CRYSTAL SODA CREAM
Escape from Vienna
After a self-titled debut EP in March (through which the band demonstrated potential yet), Crystal Soda Cream has released in April their first full-length album which is called "Escape from Vienna". Consisting of Theresa Adamski (drums, synths), Philipp Forthuber (guitar, vocals) and Sebastian Ploier (bass), the Austrian trio proposes an intense journey across the shady corners of mind. Philipp's voice, dissonant and dynamic, going insanely from breathy to harsh tones, guides this exploration of claustrophobic and melodramatic soundscapes. Rooted in Post-Punk and tinged with early New Wave sounds, their music is elegantly decadent, with the forseeable dose of uprooting and introspection, but also enough compelling and varied. Crystal Soda Cream manages the moods and paces skillfully to keep the things attractive, as demonstrated by one of the highlights, "Sweet Doom", where eighties' goth hooks are cunningly combined with distressing downtempos. Thus, besides the somber bluesy "Spy Game", the hypnotic, hybrid made of Krautrock and Shoegaze elements, with the lysergic emanations that the David Lynch's film soundtracks used to provide, "Dead Again", or the unsettlingly atmospheric "Shot By Both Sides", you can find more shiny tunes like the title track, with extended synth lines and classic New Wave guitar figures, or the delightfully melancholic "Roman Holiday". Also there is fast, groovy-paced numbers such as the opener "Freud und Jung" or the moodily distorted "Drag". The cold-hearted "Shades" and the bitting "DIWHY" complete the repertoire, which is faithfully represented in the album's cover art. "Escape from Vienna" compiles modern, yet vintage, dark sounds that are well worth listening. Definitely, this is an emotional roller coaster that you must ride.
Review by Billyphobia
- 01. Freud und Jung
- 02. Escape From Vienna
- 03. Sweet Doom
- 04. Dead Again
- 05. Roman Holiday
- 06. Shot By Both Sides
- 07. Shades
- 08. DIWHY
- 09. Drag
- 10. Spy Game