HeathensOnline.com

Post-punkers and pioneers of the Goth movement Bauhaus have released a new album Go Away White. Recorded in just eighteen days, these ten tracks represent the first new material released by the band in twenty-five years.

For those not familiar, Bauhaus (named for a style of architecture) formed in 1978 and released four full-length albums before breaking up in 1983. Frontman Peter Murphy moved on to a successful solo career while the other members formed, among other things, Love & Rockets.

Overall this album is a gem. The opening guitars of Too Much 21st Century or the drums in Endless Summer of the Damned are classic Bauhaus, immediately bringing a smile to any fan, while Murphy sounds as good on this album as he ever has, especially on the tracks Saved or Mirror Remains. There are stronger tracks and there are weaker tracks, and fans will make their own choices as to which are which, but what is undeniable is that this is a BAUHAUS album. While the pop sensibilities of Daniel Ash can be heard in places (Adrenalin) and the eastern spirituality of later Peter Murphy shows here and there (Zikir) there are strong connections at every moment to the band that told us all about Bela Lugosi. In many ways I think this music is made stronger by the twenty five years that have passed, and an argument could be made that as a whole, this is a more fitting end to the legacy than 1983’s Burning From the Inside.

One note: according to the bands website, this is a posthumous release. The band has called it quits again, and this time it seems to truly be the end. No tour has been announced, nor is one likely. That’s a shame, if for no other reason than because The Dog’s a Vapour would have been a stonking good time live.

Recommended.