By: Liz Levine
Rating: 6.5/11

Elika is a two-person band that creates a world of sounds and texture, with songs beginning as combinations of pop and electronica and becoming scores for lived experiences. The weight comes from intense layering; Evagelia Maravelias’ brooding alto and Brian Wenckebach’s indie guitar wrestle with hazes of sound. Suggesting in its title a lack of optimism, their first full-length Trying Got Us Nowhere (Fiercely Indie, 2008) brings tunes that have an angsty 80’s feel and dwell on ended relationships and missed opportunities. Maravelia sounds a lot like Madonna when the latter sticks to her lower register, while Wenckenbach’s guitar brings a lightness that contends with a clattering drum machine that can rise to industrial level assault. The moods and textures that result from these elements bring a strong sense of emotion and human experience, so that it’s easy to imagine a movie scene playing along to each track.

The catchy “Let Down” is poppy yet dark, with a bendy, drunken guitar line and anthem-worthy chorus that still sounds emotionally unavailable. The verse’s vocals cement the Madonna comparison while heavy noises drip and lurch in the background, and then several layers of programmed mayhem crash into the mix and suggest a desperate escape or crazed, late night adventure. “The Whip,” synthy and full of momentum, has an indie rock verse smashed into an angry, noisy chorus bouncing with computer clicks. It might seem like Elika is suffering from genre confusion, borrowing from techno, shoegaze, industrial, 80’s pop, and others, but the elements actually mix together quite well. They’re heavy and serious without completely shunning pop brightness, and the end result creates strongly suggestive moods rather than offensive muddle.