New Releases 9/4 - Bob Mould, Ego Likeness

Ego Likeness

Treacherous Thing

Label: Self-Released (www.egolikeness.com)
Released: 9/4 2012
Genre: Darkwave

The new single from Ego Likeness, from the upcoming album "Know Thine Enemy" due out - sometime in the future. A date hasn't been released yet. The single comes with a single-edit of the title track and six other remixes. A good solid song that shows promise for the next album being maybe a little dark. The song itself is pretty catchy, solid stuff for a club.

The remixes go from OK to solid club-remixes of the track. Good for hardcore fans and DJs (as these things are). Otherwise, no one gets overly creative with the mixes, no real deconstruction goes on. But the songs are still good, especially if you toss one or two of your favorites into a big play list.

Bob Mould

Silver Age

Label: Merge Records
Released: 9/4 2012
Genre: Hard Rock, Punk

As an former member of Hüsker Dü you expect certain things - like an album that's going to rock out. Luckily, Bob Mould has been delivering that for a couple decades now and hasn't stopped here either.

Silver age is an excellent bit of classic Bob Mould music. If you're just discovering him you'll like this album a lot. If you're a long time fan all the familiar elements are here, maybe a little more crunchy, a little more punk-rock than some of his older albums. But not too much so. It's good music and I recommend it for anyone whose a fan of rock music to pick it up and give a listen.

Backcatalog - DarkDriveClinic, Midnight Oil

DarkDriveClinic

Noise In My Head

Label: Metropolis Records
Released: 2011
Genre: Darkwave, Gothic Rock

Duo of Rebecca Coseboom (ex-Halou, half of Stripmall Architecture - both 'dream-pop' bands) and John Fryer (most famous as a member of Love & Rockets) make up this project. It's much darker than Rebecca's normal output, and about right for John.

A slow, melodic, darkwave album, saved only from trip-hop by heavy gothic-rock elements. Their only output so far, and they're just now embarking on a tour, but it's good stuff. Somewhere between Delerium and Birthday Massacre, and I'm reminded heavily of Sky Cries Mary in the composition. Without being derivative of any of those, but it comfortably occupies a similar sound-space. If you like the electronic side of gothic music, especially with female vocals, this is definitely an album to go seek out.

Midnight Oil

Red Sails In The Sunset

Label: Columbia
Released: 1984
Genre: Alt-Rock, New Wave

Right before their mega-hit release 'Diesel And Dust' came this album. Which really sounds like a band that's found its sound but isn't comfortable in it's own skin just yet. Everything here sounds exactly like you expect Midnight Oil to sound (assuming your biggest interaction with them are the hits), polished and ready to go.

It just doesn't seem very exciting. To a casual fan of the group (as I am), there's nothing here that really jumps out at me. Sure, there's nothing that I immediately want to skip, but there's no tracks I want to skip to either. It's just kind of ho-hum. Especially in the review mirror almost thirty years later. It didn't age well, honestly. Good if you're a fan of the group - a must have at that point. I really should pick up more from the band and get deeper into them to draw a better conclusion.

New Releases 8/7 - Turbonegro, Ego Likeness

Turbonegro

Sexual Harassment

Label: Scandinavian Leather Recordings / Volcom Entertainment
Released: 8/7 2012
Genre: Punk, Hardcore

A Norwegian punk-metal band going way back to 1989 (with a brief hiatus). A kind of mix between KISS and Black Flag (with a healthy dose of Alice Cooper, and The Stooges in there). They call it deathpunk, whatever else you can tack onto it, it's pretty good solid punk rock with lots of glam rock stapled on.

Despite knowing of them, and hearing them sporadically throughout the years, I never found an album to buy. Thankfully, the new release was pretty widely available and I've had my first shot at a full album. This is fantastically over the top kind of rock'n'roll. Nothing here takes itself really seriously, except to be serious rock. They gleefully go from Shake Your Shit Machine to TNA (The Nihilistic Army), about as far apart as you can get on the serious meter I think. One's ridiculousness could only fit in a glam-rock set, the next sounds like it could be from the early 80s hardcore scene in lyrical content.

Most of it, though, feels like early KISS glam-rock on this album. Even the most idiotic lyric is sung with a kind of conviction that makes you want to pump your fist in the air and shot the chorus line. I can only imagine these guys are an absolute blast live. If you want just some solid, good, Rock And Roll kind of stuff, this is an album to go get. I will be making a definite effort to find more of their albums in the future.

Ego Likeness

Dragonfly (Re-Issue)

Label: self released (http://www.egolikeness.com)
Released: August 2012
Genre: Darkwave, Gothic Rock, Industrial

This is technically a re-issue of their first album, available as part of a recent Kickstarter project. The original album is still available digitally through iTunes and Amazon, but I think they're getting ready to pull a larger print run on the physical CD (I think). I'm putting it here because the re-issue is new-ish (even if the album is almost ten years old). Definitely a kind of way-back sound to the early 00s Darkwave scene (we're getting on a decade out, in music terms that's practically old school).

A good solid dark-rock, electronic gothic music sound to it. The opening track is a sample from the movie Dead Ringers, and honestly, was kind of cheesy even then and sounds even more so now. After that is rolls into a kind of slow, dark song that's just superb. And keeps going along like that to the finish. A solid entry into the gothic-rock scene of the times, and approaching that Classic Album status so many good records attain. Some of it approaches industrial in composition and execution, giving some of them a more EDM style than Gothic, but not so much as to lose focus.

The re-release comes with two bonus tracks, Drive and Above The Soil (Edward's Version). Both of them are from compilations that are out of print (and a little hard to find), and are a nice inclusion for a re-issue. Hopefully the hardcopy re-issue will surface for general consumption, if not pick up the digital versions of the album - even without the bonus tracks it's good musics.

