The Endless - Somniloquy (Queen of the Moon Music) Taking inspiration from photographs of 19th century Spiritualists and séances The Endless have produced a CD of 2 halves; one half achieving the dreamy / spiritual intention, the other half not. With the exception of the brilliantly haunting title track - which features the voices of fans who were asked to call a special phone number and share their dreams - the soprano vocal and backing vocals are the forte of The Endless, and it is the choice of accompaniment that is the make or break. The Angelo Badalmenti-like Twin Peakishness of opener, “Lit From Within” is marred by springy beats and some of the synth sounds would have benefited by being replaced by something a little more ethereal (like a theremin), or omitted totally. “Merge” is as Gothic and as funereal as Cure’s faith-era output. Tracks 4 to 6 have a Tori Amos inflection of which, “Was I Not Your Muse?” receives most favourable backing. Neil Young’s “After the Gold Rush” is given a gothic synth overhaul and includes a welcome interjection of strings. If the likes of the less favourable soft rock balladeering of “Hunt For The Heart” could be replaced with more of the guitar, harpsichord and sweeping chorals of “Vespers”, Somniloquy would be more akin to the intriguing and beautiful sleeve’s indicated tone. www.queenofthemoon.com Willsk Next