Emerging from a city with its own legendary musical history, Sheffield duo Promenade Cinema have delivered a debut album that keeps that legacy very much alive.
Best known for giving the world the likes of The Human League, Heaven 17 and Cabaret Voltaire, Sheffield has again brought forth another electronic act that manage to stand on their own and have the tunes to prove it.
Describing their sound as Cinedramatic Synthpop, Dorian Cramm and Emma Barson have rapidly chalked up critical appraisal for their darkwave delights.
As a niche, the darkwave end of the synthpop spectrum has cultivated some classic bands of the past, although there´s always a danger that treading the
same ground is going to result in a stale, by-the-numbers synth act. But Living Ghosts is a much subtler beast that shows a band evolving and makes
Promenade Cinema´s work a likely candidate for album of the year.
Formerly part of Berlyn Trilogy, Dorian Cramm has since joined forces with Emma Barson to establish in this new venture which serves as a reminder of
the talent that the northern electronic scene has to offer. Acts such as She´s Got Claws, Future Perfect, Twist Helix and the aforementioned Berlyn Trilogy
all represent a healthy synthpop environment and one in which Promenade Cinema slot into quite neatly.
Living Ghosts presents a concise collection of the duo´s work, wrapped up in an album that traces a distinct arc over the course of 10 tracks. Interestingly,
opening track As The World Stops Revolving doesn´t quite blow your socks off. It´s a serviceable slice of synthpop, but not quite on par with the rest of the
album´s content. Instead, Spotlight is where the album starts showing its true power. It´s a dense, layered composition with a flourish for treating vocals
in intriguing layered ways. A pulse-driven composition that´s contrasted with the slightly melancholy piano elements.