Search - Johnny Hollow :: Dirty Hands

Very crafty dark, electronic music

Zombiehor.de | Detroit, Mi | 05/13/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Johnny Hollow's "Dirty Hands", to me, is what I expect to be playing in Goth clubs like Detroit's City Club. Instead, I am always nauseatingly greeted with KMFDM or VNV Nation. I can only hope that one day the DJs at these fine establishments discover bands like Johnny Hollow, who are doing brilliantly imaginative music that is still appropriately dark, moody and complex while maintaining a sense of danceability.



I think what separates Johnny Hollow from a lot of the EBM and cyber-goth bands is its employment of a wider range of instruments and more dynamic composition. In addition to the electronic music production and guitars, they employ cellos, pianos and so on. They also use a lot of great melodies and it all comes with a great vocalist. Even the lyrics are not too bad, a point on which this type of music usually fails me. They use a female vocalist whose voice is both pretty and powerful, and works with the dynamics of the music very well.



There are some amazing songs present. A few of them are slower, a few have a rock sensibility, others could, as I said, fit in a dance club quite nicely. All of the songs feel traditionally Gothic, in a way I feel is also very fresh and new. I would not put them in any sort of deathrock, bat cave sort of sound, however. They seem to be flirting with this neovictorian / steampunk style that is similar to artists like Rasputina, or Abney Park. A few of the songs, notably "Bogeyman", are downright awesome. "Bogeyman" has an epic industrial sound that builds and explodes at the chorus. The music transforms and the vocals go from somewhat sultry to downright seductive. The whole album is quite moving. There is a cover of The Doors "People Are Strange" that doesn't do much for me, but other people may enjoy.



In addition to Rasputina and Abney Park, "Dirty Hands" may also be of interest to people who like Attrition or Emily Autumn."

It's too good to be called "goth."

M. Gold | Tukwila, WA USA | 05/16/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Honestly I hesitate to lump Johnny Hollow in with goth bands, for fear that the association conjures images of too much insipid bawling.



In abrupt contrast to most things goth, Johnny Hollow is potent and intricate, and imaginative. The wide array of instruments is incredibly refreshing (distortion cello anyone?). Janine White's vocals are beautiful, strong, haunting, and have more attitude than most female goth singers I've heard in a very long time.



The only thing about this band that falls flat at times is Vincent Marcone's occasional spoken word vocals. On "Die for Love" in particular, Marcone's piece is too long, and I find myself wanting to skip to White's incredible voice.



That's a minor quibble though when this band is really so great. The songs "Bogeyman" and "Superhero" alone are worth the price of the album. "Bogeyman" has a fantastic buildup, and the song is filled with emotional complexity. "Superhero" has this insistent driving beat to it, and I have to admit I've got some of its evocotive and catchy lyrics stuck in my head now.



Johnny Hollow is the kind of music a jaded, mostly ex-goth, like myself can still listen to and love, while wishing that I'd had something this intense to immerse myself in years ago."