A Christmas-themed album by the Italian all-female-trio Spectra Paris, fronted by the Kirlian Camera vocalist Elena Alice Fossi it features ten-tracks that include separate versions of both Movie Ghouls, and the classic carol Silent Night, featured here as both the opening, and closing track while also being sung in both English and German, while in addition, King’s Snow Garden was released as a single five-years ago by the pre-Spectra Paris duo Sideratica. Its these two-tracks that especially stand out, between the warm atmospheric feel of the Italian Version of Movie Ghouls, its dark rhythm gradually building and blending in well with the Italian vocals, doing so with a hint of acoustic guitar on an excellent track, while also sounding just as excellent, the second album version is musically stronger. There is also a strong warm, simplistic and atmospheric feel to King’s Snow Garden, with the soft semi-spoken vocals blending in for another excellent, and above all beautiful track, if Annie Lennox released this, it would be highly praised from all corners. There is an almost eternal, simplistic and somewhat quirky feel to Silent Night with its lead, and backing vocals combing for an excellent, and nicely done version of this timeless classic, while there is a warm simplistic, and almost ambient like feel to the excellent instrumental Snoqualmie Is Sleeping, which falls somewhere between Twin Peaks, and an early-eighties OMD b-side. Further tracks of note include Spectreflen, its soft semi-spoken commentary style vocals spread across a short simplistic atmospheric track, while between the violin, piano and cathedral like organ, the German version of Silent Night features a more choral like sound-n-style, all do, nicely sung, I didn’t like the Goth-like Marlene Dietrich style vocal delivery, while there is a simple blend of acoustic guitar and sombre violin on Snowy Cross Tale, which features a rich and smooth vocal on another beautiful track, all do, musically not for me, it strength and quality clearly stands out. Beyond this, Time Behind The Clock features an almost Enya-like atmospheric choral intro that leads into a blend of semi-spoken vocals, and simple mid-paced rhythms with an acoustic guitar, while the blend of piano, violin and acoustic guitar on Joaquin Murietta gives the track a Nick Cave-like, and almost gypsy folk tale feel, musically not for me, it also sounded somewhat out of place on the album itself which was overall largely, and surprisingly excellent. © DK