Rarefaction- Vox Demos

Comprised of vocalist Mad Tristan and instrumentalist Jerald H., Rarefaction's Vox Demos is a 4 song sampling of bass and guitar driven goth/post-punk melancholia. Obvious Joy Division, Siouxsie, and, perhaps, Dead Can Dance influences permeate the duo's toned-down, instrumentally minimalist yet strongly melodic musical blend, often effectively driven by a sole melodic instrument and vocals.

"Arabia" sports the cliché eastern melodic motifs expected from its title, compacting them into a nice package with undertones of early 80s Siouxsie and the Banshees. The moody simplicity and sparsity of "Philomel", nicely arranged for bass and vocals, certainly stands out as one of the best here and proves the band's prowess and charisma is rooted in far more than production and superficial allusions to past artists. "Rain", on the other hand, takes a similar bass formula but supplements it with driving percussion for a more intense offering, while the low-key guitar arpeggios, underplayed vocal work, and plodding percussion of "Station Dream" provide a stark, lovely finale.

In short, all four songs here are excellent, showcasing a sound that's low-key and sparse yet atmospheric and effective. While there's actually very little here that necessitates strong production and mixing skills, the production and recordings are, nevertheless, solid and impressive, as is the songwriting. With such a stunning demo EP, it'll be interesting to see where they go on their full-length debut, due out in 2006.