Mark E Moon - Lux Vindictae EP review and Ten Further Questions to vocalist Mark Sayle

 Mark E Moon’s position in the upper echelons of the current goth/post-punk revival is concretised with the release this month of their excellent new EP Lux Vindictae, available now in digital and CD format on the seminal German label Cold Transmission.

Whilst 2021’s sophomore LP Old Blood saw the Isle of Man based project heading for a more dancefloor-friendly synth-dominated sound than on their debut set Refer, Lux Vindictae sees the band retreating into darker, less predictable goth-inspired territory whilst retaining their strong sense of melody and the distinctive focal point of singer Mark Sayle’s warm and emotional baritone croon. Often compared to James Ray and Andrew Eldritch, Sayle is arguably the strongest male vocalist on the current "wave" scene, able to deliver lyrics of hate and love with equally strong emotion and possessing a rich timbre which enables him to carry the most powerful of songs. This fact did not escape the attention of critically-acclaimed Belgian band Ground Nero, who saw Sayle’s voice as the perfect complement to their infamous gothic “wall of sound”, resulting in three excellent singles to date from the collaboration, with an album promised for later this year.

Sayle’s voice dominates from the very start of the Lux Vindictae EP, spitting out the opening couplet of the darkwave track Blacklight with a melody and pace not unlike that of the verse of The Sisters of Mercy’s When You Don’t See Me, before the song develops into a more Editors-like post-punk chorus. Second track Revenge is kookier, with Sayle and new second vocalist Shelly Rourke trading single words on the theme of power and revenge much in the style of the B-52’s or Scissor Sisters, over a backbeat which is reminiscent of Mark E Moon's more up-tempo previous singles like Animals from the previous album.

Erika Dane is the most powerful and most experimental track on the EP, with both Sayle’s vocal and the sequenced synth backing scuzzier and darker than on the other tracks, with the overall impression not dissimilar to the imagined sound of The Prodigy covering a Manic Street Preachers track, the kind of unexpected juxtaposition that seasoned Mark E Moon listeners will relish. 

Drowning finds Sayle in more sombre and reflective mood on a song about the ravages of alcoholism. A descending bass line, simple JD snare rhythm and a stark piano motif provide the spartan backing for the singer’s rasping opening line “Well, it’s six o’clock in the morning” performed at the very bottom of his range, sounding uncannily like the original Man In Black Johnny Cash attempting The Sisters’ Afterhours, before opening out into a more epic chorus, ably assisted again by Shelly’s counterpoint vocals. 

In complete contrast, Anastasia showcases Sayle’s fellow founder member Phil Reynolds’ skill in creating the lushest and most atmospheric of arrangements on the most accomplished track on the EP, with a huge retro goth chorus and sequenced rock backing which has all the 80’s power and drive of the Miami Vice theme tune, and the track is further enhanced by Shelly evocative recitation of a haunting Russian lullaby. 

Final track The Awakeners brings the excellent release to a suitably portentous close, with its bleak doomer pitch-bending synth theme (with new member George Parsons contributing effectively) and slow pace a stark reminder of the overall Mark E Moon mission of purveying “uneasy listening for the unquiet mind”.

Lux Vindictae is highly recommended to both new and long-term fans of the band and is available both digitally and physically via Bandcamp. Although the new release stands on its own merit and requires no further explanation, I am delighted that Mark Sayle agreed to a further interview so that I could find out more about recent changes to the line-up, the rationale behind putting out an EP at this stage and the band's plans for the future. Thanks, Mark!

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1.       Around the time of Old Blood, the original Mark E Moon duo of yourself and Phil had become a band with the addition of Kieran and Steve, but on the new EP the latter pair are no longer involved and George and Shelly have joined the project instead. How did these changes come about?

Mark Sayle: The change was quite organic actually. Kieran and Steve are very busy guys and it seemed that when we would rehearse Kieran had other plans or gigs of his own and Steve is a very busy drum teacher, so couldn't contribute the time we needed.

They didn't necessarily leave, they certainly weren't kicked out, they just didn't appear on the more recent stuff. The line-up just evolves around what the songs demand at any given moment.

 

2.       You’ve put out two full LPs (and a remix LP) so far. Why did you go for the extended EP/mini-LP format this time around?

Mark Sayle: There were a few songs slated for the next album that we felt weren't 'right' for it. They were more post punk/goth and the next album is definitely more electronic.

We put them together with a couple of songs we had demos for but had never got around to producing properly.

