The Minstrels, Our Cruel Demise

I’m depressed, and the perfect soundtrack to my life right now is The Minstrels’ Our Cruel Demise.

Okay, that’s a joke, guys, but if I were depressed, this would be what I would be listening to. That doesn’t mean that the album is bad, mind you. It’s along the lines of a ballady goth genre — dark. Vocalist Jeff Curtain, who is the bass player, as well, is the one who sets the mood for the album with his heavy bass lines. The Minstrels hail from Rochester, New York, originating back in 1998, and this two-man, one-woman band claim to be influenced by everything from Joy Division, Leonard Cohen, and “The For Carnation Medieval Dance.” “Medieval”? I never would’ve guessed it.

Overall, Our Cruel Demise lives up to its name. The songs are about — you guessed it — cruelness and love. I can see myself dancing to this if I were surrounded by knights celebrating, with an enormous feast before me. Jeff Curtin, Rob Grenier, and Lauren Bohrer have really captured the sound of “dark folk.” They’re definitely very original and because of that, I’ve added The Minstrels to my collection of music.