Reboot

The blog fell into disuse; It was difficult to find the time to do the blog as I originally wanted on any kind of regular schedule. New tactic, a quick look at all the new music I acquired during that week. Some weeks get less than others.

Week 1; 7 Albums (3 with bonus content)

KMFDM - Krank
label: Metropolis / KMFDM Records
Release: 3/12/2011 (New Release)
Genre: Industrial; Industrial-Rock

Krank is the first actual single from KMFDM since Boots. By actual single I mean a single that precedes the album the tracks come from, with new music. Like all KMFDM singles (and most singles at all these days) it's multiple Remixes of one new song. Krank is that song - A Remix by Sascha, Kommor Kammondo, and Tim Skold. It also has two remixes of Day Of Light, a single released only as a limited edition vinyl single and a digital single. One by Bill Rieflin and one remaster. Krank is a typical KMFDM song, name checking, solid industrial-rock beat, nothing particularly outstanding about it. But it does remind me of the late 90s era more than recent albums, which I'll take as a good sign. Tim and Bill are KMFDM alumni, each producing a remix that is definitely showcasing their own styles. The last track Day Of Light (24/7 Mix) is really a remaster for the CD, if you have the vinyl or digital it doesn't sound very different.

Legion Within - Aeons and The Empty Men
label: KMFDM Records
Genre: gothic-rock

Legion Within are a Seattle based gothic-rock outfit, with some industrial rock leanings every now and then.

Aeons - released 2004
Actually, absolutely nothing about this album stands out as above the norm. It's a good album, and I've tossed it into a regular rotation in my goth-rock playlist. It fills things out nicely, fits right in with a lot of my collection from the early 80s before Goth started to infuse itself into the Darkwave/Coldwave movements.

The Empty Men - released 2006
This LP, on the other hand, has a little more oomph to it, they flex some industrial muscles in here a little more. Coming up with a punchier sound, an evolution and pick up from their previous releases. Another one I tossed into the Goth-Rock rotation to add some color there.

Rough Guide To ...
label: World Music
Genre: various

I like the Rough Guide compilations, they always bring an infusion of music that's otherwise hard to find and obtain in the US: stuff from outside the US. Each compilation focuses on a particular genre. Some of them come with a bonus disc that showcases a single artist only as a standard album. Like any good compilation, if you want to get into a musical genre these are awesome places to start getting artist names you'll like.

... Bhangra

This one focuses on Bhangra music out of India. More traditional than the big-beat infused Bhangra Dance that passes through clubs. I can see where dance cuts slide right into this genre, even without the big-beat behind it Bhangra bounces and moves, begging for the listener to dance (almost daring them not to...). The Bonus Album is from the group Achanak, with a 20 Year Retrospective Best Of album.

... Blues And Beyond

This takes most of its music from Africa, where the blues has traveled back over to and infused itself with the traditional music there. The result is nothing short of gorgeous. This comes with a bonus album from Nuru Kane, and while it's less Blues and more his Traditional African, it still has a heavy blues influence.

... Gypsy Music

I'm not sure I can place Gypsy music beyond 'Eastern European in feel but not completely' but this is another grouping of music that is easily danced to, though lacking the heavy drum beats of other styles. The bonus album is Bela Lakatos, which moves from bouncing dance tunes to dirge sounding ballads.

... Asian Underground

This is a lot of South and South East Asian music, mixed with modern dance and other styles. It's a good album, but not quite as fully bouncy as a straight dance-club cut album, and not quite as Traditional as a more focused grouping might be. This one, being much less focused on a small region or specific genre, has no bonus album to accompany it. It feels unfocused, so I tossed it in with a playlist that's set to random, mixing it into music to play in the background.