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 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 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 4/10 - Dubstep, Industrial, Gothic Rock, Fado

Introduced myself to a new musical genre from Portugal this week, picked up a release from a former KMFDM member, added some Industrial to the collection, and wobbled my way through the new Bassnectar....

New Releases:

Bassnectar
Vava Voom
Label: Amporphous Music
Released: 4/10 2012
Genre: Dubstep, Hip-Hop

The latest from house and dubstep powerhouse Bassnectar. He manages to put out about a release a year, and his latest offering is just as big as any. Heavy wobbly basslines permeate this one. Two tracks have hip-hop elements (Vava Voom and Ugly) and an MC to go with the music, the rest is mostly instrumental dubstep, a Pennywise tribute song uses their lyrics in it. Two tracks stand out as the most interesting productions - Ping Pong and Butterfly. Both are immensely catchy and toe-tapping tunes. This is high end dubstep, less fuzz and more actual musical production behind it.

Adding To The Collection:

Sweet Sister Pain
The Seven Seas Of Blood And Honey
Label: Danse Macabre Music
Released: 2010
Genre: Gothic Rock, Darkwave

For old KMFDM fans from back in the 80s Rudolph Naomi is a name you'll recognize. I don't know what he's been doing since leaving the band shortly after Naïve was released, but somewhere a few years ago he became one third of this outfit, an ethereal gothic-rock outfit. I hesitate to use the term 'old-school' because it feels very modern, but at the same time it reaches back into a slightly less industrial-influenced gothic rock style. Light, ethereal, it's low on samples, no heavy beats, and overall is an extremely relaxing listen. It's cello, guitar, and percussion, no one on keyboards or sampler, no loops. Both a male and female vocalist are used, but not often in the same song, each one is used to make a song stronger, where it fits best. And there's a haunting rendition of Mad World on it as well. If you want something in the darker side of the spectrum lyrically, but still  lighter musically definitely find and get this album. (US availability is fastest through the KMFDM online store.)

Unternull
The Failure Epiphany
Label: Alfa Matrix
Released: 2005
Genre: Industrial, EBM

I've been a fan of Unternull for several years now, but her label is in Europe which makes getting albums expensive due to exchange rates. Finally, I got around to picking up her first album. It's heavy, but not too fast, with expected dark lyrical content, maybe a little too focused on failed relationships, but not in a whiny kind of way. Her vocals are not typical female vocals hitting high notes and soaring through verses. She's mid-range, with heavy effects sometimes, giving her a kind of low growl without shouting 'death metal style' into the mic. Heavy beats, but not quite club-cuts. Another very dark album, but on the heavier side, if you want something that provides a noisier background without getting loud and invasive this is a good choice.

The Rough Guide To Fado
Label: World Music Network
Released: Early 2012 (January I believe)
Genre: Fado

Fado is a new musical genre to me - it's a Portuguese style of music going back to the early 19th century. A guitar music, similar but not quite the same as Spanish guitar, and almost always with vocal accompaniment. I don't speak the language but I get the feeling there are a lot of love songs in here, or at least about love, both losing and finding - just by going from the tone of the singer. The guitar work is really nice in this style, lots of extra little aspects that make it stand out. It's also not hurried, some of the most relaxing and laid back guitar work I've heard in a long time, the music doesn't lend itself to faster dance tunes. There are no backing bands, occasionally there's more than one guitar, but that's as complicated as it gets.

Bonus CD:
Cristina Branco
Murmúrios
Original Released: 1998

This was first released in 1998, and made Cristina Branco one of the leading vocalists in modern Fado, the inclusion here is a nice bonus to the Rough Guide, giving us a listen into one of Fado's greatest modern vocalists. Her voice is soft, almost jazz in her delivery. It's simply her voice and one guitar creating some incredibly relaxing and light music. If you like guitar work, definitely track down and find some Fado, this Rough Guide (with bonus CD) is a good start to any collection.

Next Week:
Lots of various kinds of rock and roll coming down the line, Iron Maiden veteran Adrian Smith, some great contemporary Gothic Rock, more A Cappella from Pandora Celtica, and I'll see if I can fit a surprise in there...

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!

Sunday Vinyl - Punk, Gothic Rock

Sunday morning, let's get some of the vinyl in my collection into iTunes. This morning two more albums from the Bad Religion Box Set - we're into the period where I really go into them, so it skips over some releases as I go through this. And a Gothic Rock single I found crate digging one weekend. Punk and Gothic Rock share a history, so it's content appropriate.

