Liv Kristine - Skintight

July 20, 2010

Reviewer: Chris

More along an indie rock sound than her previous efforts pregnant with gothic roots, Liv Kristine has taken the path of fellow Norwegian Kari Rueslatten and created a radio-friendly album titled Skintight. The alternative slant to the release is a relative surprise both in direction and effort.

There are moments that are eerily reminiscent of former Elis vocalist Sabine Dunser in that clean, easy ethereal effort that seems to jump out at you without much bravado or extra “oomph.” Seeing as Liv Kristine is one of the bigger names for females in gothic metal, it’s duly noted that her tenure in Theater of Tragedy and Leaves’ Eyes has pushed her towards the vast empty that is commerciality. The stock result with such a move is that nine times out of ten it never works, leaving the fan base clamoring for the old days and, quite often, the head of the performer brazen enough to try the move. Women in this field usually get a bigger break on said move, especially in the wake of Tarja Turunen’s foray away from Nightwish and into watery commercial pop bliss. As for Kristine’s effort it is quite good for the masses to consume and devour, but it’s certainly not for the more tempestuous ToT fan longing for those days of old, unless of course they happen to accept good change with unbiased ease.

Kristine’s voice is still in its top form in its ability to soothe and diligently disarm you. There is some true solidity here in tracks like “Lifeline,” where the acoustic arrangement is exactly what Kristine’s ability calls for at any given moment. While the album as a whole can periodically read like a modern gothic rock collective, the slower tracks are the highlights for me. They seem to properly showcase Kristine’s voice as the soaring, casually beautiful tool it really is as opposed to the aforementioned goth-rock that is all too prevalent today. “Boy at the Window” is a throwback to the early 90’s rock era that wasn’t all that pure, yet still had a punch to it. The slight dance feel to the track renders it not only fun to engage but a nice break in the action, so to speak. When you get to the final track, “The Rarest Flower,” the obvious Tori Amos influence is haunting and downright amazing, and since I find Amos’ Little Earthquakes one of the greatest albums I’ve ever heard this is a plus for Kristine’s effort. Amos, herself pestered by loss and personal emotional affliction, is channeled perfectly in this track when Kristine tells us about the flower withering away. 

For what it is Skintight can either be an elitist old-school fan’s Frisbee or a very welcome shake in Liv Kristine’s body of work. To be honest, any true fan of the genre that knows ToT and Leaves’ Eyes couldn’t say they didn’t see such an album in her musical arsenal. It is, by all accounts, the most natural of progressions. I would hardly call this pop in the traditional sense of the word since that offers only pictures of Britney Spears or Miley Cyrus, but the happy difference is, try as they might, Cyrus and Spears haven’t the necessary tools or talent to venture effortlessly into such diverse genres as someone of Kristine’s talent can. She proves herself a formidable opponent against such U.S. created trivialities, creating an album that is not only quite good but also something that once again makes me look to the current stable of U.S. manufactured performers in our musical pool and shudder.                

Release Date: August 27, 2010
Label: Napalm Records

TRACK LISTING

1.  Skintight
2.  Twofold
3.  Train to Somewhere
4.  Love in Grey
5.  Emotional Catastrophies
6.  Life Line
7.  Boy at the Window
8.  Wonders
9.  Versified Harmonies
10.  The Rarest Flower

Total playing time:  35:08

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