Livan to bring dark rock to Pittsburgh

Off The Grid

Livan

Pumpkin… Off The Grid

Livan

Pumpkin Music

B-

Rocks Like: Depeche Mode

Performing with Peter Murphy

Tomorrow

Diesel

Doors open 7 p.m.

Tickets $25 advance/$30 at door

elkoconcerts.com or ticketfly.com

21+

United Kingdom musician Livan knows his rock music.

Livan’s third full album features 11 tracks of dark rock that pay homage to British bands from the 1970s through 1990s in a post-punk style. Each song has hints of electronica and was reportedly recorded in one take, making the songs as close to live performances as possible.

With titles like “Undead,” “Little White Lies” and “Where I Bleed,” it’s safe to say that the lyrics in these songs might be subject to personal taste. Livan delivers his lyrics with a voice that rises, going from a whisper to a hoarse scream at a moment’s notice. He isn’t perfect, though, as he fails to enunciate, and the words get lost in the music half the time.

Luckily, his music makes up for the flaws in his lyrics. Some of the music comes in a fast and furious pace, demanding that people rock out while listening and barely giving listeners time to keep up.

Other songs like “Meet Me On The Other Side” are heavily instrumental, with the repeated lyric “Meet me on the other side” humming along synthesized guitars and keyboards.

Songs like “The Silence,” which change the tune of the songs from hardcore to almost mellow compared to the opening tracks, become more like classic rock with some impressive guitar chords and harmonizing vocals.

If anything, this album is worth it for some pretty cool instrumentals. This is some dark rock with kick to it.