This newest single from Repeated Viewing, The Horror of Bexteth Hill, is so delightfully Lovecraftian. From the opening wail of the swirling winds to the harpsichord playing out its theme, the music could readily be called eldritch, if one were so inclined. The scrape and moans in the background lend to it the sense that the audio was pulled from a long-forgotten film, hidden in a vault somewhere since the early ’70s, and only recently unearthed.
Once The Horror of Bexteth Hill kicks in properly, it could easily be scoring the opening moments of an Italian supernatural film or giallo – the title leaves it just vague enough, although the gloved hand on the cover holding that butcher knife leaves one inclined to think that this might actually be somewhere in between.
Repeated Viewing takes it in a completely different direction for the B-side of the single, rendering Wanderer in tones of pulsing horror, fit equally for any disconcerting situation, be it thriller, chiller, or outer space adventure. Its ticking metronomic backdrop provides a lockstep pulse for the mellotronic chorus which swirls throughout. The latter moments, when everything drops out, only to slowly build back up, are absolutely chilling.
Both sides of this single might be the best music we’ve heard thus far from Alan Sinclair. While The Three Sisters score was absolutely solid, these two songs are head and shoulders above that, and left your reviewer absolutely rapt with attention. It took a real force of effort not to simply keep flipping the record to repeat this pair ad infinitum.
The single comes on blood red vinyl – naturally – with a gorgeously minimal sleeve. The art by Eric Adrian Lee ably reflects the era to which the music is indebted, just as the tunes themselves do. Even the Repeated Viewing logo font calls up recollections of strangely verbose film titles. All around, this is an absolute must-have.
THE HORROR OF BEXTETH HILL B/W WANDERER / COMPOSER: REPEATED VIEWING / LABEL: LUNARIS RECORDS / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
