Adorned with a stunning symbolist painting by Louis Welden Hawkins, the cover of this single from the mercurial and ever-productive Allerseelen manages to impart a simultaneously sacral and erotic aura. The composition which fills the first side of this black vinyl wonder continues this theme. Beginning with the distant strains of strings and what sound like reversed pipes, the piece develops into a heartfelt, hypnotic melange of swirling sounds which envelope the listener. Consciousness is almost completely erased as one becomes entranced by the spiralling, eastern-tinged melodies that emanate from the speakers. Gerhard’s voice provides a surprisingly successful counterpoint to the relaxed tempo of the beat which kicks this song along. His questioning, insistent whispers imbue the piece with a sense of urgency and longing which is echoed in the dulcet bass that undulates beneath them. The flipside, Löwin, is effectively a new version of Bist du die Nacht?, which originally saw the light of day on 2000’s Venezia CD. The addition of some slightly harsher electronics and piano combined with beseeching and breathless vocals benefits the track immensely, as do Gerhard’s imploring lyrics. Yet again, this release proves that there is a great deal of life left in Allerseelen. Indeed, it suggests that the journey has really only just begun. Not content to rest on his laurels, the Artist Formerly Known as Kadmon forges forwards, refining and expanding his musical vocabulary. His brainchild remains one of the most compelling projects active today, and as such Allerseelen bear investigation by all who have yet to discover them. NN — Judas Kiss