Darkwave duo hungry for more

Rarely does a song stay with you; rarely does a voice linger as if it was your own. For darkwave duo Hungry Lucy, however, the band's eclectic, deeply-rooted Renaissance-style haunts the listener with every breath of sound. Releasing its third and most recent CD, To Kill a King, this week, Hungry Lucy's new album ambitiously tells the tale of a fool falling into a feverish, obsessive love. The songs evoke images of castle walls encasing a shameful, controlled lover who seeks freedom at any cost. It is the journey of the queen and how she kills her king. It is also the story of a soul lost among stars and dreams planted carefully in the earth. To Kill a King shows these delicate dreams as they grow into a cloudy, perfumed collection of personal redemption.\nStorytellers and songwriters by nature, sultry-voiced Christa Belle and electro-organic sampling guru War-N Harrison of Hungry Lucy bend Europop with the aged vision of melody-driven Gothic synth beats. Drifting between atmospheric states of omniscient warmth and distant and chilled lyrics, the 17-song album will appeal to fans of underground, vampiric themes as well as fans of classic styles of jazz and blues.\nA new age tribute to structured songs of trance-inducing waves stirred with driven, danceable club remixes, To Kill a King offers quality musicianship in every track. \nHighlights of the album include the somber "High Price of Mistakes" and the selfless acceptance of unconditioned love expressed in "Rainfall." Seeking self-comfort, "The Chase" and "Shine" create a backdrop for reflection, while the mystic piano and opera-esque backing vocals of "A Lifetime Remains" justifies an instrumental break. The more jaded, drum-led tracks that tease with a taste of silver seduction include the title track, as well as "You Are" and the electric remix of "The Chase." The tracks encourage gypsy-swayed, liquid dance grooves.\nHowever, of all the songs on To Kill a King that most speak to the inner child, "Stars" urges that vulnerable youth in each of us to tread carefully and protect the dreams we plant.\nMaking a name for itself internationally since its inception in 1998, Hungry Lucy, the Hamilton, Ohio-based duo, has already toured with darkwave royalty — Wolfsheim and Cruxshadows, most recently having performed at Radio Radio in Indianapolis with the latter. The innocence of Christa Belle and the musical vision of War-N Harrison leave the listener breathless. To Kill a King represents the best of what Gothic and EBM artists are writing these days. It's the best of both worlds.