Ebony Bones: Behold, A Pale Horse

Ebony Thomas was a classmate of Amy Winehouse at the storied Sylvia Young Theatre School in London and had a stint as a Shakespearean actress before focusing on music; she received her stage name from, of all people, The Damned’s Rat Scabies. Her eclectic background bleeds through on her second record, which is gloriously, dementedly scattershot.
Self-produced, Behold, A Pale Horse is the work of an artist determinedly following their own path: ‘Mystery Babylon’ is a furious hardcore assault; on the other hand, ‘I See I Say’ sounds like Grace Jones fronting an artsy garage band. She ups the ‘what the fuck?’ ante further on the Sonic Youth-go-r‘n’b ‘While The People S.L.E.E.P.’ and takes her passion for krautrock downtown on ‘Neu World Blues’.
With a project this diverse, missteps seem almost inevitable and you don’t have to be a Moz acolyte to find her children’s choir mediated tilt at ‘What Difference Does It Make?’ disconcerting. For the most part, though, Pale Horse is joyously bonkers.

Key Track: 'While The People S.L.E.E.P.'