Current Reviews: This Years Blonde

Current Reviews for

This Years Blonde

Below are some excerpts from much lengthier reviews.

01/17/2005 fakejazz.com

Tattooed love boy Kiki du Parre IS This Years Blonde, and this is his debut album. His songs are very theatrical, with influences ranging from glam-era Bowie ("I'm Doing Well") to the more elaborately gothic aspects of Bauhaus (du Parre's voice bears more than a passing resemblance to Peter Murphy's on several tracks, such as the swirling ballad, ""To the Night"" to the pop stylings of a Jim Steinman. There's also traces of his punk background and he's equally adept at crafting both dreamy, romantic ballads ("Echoes") and Teutonic techno marches a la Rammstein and Front 242 ("Violated"). I also liked the neo-glam of Space Hog & Nancy Boy that is evident on tracks like "Big Star", a great choice for lead single. Recommended to fans of Lycia, Minneapolis' Skye Klad, Cleopatra's Goth Box, collectors of the Projekt and Neurot Labels and everyone else interested in exploring the current state of the gothic scene. (Jeff Penzak / fakejazz.com / Jan. 17, 2005) http://www.fakejazz.com/reviews/2005/thisyearsblonde.shtml

11/26/2004 dailyvault.com

This Years Blonde's music is all about catchy guitar hooks, appealing chorus, and great sense of melody. It sings what hair-bands used to sing about in the eighties -- love, sex and darkness -- with words that are as good as their hair. Kiki, with his baritone voice, sounds like David Bowie in a five-piece glam-band, and the music, if not too flashy as glam-rock, is gothic -- it is eighties goth, in the year 2004. Unlike the "Marilyn Manson' goth of today, which is more of plentiful noise and ruckus than actual music, This Years Blonde's music is well embellished with moody guitars -- and vocals to the effect that it doesn't have to scream its gut out to sound spooky. Kiki has a back-up female singer on most of the songs, giving an interesting blend to the texture of his eerily calm and composed vocals. The '80's glam-scene was big on solos, and though not as shabby & haughty, This Years Blonde's solos are refined & less chaotic. "To the Night", a song bolstered with long & laid-back theatrical solos, has the guitars sounding all swirly and atmospheric. The same is true with "Big Star", this time, with the guitar hook that is redolent of the early Cure. "Turning of the Page" is typically glam, with a quick riff and an energizing solo. This Years Blonde is a necessary addition to today's bands that are becoming intelligent. This Years Blonde's melody-driven goth-rock proves that bands like Sisters of Mercy & artists like Billy Idol made a useful contribution to the eighties sound. (Vishwanath Iyer / www.dailyvault.com / Nov. 26, 2004)

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