Simultaneously retro and hip, the first release from Voltress charts some engaging and distinctive territory. Consisting of Hum Machine drummer Eric Hartz and Arena Venus vocalist Courtney Collins, Voltress explores dark psychological corners of the mind while wading in a quicksand of thick, multi-layered synthesizers. Hartz handles all the keys, samples, loops, drums, and other instruments. He prefers synthesizers of the analog persuasion, apparently, on what sounds like vintage instruments, making ample use of envelope filters and oscillation. Add Collins's syrupy alto and dreamy, psychedelic lyrics, along with her penchant for melody, and you've got a gothic, electronic stew that redefines the word "cool." The album opens with the bubbly "Down The Sleep Tube," all buzzing synths and crooning vocals set to a sequenced drum beat. "God's Western," one of the album's best tracks, is a slow, melodic dirge that borders on trip-hop, bringing Portishead to mind. The band weaves sound bites into various tracks, most effectively on the roommate-from-hell track "Roommate," which captures Hartz's co-habitant in a rage. On the brief "Your Eyeball in My Claws" the sound bite and the music fit together perfectly. The funereal "Winter" possesses a lovely melody and metaphorically poetic lyrics. The standout track here, however, is a kick-ass cover of "Love Is Like Oxygen," the 1978 hit by Sweet, the band that also brought you "Ballroom Blitz" and "Little Willie." The only song to feature guitars, and thick, chunky ones at that, this one rocks with abandon. "The Strangest Secret" also bears mentioning, with its message of conformity and Collins' swooning and repeating "you learn what not to say." Although the dirges are cool, the tracks with the most beat shine the brightest. Fans of Tangerine Dream and other vintage synth bands will find this album appealing as will anyone who appreciates experimentation over imitation.