Ides of Gemini

Constantinople (the full-length debut album by Los Angeles, CA's Ides of Gemini) is a dreamy conglomeration of dark ambience, psychedelia and sweet, sugary doom. Last year's demo, The Disruption Writ, set high hopes for the group's official debut and with Constantinople, they have blown those expectations out of the water. Bassist/vocalist Sera Timms and guitarist/backing vocalist J. Bennett added drummer Kelly Johnston to their permanent line-up for Constantinople, making the band a viable live entity, as well giving them a more dynamic, lively rhythm section. The songs on this album flicker and squirm in the ear, sometimes as glittery and pert as a school of minnows, but usually somewhat darker and more muscular, like an eel in murky water. Timms' vocals have a smoky quality that blends beautifully with the slightly fuzzy guitar tones, creating the sonic impression of incense rising in lazy circles in a room filled with slanted sunlight and dust motes. There is something languorous about Constantinople, almost bacchanalian in the slow, luscious tempo, which can sometimes obscure (though never fully) the record's undercurrent of threat. There are a handful of razorblades hidden in the silk sheets, so keep your wits about you.