We now live in a surveillance society. The most recent observer of this evident truth is Goth chanteuse Lahannya and her Anglo-German backing band. Their solution is to invite you to join the underground. Whereas most ‘undergrounds’ in this context tend to be the supposedly laudable Baader-Meinhof type hippy loser terrorists who irritatingly win in low-budget British movies, the artwork on the Lahannya EP suggests they mean the London Underground. Ordinarily a jaunt on the London Underground implies enormous expense, extreme delay and chance encounters with colourful characters. On weekends it means walking from your point of departure to your destination. Despite this, if Lahannya asked you to join her in the grim catacombs you might just go.
Immediately following Lahannya’s spoken invitation, the EP lurches into first track ‘Inside the Machine’ which boasts a satisfying churning guitar riff and strong chorus exploring Lahannya’s vocal range. It is immediately obvious both that the band has heard Lacuna Coil and that Lahannya has nothing like Christina Scabbia’s vocal range. However sounding like Lacuna Coil is less of a problem now that the originals have officially lost a plot, and while Lahannya is no Tarja Turunen her voice has that dream-like quality Goths aspire to. At her best she sounds a little like Rogue from The Cruxshadows.
Where Lahannya really scores is strong song-writing and melody. Second track ‘No Tomorrow’ is a particularly good mid-paced anthem with a well-honed and catchy chorus. Ok none of it is very original. If you have spent any time in Lahannya’s natural habitat The Slimelight where she resides as a DJ, the introduction with its waves of synth will sound highly familiar. However it is a comforting, more-ish familiarity. ‘Beneath the City’ again evokes The Cruxshadows, with that familiar synthetic string sound and a reverb-heavy guitar sound plundered from the Fields of the Nephilim. It probably could have done without the castanets though.
Final track ‘Welcome to the Underground’ is equally strong, with a solid chorus and some clever vocal melody arrangements. Although Lahannya tend to be busier, is it just about possible to detect the almost-departed shade of the Sisters of Mercy in the verse and particularly the Patricia Morrison-style thumping bass line. The chorus is everything good about recent Goth. There is plenty to sing along to, and as one would expect from a Slimelight DJ it is highly danceable if flailing your arms about like a retarded windmill in a weedy gothic way is your thing.
The rest of the EP (which is the same length as the thing itself) consists of remixes. To anyone but contemporary Goths, remixes are crapper versions of the same songs. Otherwise they would be called ‘mixes’. So it proves with Lahannya. The Xotox remix is particularly obnoxious, being reminiscent of a vast horde of highly regimented buffaloes farting in time with Lahannya wailing irrelevantly in the distance.
If the remixes are ignored, which while all 20 of London’s cybergoths will find them fascinating will be the reaction of most listeners, this is a good EP. Lahannya are not breaking any new ground but are good at delivering mid-paced danceable Gothic Rock, comfortingly reminiscent of your favourites from that genre. Although not the best singer in the world, Lahannya has something about her. Gothic women come in two sizes - pixie and whale. Helpfully for Lahannya’s career she is the former. With her shock of blue-beaded hair, gothic lingerie and striking looks she should prove compelling for the male members of the audience. That her backing band boasts alumni from credible outfits like Killing Miranda and NFD can only enhance their visibility.
In fact the only obvious problem with this EP is the artwork, a cartoon representation of the band members standing in a shiny-looking underground. This was provided by David Bircham of ‘Brodie’s Law’ fame which probably means it is inherently cool but also that it cost a fortune. It is all too glossy. Goths used to be masters of decay. Remember the ‘Corrosion’ video? Or Fields of the Nephilim’s ‘Preacher Man’ with its irradiated mutants? Lahannya - who spends a lot of time in The Slimelight and so knows what grime looks like - is alluring enough in glossy cartoon form, but would a photo be more alluring still? The supposed pigeon also looks more like a budgie. Still before the band get all upset, consider. If all the critics can find to bitch at is the artwork, the CD must be pretty good – right?
http://www.lahannya.com
http://www.myspace.com/lahannya
