With 33 years and more MI than 40 albums behind them, progressive post-punk experimentalists The Legendary Pink Dots haven't squeezed every song out of themselves just yet. Influenced by King Crimson and Pink Floyd, they have never shied away from pushing the boundaries and bucking musical trends, like their peers Psychic TV and Coil. The Gethsemane Option is their darkest and most unsettling release to date. It's far less accessible than, say, The Maria Dimension or The Golden Age as it constantly changes musical direction, before the listener can get too comfortable.
The Dots have succeeded in creating a post-modern album !hal hands over new gems on every listen, with a heavy dose of NeuLinfused synths, samples, unplaceable noises, esoteric lyrics and shifting time signatures. From unnerving opener Auras Is Born to the trippy post-rock of A Stretch in Time via the chaotic perfection of Esher Everywhere and the haunting spoken words of dystopia that form Pendulum, The Gethsemane Option is an acid-soaked trip into a nightmarish reality. The Dots have worn many experimental hats over the years. but this inky far their spookiest.
