Death in Vegas’ “23 Lies”

Just a quick post for the late afternoon/early evening.

Yesterday, I was checking out the pilot for this new Netflix series “White Lines,” and was unexpectedly (re) introduced to an old Death in Vegas track titled “23 Lies.” It’s an older cut, from their psychedelic-leaning 2002 electronic album “Scorpio Rising.”

The series itself is proving to be a bit of a guilty pleasure, a murder mystery set against the backdrop of a sexy, sun-soaked Ibiza, and it’s popular dance club culture.

As an old school raver, this is more than a little nostalgic. Aside from all the criminal mayhem, the show’s filled with wonderful grooves, both old and new, electronic and indie. The photography of exotic beaches and craggy blue coves is all euphoric escapism (and probably well-suited to the stay-at-home moment). And surprisingly, it’s cast of characters is more of the seasoned and aging club culture, versus that of a younger generation.

So hearing a slightly deeper selection from Death in Vegas made a whole lick of sense.

“23 Lies” is a wonderfully subdued track that seeps into your subconscious like sun-hazed rays on a warm, bright, and slightly carefree day. It’s semi-twangy and downtempo mellow, with hints of trip-hop and an earth-tone paisley palette. And Susan Dillane’s soft, free-spirited vocals glide and glimmer amongst a relaxed sitar-styled six-stringed tremulo breeze.

It’s a slightly different style for Death in Vegas, yet still quite in character with their 2002 release “Scorpio Rising.”

If you’re familiar with these Brits, you’d probably recall that they were pretty influential for their era, an ever-changing chameleon of electronic-based craft and creation, exploring and integrating multitudes of style, including krautrock, dub, industrial, and psychedelic rock, the latter of which characterizes “23 Lies.”

Richard Fearless is the one constant member of Death in Vegas, with an often rotating group of musicians and guest vocalists. At the time of “Scorpio Rising,” the outfit was operating as a six-piece, providing a fuller-bodied, naturalistic quality to their otherwise electronic foundations.

Anyway, “23 Lies” is a typically atypical touchstone of obscurity in Death in Vegas’ catalogue that might otherwise have gone forgotten, had it not been for a random viewing of a new Netflix show. I certainly didn’t expect it. And neither did I recognize it.

But I did like it quite a bit. And many thoughts and words later, here we are now with this recommendation of Death in Vegas’ “23 Lies.”

I should note that this particular embed is a live recording from their ’04 album “Satan’s Circus.” As of this post, Spotify doesn’t have the “Scorpio Rising” album available to stream, which is unfortunate. But I did manage to find a YouTube embed of the original studio recording … and it’s “White Lines” branded. So that will do.

Enjoy!

“23 Lies” from the 2002 album “Scorpio Rising;” embedded here from 2004 live disc from “Satan’s Circus.”

Death in Vegas:

White Lines: