Dwelling began as the solo project of Nuno Roberto in 1998. However, after a compilation appearance on “Algharb in Flames” (released the same year), the Dwelling line-up fluctuated and grew to include (briefly in some cases) a variety of classically trained musicians. Currently Dwelling consists of its founding member as well as vocalist/violinist Caterina Raposo, as well as bassist Nicholas Ratcliffe. Originally focused on the creation of music made up entirely of acoustic instrumentation, Dwelling is an understated ethereal-folk band with more than just slightly medieval influences. Their compositions include a variety of classical instrumentations that differ from others in the genre in their lack of reliance on synthesizers and electronics of any kind. Vocalist Caterina Raposo’ meek soprano is so similar in tenor and vibrato to the delicate violin in some songs, that it’s sometimes difficult to tell where one begins and the other leaves off. Inspired by the lilting and mournful sounds of Portugal’s Fado guitar driven folk music, Dwelling follows this tradition with reverence. Indeed many of their compositions echo traditional folk songs, calling to mind a band of gypsies dancing together in the mountainous countryside. Make no mistake, however, this is not the music of rebellion or antiestablishment. Rather, this is the quiet lamentation of an age/peoples forgotten. If I have one complaint about this release, it would be that there is very little to distinguish one track from the next on Humana. Each song is musically satisfying and shows off the considerable talent of the musicians, and yet there is something non-descript about each. Unlike Fado, to which Dwelling clearly plays homage, the passion in this music is muted and restrained.
Well folks, the latest issue of [url=http://losingtoday.com]Losing Today[/url] Magazine has just hit the shelves here in the US, and you know what that means. Now is the time for you to drop everything you are doing and make a run to your local Border's Books, (or other local music/magazine distributor) and pick yourselves up a copy. Oh, what the heck. Buy two or three! Not only does this issue sport several pieces by yours truly, but each magazine comes with a *free* CD chock full of indie-music goodness. This issue is quite an accomplishment for the folks at LT, and I think it marks a new era in their history as archivists of the independent music movement ~ both here and abroad. I'm telling you. It's good stuff. (Not that I'm biased or anything).
So... go ahead. What are you waiting for??? :)
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In the meantime, here's a review that I wrote some time ago, but that they published only recently.
In an era when many alternative music sources are abandoning their original vision in favor of a more mainstream audience, Projekt Records introduces listeners to the “new faces” of gothic music while still remaining true to that genre’s rich and distinct past. Although the CD's title is a bit of a misnomer considering that many of the tracks are contributed by some of Projekt’s most established acts, this compilation certainly does provide listeners with a representative sample of what gothic music is all about.
The 13 track compilation begins with “Stained” by new Projekt artist Android Lust, the solo venture of Bangladeshi goth-rock-goddess Skikhee – whose combination of industrial, classical, and even techno driven avant-garde rock, is as disturbing as it is infectious. Couple this with Skikhee’s icy hot vocals, and this track kicks the listener right between the eyes, busting the door wide open for what is to follow.
Next comes Aundra’s “Cabaret Fortune,” a bass driven dance track that would feel equally at home following Bauhaus as it does next to Android Lust. Slightly distorted lyrics hum over a brooding baseline that pushes the track. While this song represents more characteristically what most people would consider typical goth-rock, it does so without losing any of its contemporary edge. One of Audra’s strength as a band lies in their refusal to try to be something they are not, and “Cabaret Fortune” is no exception. Ten years from now, people will be calling this track a “goth classic.”
Following Audra comes “Pray,” a typically wispy and ethereal track from Projekt mainstay Lycia, who have been out of the limelight for some time now. While it may be difficult for long time goth fans to swallow Lycia as “the new face of goth” this song certainly represents a wonderful introduction this unusual band. All the usual Lycia trademarks are there: Mike VanPortfleet’s near whisper vocals, the driving drumbeat, the airy synths -- showcasing Lycia's strenghts. All in all, this is a great track, I'm just not sure about its placement on this compilation.
Black Tape for a Blue Girl, another gothic music staple, and also the musical brainchild of Projekt Record’s founder Sam Rosenthal, contributes the album’s 4th track, "The Lie Which Refuses to Die” – a bleak and brooding foray into all the reasons why gothic music is known as a dark genre. The overtly depressing and bitter lyrics of this track, coupled with deep, yet appropriately submissive vocals, beautifully convey the emotional side of gothic music.
