A unique blending together of varying styles - post-punk, industrial, folk to name a few - Naevus formed in London, England in 1998. Founders Lloyd James (vocals, acoustic guitar) and Joanne Owen (bass, accordion) released their debut, Truffles of Love in 1999. Albums Soil and Behaviour followed in 2001 and 2002, respectively. In 2004, the band released the eclectic and critically lauded Perfection is a Process. For the following two albums, the band line-up settled with the permanent addition of previous guest contributors John Murphy on drums and Greg Ferrari on guitar. The resulting works, Silent Life and Relatively Close to the Sea, were critical successes, and featured guest appearances from David E. Williams, Matt Howden and Rose McDowall. By the end of 2010, the sole member was Lloyd James who played all instruments on the The Division of Labour. Following this, James was joined by Ben McLees (bass), a returning Hunter Barr (drums) and Sam Astley (guitar) with new album Curses released in early 2018. Time Again followed in 2020, with a new album due for release later in 2022. naevus.bandcamp.com www.facebook.com/naevusuk
lyrics
Let’s have a languid start
A long, exhausted aitch
Mistaking content for actual life
A trail of discarded subscriptions
They cannot add, that’s not a word
Home office, oyster cabin, lying in state
Get by and ameliorate
Audit, attract, avert, abandon
Rivulet, revel, oval, ovula
That character was part
Of the wheel at the back of the wagon
But let us find a way
To a rousing finale
We cannot display
Any of the traits that they say
Would make a man appear to be human
And we cannot show
Any of the traits that they know
Would make a human being seem a man
A smirking Saint Peter
An electricity meter
Gastral/astral
Searing bodily pain
I carry a graveyard upon my back
Scudding across the freeway
I don’t want to play on the water
Heaven is failing, an unreachable gulf
There are no angels or devils
Such tomfoolery
And perfumery
The baker’s oven, the dirty face
We cannot display
Any of the traits that they say
Would make a man appear to be human
And we cannot show
Any of the traits that they know
Would make a human being seem a man
Everything was hidden away
In a garden that got no sun
His body made from meat and vapours
And one shrunken claw
Left gathering ropes and things
Left sitting out of London
On roads and things
credits
from Dniprovia,
released July 5, 2022
Lloyd James: voice, rhythm guitar, programming.
Ben McLees: bass, lead guitar, voice, programming.
Introspective, homespun folk tunes from John Donne that feel informed by the sugary bleakness of '80s and '90s indie pop. Bandcamp New & Notable Aug 1, 2023