Tristraum - Gray (Review by: Hard-Wired.org.uk)
by Synth-Lover
Rating out of 10: 7.5
If there were an award for best cover art then this American trio's debut
would win by a mile so hats off to bandmember Pierre Norman, whose idea it
was. More importantly, of course, the music that he, along with Randall
Erkelens & vocalist Krystyna Eller make is worth lending an ear too, as
well. It is, in fact, Krystyna's ethereal, harmonic, dramatic & at times
mysterious vocals that set the band apart from many of their contemporaries
by adding a more characteristic touch to such otherwise traditional synthpop
offerings as the solid opening duo of "Eyes Wide Open" & "First Embrace" as
well as "Chase The Fire" & "I'm Under No One". However it's on the more
evocative tracks that they really find their niche, telling their story
while complimenting the mysterious, exotic & somewhat sultry feel (thanks to
the Arabian touches) of the excellent "Death Of Varena". Likewise the
seductive & subtly erotic mood of "Gray", which features the additional
talents of Modyssey's Doug Bell, is likewise enhanced by her expertise,
making for a most beautiful & intimate piece that evokes making love late at
night in the light of the full moon. Few bands are able to evoke such
feelings (& with such clarity, too) so it's to their eternal credit that
they can & it's this area that I hope they develop further in future with
the baroque touches that compliment the excellent piano work on the dancey
"Shiver" proving another nice touch. On a darker note, however, I'm not
convinced that the increasingly offbeat path that "Before It's Gone" takes,
moving on from its initially lovely opening & acting like a narrative to a
strange play, is a totally good idea although it does prove they're not
afraid to wander away from conventional realms. However, the cover of Gary
Numan's "Walking With Shadows" is a definate no-no & while I'm sure that it
wasn't their intention to emulate the darkness of the original their version
sounds far too cosy, particularly the harmonised vocals, thus resurrecting
the long-dead spectre of, gulp, Techno Army &, yes, I fully realise what an
insult this is but it's true so I sincerely hope they never do anything like
this again & concentrate on their many good points. Still, that they're able
to provoke such extreme reactions in the space of one review proves that
they're not your run-of-the-mill synthpop band &, despite coming a cropper
at times they're pretty special at their best &, overall, I'll look forward
to what they come up with in the future.
Carl Jenkinson
