- Dark Entries releases a lot of records, most of them very good. Every so often they hit a homerun. The best Dark Entries releases, like reissues from Patrick Cowley and Crash Course In Science, cut across scenes, decades and styles. "Eyes Of Glass," the 1985 debut 12-inch by East Wall (an offshoot from long-running darkwave band Kirlian Camera), is another one of these records. Though this single comes alongside a reissue of the band's moodier 1991 album, Silence, "Eyes Of Glass" feels like the more important work. It's a gem of peak-period Italo, streaked with just enough goth eyeliner to make it stand out.
"Eyes Of Glass" is already a favourite for some DJs in the know. Intergalactic Gary told us it's the only record that never leaves his bag. What's most attractive about "Eyes Of Glass" is the chord progression. With a series of graceful rises and dips in the chorus, it could feel sad or hopeful, and the melody never resolves the way you'd expect it to. Singer Wilma Notari's chirpy-but-forlorn vocals only shade in more emotional depth. In a genre known for its bluntness, the seductive detachment of "Eyes Of Glass" leaves a mark.
The instrumental version is equally exciting, albeit in a different way. Without much of Notari's singing, the composition's starkness is underlined, its contours more pronounced. "Eyes Of Glass" is an irresistible track with a touch of melancholy, and one, like the best Dark Entries reissues, that should get a second life with this new release.
TracklistA Eyes Of Glass (Vocal)
B Eyes Of Glass (Instrumental)