Among the glories of darkwave and shoegaze pop are the excesses, the moments where everything goes fuzzy. Darkswoon's climaxes are intense, but they don't come close to over the top. A lot like Eurythmics first album (the one you've never heard of, since it didn't arrive on these shores for years), there's a lot of goth chill, sparse lines and well-cultivated drum machine technotics.

Darkswoon Antivenom (Viasonde)

So, yeah, there's also this intriguing new wave beat bouncing through as well. Darkswoon never gets too excited, but these songs still ebb and surge in satisfying waves. This is the Portland (Ore.) band's fourth effort, and it's easily the most refined. I imagine the toughest thing in the studio is deciding what to drop out. The band chose well.

There are many worlds where Darkswoon might succumb to metallic overdose or melodic anthemics. Nope. Even when the swirl tightens to a near-singularity, there is always at least one level of remove. You are not one with the band.

That level of chill is truly invigorating. And it lends massive appeal to these songs. Not unlike the blues, this stuff is the perfect antidote to feeling down. Very quickly its obvious that the members of Darkswoon are much more separated from society than you. And they're happy to mildly rage on your behalf.

Jon Worley