Coil
Winter Solstice

January 1999

Cover Image

BUY@THRESHOLD HOUSE

UK 7" Threshold House ESKATON 018

  1. A White Rainbow [ESKATON23]
  2. Christmas is Now Drawing Near [ESKATON23]

According to World Serpent, there were 1000 clear, 45 orange, and a second pressing of 300 white singles, however, World Serpent was found to have been over-pressing "limited edition" vinyl and haven't truthfully disclosed the actual numbers, invalidating the official word.

Side A - SOMEWHERE...
Side B - IN MEMORY OF FRANK LETCHFORD

UK CDEP Threshold House ESKATON 019

  1. A White Rainbow [ESKATON23]
  2. North [ESKATON23]
  3. Magnetic North [ESKATON23]
  4. Christmas is Now Drawing Near [ESKATON23]

John Balance
Peter Christopherson
William Breeze
Drew McDowall
Rose McDowall - vocal on "Christmas Is Now Drawing Near"
Robert Lee - vocal on "Christmas Is Now Drawing Near"

The CD has an extended version of "A White Rainbow"
"Christmas Is Now Drawing Near" is a traditional, performed here by Rosa Mundi.
All songs are collected on Moon's Milk (In Four Phases).

A White Rainbow

A white rainbow (a roaring aura)
Under an unquiet skull
(A tremulous column of air, hanging there)
Moon's milk spills from my unquiet skull and forms a white rainbow
(A psychosis, a roaring aura)
Aurora borealis
A white rainbow
A lunar ascension, a solar declension
A tremulous column of air hanging there
A bleached beach, a psychosis
(Laughing like skeletons clattering at midday)
Feel the moon's pull
Feel the moon's pull
Moon's milk spills from my unquiet skull
A white rainbow, inverted vertigo
A psychosis
(Moon's milk spills)
And overhead, overhead
(Feel the moon's pull)
A tremulous column of air, hanging there
(A white rainbow)
Laughing like skeletons clattering at midday
And overhead, a white rainbow
Under an unquiet skull, under an unquiet skull
Feel the moon's pull
A white rainbow

North

This black dog has no owner
This black dog has no odour

Magnetic North

Heaviness, heaviness
Blue sapphire six-pointed star
Blue sapphire six-pointed star
Deep ruby-red inverted pyramid
Deep ruby-red inverted pyramid
And red rose ??? the skull
Red rose filling the skull
Red rose filling the skull
Yellow cube in the lower pelvis
Yellow cube, yellow cube
Silver moon crescent below the navel
Red ruby inverted pyramid
White-winged globe defines the forehead
White-winged globe defines the forehead
Between the eyes, between the eyes
Black oval egg occupying the throat
Black egg within the throat
And red rose filling the skull
Red rose filling the skull
Heaviness, heaviness
Blue sapphire six-pointed star
Deep ruby-red inverted pyramid
Deep ruby-red inverted pyramid
And red rose ??? the skull
Red rose filling the skull
Red rose filling the skull
Yellow cube in the lower pelvis
Yellow cube, yellow cube
Silver moon crescent below the navel
Red ruby inverted pyramid
White-winged globe defines the forehead
White-winged globe defines the forehead
Between the eyes, between the eyes
Black over back occupying the throat
Black egg within the throat
And red rose filling the skull
Red rose filling the skull
Heaviness, heaviness

Christmas is Now Drawing Near

Christmas is now drawing near at hand
Come serve the Lord and be at His command
And God a portion for you will provide
And give a blessing to your soul besides

Down in the garden where flowers grow in ranks
Down on your bended knees and give the Lord thanks
Down on your knees and pray both night and day
Leave off your sins and live upright I pray

So proud and lofty is some sort of sin
Which many take delight and pleasure in
Whose conversation God doth much dislike
And yet He shakes His sword before He strikes

So proud and lofty do some people go
Dressing themselves like players in the show
They patch and paint and dress with idle stuff
As if God had not made them fine enough

Even little children learn to curse and swear
And can't rehearse one word of godly prayer
Oh teach them better, oh teach them to rely
On Christ the sinner's friend who reigns on high

Overall impression: excellent. The fourth and final of the 1998 seasonal singles, "North" continues in the same vein as the previous three: "Amethyst Deceivers", "Bee Stings" and "Moon's Milk". Once again Coil create a minimal yet deep, emotive aural environment for Balance's interesting words. "A White Rainbow" is centered around John's double tracked sprawling vocals and William Breeze's electric viola. Balance's lyrics on this song seem to tie the whole equinox/solstice singles series together. The last 3 minutes or so are essentially instrumental and the song ends in a chaotic jumble of sounds (similar to "A Warning From the Sun" from "Bee Stings"). "North" is comprised of washes of sound, a hushed spoken 2 line vocal from Balance and a heavily chorused, subtle beat. "Magnetic North" is more drone-y ... flowing synth lines form the background for Balance's quietly spoken words. "Christmas.." is sung by Rose McDowall with a glorious backing of disorted snyths and viola ... only Coil can transform a traditional Catholic song into something so achingly beautiful. The artwork is similar to the previous singles, except that this time it appears energy is exploding outwards from the oval. "North" evokes the same sort of feelings in me as most other music by Coil ... a sense of otherworldliness and unsettling familiarity, and an impression of a great importance that is beyond my ability to fully comprehend. This is emotion drenched music. All good things must come to an end though, so I eagerly await the next project by Coil. - Mark Weddle, Brainwashed