Japanese Robot Invasion - Lovelorn Dolls

Someone in Lovelorn Dolls spent a lot of their youth watching loads of Manga Video releases (quite possibly on VHS) and going "I want to make a band that sounds exactly like the band in Bubblegum Crisis looks". Which isn't to say that it sounds old, just that it's got a certain sounds and feel to it of solid industrial goth-rock with an aesthetic that lends itself to cityscapes, bad weather, and maybe a touch of power armour every now and then (even if their image is 'Alice In Badtripville'). There are bits of The Birthday Massacre (who I will gush on about at any time you fancy), along with bits of early 2ks EBM and a splash of Garbage when they were at their wierdest (both because of the splendid female vocals and the way they mix it up with metal and pop elements). It's not too heavy but its got weight to it, and its delicate without lacking the odd kick to the face.

Stand out tracks include "Japanese Robot Invasion", which is just infectious with its rapid, bouncy hooks and ridiculously upbeat singing, "Long Awaited Kiss", which just sweats with menace and prowls like a tiger in your headphones, the recent single "The Thrill", with is halfway to Rammstein covering Roxette, and a nifty cover of "Just Like Heaven" which shouldn't piss off the Cure fans too much. No real bad tracks, no real breaks in momentum, even the slightly off the wall slow track "Jasmine" kept me listening. It's a cohesive body of work, so if you like one of the tracks you're odds on to like them all. Basically I like it a lot, and want to see the movie that uses it as it's sound track.