Gothtober - VOSH : "Vessel"

 

Ok this is going to be the last Siouxsie-influenced band I cover this month. This album came out back in March and I am not sure why it has not gotten more buzz.  To their credit they are capable of bringing this from different angles, as the first song had more of a Zola Jesus feel, and an electronic pulse, while "Pray" has driving metallic guitars in the background. When she is rocking out the Siouxsie thing is toned down. The rock sounds collide with the dark wave on "Bleed As One". There is a murky mix of more sounds than that as 80s-flavored synth drapes the background. The guitar is more of a pulse under everything. It all works pretty well, even when they are dancing further into the darkness and losing the hooky feel in the process. 

"Superstition" finds them back into a more atmospheric pop groove with 80s smarts to the vocals. As the album progresses and you delve into more of what they can do, she sounds less like Siouxsie. The drum programming is more like early industrial for "Perfection". She croons in her alto range for this one, which would not be out of place at Goth night. Why the DJs are not already playing this is only due to their need to be stuck in a boring comfort zone. "Devout' has more of a spooky old-school goth feel, which I am here for. "Cruel Intent" brings back the steamy dance floor-driven feel. The vocals carry more of an erotic purr. It is not unlike the darker moments from Lords of  Acid. They carry this over to some extent in the song after this. 

"Falling" is more guitar-driven. Her wailing is suitably desperate. The mood shifts to more dance floor-oriented on " Static" . It works more on establishing a drama that is atmosphere-dense. 'Night' brings the guitar back carrying a darker and more aggressive feel which works for me. "Numb" splits the difference between the guitar-driven goth and dark wave sounds they have summoned earlier in the album, with her throwing her voice around in an interesting manner. I will round this one up to a 10 they capture a wonderful balance of old and new goth sounds. This is what I was looking for.