Review: Colour Kane – A Taste Of

It doesn’t take a genius to guess who the primary influences are for Belgium’s Colour Kane on their debut album for Hidden Shoal Recordings. With Marjan Snykers’ multi-octave vocal range and dreamlike passages of guitar, clearly this band have owned a few Cocteau Twins records. Still, much like new young pretender Annie Barker, the talent and ideas win over any accusations that they are mere plagiarists.

Key to Colour Kane’s identity is the way in which they incorporate electronic elements into their music. ‘Eye Drops’ and ‘Astonish’ modernise the Cocteaus template with heavy beats running alongside the customary myriad of guitar effects whereas ‘Unseen’ aims for a fairly danceable sound. Proof – if it were needed – that their credentials are respected, Robin Guthrie himself guests on remix duties for ‘Slipside Dream’. Meanwhile, the serene ‘A Kiss In A Lowland’s Meadow’ is bathed in a beautiful glow of jangly noise whilst ‘Love Hurdles’ sees the ringing guitars dissipate into vapour trails. I believe ‘A Taste Of’ could have been made a little shorter, with Snykers’ vocals occasionally floating away in an almost absent-minded fashion but – taken as a whole – it’s a strong album, which has all the hallmarks of what makes dreampop so alluring.

Web Sites:
Colour Kane Official Site
Colour Kane MySpace
Hidden Shoal Recordings Label and Shop Site

Further Listening:
Cocteau Twins, Annie Barker