Yama Uba :" Silhouettes"

 

This album came out back in January and has been on my radar, but just got caught up with albums coming my way to check it out. They have captured the sound of the 80s and leaned into their Siouxsie influence, which is a mistake most female-fronted goth bands make. After Savages did that sort of thing so well, there is not a great need to expand upon it, though these gals are a little darker and more synth-based. The second song offers more groove than the first, which goes a long way with me. They creep along with Halloween moods that begin to distance themselves from Siouxsie on "Shatter' which finds more of a hook forming on the chorus and interesting sounds being introduced that are outside of the typical goth revivalist motif. 

They move in a more 45 Grave direction on "Facade". Then things go in a weird direction for "I'm in Love With a German Film Star" as it becomes a Depeche Mode-like new wave ballad. It makes more sense the second time I listen to it than the first it breezed its way into the background. The synths continue to be a dominant presence in the overall sound of  "Isolation" which is darker and works off a haunting single-note guitar melody that hovers as a layer of ambiance. There a hints of Joy Division in the mood without becoming a tribute act. 

Guitar comes to the forefront on "Laura" which takes things in a more post-punk direction. The mix of this album is often the dividing line between this band falling towards darkwave or post-punk, not that who they are changing much otherwise. Here it just allows them to indulge in a darker Cure-like groove. Things turn in a darker direction to find them making the first music that I would call goth, though it was hinted at in some of the songs earlier. "Claustrophobia" is the more original of the two more shadow-infused songs. I will give this album an 8.5, I am not sure how much more time I will spend with this album apart from the time I have already invested in it , but have enjoyed the time I did spend with it and think that kids coming into this sort of thing will enjoy it, as it has already done the homework for them. 

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Yama Uba : "Silhouettes"

 

The members of Oakland-based post-punk Otzi formed a new project that leans more toward dark wave Timing is everything, as it seems so far this year all I have had to review has been death metal, so since this is one of the first albums of this sort I am reviewing this year it feels fresher than it might if I was reviewing this album in October. The second song follows more of the color-by-numbers approach to the modern take on dark wave. They shine on moments like "Shatter" where groove and punchy vocal hooks create something memorable. \

When they add a punk edge to the familiar dark wave sounds, things click into place with greater ease. Lyrically things need to be as mature as the mood their instruments create. In pondering where in the genre lyrics are handled in the most pristine manner, the first two names that came to mind were Chelsea Wolfe and Grave Pleasures. Not everyone has a way with words nor does every band invest the same ear for detail, but that is what creates the greatest acts, which I do not think at this point such an honor would be rightly bestowed upon this band, who are  Are they better than the bulk of their peers? Yes, but that is a low bar. To their credit this is not total Siouxsie worship, in fact, they remind me more of Switchblade Symphony. 

There are some moments of morose musing that wallow too deeply into a drone. The guitar seeks to follow more of an early Cure path in this regard, so it is less riff-oriented. The saxophone on "Isolation" leans into more of an 80s sound, but at least breaks away from just being confined to the approved goth sounds. Somewhere around "Laura" the album started to fade into the background for me and I had to go back and give the second half another listen. "Laura" has more drive, but sonically stays in a small black box. This carries over until; the album ends with the last being the track that stands out the most, that to more purposeful vocals. I will give this album an 8, as they do care about song writing, even when mired down into the genre's more predictable tropes. 

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