Pøltergeist – Nachtmusik (Coldly Nouveau Gothwave)
Took me awhile to want to review this one, and apologies to the band because they’re great lol. One of my problems, as of late, has been looking for too much newness in what I get. I still stand by good art making an album worth a listen, that will never change, but does everything need to break new ground? In this case to break new ground for graves? No, and I so rarely get Goth that’s any lick of good I should just STFU and review this shit when it comes in. And, in this case, getting past my pretentious angst, I discovered that Canada’s Pøltergeist are not classic at all, they’re nouveau. What seems at first the land of trad is much more than that. Find out through Nachtmusik.
I thought this trio was from Germany at first lol, good thing I checked. Pøltergeist have an obvious trad sound to their shoegazing tendencies, but among the black, lace, and candles, there’s something more exceptional. The bass carries a faintly eerie echo, the guitars are supple and emotional, and the vocals are delivered like a depressive on the verge of tears. Does that sound stereotypical enough for you? Well, I can tell you after several listens, it’s not. Though Nachtmusik, and other work by these three, leans towards post-punk, there are elements of old school metal and death rock cast into the mists swirling around their sound. Their own title of “bedroom Goth” is a good fit, but this avoids the variety of details in what they do and reduces it too greatly. At first it all sounds so simplistic, but once the listener takes the time to give their full attention to Pøltergeist and truly feels the strings they’re plucking on your heart-wounds, Nachtmusik transcends into the ethereal. Truly a beautiful work, glad I took the time to suck up my usual pretensions, because I would have missed it otherwise!
Written by Stanley, Devourer of Souls
Pøltergeist – Nachtmusik
Bad Omen
Cover Art: Ryan Kostel (Noodles)
4.7 / 5
