Debut album of British band RazorBladeKisses appeared in the end of
2009 and brought them success outside Southampton where the musicans
live. Before "Twinkle Twinkle Little Scar" came out more danceable
"Ballerina" EP in 2005. That means that works on debut album lasted few
years and propably that's why this album is fully componised.
RazorBladeKisses made it in lineup: Layla Gordon (lyrics, vocal),
Azadeh Brown (vocal), Andi Gordon (bass, programming), Steve Phillips
(drums), Jacqui Taylor (guitar), Phil Reeve (violet, synthezators,
programming).
"Twinkle Twinkle Little Scar" starts with sweet, plaintive "Alice" - this track totally seduces with its similarity to lullaby sounds (in fact, lullabies are inspiration for band's music). This is intensified by sound of musical box that occurs in whole composition. Melancholy combinates with childlish helplessness, when the words are sung: "Please take, please take me home".The second track unawares sounds so strong with guitars - this is "New Nightmare". When I hear it, it brings to my mind demon-children, known from Japanese horror movies. Noisy, a little industrial atmosphere of this song is softened by simple, rhymed poetry - something like nursery rhymes, but much more scary with such words: "The more you give me, I want more".
"Pretty Dead Doll" is third track on this album, with typical RazorBladeKisses' aesthetics - it perfectly illustrates image of this band, called "elegant gothic lolita" - sweet bloodless angel with black eyes and lips, holding in his arms a doll that looks like corpse...
The fourth on tracklist is "No Strings Attached" - melodic, sorrowful rock ballad where the listener can clearly hear specifity of RazorBladeKisses' vocals. The both vocalists, Azadeh and Layla, are from Iran. They are born in Teheran and have taken music classes since childhood. Both have studied in famous British school Southampton Choral Society. Both are good educated artists and in vocal interpretations of Layla's lyrics they show oriental singing style, but in delicate, not exaggerated for European listener way. The songwriter doesn't avoid oriental inspirations - she uses Persian fairy-tales (these are such stories as Grimm's). It gives great terminal effect.
"Teddy" is faster, heavier track - one of my favourite. In music background of this catchy tune You can hear sounds like some soundtrack from "ghost story". This song about monsters from children bedroom is full of childlish sweetness. It's gothic lolita style once again - this aesthetics element isn't only visual part of RazorBladeKisses but also musican and You can see it evidently in "Teddy".
The sixth track is "Butterfly". I'm not sure but it seems there appear some Iranian words, sounding like spells. "Butterfly" emanates Middle Eastern magic, mysterious and attractive. It isn't sweet like the others, seems to be very mature. "Butterfly" ideal fits for other tracks, it's like a stop in fast journey which is listening to "Twinkle Twinkle Little Scar". The melodic line is filled with melancholy and sorrow, volatility and transience which are symbolised by a butterfly.
In album "Ballerinie", known before from EP from 2005, instruments are louder than vocal. Bluster of "Ballerine" is quite demonic. "I wanna make you scream" - it is threatened in chorus. Hard rock in beautiful, dreadful gothic way. This track is also one of my favourite.
In the beginning, "Toy Soldier" reminded me music by New York poet Suzanne Vega. But in fact, this song is nightmarish lullaby causing insomnia. The band says about their music that it is like "the saddest days of a cold autumn" that "chill the soul on a summer night" and I think this excellent song affirms it all. The vocals are sometimes choking and this strenght the anxious atmosphere of "Toy Soldier".
"Deadly Yours" is beautiful lyrical confession, fulfilled with grudge, attachment and love despair. Sinister dolls sing their gloomy song about exasperating love, causing suicidal thoughts.
The last track on album is "Lure of the Temptress". It is a thriller about femme fatale similar to ghost, a being out of this world, ruining explored, safe and rational reality into little pieces by coming from the beyond and seducing. This story for adult without unequivocal ending tells: "Once upon the time You will be mine".
The band is founded between 1999 and 2000. In 2001 Azadeh joined Andy and Layla. The guitarist Jacqui joined them in 2007. What about "Twinkle Twinkle Little Scar"? It has uniform style and every track is excellent - one after the other. The RazorBladeKisses created something that is included in gothic rock but also characterized by it own unique style. Maybe it is caused by oriental inspirations, but they are not obvious in RazorBladeKisses' music. Maybe in "Twinkle Twinkle Little Scar" there are ghosts from childhood haunt...
It's hard to tell, if RazorBladeKisses are similar to sharp razor blades or to deep kisses of razor. Ambiguity of the band name is really correct. The artists successfully mixed dark rock with softness of such genres like darkwave or ethereal.
Tracklist:
01. Alice
02. New Nightmare
03. Pretty Dead Doll
04. No Strings Attached
05. Teddy
06. The Butterfly
07. Ballerina
08. Toy Soldier
09. Deadly Yours
10. Lure Of The Temptress
Label: RazorBladeKisses Records (2009)
BlackDarkAngel : Hymmm sluchalam kilka piosenek z tej plyty i do fajniejszych nalezy wedlug mnie...
