We Hold This Dear

Lines Of Silence, a Manchester/ Todmorden psyche- cosmische band played at Halle St. Peter's in Manchester last night supporting The Utopia Strong- full review to follow. A week ago Lines Of Silence released their second EP, Harmonise, for Sprechen, a radio edit of the kraut grooves of Lines In Opposition which kicks in with rapid fire motorik drumming, wobbly synth sounds and a chanted/ spoken incantation for a vocal. Guitar lines are beamed in straight from West Germany in the 70s and it all comes to an end with singer Andrea left alone intoning, 'we hold this dear'.

There are two remixes, ahead of the imminent Lines Of Silence album, also called Lines In Opposition! The first is of album track Kinetik by Coventry's Stone Anthem, an industrial ambient version, with radio static, the threat of rumbling bass and fractured drums. Stretford's own, Psychederek, then completes the trio with his remix of Lines In Opposition, relocating Lines Of Silence into the cosmic chug machine with a driving post- punk bassline, bursts of synth and Andrea's vocal pushed to the fore.

Harmonise can be heard/ bought here.  

If you like that you should stick around for the album, Lines In Opposition!, eight slices of cosmic/ kraut that opens with the ambient drone and synth wiggle of Wolf, Klaus Dinger's Apache beat making its presence felt early on. Kinetik is a driving instrumental with fuzzed up guitars, the controls set for outer space but fast, and Come With Us (If You Want To...) is a psychedelic/ analogue dream. The ambient/ industrial drones re- appear on A Life Examined, a burst of transmission from distant places. Aesthetik counters it with blissed drones and FX, the guitars and synths eventually pulled in- sci fi for the FRG. Transcendental Radiation was the first single, released on the Radiate EP back in March, Moog cosmische with the space of dub. The album ends with the The Unity Drone, a spacey combination of drones, FX and melodies that feels like coming down.

Lines In Opposition! is here, on digital and vinyl- highly recommended and likely still be close to your turntables/ devices come the end of the year.