Desertshore - NICO***

Janitor Of Lunacy/The Falconer/My Only Child/Le Petit Chevalier/Abschied/Afraid/Mutterlein/All That Is My Own

Desertshore features another collection of songs by German singer Nico whose work has been described as evoking images of gothic gloom and high romantic seriousness. Produced again by her former Velvet Underground colleague John Cale.

“If you want an intense, frightening listen with occasional moments of beauty, look no further than here. Afraid, my personal favourite, is a lovely piano-centric ballad, while The Falconer starts off superbly creepy before breaking into a considerably prettier, more contemplative section.”

“Desertshore, finds Nico's wheezing, off-kilter harmonium dominating the mix alongside her deep Teutonic boom of a voice. The result is an album full of darkness and gloom but also of gentle, melodic beauty, singling it out as one of Nico's most attractive works.”

“Nico succeeds where so many fail: she conquers the darkness through music, and with her soothing voice amongst confusing sounds she actually reaches your deepest fears, and shakes them all over. Many images may stroll through the listener's mind while she sings with her hypnotizing voice.”

“Nico is the most underrated and underappreciated artist of all time. Her music was decades ahead of its time, and to this day there is still nothing like what she has done out there. She was writing songs in a style that was and is unparalleled; she used beautifully dark imagery to tell her stories.”

“Its grim, foreboding and difficult and typically austere and you've really got to be in the right frame of mind to get any real benefit from it. But like all Nico’s work the perseverance pays off in the long run, but it is not an album to play in front of others. Best left to be listened to alone.”

“The darkness of this album was overwhelming. Every song gave me a sinking feeling. Despair was the first word that came to mind. The strings and piano on these songs were haunting, and Nico's strong voice amplified it.”

“Each song is a powerful testament to the ominous wonder that ebbs and flows throughout this life we live in, with heavenly melodies that leave me aghast, and attain ageless prescience within my inquiring soul.”