AUSTRA / Olympia [2013]

A colorful cover featuring frontwoman Katie Stelmanis in bright pink and radiant red hair leads one to believe that goth synth-pop act Austra was trying to break free from their dark & mysterious image.
However their 2013 sophomore album Olympia is just as ethereally esoteric as their first album only now the beats seem to throb a bit more and the compositions shine with confidence..
As chilly and cold as the hypnotizing music is, it's all given an intimate and warm feeling with Stelmanis' soaring, yet vulnerable voice.  As modern as the arrangements are, the production could easily fit into 4AD's heyday with Dead Can Dance and The Cocteau Twins with it's shimmering pulses and blips & beeps.

4 quiet indoor fights out of 5

Songs Of Note:  What We Done; Painful Like