Fields Of The Nephilim - For Her Light Two
Label: Beggars Banquet
Released: 1990
Genre: Gothic Rock
This is the second part of a 2-part single on 12", the CD had all four tracks. Fields is classic old school Gothic Rock. Lasting from the mid 80s to the early 90s, a short run but no uncommon in the goth-rock scene. High guitars, deeper vocals, rock rhythms. Fields incorporated some psychedelic rock elements as well, which was unusual. This little two track single is pretty standard. A Side is exactly what you expect. The B-Side is an instrumental, very dark, ambient almost. The bass guitar carries the tune through with some percussion, a few other elements behind it, and some spoken word under it. The B-Side is definitely the more interesting the two tracks, the A-Side is a classic though.

Bad Religion - No Substance
Label: Epitaph Records
Released: 1998
Genre: Punk
The follow up album to The Gray Race, one of their best albums I think. This album wasn't as well received, but they continued to play around with their formula here, not just hashing out the same basic idea over and over. This one moves away from anti-government sentiment more prevalent earlier, and more onto the social themes always there. For that, the only three tracks that stand out on Side A are the title track, The Hippy Killers (about the post-hippy generation having to inherit what's left), Raise Your Voice! which is as much a call to arms for free thinking as any anthem can be. Side B opens with a volley of anti-religious sentiment. But moves onto the general social commentary of needing to not settle for less, and thinking for yourself. It's a good album, and should have done better than it did. Unfortunately it didn't produce any real "radio hits" for people to latch onto.

After this album is New America, which is rough and angry, but also not a great hit for them. New America would be their last release on Atlantic and end their association with "big record companies" through the 90s. After that was The Process Of Belief, which did produce more radio hits, and is an ok album, but it's anger seems buried in over production and I lost interest in them for a while, until very recently with the release of The Dissent Of Man, so I'll pick up again on vinyl with their 2000s releases going forward.

Bad Religion - The Empire Strikes First
Label: Epitaph
Released: 2004
Genre: Punk
This album picks up a lot from the previous one, faster, leaner, cleaner. Less production and more raw music to it. Like a lot of punk from the early 80s, this one is anti- almost everything even near the military-industrial complex. Side A is short and sweet, everything is fast, the songs range around the two-minute mark, only the last three are particularly long reaching three minutes. This is exactly the kind of album that needed to come out after Process Of Belief to bring them back down to a much more raw sound. Side B is longer songs, some of them sound like they're trying for a certain level of radio-friendliness but don't quite make it. Still good, still the faster, angrier, Bad Religion that feels like the 80s might be happening again in Punk Rock. Much better than the previous album, getting back to that sweet spot of really good music, angry riffs, and solid lyrical delivery.

Next Week - finally finishing off the Bad Religion box set with their latest two releases, and maybe find another record in my collection to add in.

Week Of 9/20 - Classical, Gothic Rock, Guitar, Industrial, Rock

This week I had a short week to listen as I'm leaving on vacation on Monday and will be on the road for three days, so this post is being written on Sunday. So I didn't quite get as many listens in to the new CDs as I'd like...

New Additions:
Tori Amos - Night Of Hunters
Label: Deutsch Grammaphon
Released: 9/20 2011
Genre: Classical
Tori is moderately predictable, most of her albums have a very similar vibe musically. Including this one, which isn't a bad thing, you know what you're in for - some amazing classical piano, though this one is much more classical than previous albums. Up to the point where many songs are reworkings of actual classical pieces. It's all very stripped down, no percussion at all, no guitars and bass, just some strings and wind instruments occasionally accent her piano playing. It's actually a very relaxing album, despite some of the lyrics being the opposite. The opening line is classic Tori "That's not my blood on the floor" .... which really gives the album its life. If you're a Tori Amos fan you'll definitely like this offering, if you're just getting into her this is a good starting point.

Adding To The Collection
16 Volt - American Porn Songs // Remixed
Label: Metropolis
Released: 2009
Genre: Industrial
OK, so I wasn't impressed with American Porn Songs, and sometimes the remix albums hold a lot more interesting things going on. Sadly, no. The complete lack-luster of APS carries right over into total boredom here. Somewhere in here is an acoustic cover of one track, but honestly I couldn't be bothered to even look up which one or who did it. I should probably have given this a more thorough listen through, but honestly it kind of bored me the first time through. Only get this if you're a die-hard 16 Volt fan.

