Speaking of Lycia, Silber Records' reissue project (or should that be projekt?)continues on with what many consider their most important release, Cold. At the time, the release did garner them a bit of attention, both for its beauty and excellence and because their label was enjoying a bit of critical acclaim. I know that of Lycia's output, Cold was certainly a favorite, because I was going through a phase of cold, dark music. (Well, I had to have something to go along with my black candles, my bowls of incense, and my wonderful portraits of Ian Curtis! (That's not a lie, either.) I would simply put this record on between The Moon and the Melodies and The White Arcades, and I'd simply let my mind float into the coldest depths of sonic space. I don't know what happened, but the record simply disappeared from my collection, and, well, as one often does, I moved on. But listening to it again, a decade later, I remember why I loved it. It doesn't get me as cold as it used to; instead, it makes me feel warm and happy inside, as I think back to my younger days. Oh, and I love the song "December," in part because, well, it sounds a lot like Madonna's "Live to Tell!"

Listen To: "Colder"

Lycia's Cold is available now on Silber Records

Labels: Darkwave, Lycia, Silber Media

posted by joseph kyle @ 5:07 PM 0 comments

To Kill a Petty Bourgeoisie The Patron

Monday, October 22, 2007

Kranky goes goth? That's certainly the feeling I have when I listen to The Patron, To Kill a Petty Bourgeoisie's Kranky debut. If this were a decade ago, this duo would be the stars of the Projekt scene, as their music instantly reminds me of another wonderful ambient/darkwave duo, Lycia. The comparisons are more than appropriate; the haunting vocals of Jehna Wilhelm possess the same little-girl quality of Lycia's Tara Van Flower. And, really, what's wrong with emulating a really good band? To Kill a Petty Bourgeoisie have mastered the art of the disturbing, tempering noise and bizarre carnival and cabaret elements together with the sound of innocence lost. Unlike Lycia, thought, TKAPB (and I hope I am not disrespecting them by abbreviating their name) rely less on heavy ambient sounds and more on a darker, rougher, more experimental side--and there's a bit of noise thrown in as well. Don't let that word "noise" throw you; instead of a cacophonous racket, the songs on The Patron are composed in ways that are as beguiling as they are beautiful. Again, it all has to do with that voice, and when it's unfurled in front of the harsh guitars of "Lovers & Liars," you're won over. Same thing with "With Brass Songs They'll Descend," a gorgeous wash of distorted guitars, loud, metallic sounds, and a siren song piercing through the wall of noise--how could you not enjoy it, especially so close to Hallowe'en?

Listen To; "With Brass Songs They'll Descend"

To Kill A Petty Bourgeoisie's The Patron is available now on Kranky

Labels: Darkwave, Kranky Records, To Kill a Petty Bourgeoisie

posted by joseph kyle @ 9:56 AM 0 comments

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