Voltaire

The Devil’s Bris (Projekt)
by Rowan-Morrison

Proving that Goth music doesn’t have to be a serious and abstract art form is the wickedly entertaining individual known as Voltaire. Utilizing an assortment of stringed instruments, his band creates beautiful orchestral arrangements that would be the perfect soundtrack for an afterhours Renaissance fair. A few of the songs even evoke Firewater’s more experimental symphonic tracks, especially Voltaire’s take on the Klezmer classic “Shalom.” Unfortunately, although Voltaire’s shadow-tinged vocals compliment the haunting mood, the sinister bent of his lyrics will probably divide his audience. The opening song, for example, details Voltaire’s fantasy of killing his ex-girlfriend’s new guy, chopping him up and mailing the pieces all over the country. And then there’s “The Man Upstairs,” in which he eloquently croons about asking a woman to “murder the fuck upstairs” as a friendship forging favor. This might be the grimmest release of the year, but it’s also one of the best.
(PO Box 9140 Long Island City, NY 11103)