Backcatalog - Dig Jelly, Sero.Overdose

Dig Jelly

For Your Inner Angry Child

Label: SourceOne Records
Released: 2003
Genre: Hard Rock

Dig Jelly is the other project for three of the five members of Lolita Dark, which I reviewed a few weeks ago, plus a couple other guys. This is their first album put out, some time ago. Done before it became almost cliche to have a female led hard rock band, to boot.

This is equal parts hard rock, punk rock, and pop rock all mixed into a blender and served with a side of DIY Ethic. I like it a lot. I can't actually pin point what about it I like though, I just like it. I put the album on and it catches me from the start and just keeps going in a nice little groove. This is the kind of unpretentious rock that so many bands aim for and miss completely.

Definitely a band worth checking out. More of their stuff will come in the future, I've got their current discography sitting in my stack of music.

Sero.Overdose

No Time For Silence

Label: Alfa-Matrix
Released:  2005
Genre: EBM, Synth-Pop

A bunch of German guys making kick-ass EBM with weird haircuts and all black clothes. This is a formula really. But it works, and Sero.Overdose works well. Everything about this reminds me of all the industrial/EBM I was listening to in the mid 1990s. Given it's a decade out of time from that period I like that it hasn't really lost that feeling.

If I just sit back and listen without knowing when it was released, I probably would have guessed the late 90s. If you like the synth-pop end of the EBM ride you'll like these guys. Well produced, well done, doesn't get stuck in itself or try to make The Beatz take over the record. Good old fashioned dance floor rhythms.

Week Of 6/5 - Psychedelic Rock, Hip Hop, EBM, Industrial, Gothic Rock

Late post today... for no reason other than it's late. Lots of different records, I digitized a number of records because I had the time for it. A lot of recently added albums, and two albums from way back in the day...

New And Recent Releases:

Fear Factory
The Industrialist
Label: Candlelight USA
Released: 6/5 2012
Genre: Idustrial Rock

Fear Factory have been around for a long time and with this record they're down to two of the original core members - Bell and Cazares - and the sound is still pretty much the same. A little more refined, but just as hard, just as industrial with pounding drums and grinding guitars. I haven't bought a Fear Factory album in ten years to be honest, Digimortal being the last one I bought. But I have caught songs through the 2000s, and nothing really impressed me. This feels like a return to form, while never having really left the form to begin with. It's good, solid, hard, indusitral-rock and an excellent album.

Solillaquists Of Sound
The 4th Wall Part 1
Label: Self-Released ( http://solilla.bandcamp.com/ )
Released: 6/2 2012
Genre: Hip Hop

The long awaited third full album from this hip-hop outfit, and it's as excellent as the first two. Their sound is evolving, production is getting better. DiVinci is still creating some excellent beats, some very traditional some almost metal in sound. And the lyrics are both spot on culture statements, and flow really really well. It's just great music. If you manage to pick up one of the few hard copies from their website directly they send a link to the instrumental only version of the album, which makes for great ambient music.

The Black Angels
Watch Out / I'd Rather Be Lonely
Label: Blue Hoirzon
Released: 4/21 2012
Genre: Psychedelic Rock

A two track single put out on Record Store Day 2012, on orange vinyl no less. It comes with a 3 track download that includes a cover of The Zombies She's Not There. The first two tracks are pretty good, but it's their cover song that's really good. They really nail the original while not directly copying it. I really do like these guys, and can't wait to see what they do with their next album.

32Crash
Hyperreal
Label: Black Rain / Alfa Matrix
Released: Early 2012
Genre: EBM

A six track remix record for the Y2112Y album, there is a digital download version with 8-tracks. All the remixes don't deviate too far away from the originals, which were pretty decent dance tracks themselves. The members of 32Crash are amongst the original EBM scene and know the style down without going backwards. 32Crash is definitely forward style and the remixes are solid work. The vinyl is definitely for hard core collectors, and I believe a very low number were made. The digital album, with the two bonus tracks, is excellent.