Week Of 7/10 - Darkwave, Rock, House, Classical

Despite the week being a minor disaster causing me to miss the Sunday post (it'll be a week late), I did manage to get to the normal musical load... Keeping it diverse this week, and two new releases.

New Releases:

Ego Likeness
East
Label: self released (www.egolikeness.com)
Released: Early July 2012
Genre: Darkwave

The new EP with a few new tracks, and a lot of remixes. The real gem here is the cover of Tea In The Sarah, an amazingly dark rendition of the song, putting a whole new spin on it. The two new tracks are good as well, hoping for a full length in a similar style soon. The remixes, which take up seven of the ten tracks, deconstruct Ego Likeness across a multitude of genres. From harsh electro to standard club cut. The CD copy is a limited edition EP, but the digital release is good high quality audio.

Serj Tankian
Harakiri
Label: Reprise Records / Serjical Strike
Released: 7/10 2012
Genre: Rock, Metal

Serj has always been an interesting force in music. With a wide vocal range, and a diversity of delivery from rapid to slow, he never fails to change it up. His third solo album since the hiatus of System Of A Down (now off hiatus) is even stranger. It's all over the place. From songs the remind me greatly of the last so SOAD albums, to stuff that's just really new and weird. He doesn't let rock'n'roll sit around doing the same old thing. He just takes it and runs and goes such awesome places with it. From political activism to irreverent whatevers, it's an amazing and sonically awesome album. Go get this immediately, you won't regret it.

Adding To The Archives:

BT
Never Gonna Come Back Down - Remixes
Label: Nettwerk
Released: 2000
Genre: House, Techno

Five remixes of the title track off BTs 2001 album "Movement In Still Life". And that's where the interesting part stops. BT himself is a pretty solid producer, making some great late 90s house, and going into the 2000s some decent club albums. But this single, is pure hyped trash. All the boring parts of 90s House. With some big names behind it there's absolutely nothing imaginative about the remixes here. It was worth the whole dollar I paid for it as a curiosity of the age. Leaving me wondering why we tolerated a billion remixes of every big song.

Rough Guide To Classical: Beethoven
w/ Conductor Matthew Best "Mass In C Major"
Label: World Music Network
Released: 2011
Genre: Classical

Always curious to see what movements are placed in a collection, and that Beethoven wrote so much it's hard to duplicate your collection. Ten tracks, from a good wide range of compositions. Honestly, the opening piece of Bagatelle No. 6 on piano is both a good opener, and my favorite piece. A few symphonies, some string quartets, and several piano concerto's make it on. Like every rough guide, some serious (and good) thought went into this compilation and it's both a good start for newbies and a good addition to fans.

And the bonus disk, starts out with more piano. I like symphonies just fine, but classical piano is such an amazing art form, something about that instrument captures music so well. And we get all 6 movements  (they split movement 4 Sanctus into that and Benedictus). It's nice and chill, and well done. After that four more works are given, as chorus, but I have to say the recording quality was lacking. It's a little too quiet, I had to adjust the sound levels on the track because turning up the volume just made whatever I played next blast the speakers. Still, nice to have one of the lesser played works done.

Next Week:
Some Psychobilly, some Punk, some Reggae... all wildly different and yet all so connected to each other. Also, some Classical Indian and something up from my vinyl collection needing to be digitalized. Plus, a surprise!

Week Of 6/19 - Trip Hop, Downtempo, EBM, Industrial, , Brazilian trad.

A mostly mellow week this time around, lots of lighter fair with just a dash of harder dance sounds thrown in to keep it lively...

New And Recent Releases:

Army Of The Universe
Kill The F* DJ
Label: Dim Mak Records
Released: 6/19 2012
Genre: Industrial, Electro

A digital only release from this Italian powerhouses, AOU has once more produced some seriously awesome music. The title track is a nearly harsh electro rhythm with EBM beats pounding away. The album remixes are still hard, though one of them gives a nearly classic rave-style treatment to the song which smacks a little or irony. The two other tracks on here are a good progression for AOU and their sound - a little more electro than their debut. And it's all good, I really hope a new full album comes out of these guys in the next year or so, their sound really is in that sweet zone of dance-club and rock-out.

Ayria
Hunger
Label: Alfa Matrix
Released: 6/19 2012
Genre: Darkwave, EBM

One track single from Ayria for her upcoming new release. A dancefloor ready number, nice and bouncy. Still with some dark undertones keeps it out of the pop- genre and prevents it from sinking into mediocrity. Definitely makes me look forward to the full album.

Adding To The Collection:

Alpha
The Impossible Thrill
Label: Astralwerks
Released: 2001
Genre: Trip-Hop

An old trip hop group, this album coming out as the genre was leaving dance-floor popularity behind. It's rather mediocre overall honestly. I do like that it switches between male and female vocals instead of sticking to just female trip-hop. Something Alpha was known for. But, they never really put the production team together to go the extra step. This album, in particular, actually starts to put me to sleep. Good for relaxing afternoon, but not much else. I think this is very out of print as well.

Kruder & Dorfmeister
The K&D Sessions™
Label: g-stoned
Released: 1998
Genre: Downtempo, DJ Mix

An old school DJ Mix, unlike a lot of mixes from the late 90s, this one falls on the downtempo side, delving into some trip hop and touches of dub. It's good, not as sleep inducing as Alpha is, but still mellow. This is the kind of thing that would play in the side-room (or chill-room) at a rave. You can still dance to it, but it's much slower, mellower. It's also a 2-CD mix, so this is a good one to put on and just let play out for a few hours of relaxtion. Not out of print, still moderately easy to find or order.

