Listening to an online radio station, I was instantly drawn to “Deathwish” and thought to myself ‘oh cool, La Roux is going more goth for the next album.’ ?Looking up the song, I realized that it’s not La Roux but Bebe Black, the voice of Benga’s dubstep track “Icon” which buzzed in the underground last summer. Listening closer, “Deathwish” is a darkly pretty fusion of classic Nine Inch Nails (“Down In It”) and Delerium (“Silence”) with elements of vintage 808 State. Yet with all the classic influences, the sound is modern and Bebe’s voice embodies not only La Roux and Florence and the Machine, but also Sarah McLachlan with a touch of raspy jazz. Looking for a remix online, I found Ejeca’s retro two-steppy garage take, which is quite a cool interpretation but makes me salivate for a darker, progressive take by someone like Arcader or tyDi, or even a big room trance/dubstep hybrid to meld the pretty and the dark.???