Adding To The Collection:

KMFDM
More & Faster
Label: Wax Trax!
Released: 1989
Genre: Industrial

A three track 12" from KMFDM right before they broke through and started to help put industrial music on the map. This was really before they added guitars into the mix. The first track, Rip The System, is typical KMFDM chant against the system. More & Faster is now typical KMFDM personal defacement. And then the B-Side Naff Off is studio outtake gone almost too far. It's all classic KMFDM and the tracks are all still available in other places now, at the time, this was an awesome record.

The March Violets
Natural History
Label: Rebirth
Released: 1984
Genre: Gothic Rock

The first full album from this classic Goth Rock band from the UK. Part of the first wave of UK Gothic Rock, they lasted about 6 years before breaking up. But this album, is all classic club rock. I'm not sure if this was ever released on CD (sources say no). Technically, this is just the first 4 singles they put out and some tracks from an 83 John Peel session. But, in the US it's pretty much all you could get. Which means this little addition is a piece of history that really can't be shared unless you got it back in the day or search for it now (it's not too hard to find...).

Next Week:
The new Bouncing Souls, Pandora Celtica christmas album (when better than June!), both Kill Bill soundtracks, and a compilation of modern Torch songs.

Week of 5/22 - Industrial, EBM, Downtempo, A Cappella

This week is coming around both sides of the spectrum - some very hard industrial and classic EBM sounds, and some very downtempo and A Cappella albums...

New & Recent Releases:

KMFDM
Amnesia
Label: Metropolis Records
Released: 5/22 2012
Genre: Industrial Rock, Industrial

Another year, another KMFDM remix single. This one, unlike some in the past, is closer to a single with only three remixes, an album track, and an unreleased track. Sascha himself takes a crack at the title track, rolling out the old "black man, white man, yellow man, rip the system" line from way way back in history. He does nothing for the track honestly, maybe makes it a little more old-school KMFDM if anything. Morlocks take a kick at Krank, putting their own unique twist on the track, making it a little bigger. And Rotersand takes Come On - Go Off and turn it into a massive monster of a club track. Those two mixes alone are worth the price of entry. The unreleased I (heart) You is, or I feel like it is, leftover from WTF?! that got cut from the album. A creepy little stalker song, honestly. Five tracks, a good size for KMFDM to work with, a good single that works well and KMFDM fans will be happy with it.


Angelspit
Sweet Chemical Boy
Label: self-released (http://www.angelspit.net)
Released: May 2012
Genre: Industrial, Electro

The album version (not appearing here) of Defibrillator is an oddly cheery little piece of dark work from Angelspit - one of my favorite electro-industrial-punk bands. They put out a contest for remixes of the song and put this 11-track free download remix album out for fans. Now this is exactly what a remix album should be, some of these are completely reconstructed mixes. While not every mix that deviates too far from the original is good (actually, there's a good bet it isn't) anyone who can be really clever with it can go miles. Notably two mixes from Haru Yasumi go that extra mile to really make interesting break downs, one involves a piano. It gets turned into a bit-core song, a club hit, and some interesting takes on the song. As a band that prides itself on deconstructing, and then reconstructing into something new, they pulled out a collection of remixes that fit that ethos nicely. Eleven songs in a row is a bit tedious, so this is best tossed into a big play list.

Wind Down
Label: EMI Special Markets / Starbucks
Released: Spring 2012
Genre: Downtempo, Ambient, Trip-Hop

A mix the wife picked up somewhen along the way, a collection of light ambient and trip-hop songs from a fairly wide selection. Frou Frou, Alif Tree, Ennio Morricone, Groove Armada, Minus 8, Tosca, Slackwax, Thievery Corporation, Moby, Boozoo Bajou, Moodorama, Propellerheads. With the exception of the Moby track (Natural Blues), they went out of the way to go a little further and a little deeper into these artists. Coming out with, as the title and back blurb promise, a softer, slower, collection of songs that fit well together for an album to wind down to. There's nothing exclusive here though, so if you're into the style of music already, chances are you could put together something similar if not exactly this.

