Yoya – Nothing To Die (Stereoppression Records)
Not an artist’s name to grab you, and a rather strange album title to boot. Yoya are essentially an electronic duo who have a very pleasing way with intertwining their vocals, something I don’t seem to have heard since the 70’s, when Hall and Oates were at their peak. You have to be ready for a high-pitched affair, though the effect is softened by some substantial acoustic guitar, alongside the electronic keyboards and drum machines. Without the guitar’s touch this might well have been a touch too ‘mechanical’.

It is the overall sound that comes over first, regardless of what the song may be about (relationships, love, living or dying), and you get the impression that the pace is somewhat frenetic, which, apart from “Bone Flowers” and “New Year’s Morning” (with almost helium-filled vocals), is not the case at all. The falsetto vocals add to the false impression, but songs like “Crybaby Bridge”, “Red Bird” and “Feversleep”, are acoustic / vocal gems, the latter with a glorious organ accompaniment towards the end.

A self-produced, self-penned set of songs from Alex Pfender and Noah Dietterich, something that should appeal to those who like their music coming from ‘on high’, but with a nice bit of depth occasionally, too.
www.myspace.com/yoyamusic

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