Self-proclaimed dark horses, and manufacturers of sophisticated mystique and mythology, this Brighton based band are led by the waif-like Lisa Elle (Lisa Lindley-Jones). A band that have been skirting the edges for a few years now – they even supported Kasabian on a run of dates a few years back – it's only now things are agreeably coalescing; a recent support tour with Dandy Warhols plus many more headline shows booked for the remainder of the year suggests that Hail Lucid State is the one where their early promise finally comes to fruition.

Because there used to be a time when Dark Horses were too enraptured with moody rock, and comically dark atmospherics, a turgid sound and vibe that failed to ignite and excite. But Lisa Elle has always been more sophisticated than that, an artist of the old school who likes to combine meaningful musical statements with a strong artistic aesthetic. Where once they may have veered towards the youthful sloganeering of, say the Manic Street Preachers, as the title of their second album suggests, Dark Horses are consciously dreaming, painting their songs with more abstruse imagery. After all, a lucid state is commonly referred to as a dream in which one is aware that one is dreaming. At the same time, or so the theory goes, the dreamer is equipped to better shape their dreams, to control it, although never completely. Such is life…
 
And such is Hail Lucid State, an album that outwardly seems in control, that has been conjured up to create some kind of meaning and purpose, but yet at the same time also seems to be like a dog on a leash, slightly out of control and wilful, but following its nose, on the trail of something desirable.
 
Imagery is very important to Dark Horses, no matter how superficially or esoteric it may seem. For instance, there is a streak of sleaze within the band's imagery; as well as the ultra slow-mo imagery of a bare buttock being smacked (for one of their recent promotional video 'teasers…'), the song The Bravest features the words of one Eva von Sacher-Masoch, mother of Marianne Faithful, whose great-great uncle was Leopold von Sacher-Mascoch, who as well as being a writer of much repute was also known for his bizarre sexual practices, hence the term 'masochism'. Combine that with the band's penchant for black threads, leather, aviator shades, black and white imagery (they even list a cameraman, Ali Tollervey, as being a member of the band) and the alternative, almost fetishistic fashion sense of Lisa Elle (accompanying her on photo shoots are some weird and wonderful props, such as lobsters…), the band's clever aesthetic and myth making is a strong point of interest in itself.  Ultimately, it's one of the Dark Horses strengths; that they don't just ride the one horse but their music carries as strong a force as does the image.
 
Throughout Hail Lucid State, the musical influences are fairly clear: Hawkwind's space rock aesthetic meets Krautrock's hypnotic and driving rhythms, Joy Division's ominously dark foreboding, early 80s American and UK post-punk and new wave, and Siouxie Sioux. Plus, there's a little bit of sleazy old school glam. But Dark Horses aren't in hoc to all things retro, the production work of Richard Fearless and the contemporary song structures make for a modern sound, and the unusual mix of styles and sounds is generally refreshing, albeit wrapped up in classic song structures for the most part. This is very much a band effort; Lisa's charismatic, dark and dreamy vocals fronting the inventive, sound sculpted, often coruscating guitar work of Andy Bang, the deeply distorted and unfussy bass playing of Anastasia Zio, the effects laden, keyboard sounds of Bobby Waterson and the thoughtful drumming of Steve Ingham.
 
As for their mantra, they say: 'believe that the lightning is within you, let it travel up your spine'. It's a call to let your inner primal instincts shine through, to throw off the shackles of sexual conformity, to embrace moral ambiguity, and to let your goddamn hair down! They recognise the transgressive, yet life-affirming tendencies of all humans, and are not afraid to say so. Hats off to them, if that is the case…
 
Opening track 'Live on Hunger' embodies that manifesto, a terrific garage rocker, with the omnipresent psychedelic swirls nestling neatly with the descending power chords that recalls Sex Pistols Anarchy In The UK and Prodigy's Breathe. 'Let go and let your instincts rule,' croons Lisa Elle, at some point telling us that you don't want to regret not doing that…
 
Other highlights include the the Kraftwerk meets Hawkwind 'Saturn Returns', again packed full of space-rock psychedelic effects, but instead of the extended wig outs, those aforementioned bands are known for, Dark Horses are careful to keep a tight rein on things, you are not allowed to lose yourself completely in the entrancing sound effects. Krautrock is visited again on 'Sevens' (which happens to be track number 7), the most electro track on offering here, a welcome detour down minimalist Kraftwerkian motorways, and a spacious, effects-laden song with less obvious structure than the rest of the album, almost a jam if you will, but with the talking style of Lisa Elle echoing on: 'There is no time to look back/and there is no love to hold back,' she sings. The Joy Divisionesque 'Desire' begins with dampened marching drums and a plodding bass before breaking out into a mid-tempo rocker, all underpinned by the excellent and ominous guitar sounds of Andy Bang. Similarly, Transistor – perhaps a nod to Joy Division's Transmission – employs stuttering drums and a heavily distorted bass, but again embraces classic pop structures. And the slow, purposefully leaden 'Wise Blood' provides wide open spaces within the overall, grinding rhythm, complimented by some tasty sheet-metal guitar work. The title track itself evokes Siouxie Sioux in her prime, the song alternating between driving post-punk rhythms and banks of feedback.
 
On The Cure sounding (it's that flanged bass sound they patented) 'Wake Up' we get a minimalist, almost lo-fi, post-punk groover that sees Lisa Elle voice change significantly, a note of urgency within. Then we come to 'The Bravest', a co-opted manifesto from the archived words of Eva von Sacher-Masch, and which recalls uber-underground American new wavers Band of Susans (another band known for the penchant for black), a throbbing, loud and feedback baked song that still, somehow, carries within its swirling effects, a discernible song.
 
Hail Lucid State is a very fine album from a band who have taken awhile to find their voice; where once there was a little too much thick sludge, musically and atmosphere wise, to wade through, now the combination of some excellent 'real' songs, developed with a strong and purposeful artistic aesthetic, plus the skilful melding of effects, guitar sounds and underpinned by a very solid bass and drums backbone, has resulted in – although it borrows liberally from the past – a distinct and fresh enough sound to be in the here and now.

Jeff Hemmings