Even as I head into my mid-thirties, I’m still of the belief that music has a duty to disturb as well as to delight, to intrigue, and perplex. This track was waiting for me in my inbox when I got home, and four plays in the last half hour alone, I’m still trying to get my head around this track by Esben and the Witch, entitled ‘Warpath.’

Esben and the Witch hail from Brighton and they are Daniel, Thomas and Rachel. Signed to the still achingly cool indie Matador, they are set to release their debut album Violet Cries. The press release jokes about them ‘petitioning retailers to add an “Uneasy Listening” bin card to their sales floor.’ Actually I like that idea. Their stuff is beyond ethereal. Their myspace is spooky and not in a shlock-horror way either. And it is -somehow-delicious. The only band in the world I can think to compare them to is Siouxsie and the banshees circa Juju.

This is not a track to fall asleep to, or to dance to. It is a track to give your complete and undivided attention to.

Esben and the Witch -‘Warpath.’ mp3

So far they have released the 33 EP and the limited-edition 7″ and 12″s ‘Lucia, at the Precipice’ and ‘Marching Song.’

The video for ‘Marching Song’ is very simple, very disturbing and very good:

And this video for ‘Lucia, at the precipice’ -probably wrongly -reminds me of Whistle and I’ll Come to You