★★★☆☆
Here’s an interesting idea: an album about the world’s gloomiest subculture by a cheery American indie-folk outfit. Initially it works brilliantly. Rain in Soho captures the drama and the absurdity of goths building an entire identity around feeling misunderstood, while Andrew Eldritch Is Moving Back to Leeds imagines the lead singer of the Sisters of Mercy returning to his hometown, and the excitement it causes among the middle-aged goths who haven’t quite let go of their adolescent obsessions.
Over 12 songs the concept wears thin, but there are some priceless comic moments, such as the slinky Wear Black. “Check me out, I can’t blend in. Check me out, I’m young and ravishing,” sings the band leader and one-time goth John Darnielle. It would