CROSSES

Goodnight, God Bless, I Love U, Delete (Warner)

As some pretty heavy synth work crashes in on Crosses’ Goodnight, God Bless, I Love U, Delete‘s opening track Pleasures, you’d be forgiven for thinking that you’ve inadvertently put a Rammstein record on. that is, until the familiar vocal tones of Deftones frontman Chino Moreno reminds you that you are listening to a rather wonderful synth-rock-meets-industrial side project of his: Crosses, often written alternately as ††† and a two-piece Moreno shares with Shaun Lopez of 90s-originated post-hardcore band Far.

Unlike the pair’s day job bands, which rely on seething, downtuned guitars, Crosses’ arrangements on their extensively-titled second album are synth-forward and clever with it. Songs can veer between absolute bliss and industrialized clatter at any given moment, with Lopez providing the palette for Moreno’s exquisite vocals, for the most part showcasing the softer side of his range here. Goodnight, God Bless… is dreamy escapism in music form, beset to a background of grand soundscapes. And Robert Smith makes an appearance. There’s that too.

words CHRIS ANDREWS