Adding To The Collection:

Nitzer Ebb
Industrial Complex
Label: Alpha Matrix
Released: 2010
Genre: EBM, Industrial

After fifteen years Nitzer Ebb put out a new studio album (Body Of Work, which I had picked up immediately was really a big best-of). I saw this come out, and skipped it for a while, finally I really did have to go and see if Nitzer Ebb had anything else to say. They do, Industrial Complex feels like it picks up right where Big Hit left off, actually it goes a little further and feels like it bridges the gap between Ebbhead and Big Hit. The more complex song writing with the occasional foray into that heavy-beat hard-rhythm from their very early stuff.

Pandora Celtica
Out Of The Box!
Label: self-released (http://www.pandoraceltica.com)
Released: 2010
Genre: A Cappella

Two versions of this album were actually loaded up this week. The normal and Special Edition. More tales of the wee folk and faerie and all that, some sea chanties, and tavern tunes. The regular album is good, keeps things moving, the group here has some amazing chemistry together. No one steps on each other, all five harmonize excellently. The special edition has a few extra tracks, and lots of banter, I think many of the tracks are either unmixed versions or outtakes. It's actually the less interesting of the two - get the regular edition unless you like recording room banter. I always like to see how an independent bands sounds on a recording, sometimes these things are done in a bedroom and you can hear traffic in the background. This wasn't, mixed clear, produced cleanly, and let's the bands voices come across beautifully. The only A Cappella group I follow with any seriousness.

Bonus Track:
Army Of The Universe
I (Heart) You (Remix)
Free from KMFDM.net
Along with the five track single, one more remix was dropped. Don't know if it was intended for the album and missed a deadline, or if this was an after the fact remix, but it's officially endorsed by KMFDM and given away on their website. It's a nice big remix of the new I (heart) You song. Everything AOU does makes me fall in love with them more. Get the single, get the remix, and buy the studio album from both bands.

Next Week:
The Shins, I explore the other half of the Broken Bells duo and his rock band. The Rough guide to Celtic Women with a bonus album. The new issue of two previously Japanese only singles from Burial. And the soundtrack to Diablo 3. Listen Hard!

Week Of 4/3 - Bassa Nova, Industrial, EBM, Modern Classical, Gothic Rock, A Cappella

Tried to get in a decent mix this week, finding some off the path stuff...

New Releases:
Céu
Caravana Sereia Bloom
Label: Six Degrees Records
Released: 4/3 2012
Genre: Bassa Nova, Pop

Céu does has a nice, smooth, and quiet voice, very jazz in style, and nicely un-american in sensibility. The Bassanova rhythms with a pop-music overlay is a nice combination. The album itself is, as I found out, really good on a warm spring morning, driving around, or walking. Relaxing, soft without being too slow or quiet. The native Brazilian music is not, to my happiness, not even remotely tinged with any kind of standard US overproduction, I hope she stays on the Six Degrees label and keeps her music decidedly Brazilian. The Bossa Nova sound does have some minor pop-style undercurrents, but are closer to a Latin-Jazz sound than a pop-music sound overall. Overall, good, relaxing music to sit back and enjoy.

 Recently Released:

Everything Goes Cold
The Tyrant Sun
Label: Metropolis Records
Released: March 2012
Genre: Industrial, EBM

A mostly-remix EP from EGC, it's full of the kind of hard club-styled industrial that I enjoy. Aggressive, loud, and thumpy. At least one of the remixes is all dubstepped out with wobbly bass, but not so much that it loses the industrial style behind it. Their first release on Metropolis is an appropriately loud piece of work - definitely worth tracking down and forcing your favorite record store to order for you.

Unwoman
Infinitesimal
Label: Self-Released (www.unwoman.com)
Released: March 2012
Genre: Modern Classical, Ambient

This is a collection of very old work from around 1999, finally seeing the light of day - limited to 50 hard copies, it's primarily a digital release. The liner notes request to take the work seriously, as it was recorded with that intent. There's also an apology for the quality of some of the production, due to limited experience and equipment at the time. Honestly, there isn't that much to overlook and excuse, it has decent production quality - better than some music with more resources. Overall, it's a nice collection for fans to have of early work - the only song I actively don't like is Lament For Peter Pan which is an almost 13-minute epic piece of work that, quite honestly, horrible.But, against the backdrop of the rest of the works, it just quietly slips under the water and drowns in some really nice music. Best for fans or anyone whose interested in the journey a musician takes from early steps to a more practiced refinement.

