Checklined: Leandra - 'Metamorphine'

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04 Apr, 2008

Checklined: Leandra - 'Metamorphine' 5 editors at Side-Line briefly gave their view on the newest album of Leandra: "Metamorphine", out on E-Wave Records/Drakkar Entertainment Gmbh. Here's what our jury had to say:

It is my first experience with this girl and from a musical point of view, we can notice here and there some electronic pop tones, some trip-hop accents or even classic music with always this heady voice which is really the centre of the songs and which could doubtless irritate some of you. The whole deserves your attention.
(CX:6)CX.
Leandra is a new name in the ethereal-pop scene releasing with “Metamorphine” a precious and promising debut full-length. It’s an accomplished production with excellent influences and a quite diversified content. “Metamorphine” shows a mature composition, which in conjunction with Oli Schmidt (Letzte Instanz) reached a high qualitative level!
(DP:7/8)DP.
Starting with a sober piano riddle and alienated vocals this project immediately made me think of a macabre version of Tori Amos. Most tracks start innocently but have a nice twist somewhere in the middle; some tracks even end into quite sonic, guitar powered assaults. This “Metamorphine”-album blends Portishead and Björk with the delicacy of Nick Cave. Sometimes a bit far-fetched though.
(NOA:7)NOA
Quite an entertaining release that does not really bring a total new dimension but which instead is filled by songs that have enough emotionally loaded ingredients to keep your attention. A song like "The Art Of Dreaming" is a perfect example of that blending mix of emotions, heavy synth layers and tension built up along the song. Although here and there described as the Tori Amos from the industrial scene, it would be a very misplaced tag put on Leandra, to me she has more from let's say Björk than from the well known ginger minestrel. Let's see how Leandra will develop, but this release has already grabbed my attention.
(BVI:8)BVI.
This new solo project is centred around the strong personality of the female singer and pianist Leandra. She already did some backing for bands such as Mila Mar or the metal act Letzte Instanz (who provide here an helping hand in return). Intimate gothic or dark wave stuff with a modern touch is what we get, with seducing vocals. It would maybe have needed a bit more variety because some tracks are sometimes too close in both atmospheres and instrumentation. The stronger and most appealing cut are undoubtedly the opener as well as the duet she performs with Dreadful Shadows mastermind.
(CF:7)CF.