Nowafter
Useless
Stream
Towards Distant
Snow Blind
Distress
(But I am) Still
Sweet Bloom Of Night Time Flowers

Serpents
Highest Of The Angels
The 14th
(But I am) Still (Disco Demo Version)
Untitled
Distress (Version 0.2)
See Nothing
Nevermore
Untitled
Distress (Version 0.1)
The Circle Did Close Indeed

Dance like it’s 1980 once more. Dance as though time has stood still. Shoe gaze and nod your head to the music. There’s a television programme that runs in the UK, showing infrequently thank fuck, called ‘Stars in their eyes’*. For those not in the know the concept for the show is simple. Take members of the general public, talent free pond life one and all, and get them to dress up and sing a song by their favourite artists. ‘Tonight Mathew (or the blonde tart with the moustache if she’s presenting), I’m going to be… drum roll… some grade Z fucker or other’. Cue gasps and cheers from the zombie audience as they, the piece of flotsam, disappear in a cloud of dry ice… only to reappear looking like their selected act after a chip pan fire accident. So why mention this crass piece of television in a review for an act appearing on the Italian label of great repute Eibon? Because This Empty Flow sound like The Cure crossed with the Cocteau Twins. I closed my eyes and will swear blind that Robert Smith and Robin Guthrie were coming out of stereo. Which was quite confusing. Surely a recording from the Eibon record label shouldn’t be all guitars and nice songs. Where’s the experimental bits? Where’s the noise? Where’s the dark ambience? Not here that’s for sure. Best I investigate further:

First stop was the Eibon website. They have this filed under ‘Good music’. No complaints there. Next I have a gander at the press release. I probably should have looked at that first mind. Hindsight. Nice if you’ve been blessed with it. This Empty Flow started out in 1994 before disbanding in 1997. Featuring 4 young talented turks from Finland their career was short and sweet. "The Album" is a double CD of 18 tracks and collates the debut release "Magenta Skycode" with previously unreleased tracks "Magenta lost" for over 100+ minutes of music. Make that guitar / keyboards / bass / drums music… with an eighties feel to it.

I should have reviewed this for the last update but because of the style of music, which in all honesty doesn’t fit in with the type of music associated with Aural Pressure, I kept putting it off until I had my Indie head on. Here I am then. I’ve been doing the time warp listening to a load of Bunnymen, Teardrops, Banshees, Cure, Twins, MBV and the rest of them and now feel inclined to write this up. Frame of mind you understand. And… well this is fucking great. Super strong song structures. Epic in nature. Great vocals. Fabulous musicianship throughout. Passionate delivery coupled with rocking bits thrown everywhere. A lost gem of a recording. The unreleased tracks are more of the same. I can’t fault it in any respect. And when I’m in retro mode I’ll grab it and take the guilty pleasures it has to offer. A cathartic release from the usual brain thrashings I usually subject myself to.

But it has no place here. Not on this site. A fish truly out of water. It flounders against the likes of Control and Olhon. Living in a past which doesn’t resemble or equate to the musical genres found within here. For all that though I can see why Eibon would want to release this. As a document for a group that never received its fair dues, it does their memory and music proud. Not the usual Eibon fair then but one for those amongst you who think Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine were the cult band to end cult bands. This Empty Flow are just for you. Enjoy.

*NB…the eagle eyed, and those with superb recall, will probably have noticed that I’ve mentioned this television show before in a previous review. It’s so crass though that it’s worth mentioning again. I saw the children’s version a few weeks ago and some young cunt won it performing ‘When I’m cleaning windows’ as George fucking Formby!! Sheer television gold.

ANM