A lot of bands have tried to blend electronic-style gothic pop with more aggressive, guitar-fuelled power. Few have made it work as well as these Canadians. Under Your Spell is their seventh, and best, album to date.
It opens with the brightly sparking One, before the title track and All Or Nothing reveal a darker, more cinematic side to their style. There are times, as with Without You, when they come a little too close to Yazoo, but for the most part they nestle nearer the Depeche Mode attitude, with the brooding Unkind and the disparate, haunting The Lowest Low being real gems.
Chibi’s exotic vocals are a constant focal point on an album that proves these genres can co-exist.
