As I came across this wonderful debut album of the duo Dear Strange, I felt an instant desire to write about it. In times when you feel overloaded with mainstream, cloned and recycled ideas this duo really offers a unique artistic expression. Even though it is a debut album, it surely offers a lot.
What attracts the listener at first is surely the strong and powerful voice of Dorian E, the voice that is the statement of its own, and to be honest, after all the sopranos her alto voice sometimes traveling to mezzo soprano is just such a nice refreshment.
Sound-wise, I would not label this album easily as it is a mixture of influences, from electro-pop, retro electronic to indie-pop with a melancholic feel to it. Even though it can be easily played on the dancefloor.
The album consists of 11 songs, but the same idea merges them all into a voyage of strong beats, great melodies and your own thoughts evoked by the general feel of the album.
The album opens with “The Unicorn” that can give you a hint about the rest of the material, such a melancholic and emotional track that really makes you want to listen to the rest, as for me, the perfect choice for the opening song. “Lonely Heroes”, a more poppy song takes me back with its retro feel, and the spoken part evokes the memories of Visage and Human League as an echo of some past times I sometimes feel great nostalgia for, but this bands offers that synth-pop enthusiasm in the present time. Another great chorus can be heard on “I Can See Through This” and “Licht” which is personally my favourite song, as it offers a bit of a mysterious, darker atmosphere and not so catchy chorus so it can easily be skipped, but deserves more attention and listening. “Strangers as We Are” and “Hand Full of Nothing” have again a real hit quality that we have witnessed on this album already and I can just let you explore the rest for yourselves.
So if your soul is in search of dark melancholia, reach for “Lonely Heroes” and enjoy it to the fullest!
Released 2015.
Lebel: Out of Line
members: Romain Frequency: machines, production,music Dorian E: Vocals, Soul & Performance.
Enjoy the video for “The Unicorn”!