electronic / synthpop
And now for something a wee-bit different. We don't often review dark pop albums here on Merchants Of Air but this one is too enjoyable to be ignored. Besides, a good friend of mine has just walked in and he loves this kind of music. So right now I'm going to write a review using tips, hints and references from Stephan.
The Bedroom Witch, a dark pop project of Los Angeles-based recording and performance artist Sepehr Mashiahof. On 'Diaspora' the artist investigates the Bedroom Witch’s origin story as an Iranian-American Trans Woman. The result is an intriguing collection of electronic tunes.
The music on 'Diaspora' ranges from gloomy trip-hop over electronic dance tunes to new wave inspired synthpop. In fact, the first band that comes to mind is Depeche Mode. Not only in the nature of the music but mainly in the vocal lines. Here and there it seems like Dave Gahan is singing. 'At The Gates' could be a Depeche Mode hit. It's also one of my personal favorites here. My buddy Stephan also recognizes influences from Peter Gabriel and I like to add Zola Jesus to that mix. Synthpop galore, so to speak.
The album opens with 'Shadow Self', using electronic sequences and impending beats before the vocals appear. 'She Told Me She Feels Alone' is a lingering dark synth tune with piteous vocals. The first real highlight is 'Sea Of Insects', a dance tune that opens like Front 242 and swiftly evolves into a potential Pet Shop Boys song. The Influences from the eighties are perfectly clear on 'Diaspora'. That's for sure. An certain moments even Madonna came to mind. Don't ask me why.
Another favorite of mine is 'Shapeshifter', a highly danceable piece of music with gloomy overtones and playful synths. This is a potential fan favorite, I think, but in all honesty, I do not know that much about this region of the musical spectrum. All I know is that 'Diaspora' is a more than decent album, with some highly convincing tunes. If you are a fan of synthpop, you should not miss out on it.
Serge
The Bedroom Witch, a dark pop project of Los Angeles-based recording and performance artist Sepehr Mashiahof. On 'Diaspora' the artist investigates the Bedroom Witch’s origin story as an Iranian-American Trans Woman. The result is an intriguing collection of electronic tunes.
The music on 'Diaspora' ranges from gloomy trip-hop over electronic dance tunes to new wave inspired synthpop. In fact, the first band that comes to mind is Depeche Mode. Not only in the nature of the music but mainly in the vocal lines. Here and there it seems like Dave Gahan is singing. 'At The Gates' could be a Depeche Mode hit. It's also one of my personal favorites here. My buddy Stephan also recognizes influences from Peter Gabriel and I like to add Zola Jesus to that mix. Synthpop galore, so to speak.
The album opens with 'Shadow Self', using electronic sequences and impending beats before the vocals appear. 'She Told Me She Feels Alone' is a lingering dark synth tune with piteous vocals. The first real highlight is 'Sea Of Insects', a dance tune that opens like Front 242 and swiftly evolves into a potential Pet Shop Boys song. The Influences from the eighties are perfectly clear on 'Diaspora'. That's for sure. An certain moments even Madonna came to mind. Don't ask me why.
Another favorite of mine is 'Shapeshifter', a highly danceable piece of music with gloomy overtones and playful synths. This is a potential fan favorite, I think, but in all honesty, I do not know that much about this region of the musical spectrum. All I know is that 'Diaspora' is a more than decent album, with some highly convincing tunes. If you are a fan of synthpop, you should not miss out on it.
Serge
