Delica-m

Two years after releasing The Chemical Rift comes this newest album, in support of which Delica has planned their most extensive tour to date. Such ambition is not built on thin air, but on a generally solid release. With Poison of Preference, the apparent challenge for this group lay not only in making something new, but being sure not to disrupt the balance of vocals, electronics and guitar recognized by critics and fans.

One welcome change is the increased presence of Emily. Most tracks on The Chemical Rift featured Herm alone on vocals; while he can certainly sing, the dashes of second vocals on some tracks made me wonder how it all would have sounded if that avenue was explored further. Poison of Preference answers the question in a satisfactory manner; beyond inserting Emily on more tracks, you are treated to different vocal harmonies as well as the occasional lone sound. Surprisingly, the one example where her contribution bordered on being overwhelming was the sentimental opener Drop, but the group as a whole just manages to balance it all out with strong results.

Then again, describing any track as sentimental does little to differentiate the subject matter. Every song here is emotional, though not whiny; there’s no overlooking the journey of feelings, the human touch, inherited from the goth strand which Delica proudly proclaims on their press release, is woven in with synthpop and industrial. The result is, fortunately, a tapestry rather than a tangle.

I was surprised to hear a stronger presence of guitar on the seventh track Not Alone. After listening closely to other tracks, I realized the guitar graced some of them as well, though subtly; in this case, there’s no missing it. While being stronger and easier to recognize, the guitar does not overpower the rest of the group’s sound on track seven; if some vocal harmonies on The Chemical Rift hinted at what would get a stronger presence on this album, then perhaps this is a taste of things to come.

The album begins and ends with its strongest tracks, Drop and The Easy Way, but the eight songs in between are by no means filler. The songs are satisfyingly textured without being abrasive; if you are looking for Velvet Acid Christ, this may not be what you have in mind, but the album works well enough for the experiment that it is. - Dylan Madeley

If I had to pick one album to be the official Radio-Active-Music "club" cd, it would be this one. One of the things I love about Toronto band Delica is their obvious joy in their musical creation. The enjoyment of life just seeps through their music, creating such thriving tunes.

Their latest release, The Chemical Rift, presents us with some of their best work yet. Taking obvious influences from such greats as Depeche Mode, they’ve also mastered modern technology to create some of the most stunning electronic songs heard yet. There’s nothing predictable or tired here; each song is a creative new beginning in electro rock.

Some songs stand out more than others, such as Succumb and Wrong About Me, which bookend this album and are also available for the fans on their MySpace profile. But I have to say, far and away of everything else, Millisecond is my absolute favorite track and will take its place in my top 10 tracks of the year. With such pulsating sounds and relative lyrics, this song raises the bar of perfection in the electronic genres. Indeed, this album shatters stereotypes of electronic music, showing the full range of artistic expression through modern technology.
Suggested Tracks:
Millisecond
Succumb
Wrong About Me
Little Pout - Radio-Active-Music.com

"A lot of our songs are very personal. Experience is important because you need that emotional honesty." - Herm, Delica.

If Delica is anything, it’s emotionally charged. The Toronto-based band is riding high on the release of their third CD, The Chemical Rift, an album filled with 80s-tinged synthpop, introspective musings, and mesmerizing beats.

While most local bands come and go, Delica has thrived in Toronto’s gothic music scene. In fact, they have steadily earned a devoted fan base which extends well beyond Canada. That's no small feat for a local band.

And the popularity is well warranted. In their five years of making music (first under the name "The Deal") Delica has not only developed a distinct sound, but they create music that moves the listener both physically and emotionally. Delica’s songs are powerful, passionate, intelligent and atmospheric, all intertwined to create an incredible musical experience. And The Chemical Rift is the perfect example of this.

"I think musically we've matured, with subject matter that's less about hopelessness and anger," explains Delica’s vocalist Herm. "It’s really a full spectrum of emotions."

