V/A Dark Nouveau (Digital Album – Metropolis Records)
Genre/Influences: Gothic, cold-wave, dark-pop, minimal-electro, dream-pop.
Background/Info: “Dark Nouveau” features a fine selection of twenty four bands from all over the world and dealing with ‘dark’ music. The compilation has been realized by Athan Maroulis (Spahn Ranch, Black Tape For A Blue Girl, NOIR ao). “Dark Nouveau” stands for the contemporary exposure of ‘dark’ music.
Artists: NOIR, FTR, Paradox Obscur, She Past Away, Ash Code, Hante, Dark Door, Antipole, Shadow Age, Balvanera, Skeleton Hands, Dancing Plague, Push/Button/Press, Night Fail, Canter, Decedent vs. Slighter, Seeming, The Harrow, Dead Leaf Echo, Twin Tribes, Weird Candle, The Shyness Of Strangers, Iamtheshadow, Inopera.
Content: Twenty four bands is an impressive tracklist to celebrate the newest formats of ‘dark’ music. The featured bands are covering an impressive canvas, which is moving from gothic and cold-wave to dark-pop and wave-pop. Somewhere in between you also will discover bands dealing with dream-pop, minimal electronics, but also a few artists clearly inspired by the cold-wave icons such as Joy Division, Cocteau Twins, The Cure ao.
+ + + : Athan Maroulis did a great job on this compilation. He brought a nice selection of artists together, but there’s an impressive list of great songs. From the Turkish goth sensation She Past Away to the phenomenal minimal-electro from Greek Paradox Obscur to the dark-pop from Argentina project Balvanera to the sexy French dark-wave revelation FTR to the raw electronics from Canadian duo Weird Candle to the Portuguese hybrid between Skeletal Family and Joy Division called Iamtheshadow, this compilation has a lot to offer. It also is an opportunity to discover less familiar bands and who knows, maybe further Metropolis artists.
– – – : I don’t have a real minus point about this compilation, which is without a shadow of a doubt one of the best I’ve heard this year. It’s just a pity this work is not available as a physical format.
Conclusion: Most of the compilations today are a kind of shop window for the labels, but luckily there are still a few compilations bringing something new! That’s why “Dark Nouveau” is a must have!
Best bands: Paradox Obscur, FTR, She Past away, Balvanera, Weird Candle, Iamtheshadow, NOIR, Dancing Plague.
Rate: (8½).
Label: www.metropolis–records.com / www.facebook.com/MetropolisRecords
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