Think Global
Acoustic Brazil
Label: World Music Network
Released: 2008
Genre: Traditional Brazilian, Latin

The Think Global series are similar to the Rough Guides, though they tend to focus on larger regions, or have less focus musically. Acoustic Brazil pulls in from all kinds of sources. It's upbeat, but not loud, the don't just play lip service to the 'acoustic' part, most (or all I think) is unplugged. Some of them recorded just for this production. Lot's of different kinds of Latin styles mixed into this, with some more traditional styles specific to Brazil like Caipira (a 'country' style). Very good, not as chill as the trip-hop and downtempo entries, this stuff still moves around a bit. As a note, the Think Global series donates money to Oxfam International.

Hidden Tracks:
Amanda Palmer & The Grand Theft Orchestra
Trout Hear Replica and Want It Back
Label: self-released
These are two more digital single tracks from Amanda Palmer and her new album given out to Kickstarter backers. While not yet available to the public, I wanted to give my thoughts on the upcoming album: it's going to be good. Not a rehash of her Dresden Dolls days, the sound has moved forward by borrowing from the past. Lots of 80s tints the songs here, each in a different way, without trying to Be 80s. I'll post links when her album becomes available for order, and naturally review the whole thing when I get it in my hands.

Next Week:
A Rough Guide to Morocco, an Adam Ant best of, several singles crossed my path (Art Brut, Sinsect, and Clutch), and a compilation from Metropolis Records. Listen Hard!

Week of 4/17 - Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Gothic Rock, Trip-Hop, A Cappella

This week I rock out in various levels of loudness...

New and Recent Releases:

Hydrogyn
Private Sessions
Label: Rapid Fire Global Music
Released: 4/17 2012
Genre: Hard Rock

Latest release from the mid-west hard rockers, this album isn't quite a hard as some previous efforts, there's less thrash elements in it. Which isn't to say it's gone soft rock, it's still a solid piece of hard rock, almost metal in some cases. Julie's voice continues to be top-notch in the genre, very few singers match her pure-rock voice. Definitely a vocalist that comfortable in the genre, keeping it all on track. The special bonus-release comes with a hidden cover of Heaven's On Fire, a great cover that shows Hydrogyn have the ability to keep true to a cover and still add their own signature. I love the energy in their songs, definitely one of the better hard-rock acts (with male or female vocals) on the scene today. A pure no-holds-barred take on rock'n'roll.

Primal Rock Rebellion
Awoken Broken
Label: Spinefarm Records
Released: 4/17 2012 (US) (March 2012 in Europe)
Genre: Heavy Metal

I actually had this one for a little bit, picking it up upon release in Europe direct from What Records, but held onto it waiting for the US debut. Iron Maiden guitarist Adrian Smith (one of my favorite bands ever) and Bassist/Vocalist Mikee Goodman of Sikth (a band I don't like at all) teamed up to produce this... And I can't tell if it's genius or trash, or maybe a little of both. The music is awesome, Adrian and Mikee make an awesome team with their respective instruments. From that point of view the album is a monster of ingenuity and power. It's Mikee's vocals that drive me a little crazy. He's actually a pretty good singer - he just can't settle on a style, either singing, screaming, shouting, growling, or whatever, every song changes up way too often. Which is what eventually drags this album down a little bit into the mud. Were it not for that, this would easily be one of the better modern metal albums I've heard.

Hydrogen Skyline
Echoes In Retrospect
Label: self-released (www.hydrogenskyline.com)
Released: Early 2012
Genre: Gothic Rock, Ethereal

Debut full album from the Colorado based group, it's very light and airy, almost. They don't forget the importance of a good fuzzy guitar in rock, but it's definitely the lighter side of Gothic Rock, less punk-rock loud and more Bauhaus ephemeral. Like taking the best of the 80s batcave scene and mixing it with the best of the 90s electronic-goth scene. Like the single, I'm deeply reminded of Sky Cries Mary, which is a nice thing, rarely does anyone capture that mix of heavy and soft like Hydrogen Skyline have here. Warning though, if you listen to this while tired the lead vocals will put you right to sleep, her voice is smooth and clear, making it over the music without shouting at you. I definitely hope they continue down this road in the future.

Adding To The Collection:

Hungry Lucy
To Kill A King
Label: Alfa-Matrix
Released: 2005
Genre: Trip-Hop, Darkwave

Most of my exposure to Hungry Lucy was off this album, so I figured I'd start here now that I've gotten around to actually adding albums to my collection (also conveniently their debut album). I am not disappointed with a full album of listening, very dark and sensual. Crista Belle's vocal style manages to be clear and loud while still feeling soft and intimate - a testament to production quality as well as her singing. Blending late 90s Trip-Hop styles with Goth/Darkwave environments has created an amazing collection of songs. The album itself tells a, more or less, complete narrative story, and blends so well that I'll often forget to differentiate songs while listening.

Pandora Celtica
Dog Party (In The Key Of Swinging Cats)
Label: self-released (www.pandoraceltica.com)
Released: 2009
Genre: A Cappella

The debut release from PC, you can tell that by the time they got into a studio they'd be singing together a decent amount of time. A collection of sea chanties and battle songs, not a surprising move there. One thing I really like about Pandora Celtica is the harmony. No one voice runs away with a song, leaving the others to the background. Too many A Cappella groups feel the need for a lead-vocal and the vocal-band behind them. A good group is a fully harmonized collection - and that's what this group is. The subject matter, though, is a bit specialized to filking, theme parties and conventions, which is not a bad thing at all. It's just not an album to just put on in the background, unless you're into into that, then it is.

Next Week:
I've loaded up a massive 61-track compilation in the genre of "kitchen sink" (little bit of everything), as such I've only added the weeks new release - some very... well, different hip-hop, and an Industrial EP from last month I almost forgot I downloaded.

Week Of 1/24 - Modern Classical/Pop, Metal, Bollywood, Blues-Rock, Darkwave

A bunch of new releases came out this week, and I couldn't even try and get them all. The music year finally seems to be getting underway....