Adding To The Collection:

Hydrogen Skyline
Index_Zero
Label: Self-Released (www.hydrogenskyline.com)
Released: 2011
Genre: Gothic Rock

So, I picked this up at Anomaly-Con, a local Steampunk convention here in Denver. It's only a 2-track single (I have the full album release that I'll be reviewing in the near future), so a good introduction to the band. Both tracks are on the less-rock, lighter side, of the gothic-rock coin - though I'm not sure the band fully intends to land in that genre. Still, it's good. They remind me a great deal of Sky Cries Mary, without being derivative, more a feeling of the same audio-space, which I enjoy. Slow rhythms, no one instrument - not even the vocals - really takes the front, all of it mixed together in an smooth ethereal sound.

Morlocks
The Outlaw Of Fives
Label: Non Aligned Media
Released: 2011
Genre: Industrial, Gothic Rock

This... well, this is this weeks gem. I'm actually having a hard time accurately describing the whole endeavor. Take elements of Gothic-rock, industrial, symphonic metal, synth-pop, and punk, then mix liberally in a blender, serve over ice. They like multiple change-ups during a song, and it manages to fit and work. It's all a little ridiculous too, and still it works. While I like them best on the really fast, energetic, tracks, the slower ones are interesting, making heavy use of harmony vocals and string elements. The album is a kind of epic on a scale you don't see very often, and manages to carry itself through with it all the way to the end. Absolutely worth tracking down and getting (the digital version is available on Amazon and iTunes, the CD copy is available easily through the KMFDM online store).

Pandora Celtica
F'n Sharp!
Label: Self-Released (www.pandoraceltica.com)
Released: 2010
Genre: A Cappella

Another band I picked up at Anomaly-Con - an a cappella group that, on this album, mostly sings chanties, though a few other songs mix in. They certainly sing well together, and harmonize nicely, nothing sounds out of place nor does one voice constantly rise above the rest. This is their second album and you can hear that the group here (this isn't the current line-up) works really well together. The one thing about many A Cappella groups I pick up is that there's always something that prevents me from just putting an album on all the way through - which I didn't find here. A good interesting find outside the norm of the general music collective.

Next Week:
The latest Bassnectar thumps my speakers. More industrial (isn't there always...). I discover a musical genre completely new to me - Fado, a native Portuguese style. And some ethereal gothic-rock stuff from a former KMFDM band member. Listen Hard!

Week Of 3/27 - Metal and EBM

Delay of Post due to illness. Right on the heels of attending a convention I became sick with the flu, which severely curtailed my music listening ability - much less posting. Last weeks Sunday Morning Blues is bumped to this coming Sunday, and this post is many hours late.... On with the show...

A lot of Live music this week, several new releases, and almost completely Heavy Metal.

New Releases:

Iron Maiden
En Vivo!
Label: EMI Records
Released: 3/20 2012
Genre: Heavy Metal



A double disc live release... Iron Maiden are now one of those bands that can simply Go On Tour. Which means I tend to skip a lot of Live Album releases - after all I only need so many live versions of classics from any Maiden era. But when they put out a live set from the latest album I'm inclined to pick it up - because Iron Maiden are amazing live. Truly a great show, and I like to hear how the new material sounds with a crowd, recorded live with no studio mixing. En Vivo! is the live tour from the Final Frontier album, which was epic in scale. Only five of the tracks from The Final Frontier made it onto this live set, which is only 17 tracks on 2 discs, though it still tracks in just under two hours. I would have liked to see the thing push the limits of the CDs some more, each could easily fit another track, a full 2 hours of live music would have been nice. Still, the boys still have it, the songs aren't hacked and hashed live, nor are they precision replicas of the studio. It's a live show, and it is good. If you're a big Iron Maiden fan you'll probably want this.

