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Rarely is a record so aptly titled as this debut from Cork's Boa Morte. Music designed for twilight bedroom consumption, this is almost so tender that you fear direct sunlight would irreplaceably scorch its gentle beauty. Unlike their Fulham FC bit-part Portuguese striking namesake, Boa Morte are a fairly consistent performing function who record songs filled with tender restraint and a difficult to pin-down sense of resignation and bewilderment. Far from lo-fi, this is an immaculately produced thing, with brushed, strummed and hushed understated instrumentation fine-tuned to a pitch that often barely whispers its way from the speakers. They clearly adore people like Low and Mark Eitzel but these recordings, while seemingly made with a similar mindset, journey nowhere near the bruised and blackened hearts of their idols. Instead, these are lyrically simple tales of everyday hopes, dreams and disappointments, like an inebriated, remorseful Delgados demoing at the depths of night. Slightly one-paced with a touch of fading quality at times, 'Soon It Will Come...' is still an under-appreciated creation from a quartet rightfully unwilling to face the world outside. Keep those curtains drawn, empty diaries open and lights dimmed boys, the dark ambience contained here suits you near perfectl

Ian Fletcher
CWAS #11 - Autumn 2002

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