Tag Archives: Amy Lee

COLD CAVE: Fate In Seven Lessons.

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Here’s some good news for you- after having five applications to go home rejected because of this virus and border restrictions- I am finally home. My flight on Thursday was cancelled (the universe must have had its reasons which I’m fine with) but I arrived yesterday and after nearly 2 years from not seeing family and friends- I am home. Finally.

The sheer thrill you get from a band you adore and cherish so much releasing a new record is beyond comprehension. Sometimes a record comes out when you need it the most. Sometimes it comes when you least expect it, and you end up needing it more than you thought. One band in particular that evoke this is Cold Cave. My love for Cold Cave goes beyond the decade or so that they’ve been around. It all stemmed from my obsession with Wes Eisold’s way with words and his music with American Nightmare. You can’t compare American Nightmare to Cold Cave, but what you can relate is the sheer passion in his words and music.

Yesterday Cold Cave released their new record, Fate In Seven Lessons. These seven songs are guides for life, love and all that falls in between. The record is gorgeous, as ever. Cold Cave are incapable of making a bad record, and they just always seem to give us fans what we want and need. The words are poetic electric shocks to the soul and Wesley’s vocals are a safety net for us all. Night Light is for me, their most soothing song they’ve ever made. It just has something about it that gets you right in the gut, and all is okay with whatever is going on.

These seven songs are a guide for life. They are your companion when all seems strange; it is a sheer joy to listen to, and they just make you so proud to be a fan. I love the darkness and hope in the songs. I love how every song feels like it was made for YOU. Of course, these songs would sound heavenly live, but we have to wait for that. I don’t know how long we will have to wait here in the UK, but for now- the record is ours to treasure.

The melancholy gives you a strong sense of hope, lust, love and longing. Psalm 23 has this heaviness to it that just makes you lose it. That instrumental part (you know when it kicks in) just feels like it has brought you back to life. The whole record has a romantic and eerie mood, and I think that’s part of why I adore the record. This is what I love about Cold Cave- the unconventional romanticism. I love that every song was written by Wes and his partner, Amy Lee. Every song on this record is a love song and to make it even more beautiful, their song Rainer features on some songs. A beautiful family making beautiful music- what more could you want? There is so much joy on this record, and so much love. Love Is All is one of the most perfect love songs I’ve ever heard. It just gets to the core of love, and it is done in such an open way.

The last full-length record by Cold Cave was a decade ago. Cherish The Light Years was a masterpiece then, and is still a masterpiece. It still sounds so brand new and that’s part of the charm with Cold Cave. Everything you hear by them just feels like a sound explosion that you’ve never experienced before- no matter how many times you listen to it. There have been several EPs released over the last ten years since Cherish The Light Years, and everything Cold Cave has released feels like a step to creating the sound on this brand new record. Sure, it’s their heaviest in a way, but it’s probably one of the best things I will hear all year. My love for Cold Cave is permanently tattooed on my skin, and it is a tattoo that carries a lot of meaning and sentiment for me. This band have been a huge part of my life, and always will be.  To hear this new batch of songs, and to really soak up this sound is just divine. Not much is certain in life, but I am certain that Cold Cave will never ever release a bad record.

It’s hard to pick a favourite, and I probably shouldn’t feel like I need to but for me Honey Flower may just creep up there as my favourite for now. But I reckon this will be a record that you never settle on having a favourite song on. There’s so much to love about this record; from the production to the lyrics. Everything on this record makes you feel like you are floating yet heading into a different world. I want to go where they are and stay.

Fate In Seven Lessons isn’t an EP nor is it a full length record, but we can just agree that this is a remarkable record and is easily one of the best things we will hear all year.

Viva love. Viva Cold Cave.

COLD CAVE: You & Me & Infinity.

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Some bands stay consistently good, but there are a select few for me that are just always mind-blowing. My love for Cold Cave will be approaching its tenth year next year, but my love for Wesley Eisold and his words go back further. Cold Cave are a band that have always been a lifeline for me, and I can honestly say that their fans are the best. There is something so remarkable about Cold Cave fans, and I think it really does come from Wes’ glorious way with words. Yesterday they released You & Me & Infinity- a four song EP that has a similar sound to their Love Comes Close record.