Overkill
The Electric Age
Label: Entertainment One
Released: 3/20 2012
Genre: Heavy Metal, Thrash Metal


I always love the release of a new Overkill album, through the 2000s they seem to just be getting harder and heavier, which is good after a faltering 90s (which I mostly don't own, though I may fix that in the future). The Electric Age picks up right where Iron Bound left off: pounding the audience into the pavement. The riffs are hard, Blitz still belts out some of the best thrash lyrics around, and everything is overall a grinding testament to the sonic assault that is unfiltered thrash metal. Nothing on Electric Age quite catches me like the last album though, it's an epically awesome album that gets better with every listen, but it's not immediately catchy. Just amazingly good. You can't be a metal fan without adding Overkill to your discography, and while it's not Overkill's best album, it is still leaps and bounds above most metal bands, in any day.

Adding To The Collection:

Hydrogyn
Strip 'Em Blind, Live
Label: Destroy All Records
Released: 2007
Genre: Heavy Metal, Hard Rock


Hydrogyn weren't around all that long before they had to the opportunity to put out a live album, so it's a short set. Only one track from the future album Deadly Passions (and the bonus track at that) is in the set, so no previews for the audience. It's a solid (almost) forty minute set, with a bonus non-live cover of Back In Black. They make a good live band, putting a solid amount of energy into the songs, a clean sound-board recording helps too. Good for hardcore fans of the band, but it's not an awesomely amazing set, they aren't quite as epic as some other bands out there on a live set - or maybe it didn't come through the recording.

23Crash
Weird News From An Uncertain Future
Label: Alfa Matrix
Released: 2007
Genre: EBM, Electro


32Crash is a Jean-Luc De Meyer, Len Lemeire, and Jan D'Hooghe side project. It's a weird concept album that tells a tale of the future. Planetary devastation, ecological disaster, alien invasion, conquest, and other assorted bits of doom filter down through a stripped EBM beat. This is almost under-produced. But it works, and well, because these three guys know exactly how far down to strip things and still keep the club feel and sound. Definitely an album worth seeking out, it sounds good, you can put it on and use it for ambient sound, or put on headphones and get lost in a strange futuristic tale.

Bonus Track:
Bassnectar (featuring Amp Live)
Ugly
Label: Bassnectar self-released
Released: 2012
Genre: dubstep
A preview track from the upcoming Bassnectar album. If this track is an average example of what's to come this next album will be big and loud and all kids of fun. Comes out Real Soon (April 10, 2012). The song is just excellent, truly. Can't wait for the next album, I've got my copy on pre-order.

Next Week:
And next week .... not nearly so much metal. Some very old Unwoman (and a limited release at that), A Capella, Bassnova, Industrial and more....

Week of 2/28 - Industrial, EBM, Electroswing, dubstep

This week, two singles, two albums, a remix set, and a compilation all fill out a week of listening pleasure.

New Releases:
Inure - The Offering
Label: Metropolis Records
Released: 2/28 2012
Genre: Industrial Rock
This is good, solid music. It sounds industrial, but that's really just the veneer on top of some straight up really good rock and roll. This should be getting all kinds of radio play (I hope it is, at least). None of the songs drag on, all are a good length, without the droning on and on you get from some industrial acts. There's not much else to say beyond the fact that I really dig this album, it's a solid piece of work that'll hang around and be listened to quite a bit.

Recently Released:
Inure - This Is The Life
Label: Metropolis Records
Released: 2012
Genre: Industrial Rock
The seven track single is all remixes, five are the title track, two are other tracks (This Death from the album, and Le Petit Mort, which is the same track with a clever name and another remix).The remixes vary from rave-style club cuts, to the now almost common dubstep version. If you like collecting remixes (which I admit I do to some extent), or are a huge fan of the band, the remix single is worth it. Otherwise, there's no exclusive material or non-album tracks that make this anything special.

