SPAHN RANCH
Closure (Cleopatra)
Reviewed by DJ Johnson

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It bothers me that this CD is called Closure. Are Spahn Ranch calling it a day? The liner notes give nothing away in that regard, but the www.spahnranch.com website mentioned within brings up a "Site Not Found" screen. Say it ain't so. The aggressive beginnings of this band didn't turn me on nearly as much as the dark wave music that they've come to favor, and this CD contains some of their darkest blends of synth washes, percussion grooves and vocal mind trips. Easily the closest they've come to Goth. "I could see myself in a pool of red," sings Athan Maroulis in "Last Laugh," a gothic cry if ever there was one. It's all here, every element, all the evidence, and it's exquisitely chilling, right down to the surreal cover of P.J. Harvey's "The River." Three attempts later the web site still doesn't come up. If this really is the end of Spahn Ranch, at least they're going out on a fantastic CD. Closure, indeed.

© 2001 - DJ Johnson