New Releases:
Ingrid Michaelson - Human Again
Label: Cabin 24 Records
Released: 1/24 2012
Genre: pop-rock, modern classical
After hearing just the one track from her Ghost single, and it being my first exposure to Ingrid, I was hoping for a lot more of what I got on that album. I didn't really get all that, so it didn't meet those expectations, there's a little more pop- in this album than I expected. But it's executed without irony or overused hooks, it's a solid, not quite completely classical style, album. Fun, quiet at times, Ingrid doesn't suddenly punch out with a loud song. It's not subdued though, call it middle of the road music. I found listening to the album to be relaxing, after a sense. Doesn't mean the album was emotionally dull, there's plenty of emotion here, positive and negative, coming out in the notes. It's good, solid, and will likely be in regular rotation for a while, her voice is close to hypnotic.

Lacuna Coil - Dark Adrenaline
Label: Century Media
Released: 1/24 2012
Genre: Heavy Metal
On first listen my only thought was 'wait, did I put on the wrong album?' - because it strikes me as sounding exactly like the only other Lacuna Coil album I own "Comalies." Now, it's not a bad thing to have a very consistent sound (AC/DC has been putting out pretty much the same album since 1976), but there is always something about it that makes it stand out a little (I never mistake Who Made Who for Razor's Edge, going back to AC/DC). On subsequent listenings I finally pulled it out from the other album, gave it a good listen, and I have to say it's very middle of the road. It's not the kind of big epic sound I sort of expected, nor is it truly a hard metal sound. It hits all the right rock notes, just not entirely enthusiastically. The dual male/female lead vocals is certainly better than the usual one or the other I normally pick up. I have to admit, my metal leanings are very much towards old school thrash-metal, so anything with a metal tag deviating from that isn't my bag. The travesty here, though, is the fucking awful cover of Losing My Religion. It lacks all of the impact of the original song, and just sounds like a bored b-side banged out because the studio needed something for a single. I quite like the second to last song Fire, I wish the rest of the album sounded more like it. I imagine if you're a Lacuna Coil fan you will love the hell out of this album, for me it may be another 6 years before I come back around to them again.


I:Scintilla - Swimmers Remixed
Label: none (self-released)
Released: 1/24 2012
Genre: Darkwave, Industrial
This little 3-track digital EP was made available to members of the mailing list only, making it a rarity. It's three remixes of Swimmers Can Drown, a nice little bonus for hard core fans. Of which, I might be one. The remixes are pretty good actually, and I wonder what happened that didn't get them onto a released EP or the 2-CD edition of the album 'Dying & Falling.' They aren't just dance-floor friendly iterations of the song, but decent reconstructions - though no one does anything really bizarre, keeping the industrial-rock edge the song has. It's little tidbits like this that I sign up for band mailing lists - a good band doesn't mail you often, and when they do they make it count.

Adding To The Collection:
Joe Bonamassa - A New Day Yesterday
Label: J + R Adventures
Released: 2004
Genre: Blues, Blues Rock
Blues-Rock, pure and simple. Opens with a strong guitar riff, and keeps on going. Joe has a 'classic' blues voice, a little rough in parts, a bit deeper than normal, talks as much as sings, and yet still smooth and clear. His guitar provides most of the lead here. This is an early effort of his, as such it sounds a lot like other blues albums out there, but you can hear something distcint coming through. A lot more rock than strict blues, the tempo is a bit faster than blues standards tend to be. Really, a great album, this is his debut solo album and he really goes out of his way to show his stuff with solid guitar solos. It also contains half a dozen cover songs (including the opening track), which Joe really makes his own, which isn't always the easiest to do on a cover song. If you want solid blues rock go track this one down and add it to your collection.

Anti- Fall Music Sampler
Label: Anti-
Released: 2011
Genre: Rock, Pop, Blues, Coutnry, Folk, ah labels....
Label compilations are often the weirdest kind to pick up - the bonus is they're almost always free which gives one a chance to get a whole bunch of bands in one place and check out a song. Unless the label is a very focused label you tend to get a grab-bag of styles. Anti- is home to a whole bunch of people who are some variation on Rock Music. The first track is the undeniably awesome Tom Waits (I already bought that album, let's move on). Joe Henry is next, a folkrock number, decent enough song. Tinariwen, a desert-blues group from Mali, never would have expected to see them show up here (they're on a Rough Guide To Mali I own as well), an almost out of place song and good to see a US label pick them up. DeVotchKa, native to my own Denver I'm a little over exposed to them already, not bad music, I just don't own any of it. A new Kate Bush song shows up, turns out I'm still not all that interested in her music, though I can't actually say it's bad, it's kind of good. Booker T. Jones, soul music, he's still making it, it still sounds good. Man Man, never actually heard of them, and for some reason they remind me of Bob Dorough, only not as fun, the song here doesn't catch me enough to look further. Jolie Holland, this is a country song, though I understand she does blues and jazz too, also paydirt, I like her voice and I'll be going out and finding her albums. William Elliot Whitmore, more folk rock, good song, but not great. Marketa Irglova, whom I've never hard of but I quite like her voice, though the music is a bit soft. Wilco, fuck wilco. And that's the end of that compilation, one artist I'll be finding, one I'll consider, not bad for the standard hodgepodge of artists labels throw together on these things. It was free at my local indie-store, as these things should be, ask yours if there are any label promos to check out, even finding one new artist is a win for the effort.

