Built around singer and primary songwriter
Stella Katsoudas,
Soularium is
Sister Soleil's debut effort. Katsoudas is a charismatic singer (part
Kate Bush, part
Siouxsie Sioux) and she adroitly manages to skirt around the dense sonic attack of her band. Their music is driven by throbbing, dance-rock, not unlike
Republica. However, the quasi-gothic tone of the lyrics and edge to many of the songs puts the band closer to
Curve. The result is an effective blend of dance, electronica, and dark-tinged alternative rock. "Red" possesses an explosive chorus and "AOL" is driven by Katsoudas' rap-vocal delivery. "Hit Me" is pulsating dance-rock and "Torch" is a beautiful, melancholic track, featuring a heartfelt performance by the singer. Certain lyrics sound almost like afterthoughts, but hardly mar
Soularium, which should be met with delight by fans that might have wondered what a slightly darker
Garbage might sound like. ~ Tom Demalon