Review of the Century #9

It's always fun moaning about stuff.

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Deaf Leaf Echo – Faint Violet Whiff

The ‘80s were great for lots of things. One of these things was music, so it makes sense that lots of musicians nowadays hark back to 20 years ago on their quest to be The Next Big Thing. Equally, the ‘80s were full of things WTF?!, things best forgotten and so on. Deaf Leaf Echo have accidentally picked the latter. ‘Faint Violet Whiff’ provides a churning dirge of guitar-driven riffery, roots of which may be found in the back catalogues of The Cranberries and perhaps, gasp, U2, but it is the myriad layering of generic effects that place this effort in a world of its own.

Notable are references to Nabokov’s Lolita, an epic piece of literature about the perils of kiddy-fiddling. And Dead Leaf Echo are certainly epic. But perhaps this should ring warning bells, as Deaf Leaf Echo’s Achilles Heel seems to lie in not being able to leave alone things that should be left alone. This in mind, despite overzealous guitar drones and a vocal affliction designed for the Smashing Pumpkin inside us all, DLE have a command of song structure to be admired. The emotion they evoke so melodramatically owes in most part to the variety of texture in their sound. ‘Denial’ builds up an air of optimistic anticipation reminiscent of Sigur Ros and tension is palpable, but there is certainly room for improvement.

They might not want to hear this, but Dead Leaf Echo are playing the one trick pony. Emotional bands should create emotional music, but in creating a concept album based upon the complex relationship between two characters, a wider scope of emotion could make the whole ordeal more appealing, and, dare I say, more likeable. Not everyone’s cup of tea, but this will be enjoyable for those who enjoy the particular niche market Dead Leaf Echo are aiming for. What this niche is exactly, however, is hard to tell.