Lichtzwart is the excellent debut from Belgian duo Embers. Pieter Nolf (Pia Fraus) and Steve Desmadrijl (Ozzma) drag you, with this 5 track EP, into their own funny and scary musical world.
Instrumental opening track Nie sets the tone immediately. Pounding drums combined with threatening synths, think Sigmund Und Sein Freund meets Princess Tinymeat.
The second track Moeder continues were Nie stops. Combined here with lyrics in their own West Flemish dialect, this (funnily enough) works amazingly well. The West Flemish continues in Metrognome, a simple idea of counting to 9. Before you know it you’re hooked and you start shouting along with them. I even think this would do well on an open minded dancefloor.
The B-side opens with NSCTD, an interpretation of Fad Gadget’s masterpiece Insecticide. Electronic madness, hand clapping and funny voices; I’m pretty sure Frank Tovey would have loved this version. Which brings us to the last track, a slow crawling track entitled Swamp Thing. Think In Slaughter Natives going on a trip with the old Ordo Equilibrio.
Lichtzwart is a very cool, unique and daring debut that I recommend. I’m curious about how these great tunes will translate on stage and look forward to their first full album.