The Quietus At… Oracle North

The Quietus was supposed to be at Mono reviewing stern Danes Communion, but travel issues made for a last minute cancellation. Instead at Revolver something similarly rooted in the sounds of post punk Manchester comes from Sweden’s Oracle North. Perhaps they’re named for some imaginary Ballardian rail map for the decaying railway routes of Lancashire, published 1981. I suppose after the glorious efficiency of their nation’s rail network such things would seem darkly exotic. With lyrics of things ending and “shadow lands”, guitars twanging like metal reeds in ice this is all very early New Order, with funkier bits all John Foxx at A Certain Ratio disco. But there’s enough here, largely in the electronics, that makes this more than just retro darkwave. If this clearly very young group focussed on developing that side of their sound then this northern oracle predicts interesting things could be ahead for Oracle North.