Martes 27 Oct 2009, 20:46
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The greatest Italian export right now (after pizza, apparently), the goth/pop/metal band Lacuna Coil have released their most accessible album to date. The hardcore fanbase may not be pleased with the new path their idols seem to have chosen on Shallow Life, but the album itself is far from a failure. This is a solid and intense album. There are several songs in here that remind me why I fell in love with the band in the first place – Cristina’s gorgeous vocals soaring over epic guitar landscapes, eerie keyboards and crispy clean production. Their ethereal nature is very much present. The aspect about them that has changed the most, in my view, is their mood. It’s unapologetically upbeat and optimistic now - they’re singing about blue skies and the celebration of life, stating boldly that, no, this is not a gothic metal album. This is hard rock with gothic flourishes. But for those of us who recognize other music genres besides metal, that’s not a problem really.
The new album met my expectations, didn’t surpass them, but instead offered little experimental surprises that I didn’t think a band like Lacuna Coil would try to tackle (flashes of grunge and technopop, for example). More "mainstream" or "radiofriendly" approach does not necessarily matter to me if there is high ambition behind a record and an artist’s heart is in it. Shallow Life has both. This is not we’re-just-throwing-you-something type of record, this is we-want-to-sweep-you-off-your-feet type of record.
Although Shallow Life is a concept album (Lacuna’s first), the songs all have very different stylistic structures, and that gives the album a broad, fresh ambience. It feels urgent, never phlegmatic. I Survive blasts as a powerful opener and Andrea’s voice works well in the chorus, considering that he’s not always comfortable to listen to. The second half of the album is a bit dragged down by the pretty disposable The Maze. I don’t usually like to skip tracks when I’m listening to albums from my favourite bands, but I’ll be skipping this one.
They still have the issue with "fragmentation". Meaning that their songs consist of melodic fragments, not a seamless flow of full melody. I know it’s part of their uniqueness and I’m fine with it, but it can at times make the transition from verse to refrain sound clunky or leave the impression of a dead space that serves no purpose in the song. Then again, when those fully melodic pieces do come, they appear even more exhilarating because of that general deficiency.
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Shallow Life is not a masterpiece in the vein of their first three albums; a few moments still slip into unfortunate Linkin Park-isms (they share a producer), but it is a huge leap towards the right direction and the magic has definitely returned after Karmacode. My number one song is Wide Awake, which, dare I say, might be the most beautiful ballad they have composed since Falling Again. Cristina also brings forth her most inspired vocal performance in this song; her voice is so emotionally charged that it creates effective imagery in your head when you listen to her sing those lyrics. That is impressive, because the message is bright and positive and usually it's melancholy that tends to feed a singer's passion. Other highlights include Not Enough, I Like It, The Pain, Unchained, and the title track Shallow Life.
I appreciate the fact that they have stayed honest and true to themselves. If this is the place they are at right now, Shallow Life is exactly the album they needed to make. The band has tried to expand and reach out to some avenues of sound and feeling that they have not tried before. It is a risky move and does not guarantee success, but without giving it a go nothing artistic would ever happen - your music would not grow or evolve or transform. You would basically end up like Nickelback. And I love Lacuna Coil because they're NOT like Nickelback, thank god.
8/10
Tracklist
I Survive
I Won't Tell You
Not Enough
I'm Not Afraid
I Like It
Underdog
The Pain
Spellbound
Wide Awake
The Maze
Unchained
Shallow Life
Oblivion (bonus track)
The Last Goodbye (bonus track)
http://i860.photobucket.com/albums/ab168/SonicView_2009/Lacuna_Coil_singers.jpg
Cristina Scabbia & Andrea Ferro on stage
