Current 93 - All the Pretty Little Horses (1996)

Styles: Neofolk | UK, England

Current 93 are another significant group in the British Neofolk scene. It's always been centered around David Tibet, collaborating with people such as Steven Stapleton and Douglas Pearce. Unlike many of their peers however, on this album they present a much more mellow yet still unnerving experience. This is the second part of the Inmost Light trilogy, being the only full-length album in it.

The opener, The Long Shadow Falls is a simple track with the repeated lyrics of:

„Why can't we all just walk away?“

There's a distinct tone to this album I've never heard on anything else, a childlike sense of curiosity and fear. Tibet softly whispers over these acoustic lamentations, the lyrics feeling like they're taken from bedtime stories. It's mostly very simply produced with the acoustic guitar, bass and David Tibet being the centerpieces of most tracks. However, at times it does get more grimly layered such as The Inmost Light's dark piano, strings and other instruments. Tibet is really amazing here, between tracks constantly switching from hushed to yelled vocals but always being the song's highlight. He exudes such passion throughout the album there's not a second it's uninteresting, always telling some kind of twisted childhood lesson or character. There's often mystical Christian undertones to the writing, reflecting Tibet's experience with both eastern religions like Buddhism and with the Abrahamic Christianity. 

The inmost light 

The inmost light

The inmost light 

The inmost light...

What even is the inmost light?

A consistent theme of this record is innocence. The beauty associated with it - childhood, curiosity and purity. The Frolic, one of the best tracks here, is inspired by an experience from David Tibet's adolescence. At 8 years old while he was still in Malaysia - he was at a party and another child ran onto the road, getting his legs crushed by a steamroller and later dying in the hospital. Trying to assure himself he asked an adult if they were having fun, "No, no we're not.".

With the period of youthful innocence  eventually comes the loss of it.

All the Pretty Little Horses is a beautiful album, a captivating performance complemented by simple yet rich production. One of the best Neofolk albums I've heard so far, I'll definitely listen to more of them soon.

9/10

See also: Death in June 

Listen here: Spotify, Apple Music 

- kreyzi