Description

Surge et Illuminare is the sophomore album by the American alternative rock band Idle Lovéll, released on Blonde Vinyl Records in 1984, distributed by The Benson Company. The album was produced, recorded, and mixed by Thom Roy at Whitefield Studios in Santa Ana, California. All songs written by band member Michael Knott, except track B3 featuring music by Vince Pangrazio.

Featuring Michael Knott on vocals and guitar; Jim Richards keyboards (with additional keyboards by John Gloudeman); Brian Doidge on guitar (stage); Vince Pangrazio on bass, and Bradford J. Salamon on drums. Backing vocals provided by Bridget Knott.

Before Saviour Machine, before Dead Artist Syndrome, there was Idle Lovell. Idle Lovell was a side project by Michael Knott designed to be only for non-Christian audiences. So, while this is not the first Christian Goth band, it is one of the earliest examples of Goth music made by Christian artists. This six-song vinyl album is very hard to find today, but well-worth the search if you are in to bands that play dark synth-based dance music like the Sisters of Mercy.

Two of the songs on this disc – «Shallow» and «I Can’t Wait» – were re-recorded by Knott on later albums. I like these early versions better. «Touch Me In the Wind», the lead off track, was also included on the re-issue of The Lifesavers Poplife (of all places). If you have heard that track, then you pretty much know what to expect from the rest of this too short album.

This album was self-released (as the first album on Knott’s Blonde Vinyl records), so the production values are a bit thin. But to many fans, that only adds to the coolness. I’ve read that there are some weird ownership issues that might make a full re-issue of this album impossible. Too bad – this album needs to be heard. [Matt Crosslin, Down The Line, August 2009]

LP tracklist:

Side One
A1. “Touch Me In The Wind” – 5:02
A2. “Shallow” – 3:55
A3. “I Can’t Wait” – 3:55

Side Two
B1. “Only” – 4:05
B2. “One Sided Love Affair” – 3:52
B3. “Drone” – 5:20

Note: Available ay Bandcamp: https://blondevinyl.bandcamp.com/album/surge-et-illuminare-streaming-only