The Rough Guide To Bollywood Gold
Label: World Music Network
Released: 2007
Genre: Bollywood
Bollywood! Not quite traditional Indian, not quite modern music either. It's a quirky combination of the two that sounds, well, like it came from a movie scene. Because that's what it did. Taking the songs out of context is sometimes weird - as a few of them include a snippet of opening dialogue or movie sound effect. A few sound like very traditional Indian music, and a few are not even close, like the one track on here that is totally surf-rock set to indian beats and vocals. Epic really does describe some of the music here, and the only regret is that it's only audio and you can't see the obviously extravegant dance routines that go into these movies. Fun mix to toss into a playlist with other Indian music, because these songs are not dull, at all, ever.

Next Week - pop music from Denmark, the last of the Unwoman discography I have left, some trip-hop from the mid 90s, and a collection of, er, showtunes of a sort.

Week Of 10/18 - Industrial, Rock, Gypsy, Trip-Hop

New Releases:

Kidneythieves - The Invisible Plan
Label: self released
Released: 10/18 2011
Genre: Industrial/Trip-Hop
The 5 Track EP is Kidneythieves in top form, always getting better. Pushing the trip-hop style from the 90s up a notch into something bigger and better. The first track, Never And Me, is on my I Can Put It On Repeat For Hours list of songs, it's just amazing, strikes a chord deep down. The kind of song that belongs on the Insomnia At 0300 playlist. The whole EP is good, it doesn't overburden itself with remixes, which is a nice change from the modern EP format. Instead it's five new tracks, all of them excellent material. If you pre-ordered then you also got the Acoustic version of Floating Angels. It's not quite industrial heavy, but feels like it could easily swing that way with the addition of some extra bassline.

Adding To The Collection

Army Of The Universe - Mother Ignorance
Label: Metropolis Records
Released: 2011
Genre: Industrial
Italian Industrial duo Army OT Universe come out with this debut album, and it really spins the genre around a little. A little more rock, and little less concerned with 'club hits' and definitely showing a lot of glam-rock through the heavy beats. With a better-than-the-original cover of Bjork's "Army Of Me" on it, the album never misses a beat, and keeps on rocking. These guys are going to do nothing but get better and better, their debut here kicks some serious ass.

16 Volt - Letdowncrush
Label: Re-Constriction Records/Cargo Music
Released: 1996
Genre: Industrial
Early 16 Volt seemed unencumbered, raw, and very guitar driven. Letdowncrush is a perfect example of 90s Industrial-Rock, and stands the test of time. It's a great piece of crunchy music, driving forward, and not getting caught on itself. It's not particularly hard, or heavy, very much teetering on the edge of Industrial and Gothic-Rock, either way it is a very cool album. With the exception of the final track that's noise behind the rantings of a radio caller, I really find it annoying when bands add five minutes of some strange person ranting on a radio talk-show/interview. Luckily it is last and easily skipped past.

Lemon Drop Kick - Lemon Drop Kick EP
Label: self-released
Released: 2011
Genre: Rock/J-Rock
LA Based Japanese/American rock band, this 4-track EP is their first offering up of a professional (or semi-professional) nature. I've seen them live and they put on one hell of a good show. On disc, though, they're simply pretty average rock, nothing bad, but nothing that really truly stands out above and beyond. Maybe I'll check back on their next release and see if they've acquired a sound that's less generic.

Rough Guide To Hungarian Gypsies
Label: World Music Network
Released: 2011
Genre: Gypsy/Folk
Another Rough Guide, another look at Gypsy music from Eastern Europe. The one thing I like about these Gypsy compilations is that it shows a massively varied selection of musical style in a relatively small area of the world, especially since they all tend to use the same or very similar instruments. I think this might be my favorite Gypsy compilation of all, it lets vocals shine a little more, feels a little more open, and whirling about. If you need a collection to start with for Gypsy musics, start here.

Bonus Tracks
Korn - Narcissistic Cannibal
Label: self-released
Released: October 2011
Genre: Dubstep
Korn offered up this free track from their upcoming album, and they have done nothing but gotten better over the past ten years. This little track they went way off their typical field and into the Dubstep arena, enlisting the help of Skrillex and Kill The Noise they produced a heavy, crunchy, guitar driven piece of dubstep madness. If this is a sign of their upcoming album I'm hooked.

Next week I cut back, and load up a small stack of compilations I've had lying around for a while now - world music, punk rock, and the new Tom Waits are all being loaded and listened to...

Week Of 10/11 - Industrial, Darkwave, Metal, Acoustic Rock

So, this week is actually three weeks worth of New Releases from my vacation and the week after it. Plus an album I helped the Kickstarter project for that was technically out in August digitally.

New Releases:

Angelspit - Hello My Name Is
Label: Metropolis Records
Released: 10/11 2011
Genre: Industrial, Electro
The latest full album from Angelspit, and their first album as a four piece band (five if you count the visual artist guy). They added drums and guitar to the mix to try and get a bigger sound, or a different sound. They thankfully didn't leave the roots that made me a huge fan too far behind, and they did greatly expand their overall sound quite a bit. Just an all around great album from the band, and nice to get a full album that isn't full of remixes. On the down side? They don't let that guitar come out and play enough. It's there, all killer riffs and such, but not big enough, it's still a bit in the background behind all the wonderful glitchy bits. I love guitar, and can think of no better way to spice up almost any kind of music, but this album needed a little more of it. Beyond that? Definitely should be on the Buy List for industrial fans.

Collide - Counting To Zero
Label: Noise Plus Music (Self Released)
Released: 10/4 2011
Genre: Darkwave
Collide always funds their albums through donor contributions, and this is one I was able to get in on and help out with, consequently I get a shout out in the big list of Thank You Names for the funding. Pretty cool. And the result is amazing. Collide is one of those bands that constantly refines their sound without redefining it. And this is an amazing result of about ten plus years of evolution and experience. It's an amazingly ethereal album, full of lush wonderful sounds, not particularly heavy. Quiet and Dark as only they know how to make it. Even non-Collide fans should add this to their collection. Probably one of the best non-label releases I've picked up this year.

