Cold Cave- Cherish The Light Years

When cold cave released their 2009 debut Love Comes Close, there was a distinct presence of the 80’s new wave sound that was reminiscent of The Cure, New Order, and Depeche Mode that contained a seductive quality that appealed to pop music at that particular time. What Wesley Eisold did on Loves Comes Close vocally bring about the rebirth of the vulnerable crooner, who spilt out his heart in the many John Hughes and brat pack movies conveying the awkwardness of the life and drama of teens.

Fast-forward to 2011 and Cold Cave’s latest release Cherish The Light Years, once again builds that emotion and feeling up to a whole new level. As soon as the opening track The Great Pan is Dead, the wailing of guitars, screams of synths, and the pulsating beats from snares and cymbals almost takes you back for second due to how intense it comes at you. Eisold soon responds in a manner similar to that of Robert Smith, but in a way that sounds more emotionally desperate than Smith could ever be. When listening to the opener there is a clear distinction that this is a band that has solidified its sound, and is more mature, and even at times seems on the verge of reaching out to the mainstream audience.

What makes this record remarkable is the concise precision that went into making these songs, each one stands out in its own unique memorable way. Confetti has a more subdued yet delicate synth-line followed by reverb-filled guitar that rolls like molasses. As Eisold sings the phrase “I feel so good on the outside” you have the same miserable feeling that The Smiths and The Cure embraced that it makes you want to take a step back from the rest of the world and slowly fall apart inside.

One thing that the songs on this album do is they don't fall into the trap of sounding all the same. For instance Alchemy And You throws a trumpet into the mix that adds flavor to the overall production and sound, where Burning Sage contains dark ominous brooding bass lines, that follow the same experimental stylings similar to what The Cure did with 1987’s Kiss Me. What Cold Cave does with Cherish The Light is tap into the hearts of those who constantly crave the depressive and bleak romantic sounds that seems almost long forgotten, but also sets the stage for what could be their biggest album yet that breaks on through to a wider audience.