Omagh musician gets ready to release ‘atmospherically dark’ album

Every once in a while, a record comes out of nowhere and completely rattles your bones.

‘THROAT’ is one such record.

The album consists of two artists on sabbatical from their day jobs – Omagh’s Mark McKowski as one half of The Lost Brothers, film score composer, screen writer, and touring musician, and Nick Power from The Coral.

Given the duo’s individual track records, it would be simple to expect this album to resemble tightly structured psych/folk-tinged guitar driven melodies in which they both excel at.

However, rather than buoyant lysergic jangle this feels more akin to a Nick Cave/Warren Ellis soundtrack – all floaty with half waking eldritch drones and a sense of foreboding supernatural dread.

This is a seriously-dark record that conjures up a menacingly brooding and otherworldly atmosphere.

That said, this is not your typical hauntology or folk-horror album: It’s one thing to create atmosphere with analogue blips, drones and so on, but quite another to take the listener on a journey.

What elevates this work above many other albums is the underlying quality of songwriting and production.

Together, their combined backgrounds merge into a highly successful joint effort that works remarkably well.

This is the sound of two artists shedding their skin and rising up, glowing.

It’s primitive as hell; an ominous, static, panic inducing soundscape, and a really special album that is hugely-rewarding.

Will Sergeant of Echo And The Bunnymen described the album as ‘a gem from this psychic boundary-expanding duo’, and said: “I strongly suggest you get your mitts on this masterpiece.”

Meanwhile, Paul Simpson of The Teardrop Explodes likened the work to ‘an updated version of The Faust Tapes – The Scouse Tapes’.

To mark the release of their record, Mark and Nick will be appearing tonight for a record signing at Boneyard Records, Omagh, at 7:30pm, followed by a DJ set in McCann’s Bar.