Flowing Tears
““Serpentine””
(Century Media Records)
This certainly is goth. Sultry and lethargic, Souixsie and the Banshees era goth from the catacombs of Saarbücken, Germany. Mesmerizing and harmonious with enough dark swagger to justify the black lipstick, but it just doesn’t sound fresh. I am at a bit of a disadvantage when it comes to the level of quality related to current ‘dark wave’ outfits, though. That said, the first thing to point out are the disappointingly unimpressive lyrics. Taking into account the use of English as a second language, Stefanie Duchene’s exotic vocals almost make up for that shortcoming. Eerily down-tuned and melodic guitar, somber basslines and stark drumming also haunt this disc. But the Instrumentation is simple, albeit elegant and effective, with the most notable work being produced behind the keyboard. Unfortunately, the sum total of the music seems to solely support the bands strongest trait, Stephanie’s voice. It’s just not strong enough to carry 40 minutes of morose similarity. I would love to love this release, I just find myself wishing this was more like something by Björk.
