued on CD in 2000 with the bonus tracks "Invisibility," "Three Kittens," "Plague of Years," "Others," "Jane Dancing," "Ever Present," and "Avenue With Trees."]

AMG Review by Dean Carlson

Eyeless in Gaza - Rust Red September (1983 Superb Alternative Rock - coinsiding the autumn mood after summer vacation!)

Officially the band's fifth full vinyl release, Rust Red September finds the group further moving away from the brusquer hooks of its earliest days to a calmer reflectiveness. If anything, the duo also achieved a light, airy pop feeling with this album, slotting it alongside more successful sounds from the U.K. in the mid-'80s without actually breaking through or, on a happier thought, pandering to achieve such success. This newer approach comes courtesy of Bates' singing voice, here sweetly overdubbed at many points with butter-melting-in-mouth effect -- indeed, such is the purity he reaches here it almost sounds like he should be in a Scandinavian jangle pop act! "New Risen," the single from the album, balances both a catchy melody and a curious, unexpected keyboard/rhythm arrangement -- the closest parallel might be to the similarly not-quite-straightforward work of the Associates, if on a generally calmer level. The elegant arrangements he and Becker create truly, completely shimmer with a strange, sparkling power, light without ever sounding either airily new age or anything remote easy listening. Consider Bates' simple but effective electric guitar work on "Pearl and Pale," which had to have been an influence on any number of later acts on the Projekt record label, heartbreaking chimes, and atmospherics while avoiding simply turning on the effects pedals. Becker's abilities with rhythm work serve the duo quite well -- what initially seems like an intriguing-enough off-time drum pattern on "Leaves Are Dancing" takes a further subtle turn with the introduction of another percussion line on the chorus, steering away from 4/4 into differing realms. His many other understated touches throughout -- the accordion wails on "No Perfect Stranger," the beautiful synth backing on "Bright Play of Eyes" -- help further the beauty of this striking album. The CD reissue of Rust Red September contains some excellent bonuses for the appreciative fan. Three, "To Steven," "Sun-Like-Gold," and "To Elizabeth S.," originally from the Myths. Instructions. I compilation on Sub Rosa, are rougher, murkier instrumentals with an appropriately shady appeal. The remaining three are the B-sides from the Sun Bursts In EP that followed the album, resulting in a near comprehensive picture of the band's work at that time.

AMG Review by Ned Raggett

Eyeless in Gaza - Back from the Rains (Very Good British Post-Punk 1986)

The final Eyeless in Gaza release before the duo's temporary split, Back From the Rains builds on the pop sense of Rust Red September excellently. Beginning with the brief a cappella piece "Between These Dreams," Bates' vocals treated with a bit of a hollow-room sound that creates some subtly effective drama, the duo shifts into the bright, almost straightforward glow of "Twilight," a fine representation of the album as a whole. It's a bit much to say that Back From the Rains is the pinnacle of the band's aiming toward a neo-Duran Duran/Tears for Fears modern pop triumph, but there's no question that it's a long way from Photographs As Memories. Yet the irony is that little about the duo's approach actually changed -- art rather than commerce dominates, and for all that Bates almost lets his vocals verge into total histrionics at points, he still has that sweet, wistful quality in his voice that suggests gentle calm more than anything else. He and Becker, as always, make an excellent team, the latter surrounding the former's vocal and guitar parts with detailed, energetic arrangements and overdubs. "Catch Me" and the soul-touched "Welcome Now" may have straight-up rhythms for once, but it's still a meta-pop of the kind that could chart high but never does. Comparisons could be made to the Cocteau Twins at their most straightforward, a slightly less obscure John Foxx, but it's all Eyeless in Gaza's own particular vision. Even the simpler approaches, like the barely there production touches on the otherwise vocal-and-guitar combination of "Lie Still, Sleep Long," work wonders. Add in a wonderful version of the folk traditional "She Moves Through the Fair" that gives Bates another music-less chance to the shine and the result is a total winner. The CD version includes, in a slightly odd backtrack, the entirety of the New Risen EP.

AMG Review by Ned Raggett