'Amor / Noir'
Canadian darkwave
duo Strvngers return with their hotly anticipated third album 'Amor /
Noir'. The duo already acclaimed for their innovative melding of
genres such as darkwave, post-punk, ebm, edm, and gothic rock to
create an original sound that is dark, dance-friendly and always
interesting. The band's third offering (and second on Negative Gain
Productions) sees them at their most accessible and polished yet.
With an undeniable
pop-sensibility running throughout the duo blend modern dance themes
through dark atmospheres, and filters them through a trippy haze to
create some truly stunning results. Songs such as 'Wanderlust',
'Fetisha', 'Leder Dame', 'This Is Not A Phase', 'Verisimilitude',
'Lethargy', and 'Noir' provide the album with a strong backbone of
tracks that walk a line between dark gothic industrial malevolence
and pop-friendly electronica. Infectious melodies, hard dance beats,
soaring vocals, and dark industrial embellishments come together is a
very pleasing way.
In terms of production
this is also the band's strongest outing yet. There is a hell of a
lot going on in the majority of the tracks and it would be very easy
for some elements to be swamped by the heavier synths when they come
through. However, the tracks remain pretty balanced with the vocals
always cutting through, the rhythms grounding the tracks and the
melodies pushing everything forward.
What Strvngers have
achieved on 'Amor / Noir' is a strong, consistent, and ultimately
accessible record that blends multiple alternative genres and
presents them is a pop-friendly manner. It's a dirty, sexy album,
heavy on atmosphere and underground subversion presented in an
approachable way. In a way this is almost a parallel with Nine Inch
Nails' 'Pretty Hate Machine'. But this is uniquely Strvngers from
start to finish. Hopefully this will be the album that cements the
band's place and see gain some more ground over the next year or so.
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