Golden Lampreys - Just Because You Did It Doesn’t Mean You’re Guilty 12”-EP

Future Lunch (FULU-013)

First of all I have to admit that I've got very little clue about this kind of music. Golden Lampreys is a new band project by ex-members of Finnish experimental/no-wave/dark ambient/drone/black metal group Sink. I always found Sink a bit hard to swallow, even though I was quite impressed with their wall of sound, dark vibes and brave experimentalism. Compared to Sink, Golden Lampreys is a lot easier to listen to, but there is still something similar, something sinister. They have a much more electronic approach and the mood is a bit lighter although not at all positive or sunny. There are elements of blues mixed together with electronic music which at some point brings to mind Perttu Häkkinen's (R.I.P.) old band Itäväylä who did the same thing but in a more psychedelic, organic and hypnotic manner. Golden Lampreys have been described as Birthday Party meets Pan Sonic and I guess that is legit. Maybe their music is some form of harsh, dark acid house, I don't know.

Anyway, this debut 12" EP that is limited to just 200 copies includes four original tracks:"Good Morning Little School Girl", "Dangle", "Oh Lord, Set Me Free" and "Who's at the Helm?". The first one sort of brings to mind Suicide with its hypnotic, monotonic and weird vibe. "Dangle" is darker, like minimal Depeche Mode. It sounds rather Gothic and the vocals are almost whispered making it feel even more spooky. "Oh Lord, Set Me Free" is kind of an abstract, electronic negro-spiritual. The trance-inducing video track "Who's at the Helm?" is pretty dark and experimental as well, check it out yourself. It gives me the goose bumps for sure and is the only track on the 12" that I could dance to. This is a pretty interesting EP, let's see where the band will go from this.

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