††† Crosses Album Review; On yet another side project, Deftones frontman Chino Moreno explores 80’s friendly synth-rock with the release of the first full-length album from Crosses.

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It’s no secret to Deftones fans that vocalist Chino Moreno is a restless creative spirit.

His love for the more delicate, electronic, European textures occasionally peeks into Deftones tunes, but throughout the years hes found other projects that give these more melodic influences free range.

So one can see his new project and album ††† (Crosses)  as another variation on a theme, which previously reared its head in the side projects Team Sleep and Palms.

Click here for my Palms EP Review

And like these earlier side projects, the album is a hit and miss affair.

The album works best when the beats are thicker and Moreno channels his ethereal croon into a romantic mood; the krautrock bass and gurgling electronic textures of Telepathy is a winner. Across glacial soundscapes Moreno sings sweet nothings;  As long as you play my game/I’ll let you win.

Bitches Brew has the dark pulse and emotive longing that hearkens to Depeche Mode, one of Moreno’s prime influences for the album.

A New Order influence percolates through The Epilogue, with Shaun Lopez’s sandpaper guitars meshing with four on the floor dance beats.

Two of the strongest tracks bear years for names; 1994 has some trip-hop languor amidst twangy guitars and 1987 conjures more of a goth element, with distorted synths and ghostly glitches piling on the atmosphere to compliment Moreno’s dark cryptic imagery.

But as good as these standout tracks are, the rest of the album begins to suffer a sameness; tracks bleed together in uniformity, and many lack strong sonic hooks.

And while bright-eyed tracks like Prurient and Bermuda Locket are pleasant enough, it’s the darker stuff that satisfies the most, and one wishes there was more noir in the mix.

But if one is looking for some contemplative late night tunes, or good chill-out/make-out music, ††† will fit the bill just fine. But for hardcore Deftones fans, it will merely be something to whet their appetite until his meal ticket puts out their next proper release.

Want to own ††† (Crosses) on iTunes or Amazon? Click on the appropriate links below:

[amazon_image id=”B00GWR1XBU” link=”true” target=”_blank” size=”medium” ]+++ (Crosses) (LP+MP3)[/amazon_image]