Bassnectar - Amorphous Music Mixtape Volume 7
Label: Amorphous
Released: January 2012
Genre: Dubstep, House
This is a free remix set from Bassnectar, about 30 minutes long, it's almost a full set. It pulls from the 90s up through the 00s, grabbing samples from Beastie Boys, P!nk, and others that anyone who spent any time on the dance floor in the last 25 years should recognize. Mixed fluidly with a lot of dubstep wubbing behind it, house beats, and electro styling. The diversity is kept up, changing out frequently enough to prevent you from getting bored with the mix, though not so often you feel like someone's just flipping through channels. If you like Bassnectar (and you should) then go find this and give a listen.

Adding To The Collection
Fortran 5 - Love Baby / Crazy Earth
Label: Mute Records / Elektra
Released: 1990
Genre: EBM, Synthpop
An old single from a early 90s project. Fortran 5 varied from a synthpop kind of sound to very weird experimental EBM. This falls deeply in the dance-EBM synthpop side of things. And it's an EP single with a few remixes. There were a couple versions of the Love Baby single released, this one comes with b-sides of Crazy Earth. There are only 5 tracks making this a mercifully short EP, two remixes of Love Baby, two remixes of Crazy Earth, and one remix of Midnight Trip. All three songs are catchy dance tunes the would slot well into any retro 90s dance list. They aren't timeless tracks, showing a simplistic early 90s techno style - lots of beeps and blips. Good for Fortran 5 fans, nothing spectacular otherwise.

Nekta - Water The Flowers
Label: InfraCOM!
Released: 2006
Genre: Electroswing, Future Jazz
Nekta is one of the bands I picked out of the many on the Electroswing compilations I've got. They're a German based duo and open up to a lot of future jazz and electroswing sounds, not limiting to just the upbeat swing. A lot of the album is heavily jazz laden, though some of it is still the jump style swing you can really dance to. All of it is excellent, a music styling the US desperately needs to start listening to. A little hard to get in  the US, or at least moderately expensive, but completely worth it. A breath a fresh style, good music, retro sound, and modern styling.

Cyanotic Presents Gears Gone Wild: Spring Break
Label: Bitriot Records
Released: 2010
Genre: Industrial, Industrial Rock, EBM
This is infinitely better than the regular Gears Gone Wild compilation. The flow is consistent through the remix collection, all of which are done by Cyanotic himself. It's pretty much a complete collection of solid dance floor beats and rhythms. Interesting if you're a big fan of collection remixes, remix collections, or just want some more club songs to drop into your collection. After that, it's just another industrial compilation, without too much to really set it apart.

Next Week:
The Boss, Motörhead, Tom Waits, a couple of compilations, and an EP I picked up at random...

Sunday Morning Vinyl - Punk and Industrial

This morning I finally finished out the 30th Anniversary Bad Religion Box Set and converted the last two albums to digital - News Maps Of Hell and The Dissent Of Man; and I found an old Front 242 single hanging out in my vinyl crate.

Bad Religion - New Maps Of Hell
Label: Epitaph
Released: 2008
Genre: Punk
New Maps Of Hell was one of those albums I saw come out, but I wasn't really paying attention to Bad Religion at the time, I still hadn't gotten back into them after Process Of Belief. Given the excellence of this album I should have. It's quick, tight, and fast. This is the kind of Bad Religion album I really enjoy, it isn't overly preachy in the message (which is still their standard issue commentary on society). The songs themselves are precise, but not over produced. No one song really sticks out above the others here, though. If I had to pick out a single I don't think I could. Everything is good, just above average in my ear, not an album I'd skip around on. Definitely worth picking up and adding to your punk rock collection. Also, it's catchy, I just bounce right along to the rhythms here.

Bad Religion - The Dissent Of Man
Label: Epitaph
Released: 2010
Genre: Punk
This came out at the same time as the 30th Anniversary Box Set, and is exactly when I decided to jump back into picking up Bad Religion albums off the strength of the track Wrong Way Kids. It's an excellent song, but is the best cut on the album. It's not quite the same over-produced mess as Process Of Belief (can you tell, I wasn't particularly thrilled with that album?), but it's also not quite the quick, masterful speed of New Maps Of Hell. They backed off the accelerator just a little, but still produced one good album. The B-Side wasn't nearly as good as the A-Side though, all the really good stuff is on the front half of the album. A good solid release, here's to hoping we get more like this in the future.