Wayne Static - Pighammer
Label: Dirthouse Records (Self Released)
Released: 9/27 2011
Genre: Metal
Wayne put Static-X on hold to work on some solo stuff, and this is the result. What he did was manage to put out a Static-X album that sounds almost completely flat. I was really looking forward to this one, as I'm a big fan of Wayne and Static-X. But this, it's a little over-produced and under-performed. It's got all the elements of his past work, all the crazy vocals, the cool drum lines, and bad-ass guitar riffs. But it completely missing that something that made Static-X stand up and out. Unfortunately, it's just Wayne and I think what's missing is the dynamic interaction of a full band. Here's to hoping he puts Static-X back together, because their last release was amazing.

Unwoman - Unconvered
Label: Self Released (available on Bandcamp)
Released: 8/31 2011
Genre: Acoustic Rock/Goth
Unwoman is a cellist, having played with Rasputina among other acts. She is an amazing cellist, and a good vocalist. And like Collide, funds all her releases through fan donations, this one on Kickstarter, which I also helped with. I had to wait for the CD to arrive though, so it's a little late and the last of the New Releases. It's a collection of cover tunes, as the name implies, from 1980-1995. She covers Wham!, Madonna, Tori Amos, Cyndi Lauper (a great rendition of She-Bop), Real Life (a decent cover of Send Me An Angel), Sisters Of Mercy, Michael Jackson (a weird cover of Billie Jean), Nine Inch Nails (should have picked any song other than Hurt), Nick Cave (the only bad cover on here of Do You Love Me), Front 242 (by far the most interesting choice, and I think the best cover of the lot), and a few others that are good. It's a good wide selection, done almost universally well, with little beyond her Cello and Voice, occasionally some other production elements get in there. It's good, it's different, which I like.

Adding To The Collection:
Gears Gone Wild
Label: Bitriot Records
Released: 2008
Genre: Industrial
OK, I admit I picked this up only because the cover is two Terminator Robots having sex doggy style. And it's Industrial. That's where the good stops. It's a decidedly mediocre collection of various forms of Industrial, from noise to rock. It's truly a twenty-track collection of filler. Only on a couple tracks could I be bothered to care and check who I was listening to. Skip it unless you really want a CD with Terminators having sex on it.

Next week, I'm cutting back on the number of albums, in an attempt to get more in depth into each one I choose from the stack.
Coming Up: Kidney Thieves, 16 Volt, Lemon Drop Kick, Army Of The Universe.

Week Ending 5/7 - Metal, Pop-Punk, Rock, Darkwave

This week contains the last of the I:Scintilla discog, an unexpected find, and some other filler. On Tuesday I wandered down to my local indie-store and checked out their New Release end-cap. Half of it was releases from the previous week. I thought about the new Beastie Boys album, I thought about saying 'fuck it' and going home albumless. But I knew there was more out (there always is) and wondered why they showcased a whole 6 albums. Out of hundreds. Wandering back into the metal section I located the stores only copy of Leave's Eyes new album, even then it's not NEW - it's just New In The US. Inside, I'm a little sad.

New Releases:
Leaves' Eyes - Meredead
Label: Napalm Records
Released: 4/20 2011 (5/4 2011 US)
Genre: Metal (Symphonic Metal/Epic Metal)
Female lead vocals fronting angry Nordic men playing heavy metal. Sounds silly put that way, but this really good stuff. I don't like calling this genre "Symphonic" because it doesn't involve a Symphony - though one track has an orchestra and they add in a plethora of instruments. So Epic Metal - and they really do make the songs sound Epic - larger than the speakers. Liv sings in English, Old English, and Norwegian. They even toss in a cover of Mike Oldfield's 'To France'. Thankfully only one song felt the need to mix the excellent vocals with death-metal-grunts. I really am not a fan of that particular combo so often employed by the genre.

Filling Out The Collection:
Pizzicato Five - Quickie EP
Label: Matador Records
Released: 1995
Genre: Rock, Jazz
Pizzicato Five is one of the few acts to get out of Japan and into the US that isn't some form of Punk, Classical, or preceded by "J-". A jazz-rock duo, they easily slide between a solid jazz sound and a good rock swing, sometimes feeling a bit 1960s about the whole thing. I ran across this little single almost accidentally in the used section. A four track EP with some edited, and remixed, tracks off of the Made In The USA album. It's a nice little taste of the whole album, they even include a karaoke version of "Magic Carpet Ride" (along with a radio edit), which removes everything but the chorus. And they bring in an MC to put down a rap on a remix of I Wanna Be Like You.

Avril Lavigne - Let Go
Label: Arista Records
Released: 2002
Genre: Pop-Punk
Yes, I'm a fan of Avril Lavigne. She's a bit pop, a bit punk, and she keeps her clothes on for album covers. There's nothing particularly spectacular about her debut album - how it skyrocketed to such levels I'm not sure I can really say. It is pretty grounded, and Avril is an excellent singer. The songs are definitely teenage fodder, but not vapidly so, and she isn't G-Rated nor is she about sex appeal. Which, as I write it, is probably why it made it so hi up the charts. There's just no bullshit here, it's clean fun pop-punk rock. Enough attitude mixed in with enough actual life. A good opening album.

Avril Lavigne - The Best Damn Thing
Label: RCA Records
Released: 2007
Genre: pop-punk
Her third album, better than the first not as crunchy as the second. Something interesting I discovered - the normal release of this album is clean, there is no Explicit Release. The Deluxe Release (which I didn't get) has the Explicit words put back in (and there is no Clean Deluxe Release). Kind of annoying, because I don't need the DVD, but I really don't like edited music. It's only four tracks with the swears removed (Bitch, I'll note, is not edited out anywhere). This one is a little more rock, few more ballads on it too, not as dark as 'Under My Skin' was.

