I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness is a five-piece dark
pop band out of Austin, TX; scene mates include
Paul Newman,
Windsor for the Derby, and
Glorium. But
I Love You, formed in 2001 and comprised of singer
Christian Goyer, bassist
Edward Robert, guitarists
Ernest Salaz and
Daniel Del Favero, and percussionist
Tim White, is not all that predictable, at least if their debut album, Fear Is on Our Side, tells a reliable story. Where the band's self-titled EP, a five-song dazzler issued in 2003 on the daredevil Emperor Jones label (and reissued in 2006 by Secretly Canadian), offered up mildly doleful and semi-danceable
indie rock courtesy of
Spoon's
Britt Daniel, who produced and helped swirl buzz on the band beyond the city limits, Fear Is on Our Side takes a turn for the seriously, achingly bleak. Echoes of
Talk Talk and other visceral, introspective 1980s bands filter through the familiar guitar textures, but the mid-2000s is a new era for intelligent gloominess, and flavoring this brew is an overcharged mindfulness that suggests close attention to recent musical history, especially
electronica. Though the group's output so far suggests a willingness to climb and explore, cynicism would seem to be an enduring
I Love You trait. Their recognition of its versatility promises to propel them. ~ Tammy La Gorce, All Music Guide
Green links represent an available CD.
Red links represent a CD that is not currently available.
Fear Is on Our Side