Close Your Eyes and See is the seventh album from globetrotting Australian legends The Blackeyed Susans, who have been whipping up a sophisticated emotive storm since 1989. On this enticing album, which was elegantly produced by Dan Luscombe, the band create a richly textured sound that embraces light and shade while managing to be both atmospheric and memorably melodic.
It’s hard not be moved by the plaintive air that imbues the suitably ethereal Dream On which opens the album with aplomb. Conjuring more drama in just over five minutes than some bands muster in an entire career, The Blackeyed Susans bring a Gothic sensibility and a theatrical flourish to the truth-seeking mini-epic I Asked My Mother which incorporates playful references to Cohen, Socrates and Sinatra. There’s a wry Cohenesque humour lurking here as the protagonist consults everyone from teachers, lawyers, accountants and Darwinians in his eternal quest for elusive enlightenment.
Our long wait for a new album by The Blackeyed Susans has been justly rewarded as Close Your Eyes and See is the assured work of a confident and inspired band still at the top of their game.
By Graham Blackley