Front 242 - Headhunter
Label: Wax Trax!
Released: 1988
Genre: Industrial/EBM
Front 242 are the original EBM group (they even invented the term). And when Headhunter hit American clubs in the late 80s it dropped like a fucking bomb. Everyone, even people who really weren't into the Indutrial scene, loved it. And not some watered down DJ Mix, the original F242 mixes. This single contained the seminal song, plus the B-Side of "Welcome To Paradise" which contained clips from preacher Farrell Griswold, set to a moderately harsh percussion background. Not quite fully danceable as Headhunter, still, a popular track. This one is old school EBM and Industrial from before they introduced guitars into the scene. Both tracks are on Front By Front, as the single here is long out of print, form WaxTrax! before TVT had to step in and buy them up.


Next Sunday is Christmas, though I'll probably be here listening to some records from my collection and getting out a post before family takes over the day. Probably find a few short records to digitize.

Week of 8/30 Industrial, Dubstep, Klezmer, Electroswing, Ambient

Crawled all over the spectrum this week, good diverse set. A last minute addition of an Electroswing compilation, a Klezmer compilation, took a shot at Skrillex's EP, and a Combichrist album from a couple years back. But, again this week, nothing new at all. Really slow month for new stuff in August. September is going to more than make up for that....

Adding To The Collection:
Marc Broude - Medecine
Labek: No Zen Records
Released: 2011
Genre: Ambient
This gem, I picked up along the way when the artist contacted me. My last release from this artist was effectively death metal. This, not so much. Dark ambient, moody. Good headphone music here, as there's some complex things going on with it. But, honestly, nothing extra-ordinary. There isn't quite the depth I'm used to with this kind of headphone ambiance, it almost reaches the likes of Controlled Bleeding's ambient offerings. But falls just ever so slightly short. Less complexity is only part of it, there's a certain emptiness behind it, like you're only catching part of what it wants to be. All that aside, though, it's a good background album, something a little darker than your average ambient offerings, less tinkling bells and more dark atmosphere.

Combichrist - Today We Are All Demons
Label: Out Of Line
Released: 2009
Genre: Industrial/EBM
I don't make a great distinction between Industrial and EBM personally (I'm sure someone out there is annoyed with me...) - but then I don't make a lot of genre distinctions sometimes. This actuallly falls closer to the EBM side of things, but it's got enough heavy bits to be good Industrial. I picked up the bonus 2-CD version of the German release. The second disc is another 8 tracks of songs, some of which seem like incomplete tracks or demos. Honestly, the second disc turns a great club album into something less, not really adding much onto the package. The album itself, though, is excellent. The first six songs alone are beyond awesome, truly pounding anthems for any dance floor. After that things go hit or miss, the EBM roots showing through heavily. Pick up the single disc release of this one.

Skrillex - Scary Monsters And Nice Sprites
Label: Big Beat / Atlantic
Released: 2010
Genre: Dubstep
Like any good pure-dance music this is mostly breaks, beats and bass. Though for an EP is contains seven tracks and only three remixes, which is a good hefty bit of new music for a non-album. The first track is a really good song for a dance mix, has everything you need from the build up intro to a good outro (not faded thankfully). After that the album is a bit generic, nothing really stands out above what's out there. But it does move, and moves well. Good to have around to fill out the set, or night, just to keep things bouncing right along without pausing. It's priced like an EP, which makes it a definite grab.

Electroswing II
Label: Wagram
Released: 2009
Genre: Eletroswing
All the electroswing is still in Europe, and all the best stuff is still put out by French label Wagram. Which makes it a good buy to pick up these compilations if you're in the US. This goes a little more diverse than most compilations on the genre, pulling in some rock influence, some hip-hop influence, a little house appears, and the always present stand-by bands, Nekta, Caravan Palace and Lyre Le Temps. Everything here is good, everything is so completely listenable. Electroswing is all fun, all the time. It's a genre you need to a grab a partner to and just move on the dance floor. It's impossible not to, and this compilation delivers in spades.

