Narcissus is from Ohio. This is their second full length on Takehold records.
I have really enjoyed "Newwave Techno Homicide" (Narcissus's first release with Takehold) and so when I heard that they had taken their sound in a new direction I was terribly disappointed. But after listening to "Becoming Leviathan," all I can do is sit with my mouth on the floor. In an attempt to describe this album I can't seem to come up with any words that would do it justice. You could take their previous material as a foundation and add much more singing (as opposed to screaming; although that's still there too), more electronics, piano, acoustic guitar and a lot of different experimental sounds. I'll take you through the experience of listening to this CD.
First the packaging is really cool. It's cardboard sleeve with some sweet artwork and a great lyric insert. Then you take the CD and you plug it in. "Twin-allergy" hits you right in the gut with a depth and character that copycat bands could only dream of. "Sending the Current" starts off with a jungle beat mixed with like Russian folk music before merging into the rest of the song. Each track has its own power and shows skillful song craftsmanship.
The recording is great and the electronic parts throughout the whole presentation aren't anything to be scared of because it totally adds to the songs. You might be initially disappointed that there are only seven songs, but these guys created such great music in these seven songs, that they didn't bother trying to add a bunch of filler material. It's great to see a band like Narcissus making their own path, not blindly writing weak music to the tune of someone else's creativity. This is a fantastic album that is easily one of the best releases of the year.
A
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