Blank Realm - Illegals in Heaven

  by Paul Waller

published: 8 / 9 / 2015

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Some records just leave you with a good feeling; ‘Illegals in Heaven’ is one of them. I dare you to listen to ‘Palace of Love’ and not feel euphoric at the end of the song. It’s an uplifting record in parts, which is odd as it does feel shoegazy in so many places. ‘Illegals in Heaven’ is Blank Realm’s sixth or seventh, maybe eighth album, It’s hard to tell actually. They have been so prolific that even a Google search will give you contradicting statistics but with this one the band have embraced the pop hook for all its worth. It’s fair to say there is still a wealth of smoky reverb applied to the majority of tracks which lend the group a Gothic feel in places but from the offset, as soon as Blank Realm launch into the pacey ‘No Views’ you feel the band is on a victory lap. Within these grooves, I hear hints of Slowdive, the Cure, Siouxsie and the Banshees and even Metallica. Let’s not beat about the bush actually; the intro to ‘Flowers in the Mind’ lifts the introduction to ‘Welcome Home (Sanitarium)’in its entirety. If Lars Ulrich gets wind then Blank Realm should prepare themselves for court. Yet overall the sound is somewhat unique in its approach. I wasn’t really a fan of the band’s previous work but this has turned me around. It’s a happy record for unhappy people, a ray of sunshine on a miserable day.

Track Listing:-

1 No Views
2 River of Longing
3 Cruel Night
4 Costume Drama
5 Costume Drama
6 Costume Drama
7 Gold
8 Palace of Love
9 Too Late Now

Band Links:-

https://www.facebook.com/blankrealmband
https://twitter.com/blank_realm

Label Links:-

https://twitter.com/firerecordings
https://www.facebook.com/Firerecords
http://www.firerecords.com/
https://firerecords.bandcamp.com/
https://instagram.com/fire_records/
https://www.youtube.com/user/FirerecordsUK

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