X-PLEASURE – His Master’s Voice

The melancholy His Master’s Voice is something quite different and interesting in that it sees the talented Dan Heide (ex-Zeromancer, Ljungblut) spearheading a great ensemble of more than capable musicians and essentially churning out some exquisitely crafted compositions that hover and float somewhere between gloomy rock, post-punk, and subtle slivers of Americana. The sound is rich and full of textures, the warm glow of the production enhances the sorrow-tinged atmosphere of the songs splendidly, and you are hardly more than twelve second into “Envisioning” before it dawns on you that this particular disc harbors a quiet and understated sense of power in terms of how haunting, reflective, and outright meaningful the lyrics and melodies are. Its best cuts include “Sister Ancious,”, “Addicted Sean,” “Volcano,” and the title track – all of which contain elements that remind me ever so slightly of Let Love In by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds – and only “Reckless Joy” and “The Wrestler” appear less than gripping compared to the rest of the material. In other words, this is a strong and memorable output.

In many ways, His Master’s Voice is perfect for those contemplative late-night hours or early morning walks in solitude when you are all alone and lost in thoughts of longing, loss, and why the road home feels so infinitely long at times.