Bella Lune - Synesthesia (CD - Aetheria Music)

The cover of this album might give the impression that this is some British electro/goth duo but, no, Fuchsia and Kal3id both hail from the US. The cover art does give a pretty good idea of the music you'll find here, though, as the duo present a gothic pop style that is playful yet ethereal, lightweight yet mysterious, fey yet down-to-earth, sounding not unlike a lighter Clan Of Xymox in places.
That the whole thing is bathed in reverb helps enormously in bringing forth the more offbeat moods that mark a good many tracks and provide a contrast to what otherwise could have been a very lightweight affair; as it is only “Last Words” really suffers in this regard & that's partly down to the fact that it follows the musical magic that is “Unanswered Questions” where some Oriental flavors add an extra ethnic element to what is a potent musical experience. As good as it is, though, it's outstripped by the even more wonderous “So Long Ago” which transfixes the listener with its full-on psychedelic experience. That the music lends itself to such flights of fancy is always the sign of a quality offering but there's much more on offer here as the surging “A Different Effect” and “Illogical Logic” mix some gothic-styled guitars with nicely chunky synthleads while Fuchsia's vocals should appeal if you like the style of The Birthday Massacre's Chibi (I actually thought it was her on one of the inner sleeve pics!).
All in all, this is a nicely intriguing release that's different enough to stand out from the crowd & is well worth checking out.
(CLJ:7)CLJ.
Band & Label: www.bellalune.net / www.myspace.com/bellalune

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