The Mission (UK) - Carved In Sand
Label: Mercury
Released: 1990
Genre: Gothic Rock
Like most Gothic Rock coming out of the 80s, this is just as much punk rock and straight rock'n'roll as it is Gothic. Which is how I like it, really. And The Mission never fails to deliver a good album, so when I found this sitting in the used bin at a local record store I immediately picked it up. I don't remember ever getting to hear this one back in the day, but it sounds familiar, that kind of good familiar that brings you back to a good place, hanging out with friends, in a bar or all night diner, knowing there was nothing to do the next day so one am became three before finally shuffling off into the dawn for sleep. And that's what this does for me. It's a good album, I won't say from a better time, but a different time, when things felt simpler musically. Fans of The Mission will immediately love this album and probably already have it in their collection, as 1990 was the year of hanging on the precipice of musical oblivion before the 90s swallowed up so much of the previous three decades.


Rough Guide To African Guitar Legends (with Bonus Syran Mbenza & Ensemble)
Label: World Music Network
Released: 2011
Genre: Guitar, Rock
With a name like African Guitar Legends I'm afraid I set myself up for a little bit of disappointment. I love guitar driven music, especially some good serious blues, rock, country, and roots. And while every band here has an awesome guitar player in it, and are excellent bands, this is not guitar driven work. This is a collection of people who are known for their excellent guitar work, and are out of Africa, but it's not really Guitar Driven. They just happen to be really awesome guitar players, with a backing band. Nothing truly spectacular, just something really good. And thus my disappointment, which was completely a personal expectation I should probably have placed to the side. Because this is some good music, uptempo, and different from what I get in the US. The bonus CD is a tribute to a great guitar legend who passed away, and feels like a good tribute album, but again the guitar work is not stand out, it's seamlessly integrated into a band work. You can hear the solo work behind everything else, and it's very good. In the end it's two CDs of good music, just not guitar focused work.

Bonus CD
KMFDM - Live Boston 2011
Label: none
Released: Sept 2011
Genre: Industrial
KMFDM recorded as many shows as possible through their 2011 North American Tour, and released them as digital downloads on the world. Sadly, my city (Denver) was not recorded so while I was at the show I didn't get to take it home with me. Luckily their set was pretty much the same throughout the tour (or exactly the same really), and I randomly picked Boston to download to check out the recording quality. It was an awesome show this year, and the live recordings capture that well. 90 minutes of classic KMFDM, most of the WTF?! album and lots of 2000s era stuff, and a few bits from the 90s, and only Godlike from before that. While I love that they play the new albums nearly in their entirety, I wish they'd select from a wider range of albums, they have over 25 years of experience and I think in a live show only one song from a previous album is needed, especially since they took two from Blitz (one of their weakest albums ever) and two from Tovuvabohu, a track of Xtort, Money, WWIII, or earlier would be neat. Still - good recording, clean and clear, and the crowd noise made it through - which occasionally doesn't happen on soundboard recordings. If you saw the shows, this is an awesome souvenir, if you didn't this is a good way to get it second hand.


Next week, I'm on vacation, actually the next two weeks. So I won't be getting anything new - but I am pre-adding two weeks worth of music to listen to while on vacation. If I can post from the road I will, otherwise the next Audio-Bomb will have a lot of Additions to report, and the week after that will be all the New Stuff I missed out on listening to while away - because I have new CDs on order, I just won't be around to receive them.

Until then - Listen Hard!

Week Of 8/9 - Gothic Rock, House, Moombahton

This weeks new selection is the latest EP from The Birthday Massacre, an older EP from Emilie Autumn, rounding out my gothic-rock selection nicely with both titles. A house compilation from London, and a compilation of a brand new subgenre of house - Moombahton.

Moombahton is, to shorten a lengthy story, what happens when Reggaeton got imported into Europe, spend up and created Dutch House, then exported back out to the US, who slowed it back down to its Reggaeton roots creating a kind of bastard house-dancehall style. Very bass, very danceable, very not what you'd expect from 100bpm.

New Releases:
The Birthday Massacre - Imaginary Monsters
Label: Metropolis Records
Released: 8/9 2011
Genre: Gothic-Rock
Birthday Massacre almost fall outside the calssic Gothic-Rock style, which is closer to punk rock than the industrial of a lot of modern Goth is. Female lead vocals are sharp and not overly shouty without also being overly breathy. Imaginary Monsters continues on with guitar driven, electronic influenced, gothic-rock. A quick 8-track EP with three tracks and 5 remixes. And not the same track over and over, only Shallow Grave appears twice with a Combichrist and Assemblage 23 mix. The first three tracks are a good showcase (I hope) of the upcoming release, because they're great songs. The EP also includes a bonus video of 'In The Dark', always a nice touch.

