GEOMETRIC VISION: Virtual Analog Tears (SwissDarkNights 2015)
For some time, Italy has become a swarm of new dark bands, you could almost say that two of every three bands that emerge (and there are a lot lately) come from this country. Specially when talking about minor genres like coldwave, afterpunk, and in general, the 80’s revival. It could be the climate or the water or who can say, but they’re welcome. Mostly because the average level is very high, I don’t know if there are a lot more bands underneath them, but they don’t arrive to me…
The italian trio Geometric Vision gave us a pleasant surprise two years ago with their debut, Dream. Then we mentioned that it was some of those bands that had the weird (because of it not being very common) quality of carrying you to other worlds, other times, other atmospheres. I really wanted to check if in the second CD (so difficult, so many times) they were able to keep doing it. And, of course, they were capable of maintaining a very high level, an horizon of insulting creativity, a breaking resounding landscape with mature origin. With class, style and savoir faire. In summary, they were able to repeat the strike they made with Dream. They’ll play again in SwissDarkNights, which is a guarantee, at least in part.
Black Heaven gets back the 80’s atmosphere since the beginning, in the sound and the structure. Deep basses, keyboards and effects, clear and blurry guitars, the voice reminds us of the first The Cure (for example). The elements and features existing in Dreams, repeat the beginning of this album. However, an evolution can be appreciated, the aim of taking those influences beyond. They carry the 80’s style without forgeting that thirty years have passed since then. Think moves on the same world as Black Heaven but it is colder, more coldwave. A danceable, smart and well executed song. I would say that at this point, the improvement in the production can be appreciated, well-throughout and less fast than the debut album one (logical), nonetheless the essence of the songs stay the same, this italian’s typical personality. Hills is redundant for good on what we have said. It preserves the past air of the last songs and expands the register, mainly regarding the guitars. A cold song and danceable at the same time. Another Day Without Blue speeds up, filled with rage with the main bass and the voice flying above the cold notes from the keyboard, in my opinion one of the outstanding songs of this album. Again showing that it can be cold and hectic at the same time.
Generation A reminds us immediately of some of the great bands of the genre without it looking like any of them. Evocative, dreamy, sharp like ice… Gives way to the wonderful In Your Silent Room, teen atmosphere of incomprehension and desired self-sufficiency. Sweet and sad at the same time, another of those cuts that could have thirty years. These Geometric Vision allow themselves to make a revival without forgetting the present, but stablished in an era that, thanks to them and many others, is more vibrant than ever. Panic confirms it. The bass is the main character again in a song that if it doesn’t make you move your feet is because you aren’t alive at all. As Joy, with similar approach, a bit slower but with similar spirit. I’m running out of adjectives, I’m running out of comparisons, Virtual Analog Tears is one of those works that are easier to listen to than to talk about them. The homonymous shows it: a lot more thoughtful and introspective. The effect of the voice and the omnipresent keyboard, some postpunk accent… amazing song. Stupid Song For Dreamers is more synthetic. More technopop. Novembre is darker. Again the coldness in a melody that sticks to you completely and makes you want to listen it again and again. The CD ends with Nenia, the longest of the album, one of the most intense. Keyboards, basses, a thousand effects for a dark melody, in italian. A perfect end with those samplers. Beautiful.
As I said at the beginning, there could be some remaining doubts of Geometric Vision being able to repeat what they did in Dream or if they would be like one of those bands that after a very inspiring debut, they lost themselves in the second album (the most difficult one) without even achieving the reached level. At this point, I don’t have any. Dream was (and it is) a wonderful CD, but this Virtual Analog Tears it seems even better to me, more complete and personal. More mature too, showing that it didn’t happen by chance and making a promising future.
Remember that you can buy it here SwissDarkNights or through us.. Or sending an email to info@laletracapital.com