Rough Guide To Klezmer
Label: World Music Network
Released: 2000
Genre: Klezmer
Klezmer is a uniquely Jewish style of music, most usually seen at weddings. This Rough Guide goes from the European origins to the US Revival of the genre. Grabbing traditional songs and new ones from recent groups. A lot of Klezmer, to me, would fi right in with a barn-dance set. It has the same kick-up-your-heels dance feel, and good time all around style to it. Other than that, unless you need a disc to keep on hand for a Jewish wedding, this is mostly a really interesting look at another culture. Not an album you put on to listen to just because.



Next week will be a Hank III fest as he releases three new albums all at once. I'll find something else to throw in the mix to balance all that out though....

Week Of 8/23 - Blues, Industrial, EBM, Dubstep

No new physical releases, I did pick up a pretty wicked digital single though. Of the Dubstep variety. Last weeks new release came in, Ana Popovic is a wicked blues singer. A live album from KMFDM, and an Accesory CD+Single round out the listening.

New Releases:
Afghan Headspin - Stand Up
Label: Skint
Released: 8/23 2011
Genre: dubstep
Afghan is a breakbeat and dubstep DJ out of the UK. This four-track single is the track plus a remix, both with instrumental versions. It's a very bouncy, hard, dubstep single. This is a fast track, very good for the dance floor. Fuzzy guitar-like riffs with a great vocal behind it from Stapleton. Definitely one to pick up if you like your dance music a little darker, a lot heavy, and very bouncy.

Ana Popovic - Unconditional
Label: Eclecto Groove Records
Released: 8/16 2011
Genre: Blues
I'd only heard of Ana casually, but I figured it was time to check her out, especially since every other new release for the week was definitely on the Pass list. She's got a seriously good blues voice, not gravelly, a little deeper than most female vocalists, like you want your blues - low and mean. And her guitar playing is top notch, proving that the guitar really is far and beyond one of the best instruments out there. Twelve tracks from slow to fast of perfect modern electric blues come pouring out here, she deserves super-stardom.

Adding To The Collection:
Accessory - Forever & Beyond
Label: Out Of Line
Released: 2005
Genre: EBM
I picked up one of the last Limited Edition 2-disc releases of this, it comes with a 4-track EP that includes a bunch of video as well. The album is a perfect modernization of late 80s/early 90s EBM. This entire album reminds me of Bigod20, early Front 242, Nitzer Ebb, and the like. Nothing overly heavy, the bass doesn't take over, and no guitars to be found - the days before Industrial Rock got a hold of the dance floor. But it isn't stuck back there, it feels and sounds very 2000s despite the throw-back sound. Accessory have figured out the dance floor and unleash a barrage of awesome cuts here. Every DJ needs this in their mix.

KMFDM - WWIII Live 2003
Label: Sanctuary
Released: 2004
Genre: Industrial
This is a live recording from Chicago off the WWIII tour, their second album since reforming with Lucia after the 'breackup' in 1999. Sadly, this is why I don't normally buy Live Albums. I remember this tour, it was epic - with video behind the band and the typical crowd pleasing energy and non-stop music. KMFDM knows what to do at a concert: play, and play hard and never stop. No bullshit crowd interactions, no song introductions, just music - song after song. This though, doesn't translate that energy, fails to capture the experience. Also, Raymond was near the end of his line with KMFMD here and it shows - he's almost off time in some places, and sound terrible through most of it. Sascha sounds like he might have a cold, and Lucia hasn't quite left behind her screaming days from Drill (though that's 4-5 years back by this point). They do play and record almost all the songs off WWIII though - which is nice, and catch a few of the truly awesome classics, though nothing further back than Angst. A good one for the KMFDM collector or fanatic, skip it if you're simply a big fan or less.

Bonus Track:
Bassnectar - Divergent Spectrum Continuous Mix
Label: self-released
Released: August 2011
Genre: dubstep
As part of the pre-order bonus this was sent out, it's a continuous mix of the album. It's a pretty straight interpretation, smoother cross over between 'songs', and some very minor differences. It's pretty cool, but not anything spectacular or anything that those who didn't pre-order are going to miss. It comes as a single hour long track, as well, not split out.