I:Scintilla - Dying & Falling (plus Remix album)
Label: Alfa-Matrix
Released: 2010
Genre: Darkwave
The last of the I:Scintilla discog (almost, see the end). Dying & Falling is their full sophmore release album. It's good, solid gothic-rock/darkwave type stuff. Not quite industrial, not quite stripped down enough to be Gothic-Rock; hence 'Darkwave' which it kind of is and isn't, genre labels... fuck 'em. The album though, is good. Nothing on it stands out quite like some of the tracks on Optics though, nothing really caught me. Though, just like on the single preceding it, Ammunition really is catchy.

Resuscitation The Remix Album
It's another remix album, basically this has turned into a Label Gimmick, they put out a 'Deluxe' release with a second disc of other bands remixing some album tracks. Sometimes you pull out some real gems, sometimes it's just some industrial/variants you can toss into a mix and let run all night. Thus is the case here, I put this through a few listens and may not ever really come back to it for that One Track.

Now, the 'complete discography' of I:scintilla is loaded. It came on a 2GB USB Flash drive with a neat I:Scintilla logo on it (tiny flash drive actually). Which is cool, and cost 30$ for all six releases (2 EPs, 2 Albums, 2 Remix Albums). Normally all that would cost around 80$, making it a great deal if you're missing most (or all) of their discog. BUT - it's not complete, it should have been called the "Alfa-Matrix Flash" because it is missing their first self-released 6-track EP. That would have, in all honesty, been awesome to include. It's out of print, never coming back in print I'd wager, and would make this little gem of a buy Perfect. As is, I filled out a bands discography sooner rather than later, without regrets. Now I just have to figure out how to file a two-inch Flash Drive in my CD shelves. . .

Week Ending 4/30 - Industrial, Darkwave, Bhangra/House, Noise

Five new albums this week - three of them New Releases and the other two playing catchup from previous purchases. I actually have a good half dozen albums waiting for me to catch up, I try to only add a manageable amount - so I can actually listen to it all, sometimes that's easier than other times.

New Releases:
Karsh Kale - Cinema
Label: Six Degrees
Released: 4/24 2011
Genre: Bhangra, London-House
This doesn't quite fit under Bhangra completely, Kale is of the breed of Bhangra that the London DJs of Indian heritage have added London-House to. So it's very club-friendly and bouncy. But you can hear the underlying Indian music, this release is even more House than his previous works. The second track, Mallika Jam, shines as an outstanding example of Bhangra-House fusion, and the track Supernova is very bouncy, really fun, but purely a club track (very Juno Reactor, actually). When he does bring in vocals (which is often enough here), they are always Indian.

KMFDM - WTF?!
Label: Metropolis Records/KMFDM Records
Released: 4/24 2011
Genre: Industrial
This is the 17th studio album from KMFDM, and after nearly 3 decades they've still got some punch left. WTF?! brings back some of the glitch of the late 90s KMFDM, while still keeping the 2000s full band sound. There's a little more machine here than in the previous few albums. The opening Krank is a straight up KMFDM name-dropping anthem. Come On - Go Off, Rebels In Kontrol, Lynchmob, and Vive Le Mort, are classic KMFDM, mixing guitars and industrial for a 'classic KMFDM sound'. But the two tracks that really stand out are: Amnesia - which sounds like Sisters Of Mercy getting ahold of a tank and running through the industrial genre like it were paper. And 'Death & Burial Of C.R.' which takes a very old little rhyme and turns it into a very creepy piece. It's the perfect end track to the album - and really comes alive when listened to with headphones,.

OK*Ztein*Ok - Prolet*Kult
Label: KMFDM Records
Released: 4/24 2011
Genre: Noise
When KMFDM finished WTF?! Sascha locked himself in the studio alone and produce this weird little 6-track EP of noise. It's low key, glitchy, barely there beats and rhythms. Vocals are odd snippets of speech and spoken word. If you're into almost structureless adventures into soundscapes then you'll appreciate this. It's not quite the full on layered harmonics of other Experimental/Noise artists, but it's close. Definitely an album to immerse into with headphones.

Filling Out The Collection:
In the continued effort to load up the backlog of music orders, two more from I:Scintilla this week.

Optics Remix Disc
Genre: Darkwave (remixes are Industrial as well)
Released with Optics as a 2-Disc Limited Edition, it's nothing but Remixes of tracks from Optics itself. It's nice, and some interesting things are done with the tracks, but only mixes of The Bells actually stand out, mostly based on the fact that that's the strongest song taken from the Optics Album to work with. Nothing gets too overly-Club Friendly, nothing goes too far out into odd directions either. Overall, it feels like a record label gimmick to put out a Limited Edition release.

Prey On You
Label: Alfa-Matrix
Released: 2009
Genre: Darkwave
The lead single off the latest album "Dying & Falling" - the first two tracks are from that album, the third track is exclusive to the single, and the other 5 are remixes. Prey On You gets three remixes, all of which are pretty good. The Ammunition Remix actually manages to take some of the frantic punch out of the original (which does come out like a machine gun and is an awesome track by itself). The last track Hallowed (and one remix of), is OK, but you can see why it didn't make the final album.

Week Ending 4/23 - Hip-Hop, Darkwave, Rock

I picked up two new releases this week, because I wandered into the local indie record store and saw 'Dengue Fever' and went, "I don't recall ever hearing of them, yet it is familiar" ... turns out they're on a compilation I have stashed around here. I also started to load in and listen to the I:Scintilla discography I picked up a couple weeks back. It may be a sign to slow down when I generate a backlog of music to load up and listen to . . . Nah.

