London Below – S/T

Once upon a time in a land called San Diego, California, I had the immense pleasure of encountering a lovely littlegroup of runaway circus enthusiast boys and girls that went by the name of The Tragic Tantrum Cabaret. To my great delight, this little group of darlings is still doing their thing though under the new name of London Below. I am always on the lookout for musical acts that create their own environment, a realm all their own and I can saywithout difficulty that London Below is one such act. From first glance of frontwoman Zoe Tantrum’s entrancing gaze, one knows better than to disregard her. She’s got an undeniable presence and it is well-deserved but makesure not to cross her, you never know what she may be capable of.

The opening composition « Solo Con Te« , is reminiscent of something out of an old horror movie. It’s eerie and ohso beautiful. One just imagines slews of widows donning black lace veils mourning the loss of their loves or ayoung Lydia Deetz writing her suicide note in her darkened room of her Pennsylvania home. Zoe shows off her vocal skills with cascading arias belted in Italian. « Excuse Me Mr. » is a cabaret marvel suggestive of The Dresden Dolls, artists whom the band admit to be a great influence on them in every aspect of their creations. It’s madness dressed in drag, a beautiful mania of pounding keyboards and drums. An internal issue made external by meansof contrasting dialogue. From cabaret to vaudeville, drama is rampant in « The Silent« , a funhouse of a song that starts at a steady pace and climbs to a theatrical gallop complete with tongue-twisting lyrics and jazzy percussionthat carries with it a slight tinge of Cinema Strange. Yet the chariot is really drawn by « Only With You« . It’s an odeto tainted love and one which most romantics can relate to, proclaiming such things as “I wish I could love you, I know I don’t love you the way I should.”

Love, lust, struggle and madness are the prevalent themes of the breakthrough, self-titled album from thesepromising young lads and lasses from California. Their songs deal with the trials and tribulations of a romance andthose of a mortal but the beauty of their music lies in the decadent interpretation of human emotions and theanalysis of the human condition. A true work of art in every way.

Track list:

1. Solo Con Te
2. Excuse Me Mr.
3. When I Was Good
4. The Silent
5. Go
6. Beautiful
7. Diego and Arlene
8. Swan Song
9. Warrior
10. Only With You

Samantha