It's said that the addict is forever chasing the feeling of their first high. While I can’t attest to that, I do think the same can be said for the music junkie. Since 1990, I've been chasing the dragon that was the opening strains of Plainsong, forever trying to reawaken my senses to those intense feelings only music can evoke. The single for Love like Shadows certainly did that- feeling somehow both comfortingly familiar, yet still giving me that “hair standing on end” excitement of a new discovery. When the record arrived from the label aufnahme+wiedergabe I spent the evening just flipping it from one side to the other, an endless loop of the beauty and alluring sound. While you can easily hear the influence of Lycia, The Cocteau Twins and both the 4AD and Lively Art labels, there’s also an undercurrent of bands like Sad Lovers and Giants, and Abecedarians that bring a driving edge to the songs. The longing in vocalist Vanessa Irena’s voice floats just above the lush and haunting music- the ringing guitars, the warmth of the synths, the cavernous bass lines. All in all, I couldn’t have imagined a record that captivated me more than Silhouettes has, from start to finish.

For an added treat, check out the band’s amazing cover of the Glove’s Mouth to Mouth, available free from Everything is Chemical .

-Michelle has been into Goth culture since that fateful day in 1990 when she first heard Disintegration. Since then, she’s been owning all her cliches proudly. You can find her on tumblr, where she tries to keep goth “Goth” or crate digging at any number of local NYC record shops.