 

3.       Lux vindictae is the Latin for “The light of revenge”. Where did you get the phrase from, and why is it in Latin? Does it refer to the track Revenge or to the release as a whole?

 Mark Sayle:  Mark E Moon have always been a very fun, irreverent band. We're not afraid to have a laugh at ourselves and the faintly ludicrous nature of what we do.

We like to do what we do with our tongues pressed VERY firmly into our cheeks. Why Latin? Well, it's pompous, pretentious and utterly ridiculous.

Mark E Moon do pompous quite well I think. The lyric booklet in the CD of the EP is titled Verbis, which literally means 'Words'. You couldn't make it up.

There are so many bands who take the whole Gothic scene super seriously and, to us, that's laudable but also a bit silly. Look at the bands who started this movement.

Do we really think Bauhaus were devoid of a sense of fun? (Is In The Flat Field really a deadly serious song or is it a commentary on having to do the washing? Who knows, who cares, it's a great song.

Where they taking the piss a bit? Probably. Does it stop ITFF being an ace post punk number? Nope.)

 4.       Shelly provides backing vocals on several tracks, giving you the male/female contrast showcased in many goth bands going back to The March Violets. Was that something which you felt was missing from the earlier releases?

Mark Sayle: Not at all. We were perfectly happy with what we'd done before. It was really serendipity that Shelly came to the band.

We've known Shelly for a long time and know her as a singer par excellence. We asked her to do some backing on Anastasia and she sounded amazing.

Our voices really seem to work well together, so that's ace. She also came up with the idea of adding the Russian lullaby and went out of her way to learn the pronunciation.

The level of professionalism and dedication she brings to the band is a much-needed counterpoint to three idiots in a room making music and having a laugh.

While we're exceptionally happy with what we've previously accomplished, Shelly has given the project a new focus and direction. You'll be hearing her a lot more on Pop Noir.

 

5.       Was the track Erika Dane inspired by the comic book story of the same name?

There's a comic book named that? I'll have to check that out. No, it was a random name I came up with for the female protagonist of the song.

It was actually originally written for the Refer album but wasn't developed until last year. Phil and George dug up my, admittedly very sparse, demo for me to record some vocals over.

 

6.       The lyrics on Mark E Moon songs tend to focus on the bleaker side of human nature – in your own words “depression, rage, assault, alcoholism, the murder of an innocent child and the sheer horror of life” according to the liner notes for the new release. Do you find it cathartic to write about such themes, and do you write from the point of view of a specific character when penning the lyrics?

Mark Sayle: The lyrics are written from the point of view of various characters, some recurring but mostly one-off appearances.

For instance, Blacklight, Erika Dane and Drowning are all about the same night out from three different perspectives.

Revenge is heavily influenced by John Wick and films like Taken, etc. Anastasia is pretty obvious I think.

The most 'out there' reference is The Awakeners, which is based on the book(s) of the same name by Sherri Tepper.

They aren't really cathartic as such, I enjoy writing about the darker side of life and imagined scenarios but I don't see it as expelling pent up frustrations. It's just what I do.

The day I need to start releasing negative emotions I think I'll see a therapist...again.

 

 7.       You have also been the vocalist for Ground Nero for the past eighteen months. Are your lyrics for the two projects inspired spontaneously by the music which the bands produce, or do you have themes and lyrics in mind that you already feel would suit one or other of the projects?

Mark Sayle: Each song is always inspired by the music. I try not to have preconceived notions of how a certain song should go based on my previous output for that particular project.

Whether I have had a hand in writing the music or not, I try my best to find just the right lyrical ingredients to bring the composition to its rightful conclusion.

 

8.      As you said, you have an album due out later this year, entitled Pop Noir. Will any of the songs on Lux Vindictae also feature on the album?

 Mark Sayle: No. Lux Vindictae is very much a standalone EP. Revenge was originally scheduled to be on Pop Noir but we felt it would fit better on our dark little EP.

 

9.       The title Pop Noir suggests that the contents might be a little “lighter” than the dark lyrical and musical themes of Lux Vindictae. Is that the case in reality?

 Mark Sayle: Perhaps. You'll have to wait and see!

 

10.   Are there plans for live dates in the near future, now that Mark E Moon is a four-piece band rather than just a duo?

 Mark Sayle: There are plans for a couple of gigs. There is always an issue for us as it's so expensive to get off the island in the first instance.

We'd love to do an extended tour of the UK and Europe but we'd have to fund a great deal of it ourselves. We'll definitely try to get more gigs in 2023.