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Principe Valiente
Choirs of Blessed Youth
Surprisingly upbeat and lush, Principe
Valiente charges the storm front with absolute demure and charisma.
The first song is a sunrise of effervescence as The Son I'll Never
Be draws you from beneath 6 feet of soft soil. Fernando
Honorato's heavenly vocals envelopes the ears with wall to wall
reverb; it's as if Brendan Perry of Dead Can Dance fronted a shoegaze
interpretation of Belong.
Choirs of Blessed Youth is
the second full length album (released by Afmusic) from this Swedish
post-punk/shoegaze band. For a band to invoke such beauty they sure
pack plenty of energy and excitement! Take Me With You, the
first single, demonstrates this observation quite lovely with it's
catchy chorus and dense guitar/keyboard work. The next stop is She
Never Returned, a song that
gradually laments of lost love and falling slow motion into the ocean
backwards.
The Dream is thick, creamy and beautifully accompanied by string arrangements, perfectly encapsulating the essence of the song title. What I love most about the ethereal approach is how the encompassing sounds draws out the imagination and with a bit of the listener's effort, can see reflection to their own lives; exquisitely dreamy. The energy picks back up with Wasted Time, a resurgence of blaring drums, shrieking guitars and heavy chorus bass line. The Fighting so far seems to be my favorite track, perhaps because the vocals remind me so much of Dead Can Dance (which is definitely not a bad thing). This blend of vocal delivery and shoegaze/post-punk style were simply meant to be; a fascinating union that I suspect will take the band to even greater heights.
Curiously,
the title track is the shortest on the album, an ambient piece with
no vocals or clues. Perhaps Choirs of the Blessed Youth
is a reflection of space and our own small insignificance if one were
to take into account the portrait of the cosmos on the front cover.
After this brief intermission, the eighth track Fiction
draws
intrigue into longing and blissful optimism.
Dying to Feel Alive switches
gears to a catchy Post-punk foray with unmistakeable guitar chorus
(courtesy of Jimmy Ottosson) that is sure to have you dancing.
Temporary
Man keeps
the rock pace flowing with epic proportions. Finally the album
concludes with Flower
in You, a
sombre resolution that serenades the senses with deep optimism but
still attaining its dark undertone.
Principe
Valiente is a four piece featuring Fernando Honorato on Bass/Vocals,
Jimmy Ottosson – Guitars, Rebecka Johansson – Keyboards and
Joakim Janthe on drums. This band would interest fans of dark
shoegaze with a bit of post-punk flair. Choirs of the
Blessed Youth is absolutely
worth your time for a listen.
> by Detra
