Alice Gift – Nothing Against Uplifting But… (Album – Icy Cold Records / Cymbeline Records)

Genre/Influences: Dream-Pop.
Format: Digital, CD, Vinyl.
Background/Info: Alice Gift is a Franco-German artist operating from Berlin (Germany). This must be the artist’s second opus which has been released as a collaboration between Icy Cold Records and Cymbeline Records -which released the debut album “Alles Ist Gift” (2021).
Content: We first get an intro song followed by melancholic, Dream-Pop, songs featuring the artist’s sensual, androgenic, vocals on top. The album remains wafting although accentuated at the last part by a few menacing electronic sequences and even a psychedelic touch running through the last song.
+ + + : This album features a few beautiful songs featuring a mysterious sphere and driven by the androgenic vocals of the artist. “Headwar” and “To Live And Die In L.A.” both are true attention grabbers but I also recommend listening to the somewhat harder “Pride (Prequel)”.
– – – : I regret the work is only featuring 7 songs so in the end it rather looks like a mini-album. The tracklist sounds pretty cool, featuring cool songs although missing a real apotheosis.
Conclusion: Alice Gift is an interesting artist for its darker, melancholic, interpretation of Dream-Pop.
Best songs: . “Headwar”, “To Live And Die In L.A.”, “Pride (Prequel)”.
Rate: 7½.
Artist: www.alicegift.com / www.facebook.com/alice.gift.75
Labels: www.facebook.com/icycoldrecords / www.facebook.com/CymbelineRecords
About Alice Gift
Alice Gift is the stage name of a Berlin-based German-French singer-songwriter, previously active with the band Velvet Condom. His music moves between chanson-noir and dreamy noise-pop, and he has also composed for soundtrack projects including the Netflix series “Elite” and the documentary “B-Movie: Lust & Sound In West Berlin”.
Alice Gift released the debut album “Alles Ist Gift” in 2021, followed by “Nothing Against Uplifting, But…” on Icy Cold Records in 2023. He has toured Japan, Mexico, Europe and the United States, sharing stages with Actors, Clan of Xymox, She Past Away, Film School and Light Asylum. A new album, produced with The Notwist and Fenster producer Tadklimp, is in progress.
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I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.
