Lowe: Evolver

A flawless victory: Neo-80s vampire music.

The rate at which Chicago indie WTII has been wailing on Metropolis Records in the fight for the goth dollar has been noticeable lately, and now it's even happening in the 80s-pop sideshow that's becoming more and more a part of the action.

The 3rd album from this Swedish band is short on volume but long on content, featuring some super-catchy ideas in the vein of Depeche Mode and New Order (the hypnotic, mission-critical bass lines are handled by the son of ABBA's old bassplayer), the perfect amount of subterranean noise loopage -- I dunno, it's what I'd do if I were in band like this, thus your own mileage may vary. The one downside is that the sound itself is derivative, but that's the least of people's worries when they're hunting for good neo-80s vampire music.

But song-wise, where things are made or broken, it's a flawless victory, most notably "Adorable" and "Half the Double Speed," which allude to Sisters of Mercy without being at all clone-like.

By Eric Saeger

Homepage: Lowe
Homepage: WTII Records