Follow this up with “Brains” from goth’s own clown-prince, Voltaire, and you’ve got the perfect juxtaposition of both the serious and cynical sides of this genre. One aspect of gothic music that can turn people off is the tendency of some bands to take themselves a bit it too seriously. Clearly, Voltaire does not suffer from this affliction, and the combination of his boyish vocals, downright silly, albeit tragic, lyrics and his signature violin laden goth-folk add up to an exciting change from the ultra-serious Black Tape track before it.
The 6th track on Projekt’s introduction to the future of gothic music comes from Unto Ashes, another Projekt mainstay that unites both male and female vocals with neo-classical and medieval-folk melodies – all of which are surrounded by world music beats and darkly tempting lyrics. “Witches Rune,” provides the listener with a journey into the medieval elements that so often influence and bleed into both modern and classic gothic arrangements.
Attrition’s “Two Gods Are Better Than One” is a previously unreleased track that flows seamlessly up against Unto Ashes’ “Witches Rune.” Both tracks blend male and female vocals with elements of world music and medieval flavors. Attrition’s “Two God’s,” however, enters into a slightly more experimental area, creating a spiritual refrain of spoken vocals: “There’s a saying: See the Buddha in the road. Kill the Buddha.” All in all, this is an unusual song that tugs at the listener with its lovely mix of strings and electronics, all the while sliding down an uncomfortably delicious edge.
The next track offers the listener another look at Lycia’s Mike VanPortfleet with “In Vain” a rich and layered atmospheric track from VanPortfleet’s side project Bleak. Again, VanPortfleet’s vocals hang in the air and are surrounded by a drum heavy, multi-layered synth arrangement that surrounds and twirls. This is an ethereal tornado… rich, textured, swirling with the sense be being both highly controlled and dangerous.
This atmospheric journey continues with “Wallpaper Room” a track from Lowsunday that manages to merge goth-rock with a guitar-laden, reverb-laced backbone that most people would likely associate with music from the shoegazer genre. With this track, we see a return to what seems to be the “new face of goth” as this song is anything but emblematic of classic gothic music and offers a distinct blend of styles that can only come as an established genre grows and evolves.
And so this evolution continues -- in the world where goth meets shoegazer -- with the album’s 10th track, “Divine” by Mira – which offers jangly guitars and sweet – nearly twee – female vocals (that propose a softer edge than Lowsunday’s introduction). This is one of my favorite tracks on the album – offering what I see as a true glimpse into an exciting development in gothic music.
Shedding this shoegazer inspired skin, Mors Syphilitica’s “The Hues of Longing” is a purely ethereal track that boasts soaring female vocals and a richly orchestrated arrangement that provide the listener with a beautiful prologue to this side of what can often be considered a solely dark and brooding genre. This is a beautiful track that wraps the listener in a sublime blanket of sound.
The next to last track on the album “Stir About The Stars” by Love Spirals Downwards offers a peek into one of Projekt’s signature bands. At their pinnacle, LSD’s music represented the perfect beautiful and haunting combination of both ethereal and gothic music. Their arrangements swirl in gauzy, ethereal soundscapes, are sprinkled with evocative female vocals and linger with the disconsolate rhythmic quality that defines gothic music. However, if there is one flaw with this CD it would be that selling LSD as the “new face” of gothic music seems like false advertisement considering that this band (in this incarnation) is no more. The inclusion of this track, (not unlike prior tracks by Lycia and others), while certainly representative of LSD’s place in the genre, will at best confuse, and at worst disappoint, established goth fans who will buy this release looking for the “new face” of the music they already know and love.
Finally, rounding out this compilation is another track by Voltaire. This time, with “Goodnight Demon Slayer,” Voltaire manages to ring in the end of the CD with a string heavy lullaby that smacks of traditional dark folk and his signature tongue in cheek lyrics. Previously unreleased, this track is not only brimming with Voltairesque boyish charm, it also provides listeners with a taste of what’s next for this young goth artist.
All in all, this is a VERY satisfying and diverse compilation that offers a variety of talented artists at their very best. Although I do take issue with some of the selection of some tracks as not truly representing the “new face of goth,” I cannot argue with the overall quality of this release. At minimum, this is certainly a fantastic catalogue of Projekt artists, both past and present, that is sure to satisfy current fans of the genre as well as those who are just embarking on this dark journey.
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Well folks, the latest issue of [url
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