it's easy to fall in love with a band when they combine the best elements of all the music i love. pj harvey's sullen growl, curve's slinky whispers, the droning layers of my bloody valentine, the electronic shivers of depeche mode...
cruel black dove's sinuous odes to love and longing are lusciously thick, yet beautifully sinister. and their live shows? positively hypnotic. frontwoman anastasia dimou's delicate porcelain doll looks belie the sonorous voice that comes from her pursed lips and she has the sheer vocal power and diversity to embody both the sultry songstress and wide-eyed banshee. her delivery on the thumping crescendo of "war son" is reason enough to become a cruel black devotee. producer/guitarist alan veucasovic may be stoic onstage, but his incredible talent speaks in volumes. his carefully crafted production has subtlety and ferocity that gets better with each listen (especially on "the offer"). style is delivered by the inimitable shirley ho, whose bone-shaking bass lines and brooding stage presence give the band's live shows an element of dark sensuality. and drummer jonathan nanberg drives each song with rhythmic command that leaves you tingling. quite simply, the boy plays HARD.
forget all the sneering bravado you'd expect from a brooklyn band on the rise- cruel black dove simply delivers. they seem voracious in their unerring desire to chill audiences to the very core. i've been lucky enough to watch them grow more and more polished over the past year and a half, and it's time you started loving them, too.
go to their website. lurk on their myspace page. and BUY. iz good. jes.