The Chemical Rift definitely covers that spectrum. From the strength in the title track Succumb and Millisecond, the vulnerability in Pretend, to a quiet lament in Once a Stranger, the listener is in for a powerful roller coaster ride. Musically it’s a beautiful and progressive album. Herm’s voice is at once smooth and haunting, melding deliciously with the electronic/synthpop sound.

But hearing Delica’s beats blaring through your speakers is nothing like hearing the band in concert. They have a strong live show and Herm has got an amazing presence, bringing each song to life with his performance. Delica has already given concert-goers a little taste of The Chemical Rift. During the three years it took to cut the album, Delica tried out some of the new material in their live shows. And if these preliminary performances are any indication, this album was definitely made for the live concert experience.

Overall, The Chemical Rift is a symbiosis of gothic darkness and ethereal synthpop. Right from the start of the CD, you really will Succumb to Delica. - Shadow Tymes (June 2005)

Tak naprawdê to niewiele wiedzia³em o tej grupie, chocia¿ teraz za poœrednictwem oficjalnej kilka info… uda³o mi siê wyci¹gn¹æ – nie powiem by ³atwo przysz³o, nawigacja na niej ¿a³osna ;/

Tak wiêc, niby trzech (zdjêcia), a jednak czterech muzyków tworzy kanadyjskie Delica bo t¹ czwart¹ osob¹ jest kobieta, niejaka Emily Burt – g³os ma zacny to te¿ czemu do zdjêæ jej nie wziêli?

Delica istnieje ju¿ prawie 10 lat (niegdyœ jako Deal) i ma na koncie 5 pe³nometra¿owych wydawnictw. Niestety dla mu¿yków ich popularnoœæ nie ros³a wraz z kolejnymi p³ytami, a to te¿ dlatego, i¿ owe grupa wypuszcza³a w³asnymi si³ami. Nie inaczej te¿ rzeczy siê mia³y z ostatnim kr¹¿kiem The Chemical Rift. Po p³ytê siêgn¹³em wychaczaj¹c kiedyœ na jednym ze sk³adaków numer Succumb. Jego przebojowoœæ, a zarazem atmosferyczny, tajemniczy mrok (jak¿e mocno kojarz¹cy mi siê z ostatnim Pride & Fall) zauroczy³ mnie na tyle na ile szybko zasiêgn¹³em pe³nego ods³uchu albumu, który zreszt¹ Succumb idealnie otwiera.

Przys³owiowego future-pop w przekroju ca³ego albumu jednak niewiele co te¿ uwa¿am za jego zaletê. Wiêcej jest mieszanki synth-pop’u z klasycznym dark-wave. To objawia ju¿ drugi, jeden z najlepszych Little Pout w refrenie fantastycznie wywo³uj¹cy ducha lat 80-tych (równie¿ za spraw¹ wokalnych chórków Emily).

Wiêkszoœæ utworów posiada specyficzny, mroczny klimat utrzymuj¹cy siê na ca³ej d³ugoœci p³yty. Ich warstwy melodyczne, dalekie od hura-synth-entuzjazmu stopniowo chwytaj¹ emocjonalnymi partiami wokalnymi i atmosferycznym, tl¹cym siê gdzieœ w ukryciu gotyckim oddechem (cudownie rozp³ywaj¹ce siê Blast Point). S³absze, brzmieniowo momenty uzupe³nia na plus wokalista Herm, raz to g³adkim, a raz zachrypniêtym g³osem. Te s³absze momenty to druga po³owa albumu, lekko nurzaj¹ca, niemaj¹ca ju¿ tak emocjonalnych warstw jak utwory z pierwszych œcie¿ek p³yty. Pomimo tego ju¿ po drugim, trzecim przes³uchaniu album staje siê doœæ pamiêtliwy, ma kilka naprawdê urokliwych numerów wi¹¿¹cych solidnie ze sob¹ klasyczny synth-pop z gotyckimi i industrialnymi elementami.

PS. W samej Kanadzie Delica bardzo znana, suportuj¹ca wielu znanym ju¿ na ca³ym œwiecie grupom. - Electr-on website (Polish)