Glasgow’s Union of Knives return after a 14-year hiatus following their 2006 rapturously received debut, Violence and Birdsong, with their 2021 album “Endless from the Start” featuring two tracks featuring Helen Marnie of Ladytron on vocals. The album combines the pummelling urgency of industrial music with the cathartic release of ambient theatrics for a unique sound that mesmerizingly references goth, trip hop, and warped soul.
Endless from the Start is as diverse as it is uplifting, even in its darker moments the compelling sense of rhythm elevates a sense of shared spirit and mission to the fore. The voices underpinned by turn with swooping ethereal tapestries, foundation shaking subs, and twitching yet insistent beats, courtesy of drummer Peter Kelly (The Kills, Ladytron). There is an unrelenting unfurling of ideas and motifs.
Union of Knives are a Scottish electronic act made up of Chris Gordon, Ant Thomaz (Dope Sick Fly), and Peter Kelly. With Chris Gordon crafting and grafting at the centre, writing, vocal and musical duties are shared by Ant, and Peter. Ant grew up in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and arrived in Scotland via N.Y.C meeting Chris through production work, where their musical bonds became too compelling to ignore. Their debut album Violence and Birdsong was released in 2006. Their track “Opposite Direction” was synched in The Vampire Diaries and Grey’s Anatomy. Since then, Chris has been devoting time to his family, Ant has worked on various solo projects, and Peter, a drummer and a painter, has toured with The Kills and Ladytron.
Side One
1. There’s a River
2. A Tall Tale (feat Helen Marnie / Ladytron)
3. A Moth that Found a Flame
4. An Animal
5. Like Butterflies
Side Two
6. High on Account of 0
7. A Little Life (feat Helen Marnie / Ladytron
8. Something In Your Rhythm
9. Whispering on the Curve
10. Minneapolis
11. Close