There's a cat on the cover of this CD. A black cat at that. Somehow that seems strangely appropriate to the music contained within Peter Kernel's album "White Death Black Heart" as this Swiss/Canadian art punk trio spin more tales of urban nihilism and poetic delinquency.
"Anthem of Hearts" makes for a somewhat contradictory opener as it veers between hopelessness and near sing-along. Similarly, the lyrically oblique "I'll Die Rich At Your Funeral" sits at odds with itself yet remains within the theme of the songs on this album. More directly arthouse in its direction is the bizarre poetry of "Tide's High" that segues into the Fiery Furnaces styled "The Captain's Drunk!".
Even when the pace picks up – as with "The Peaceful", Peter Kernel never fall into the trap of emulating others at greater volume and the album's closing track "There's Nothing Left To Laugh About" proves to be a masterful example of the kind of soundtrack cue that De Angelis brothers would have used over the closing credits of a spaghetti western.
As albums go, "White Death Black Heart" is an unusual one in that it is both imaginative and entertaining one and one that bands in the UK would do well to listen to.