Collapse into Reason- Electromantic

Artist: Collapse into Reason
CD Title: Electromantic
Label: Disques Blessé
Reviewer: Joshua Heinrich
Date: 3/23/06

Electromantic, the 3rd full-length outing from electro-goth outfit Collapse into Reason, merges elements from both the past and present into an interesting 45-minute affair. The duo's sound blends steady electronic percussion with cascading electronic arpeggios and synths, fronted by the melodic vocals of Scott Francis. Flowing from fairly straightforward modern ("My Revenant") and retro ("Our Little Secret") synthpop to more up-tempo club numbers like "The Day Forever Changed" to the electro-goth "Gotham" to the moody balladry of "In The Waning Light", the band delivers a sonically consistent album with an obvious penchant for analog aesthetics.

While fairly well written and highly melodic, the album is also, unfortunately, not quite as catchy or immediately memorable as the output of many of the band's contemporaries. That said, it is a relatively deep album that reveals more of itself upon further listens, relying a bit more heavily on developed vocal melodies than simple hooks. While probably not destined to go down in history as a musical landmark, fans of sophisticated electro-goth and synthpop should find Collapse into Reason's Electromantic worth a listen.