Hard-Wired Goth Review
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Artist
Tying Tiffany
Title
Peoples Temple
Format/Cat
CD TRI 396 CD
Label
Trisol
Style
Goth
Date of review
11th July 2010
Reviewer
Carl Jenkinson
Rating
8/10
A new name to most of you, probably, but this is actually this Italian-born artists' third release. The cover image has her looking like a cross between a gothic Jean Shrimpton & a young Siouxsie Sioux but the music is a finely-honed combination of 80s goth & new wave with a smidgeon of electroclash with a generally lo-fi & slightly offbeat mood that is constantly inventive, exciting & enthralling. Right from the off it's clear Tiffany's heart lies in the 80s & with goth in particular, as proven by the atmospheric, brooding mood of 'Storycide' & 'Cecile' while the opening '3 Circles' kicks off proceedings with a mix of lo-fi gothic/new wave guitars & effected vocals that come across almost as a mix of Siouxsie Sioux & Danielle Dax with a distinctly punky edge. Indeed, there's a definite punky rawness that crops up throughout, most notably during the anarchic, thrashy chorus of 'Still In My Head' where she could almost be paying homage to the early Banshees sound while 'One Breath' seems to pay a similar tribute to The Damned, thanks in no small part to Johan Hinders' dramatic & overwrought vocals. Likewise, the offbeat electropop of 'Lost Way', with its authentic-sounding bass work pays homage to yet another 80s staple with another very Siouxsie-like vocal performance while 'Miracle' seems set to take this love of the old skool to its limit by initially sounding like a dead ringer for Killing Joke's Love Like Blood before showing its true colours as one of the album's poppier offerings. All of which leaves the strident, attitude-filled 'Show Me What You Got' to end the album on a pleasingly strong note. It's true to say, then, that this is an album that wears its influences very much on its sleeve but, throughout, Tiffany does manage to at least retain the spirit on invention that was such an important part of those days & thus sounds fresh even while paying homage to the styles of the past.