Music Magnified

The Slow Signal Fade

 

Wednesday, April 20; UNM Sub Mall (all ages, noon): The Slow Signal Fade's exotic and dark vocals are what make them stand out from the pack. The Los Angeles-based group formed in 2002 and in a short amount of time have managed to craft a polished sound and, from what I've heard, a stellar stage performance.

Lead singer Marguerite Olivelle, born in Sri Lanka and raised in Canada, has a voice that is fluid, untamed and unpredictable. It takes you on a musical journey to her eerie world.

Olivelle's slightly imperfect, high-pitched voice combines the styles of Sinead O'Connor and Dolores O'Riordan from The Cranberries. The Slow Signal Fade's latest release, Through the Opaque Air, has a gothic, early '90s alternative air about it. The songs and melodies are very Tool-esque: dark, twisted and complex.

The band makes their way to the Southwest as part of their 2005 tour. Check them out if just to hear some beautiful, unearthly sounds spill from Olivelle's exotic lips.