There is so much going in the recordings put forth on Night on Earth's "Second Hand" that I've had a hell of a time getting my head around them.
Here's the easy summation (that still misses most of the point):
If you ever wanted Portishead to cover Tom Waits this CD is for you.
"Second Hand" builds from the hints and whispers of it's first track, "Glwsses Tou Kampou", into full fledged goth/noir jazz on the album's second and third songs (the equally excellent "Lafrya" and "Nightsift"). They're beautiful and dark, you'd swear they were from a movie soundtrack that you created while in a deep, deep sleep.
But that's far from all that this Athens (Greece) group has to offer. "Crocus" is a solid bit of piano driven rock, "Atman" a electonics fueled bit of noise charged freak-out. "Within the Fire" sounds like a Neko Case song commissioned by David Lynch. And somehow, *somehow* we end up back in the soft, dreamy landscape of "Vesper".
No, "Second Hand" isn't easy to get your head around, but you will be well rewarded for your efforts.
