Review: Double Eyelid – 'Broken Mirror'

DOUBLE EYELID
'Broken Mirror'
SELF-RELEASED

Toronto's Double Eyelid released a great début in the form of 'Seven Years' their blend of art rock, gothic and cabaret created a torrent of dramatic dark tunes across their first outing. Now only a couple of years on the band release their remix companion to their début in the form of 'Broken Mirror'. A bold move that pays off for the band.

The band's dark decadent melodies undergo a big club-friendly transformation courtesy of acts such as Leaether Strip, Reactive Black, Tyler Milchmann, nTTx, Psyche, and DJ Cruel Britannia to name a few. The strongest cuts from the 'Seven Years' – 'Black Box', 'Dead Is Better', 'The Hanged Woman', and 'The Stranger' – are given a heavy dose of adrenalin and see guitars and dance beats pushed harder to create some great floor fillers. But every track has been reconstructed, some subtly, and some dramatically to create a varied and strong listening experience.

The remixes for the most part still keep those recognisable elements that made the band's first album so memorable. The punk guitars, Mike Garson style piano, the fresh dance beats and addictive synths still cut through the mixes with ease.

The production is luscious in its execution with the variety of synth sounds and mixes giving them all great dance-floor potential. Despite the variety of styles this feels like a succinct and balanced collection that shows off the full strength of the band's song writing.

'Broken Mirror' is not only a great remix album. But it is a great album full-stop. 'Seven Years' was a strong début, but the often dramatic shifts in style on 'Broken Mirror' really show off how versatile Double Eyelid really are. There are more than enough potential club hits here for any DJ worth their salt to get their teeth into. It would be nice to hear some more original tracks in the near future, but for now this will do very nicely to hold us over.

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