You & Me & Infinity is yet again another brilliant release by Cold Cave, and is one I can say I will hold close to me. It is a combination of Wes’ words, the musicianship and the urgency and passion in his voice. The sound is dramatic but not in an irritating or bland way. It is deeply passionate and deeply moving. For me, and probably most fans of theirs- I regard Wes as a poet. His got the same way with words as Baudelaire and the eeriness of Poe. Musically, lyrically Cold Cave are beyond all I have ever heard. Cold Cave are a band that I can listen to irrespective of my mood, and they will stir up feelings like no other. There is so much hope, love and lust in the music but they aren’t afraid at all to touch on despair, rage and destruction.

This EP has four songs that just utterly reinforce my love for Cold Cave and it also shows how in the near decade of their existence that they have become one of the greatest bands ever. I know this is all my opinion and is obviously biased, but when it comes to Cold Cave I only know how to write one way- and that is with sheer love and devotion. For the past month I’ve been wanting to find a piece of music that sums up how I’ve felt about leaving a city that broke me to moving to a city I should have always been in. The move has been calm, and this record is calming. It feels like home. That’s how Cold Cave have always been for me.

Glory and Nothing Is True But You are perfect love songs. They are full of love and deep admiration. You can keep your generic flowers and sunshine love songs. I’ll stick to Wes’ words- they hit deeper and mean so much more. I feel like Cold Cave have been such an important part of my life, and I am constantly in awe of what they do. I love the relationship between Wes and Amy. I love how their love for each other merges into their music- it makes it easier to connect with and believe in.

The record ends on My Heart Is Immortal, and it is the best song to close the record on because it immediately makes you start the record all over again. The wonderful synth sound with hypnotic and the way Wes and Amy’s work together is nothing short of perfect and pure. There is something truly wonderful and magnetic about Cold Cave. I found a home in Wes words and my own take on peace in the music

I feel as if words do not do Cold Cave justice. I guess that’s why so many of us that love them have tattoos showing our love for them etched upon our skin. The love is forever, the music is forever, the words are forever. Cold Cave are eternal.

Buy and stream the record here: https://coldcave.bandcamp.com/album/you-me-infinity

COLD CAVE- Nausea, The Earth And Me.

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There are many bands that express our disdain towards the world in a way better than we ever could. At times it does get frustrating when we cannot do it, but when we find those who can do it in a way better than our own- we cling onto them. We cling onto them as if they were some kind of religious figure. I don’t believe in a god, but you get my point. We cling onto them for hope, guidance and a way to pull through. Every single time I listen to Cold Cave I am reminded of just how powerful they are. How influential Wes’ words are to me, and have been for many years- regardless of which band of his it is.

This year I finally saw Cold Cave live. I saw them in what I felt to be the best place, the Electrowerkz in London. The venue is dark, sweaty and creepy. I couldn’t imagine seeing them anywhere else. I was in awe of Amy and Wes; how they transported you into a world where you felt safe and accepted. Of course when you go outside, this feeling isn’t always the case. But I’m old enough now to not want to seek acceptance or approval. I’d rather waste my time and thoughts on something else.

Nausea, The Earth And Me is 6 minutes of intensity and truth. Yet again Wes shows here just exactly why he is one of the greatest lyricists around. His ability to capture the feelings we try to push aside is just wonderful. A prime example of this is:

“Tell me how does strength make a difference,
When all I ever strongly feel is indifference.”

The bravery that you feel coming through on this song is a real source of comfort, you feel human again as you listen to Wes’ voice and take in his words. The boredom we feel when we are forced to hear people speak, when really they should just be quiet. Sometimes it is really exhausting to listen; switching off is easy and is sometimes for the best. The world can make you feel ill and can turn your stomach at the very thought of some people’s actions. It’s alright to turn your back. My back is probably better than my front, but only just,

Cold Cave have put out some really pure and passionate songs this year; Nausea, The Earth And Me is probably the most exquisite of them all as it just builds throughout. A Little Death To Laugh is constantly floating through my head, but there is something about this one that just cements the Cold Cave sound. A sound which unifies lost souls and tired bones.

“Tell me why am I even listening,
When you’ve never said a thing I want to hear.”

Wes’ words are from the heart straight to the soul. Without them, I’d see and feel no hope. They’re everything and beyond, for always.