Rose Devoid of Form – The Academy of Sun (reviewed by Dave Franklin)

Whilst this latest gem from Brighton’s The Academy of Sun feels like it is wandering through the same sort of territory that Nick Cave has explored from time to time, whereas the emotions our antipodean dark lord builds from err towards the bleak and torn, Rose Devoid of Form uses a more elegant, lilting beauty to grab the listeners attention. Cave might revel in  blasted, blues traditions but here we are more in the realms of folk music, a modern version of it for sure but one which has at its core all of the same fire and finesse which has always burned at the genres heart.

The synths and samples which are woven together behind the emotive vocals add to the otherworldly nature of the piece, allowing it to drift rather than drive along, floating hazily with just the distant beats and the intimate vocal whispers tethering the more transient sounds perfectly.

And proving that opposites attract, it comes hand in hand with the punchy, punky, psychedelic-infused slice of raw power-pop that is Everything At Once Forever. Ahead of the new album to follow, The Quiet Earth, these to songs act as brilliant bookends, two extremes of The Academy of Sun’s musical spectrum. And on a purely practical terms this brace of beauty and boisterousness does exactly what it needs to. It makes you want to buy the album. Patience dear reader, patience.