BANDS:

Punk & Ska
80's New Wave/
Post-Punk/
College Bands
90's & Beyond
Virginia, North
Carolina, & DC

Somnambula: Live in Love and Die in Sex
[self-released]

Ahh.  The dilemma of the demo.  After an artist becomes adored, those early recordings are a rare glimpse at his or her developing talent.  And it is fun to think that lots of people can overlook the artistic genius that lies underneath the original rough tracks.

Unfortunately for Somnambula, the recording Live in Love and Die in Sex is a bit of a challenge to a listener even if you forgive the demo quality of the songs.  I really dont know what Somnambula was shooting for here, but I cant identify anything too creative on this release.  The vocals are delivered in this odd, alternative manner, but the lyrics are mostly basic clichs with the addition of a few demons, eagles, and some odd sexual imagery.  The title track sounds a bit goth and creepy, but then the band throws out a song called Seven Days in Summer which is all pep and good humor as far as I can tell.

Obviously, these guys have a lot of ideas milling around in their heads, but they are in desperate need of some focus if they really want people to listen to their recorded material.  The instrumentation is fine, but Id challenge them to come up with a more unique style of song structure that fits the mood of their lyrics a bit better.  But hey, its an early stab at recording something, and Somnambula can do a convincing Marilyn Manson on Peugeons.  Until I hear something a bit different from these guys though, I have to conclude that Somnambula is still a work in progress.

LEFT OFF THE DIAL's Somnambula page

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