New Releases:
Dengue Fever - Cannibal Cannibal Courtship
Label: Fantasy Records (Concord Music Group)
Released: 4/19 2011
Genre: Rock
Dengue Fever is a rock - psychedelic rock really - outfit, vocals are done in both English and Khmer (or Cambodian). While the lead vocals are female, this album has a pretty good split of male and female vocals. It's got a laid back rock feel to it, nothing heavy or fast about it. Very relaxing, bit fun, some songs have a bit of a smart ass vibe about them.

Del The Funky Homosapien - Golden Era
Label: The Council (Council Partners Entertainment)
Released: 4/19 2011
Genre: Hip-Hop
Del is an old school MC from the early 90s, and has for the last 15 years or so put out a steady stream of music in a lot of places. This release actually has two extra albums with it that were only released digitally in 2009. This album is alright, I like it well enough. The first two songs have some refrains that repeat a little too much, but after that it's just solid walls of rhyme and rhythm. With the rhythm properly behind the MC, at least properly for Del. Minimal production - there are no liner notes with any serious credits, he may very well have done the entire thing himself.

Automatik Statik
Originally Released: 2009 on Bandcamp.
Of the three albums that came in the digipak, this one is the best. There's a little more humor, the rhyming is more fluid, the whole thing just grooves.

Funk Man
Originally Released: 2009 on Del's website
This one didn't click with me, I may have to put it down for a bit and come back to it. It feels like it might have been a little rushed, or unfinished.

Filling Out The Collection:
Collide - The Eyes Before
Label: Noisepluse Music
Released: 2009
Genre: Darkwave
This is a cover album, and finishes out my Collide Discography. They're all over the spectrum of music, covering The Beatles, Depeche Mode, Chris Isaak, Pink Floyd, David Essex, Radiohead, Fleetwood Mac, The Moody Blues, and David Bowie. All the takes are good, not just flat covers replaying the songs. Each one gets the synth-goth maker over and takes it well - saying as much about how classic these songs are as it does about how good Collide is. The David Essex cover (Rock On) could have used some more punch to it. I'm also not the biggest fan of Pink Floyd and there's two covers (opening and closing the album) here, I think I'd have preferred to see them showcase another band. Their cover of Knights In White Satin, however, is amazing, it really brings out a melancholy in the song.

I:Scintilla - Havestar
Label: Alfa Matrix
Released: 2006
Genre: Darkwave
Female vocal lead I:Scintilla skirts the line between the Darkwave synth sound and Industrial Rock with heavy guitars. They bounce between the two freely. This is the initial release on Alfa-Matrix, a CD Single with a bunch of remixes on it. Six of the tracks are remixes from fellow label mates of studio releases, three of the remixes are the title track. The other three tracks are off the Optics album. From a first release (though they had a self released album previously) it's a great sign of things to come from the band. The remixes are remixes, some more club-friendly than others.

I:Scintilla - Optics
Label: Alfa Matrix
Released: 2007
Genre: Darkwave
The first full album released after being signed, it easily and fluidly swings between harder guitar driven songs and more rhythm based club songs, with a few slower ethereal tracks thrown in to keep the pacing just right. A couple songs really stand out; Toy Soldier could easily have been a single on its own, and Ultraviolet definitely belongs on the dance floor.

Kerli - Love Is Dead

Released: Summer 2008
Availabilty: easily found in actual music stores
Label: Island Records (major label)

Kerli Koiv is from Estonia, moved to the US in 2005 and managed to get a contract to cut a few records. Her debut album is a mix of goth, darkwave and europop swirled into a mix of danceable tunes and off-beat ballads.


Love Is Dead - The album starts with some hard snare hits and a pretty cool guitar riff. I'm pretty sure this is a love song, even if it's not it's a cool track to listen to.

Walking On Air - This is a really cool goth-rock track. A bit creepy, a lot about living ones dreams. I love the lyrics whole bunches.

The Creationist - A very pretty little piano track, another song about the power of self belief. There's a spiritual message in here, how you take it is based on how you look at life. I'll leave it in your hands, no matter the song is pretty.

I Want Nothing - Picking up the pace with a guitar riff, it comes off as very old-school goth-rock to me, and fast like punk rock.. I like. Also, I think this song is about a girl telling a guy off.

Up Up Up - I love this song, it's happy and upbeat, and manages to keep a medium tempo. It reminds me of laying about on a sunny afternoon.

Bulletproof - A slow ballad type song with fuzzy guitars all over the place. Not much of a fan of this song actually. It's the guitars, too much fuzzy here.

Beautiful Day - Another slower song, but more percussion and less fuzzy guitars. And also, happier in tone. I like songs that are uplifting and positive.

Creepshow - This one belongs in a club scene, at high volume. One of those high energy dance-tempo songs. The lyrics are also a bit non-sensical, but fun. Kerli also sings in her native tongue for parts of the song, the only track on the album she does so. The song almost feels like an album opener instead of stuck on the back end like it is, but it's also a good break from the more subdued tracks around it.

Hurt Me - Not quite fast, not quite slow. The song seems self-destructive in nature. Not really a fan of this one either to be honest. It seems to be missing some much needed Punch to the tone.

Butterfly Cry - Not a light song, but soft and airy. Ultimately, it's a sweet ballad that belongs on a playlist for rainy days.

Strange Boy - Another track that would be at home in a club, a hard pulsing beat with a neat little riff. The chorus is also fun, almost something to chant along to. Very danceable song, just turn it up and let it carry.

Fragile - And we end the album with a slow track, about that we're all vulnerable despite ourselves, and that we can carry on regardless. There are strings that appear here, and I think the song could have been stronger if they backed the entire song instead of being mixed in as they are. Also, I would have removed the guitar in favor of violins.

The album as a whole has its ups and downs, it doesn't really keep a pace going across the whole length. Lots of good pieces to add to playlists of various moods though. And Kerli has a voice that's pleasant to listen to.