This is such a brilliant album that labelling it as a "Halloween album" seems demeaning. However, it is incredibly dark and unsettling, and so is great to listen to at night with all the lights off (I have done this...at Halloween...you'll have to trust me). nearLY is the solo project of Jerome Dillon, who played drums for Nine Inch Nails from 1999 to 2005. He wrote and played most of the instruments on this album, while vocals were contributed by 12 Rounds singer Claudia Sarne.
The music here is as atmospheric as you can get really, and the instrumentals (One Day I Was Gone, Liars Day, Blackwing, Up in the Trees, and Release) are where it really stands out. Occasionally you can hear the influences of NIN, but it's considerably different to anything Trent Reznor's ever done, and you won't feel like you're just listening to a rip-off. It's not uplifting stuff; the general sounds, piano, acoustic guitars and ambient drones are isolating and reasonably spooky to sit and listen to by oneself. The tracks with vocals are still good (just not as good as the instrumentals), as Miss Sarne's raspy / whispery voice is almost as creepy as the music, and compliments it nicely. This is a very haunting album that conjures up fantastic, gloomy imagery and atmospheres that other albums can only wish to create with their soundscapes. Jerome Dillon has since been working on soundtracks to horror films (such as The Collector), but I hope he releases another original studio album soon, because more of this is just what we need...
I don't really know what else I can say...if you like dark, atmospheric music, you should like this. Music is a hard thing to get across with words, and so you'll just have to listen to it for yourself to see if you like it. I do. A LOT.
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