Gothic, ethereal sounds are all the rage these days. You’ve got ghost-like songstresses in Austra (QRO live review) and Zola Jesus (QRO album review), to say nothing of the rise of chillwave. So now it takes something more to stand out – you can’t just have a frontwoman cloaked in gossamer white cloth, with her and whatever backing band she has lit only by strobe light or smoke machine. Thankfully, IO ECHO does have more on Ministry of Love.
To be fair, IO ECHO does have a frontwoman cloaked in gossamer white cloth, with her and her backing band lit only by strobe light or smoke machine (QRO photos). But their sound has more than the usual airy goth. “When the Lillies Die” has a whistle, not unlike Peter Bjorn and John (QRO spotlight on) hit “Young Folks“ – not similar just for the whistle, but for the catchy beat as well, almost like a goth PB&J. Meanwhile, the following title track very nicely expands and carries the listener with its somber nature. The Casio pop tones to “Tiananmen Square” make the atmosphere enjoyable. Later piece “Drag Love” feels like new wave redux – but then augments it into something new by using a speedy modern beat as backdrop.
Of course, there are more run-of-the-mill airy numbers, like the slow haunt opener “Shanghai Girls” and washing later piece, “Berlin, It’s All a Mess”. And the air to finish “Eye Father” is not helped by having a hidden track (why do bands still have hidden tracks that make you fast-forward/scroll through?…). But in the packed scene that is airy goth these days, IO ECHO do stand out by doing something more with the sound.
IO ECHO – When the Lillies Die
