Search - Edera :: Ambiguous

Ominous, Yet Oh-So-Beautiful

Clarissa | Ontario, California | 01/03/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I would have given "Ambiguous" 5 instead of 4 stars but because of my dislike of "Static Unload" and because of the album's short and teasing length--which is truly unfair to the listener who craves more--I unfortunately must succumb to lowering my initial rating. This really is an amazing album from Cleopatra records though, which is home to one of my favorite goth groups, Switchblade Symphony. And while I don't necessarily recommend this to die-hard goth fans, I do recommend it to fans of dark ethereal music. Most of the songs like "The Last Beat Of My Heart", which features drums that bring to mind a vague resemblance to Dead Can Dance, and the sad melancholy of their remake to Siouxsie & The Banshees' "For You" creep along rather slowly, songs like "Monontonus & Ambiguous", "Never" and "Useless Polemical Chap" raise the bar a notch with darkwave electro beats that bleed into each other harmonically. Much like Collide, Switchblade Symphony, Mira and Dead Can Dance, the group Edera is a duo with Catrin Mallon on vocals and Oliver Henkel producing. And while Edera hasn't captured my attention as strongly as the artists mentioned above have, their sound is unlike any other and is completely original, so for that I applaud them. And while Catrin's vocals tend to ride on a rather monotonous level when it comes to depth and range, she's got a lovely singing style (ominously beautiful) that is rich and filled with a kind of passion that is truly unforced."

Good but short

JumpinJellyfish | California USA | 01/17/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I really like the majority of this CD. Songs like Good Things and Colors of Indifference are awesome. My least favorite songs are Vague Inklings (The beat and the lyrics don't mesh right in my mind) and Monotone & Ambiguous (which is interesting, but not a song I'd voluntarily listen to more than once). The rest is gold to my ears. The only other qualm I have with this CD is that it's short. 9 songs, minus the 2 I don't like makes for some limited listening. That's the only reason I gave it 4 instead of 5 stars. I'd recommend getting this album if you 're into bands like Cocteau Twins, Love is Colder Than Death, Love Spirals Downwards, and Chandeen."