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Even though it's about two separate discs, in reality the two volumes of "Musick to Play in the Dark" should be considered a single work in the vast and endless discography of the English group. It is some of the best music ever recorded by the Coil and represents a sort of "sonic evolution" that takes them from the dark gothic-industrial of their beginnings to a sort of fusion between the German Cosmic sound of early Tangerine Dream and Cluster and the "ambient" music of artists like Aphex Twin and Autechre. This "sonic" development will be defined by them as "Moon Music" as can be gathered already from the album covers where landscapes of extra-dimensional planets illuminated by dark alien moons are depicted.
The first LP opens with the sepulchral litany of "Are You Shivering?", where the reciting, menacing, and declaratory voice of John Balance is accompanied by a dark electronic "drone" and unsettling choirs that evoke "Lovecraftian" atmospheres. It then continues with an obvious and successful "tribute" to Tangerine Dream period "Phaedra" with "Red Birds Will Fly Out of the East and Destroy Paris in a Night". The subsequent "Red Queen" turns out to be a splendid piece dominated by a jazzy piano but with the usual dark-gothic "feeling" that has always characterized them. "Broccoli" instead unfolds in a bizarre and undulating way leading the listener to the deliriums of "Strange Birds" where it is possible to hear a "collage" of unidentified sound sources that recalls the Pink Floyd of "Several Species of Small Furry Animals Gathered Together in a Cave and Grooving with a Pict" from "Ummagumma" and the singing of birds from other planets. It then closes with the effective "The Dreamer is Still Asleep", an "accurate" invocation to a dark and mysterious dreamer who could also be Cthulhu knowing the influence of H.P. Lovecraft on Coil's poetics.
The second volume begins with the seductive and windy chant of "Something" and immediately gives way to the experimental electro-ethnic symphonism of "Tiny Golden Books". "Ether" instead opens with electronic hums worthy of the best Cluster and then continues with the dark sounds of the piano and the sickly voice of Balance. "Paranoid Inlay" is an experimental track that evokes anguishing states of mind: it is evident how the Coil have become master manipulators of sound, and in this sense, Peter Christopherson plays a fundamental role. The album closes with "Where are You?", a track based on a disjointed piano "loop" on which Balance tries to lead the listener towards insane visions not of this world. Nonetheless, the masterpiece comes to an end with the sacred hymn of "Batwings", a track supported by the sounds of an organ and inspired by the lyrics of the English writer Sir Thomas Brown recited in a state of "trance" by a Balance in a state of mystical ecstasy.
In conclusion, we are faced with one of the most effective productions of the Coil, confirming them as one of the leading English experimental groups. Unfortunately, the group no longer exists due to the premature and tragic passing of John Balance and Peter Christopherson. Currently, all their albums have become rarities—due to rights issues—including the two volumes of "Musick To Play In The Dark": Urgent reissues of their vast catalog are awaited.
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