BLACK EQUUS

I had only known of Ga'an for a few months before I decided to order both of their albums on vinyl around Mid may, despite only having had moderate interest in their debut. As a fan of the Zeuhl genre in particular, I couldn't resist getting my hands on some Zeuhl LPs before vendors decide to drive their values through the roof. So when the day of arrival finally came, I did not hesitate to give my new additions a first spin. Now I did not have particularly high expectations as I set "Black Equus" in on the turntable, (I didn't find their debut much better than average, so what reason did I have at the time to suspect that there'd be any massive improvement in their follow-up?). What I heard after I pressed play completely blew me away.

Now, anyone familiar with their debut will quickly notice some differences between the two albums. First and most obviously is the higher production quality of this album, lacking the murky sound of it's predecessor. But what really sets this album above their debut is the new focus on their composition.

This transition to a more symphonic style of Zeuhl and away from the murky gloom of their previous debut makes for a much easier listening experience over their previous album. The keyboards play a much larger role here than before, now acting as the main melodic force alongside Lindsay Powell's vocals instead of merely creating an atmosphere like in their debut. As a result, "Black Equus" feels much more fleshed out as they move further towards a more traditional Zeuhl sound.

This album was particularly refreshing for me due to my preference for the more symphonic style of Zeuhl, over the Jazz noodling of many of their modern contemporaries. Their dark and intense style of playing is put to much greater justice on this album than what we have previously heard; creating an eerie, (yet beautiful), sound.

There is no doubt in my mind that this is anything other than a modern masterpiece of the Zeuhl genre, and as such a must-listen for any fans of the genre.