Moments of Bloom
After four import-only titles, Germany's Diary of Dreams debut stateside withMoments of Bloom, a collection of songs from previous releases (specially rerecorded for this album) plus a few unreleased tracks. Theirs is a particularly mournful brand of goth, with pained, emotive vocals intoned over shadowy soundscapes. Spare electronic rhythms, synthetic strings, and the occasional guitar riff complete the picture but don't really do much to lighten the atmosphere, even when things get dancey, as they do on the standout tracks "Retaliation" and "Ex-île." But that won't bother fans ofPeter Murphy,Sisters of Mercy, orClan of Xymox--if it's dark you want, you've found it.--Steve Landau