"Why be bleak when you can be Blake?” Originally released in 1996 under the alias Black Light District, A Thousand Lights In A Darkened Room is considered somewhat of an outlier from Coil’s proper discography. The alter ego was created to focus on experimental studio recording, with more emphasis on atmospheric textures, field recordings, computer music and John Cage’s ‘unprepared piano’ than the acid house stylings of Love’s Secret Domain and ‘dark ambient’ sound of Musick to Play in the Dark. The presence of newly-inducted member Drew McDowall is felt strongly on the complex textures and brilliant sound design of tracks like “London’s Lost Rivers,” “Refusal of Leave to Land,” “Stoned Circular II” and “Cold Dream of an Earth Star,” amplifying the brooding and austere moods that Coil, by 1996, had down to a science. Save for a few bootlegs, the album has been unavailable on vinyl since 1996, so this remastered double vinyl pressing on Dais is more than welcome. Limited edition blue variant, housed in gatefold sleeve with download code, recommended.

• blue colored double vinyl pressing
• remastered by Josh Bonati
• gatefold sleeve w/ repro artwork by John Balance & Peter Christopherson
• reissue supervised by Drew McDowall
• limited to 600 copies
• digital download included
• music label: Dais Records 2018

reviewed by tom violence 11/2018