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Black Tape For a Blue Girl
"The Scavenger Bride"
Format:
CD/Album
Online date:
23/5 2002
Label:
Projekt
Genre:
etheral darkwave
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Managing Projekt Records has turned Sam Rosenthal into quite a busy man, these days. Thus, it is almost four years ago the last Black Tape album, "As One Aflame Laid Bare by Desire", was released. Now, at last, the eighth full-length album, "The Scavenger Bride", is here. And I must say, it was definitely worth waiting for! This album is quite a piece of work, at least the best since the 1993 album "This Lush Garden Within". The music is more elaborate than ever, and the neo-classical elements are given a bigger emphasis. This time, male vocalist Oscar Hererra, who has participated on every album before this one, is gone, and male vocals are performed by Bret Helm of Audra (also on Projekt Records) and Athan Maroulis of Spahn Ranch. I must confess that, even though I have been a Black Tape fan for almost ten years, I have never been that excited about Oscar's voice and I am quite pleased to hear someone else’s for a change. Other guest appearances include Michael Laird of Unto Ashes, Christopher David of Judith, Martin Bowes of Attrition and Steve Roach.
"The Scavenger Bride" is a concept album set in Prague in the early twentieth century. It tells the story of a bride about to be married and her previous lovers, for whom she is now lost. There is a darkly romantic feeling to the music, enhanced by the sad and evocative lyrics. The music consists mainly of flute, strings, piano and layers of lush, atmospheric electronics. On several songs the instrumentation is enriched further by the addition of for example dulcimer, mandolin or guitar.
One of the great strengths about this album is the variation of the music. There is a lot of work and effort put into the composition, arrangement and production of the songs and this results in a very dynamic and rich sound full of subtle details. The vocals are yet another strength. Both female and male vocals are excellently performed, though I must say that Bret Helm is the one who impress me the most. His cold, deep voice is perfect for dark and powerful songs like "Like a Dog/Letter to Brod". Also, the female vocalist Elysabeth Grant (who also plays viola) impress me greatly on for instance "Shadow of a Doubt", which is in fact a Sonic Youth cover, believe it or not.
The only negative thing I have to say about this album is that, due to the fact that it is a concept album, some songs become somewhat pointless if you listen to them separately. There are a few very short tracks on the album that seems more important for their part in the story than for their musical contribution. If you listen to the entire album this is not a problem, but I would have liked it even better if all songs were more independent of each other. Still, this does not change the fact that "The Scavenger Bride" is a stunningly beautiful album and Sam Rosenthal keeps convincing with his amazing compositions and his poetic lyrical touch. It is simply great, and I don't think there is much more to say about it.
/Anders Eklund
Check CDDB tracklists for this record:
Black Tape For a Blue Girl"The Scavenger Bride"
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