SYNTHPOP.NET
THE CHARMING FACTOR
I really
have been pleasantly surprised lately by the number of
excellent female vocal-driven bands that have begun to
appear as of late. Glow, Tristraum and Ever are three other
examples, and Blind Faith And Envy can easily stand shoulder
to shoulder with those bands.
The band has it origins in a chance encounter in 1999, when
Charlene, the primary vocalist and lyricist met Daniel, the
producer and composer and heard some of his solo
instrumental work and asked if she could sing for a few of
his tracks. Approx. 5 years later, we now have the debut
album of this project, with lots of hard work and polishing
in the meantime. The vocalist here is a little similar to
Tristraum's, but only a little. Her voice has a slight husky
element to it, but still with a very clean and pretty sound
to it. In the instrumentation, you can tell that Daniel was
influenced heavily by EBM and Industrial, but synthpop
greats of the past as well.
There are some really excellent synthpop songs here, with
some even approaching an anthem-esque feel. "Something
Different", "When I Know You're Gone" and "Golden Glass"
both were not chosen to be the e-single for this album
("Crowded Room" was), but they are excellent, excellent
songs, with great memorable choruses and some awesome music
to go along with it. The cover of "Shout" must also be
mentioned. You'll hardly recognize this classic track from
DM, as it's been given a EBM kick in the pants and has some
real teeth to it now. The remixes that close out the album
are all very good contributions as well. I love the hyper
tempo and pace that Blank has given "Crowded Room", and both
Null Device and Neuroactive turn in very solid remix
contributions as well.
Nilaihah Records and BF&E are both to be commended.. this
album is yet another shining jewel in the Nilaihah catalog!
Highly Recommended!
Reviewer:
Jason Baker
5 out of 5 stars