| Lovesick Gorgeous Tragedy |
Gorgeous Tragedy , the new CD by Boise, Idaho band Lovesick, is the aural equivalent of comfort food. They play straightforward poppy, melodic Goth Rock that goes down easy and leaves you feeling satisfied. Their influences are plainly visible -- a liberal sprinkling of the Cure, a healthy cupful of New Romanticism, a dash of Howard Jones -- but the end result manages to evoke the pleasures of the familiar without becoming derivative or unimaginative. Much of the power in Lovesick's music comes from Jeran Dahlquist's voice. Many Gothic singers strive for melodrama; others wind up there without even trying. Dahlquist understands the power of restraint. When he softly croons "Sometimes I'm strong/Sometimes I hate you like I should" (in "Sometimes") or "She's going to die alone/and I don't care" (in "Nameless") you feel heartbreak, not pathos. Instead of scenery-chewing and breast-beating, you get the wistful sadness of love gone wrong; instead of shrieking anger, you get the quiet frustration of a collapsing relationship ("Haunting"). Jeran's singing is subtle but not unfeeling, neither Gary Numanesque anhedonia or Robert Smith histrionics. Credit should also be given to the instrumental support. On "Gone Away," Dalquist and Thom Keithly provide a tuneful two-pronged guitar attack that joins with the keyboard for an accompaniment that could be a lost track from the Cure's Disintegration sessions. In an earlier review of a Lovesick EP, I felt like "Haunting" hadn't really jelled as a song. The new version is tighter and far stronger, thanks largely to a strong sweet power-pop lead guitar underpinning and more strong synth work from Ryan Powers. There are innumerable bands today who are trying to do an "80s sound." Most of them suck donkey scrotums. Thankfully, Lovesick takes their cue from the best of the 80s. "Starfall" is sweet and sad, a remembrance of things past complete with jingly piano and straight-ahead 4/4 drumbeat by Landon Shaffer, who neither looks nor plays like a beatbox. It's not the cold mechanistic riffs of synthpop, but rather the music of 80s MTV, revamped for a new generation. I was reminded at times of the autumnal melancholy of Bruce Hornsby or vintage Elton John. It's as if Lovesick came to us from an alternate dimension where Grunge never happened. They're not afraid to write simple melodic pop tunes... and have given us a 5-song CD with five potential singles. Many of the CDs I review end up as drink coasters. A few have taken up near-permanent residence in my stereo's carousel. Lovesick's Gorgeous Tragedy is the latest one. If the boys from Boise keep going like this, before long I'm going to have to buy a bigger multidisc player. 1. Sometimes Jeran Dahlquist: Vocals, Guitars Lovesick Website |