seven

at some point in time, overdosing on terminal choice/blutengel combination, which was supposed to help my rhythm&noise addiction, I attempted to explain their appeal, despite (or with the help of) their “cheesiness” (for the lack of a better word). this is where the term “goth-pop” came to live. it is almost a guilty pleasure when you get seduced by compositions that are that bittersweet and their “art-deco” (not even elegantly decadent) intentional “prettiness” almost falls into the category of absolute cheese. if not for the obvious talent of the band that manages to hold it all together, it would be intolerable.

this was my first impression of “opticus vice versa,” but it turned to be quite natural defensive reaction to any band that uses standard goth hooks, contrasting pretty strings with balance of very high (and I mean that) female vocals and processed male voice on top of dark electro.

but no matter what, I would obediently put this album in the cd player every day for a few weeks in a row, and after that no one would be able to pull me away from the headphones.

as I said before, female vocals is the first thing you notice, and it is perfect – seductive, beautiful, ranging from floating girlish passages (“laughter of desire”) to deeper darker motives (incredible harmony of “despair” with gorgeous chorus lines and strong danceable motives put together with soaring strings).

putrefy factor 7 remix of “despair” has done to this track something that das ich has done to “sorcierce” by la floa maldita – adding harsh breaks, rolling sparse percussion and mechanized rhythms to the angelic harmony weaved by soft keys and gorgeous chorus of female voices, deepening the contrast even further, making it one of the best tracks on this cd.

quite a few other tracks are a bit slower slightly hinting darkwave background; they essentially prevent this cd from becoming absolutely perfect. I am not really sure how to recommend this album, after all, if all the labels and genre definitions are set aside, “opticus vice versa” should receive a wide recognition it deserves.