Adding To The Collection:
Emilie Autumn - Girls Just Wanna Have Fun / Bohemian Rhapsody Double Feature EP
Label: Trisol Music Group
Released: 2008
Genre: Gothic-Rock, Classical
Emilie mixes in liberal doses of non-modern styles with her Gothic-Rock. This little EP, a limited edition (I believe there's a non-limited version missing the bonus track and in standard packaging) number that was a European release only, is nine tracks. Mixing harpsichords, violins, violas, and some modern bits. Bohemian Rhapsody only gets a cover version here, and sadly it lacks a lot of the punch the original had. It sounds good but falls a little flat. Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, on the other hand, brings a little more oomph and some new life to an otherwise banal pop-song. The four remixes aren't too bad, mixing up the song a bit, one of them nicely guitar-heavy. There are two live tracks, 'Asleep' and 'Mad Girl' for Emilie fans to enjoy. And the hidden track (though the inserted booklet lists it) is 'Gentlemen Aren't Nice' and is a nice sassy little number. This EP is mostly for collectors/fans of Emilie Autumn, if you're just a casual fan there probably isn't anything here you'd be too excited over.

Blow Your Head Vol2 - Dave Nada Presents Moombahton
Label: Mad Decent
Released: 2011
Genre: Moombahton
As explained, this emerging sub-genre of house and dancehall is a slowed down House style that was originally sped up Reggaeton. Reggaeton was itself a modification of the dancehall that left Jamaica to the surrounding islands. As a result this compilation of songs is bass heavy, beat driven, mixed with latin styles (you can recognize some Cumbia in there), with a dancehall feel, and definitely still modern house music. A lot of tracks feature Spanish, several feature reggae MCs, and more than a couple are just instrumental dance tracks. The whole thing is club friendly, and the bigger the system you have the better it sounds. Should be interesting to see more of this genre emerge and morph in the next couple years. As it is, it's new, a little hard to find, and possibly may just get reabsorbed back into the house-mix.

Sub Club 20 Years Underground
Label: Soma Recordings
Released: 2008
Genre: House
This is a 2CD set, the first disc is DJ Subculture, and the second is Optimo. As the title suggests both DJs go way way back into the London underground and come forward through the years, a really wide range of house comes out. You can feel the evolution. Subculture's disc is a little more laid back, almost mellow, but definitely not shirking its duties as a club-cut set of tracks. It's a little more trance influenced than pure rave. Optimo ups the ante a little, and the beat, and comes across with a few more heavier sounds, but still manages to reach way back with a Front 242 cut 'Take One'. Good mix aside, this is an interesting look at the history of London House and Club culture over a 20 year span. Beyond that little bit of history, it's not actually coherent enough to be a great mix set.

Bonus Tracks:
Army Of The Universe - Resin (+ Remix)
Army Of The Universe is an Italian industrial-rock act, and as they ramped up for a North American tour opening with KMFDM they put out a few tracks to download on their Facebook page. Naturally I grabbed 'em and gave a listen. I like 'em. They've got some good styles, the guitar in it really helps bring it out of the all-electronic production of Industrial, just about anything can be improved with guitar. The remix is from Bobberman, and adds some extra punch to the track, but I like the original a little better. Check out the band, I think any modern Industrial fan will like them.

Next week is all compilations and remixes - sadly the new CD I wanted to check out wasn't available locally and I had to order it, so no New Releases next week.`

Week of 6/14 - Gothic Rock, Jazz, Industrial, Rock

This weeks new addition is Bella Morte's latest release 'Before The Flood' - a great Gothic Rock album, plus some Dengue Fever bringing back the sound of the 1950s quite handily, a spattering of Industrial musics, and a Rough Guide Compilation.

New Release:
Bella Morte - Before The Flood
Label: Metropolis Records
Released: 6/14 2011
Genre: Gothic Rock
Bella Morte has the ability to take all the best parts of 80s Gothic Rock and leaving behind all the worst parts (namely, having to have been around in the 80s). Great guitars, light on the synths and samples, and Andy's voice is just an amazing fit for the genre. If you are or were a big fan of Gothic Rock before the 1990s started to change the genre up then you really want this album, it fits right in without feeling dated. Definitely modern rock, definitely something new. Bella Morte managed to capture the feeling without sounding like a bad copy. Lights In The Sky is a massive stand out track, as is Falling Star. It's not all dark and moody, the rock here is above the norm, way better than your average radio play rock group.

Adding To The Collection:
Dengue Fever - Escape From Dragon House
Label: M80 Music
Released: 2005
Genre: Rock, Indie-Rock
Dengue Fever takes average indie-rock and kicks it up a notch by adding a Khmer (Cambodian) singer. Her vocals are excellent, and the album has a very old-rock/lounge feel to it. The whole sound (and even album art) feels like they're channeling the rock of the 1950s, a bit lounge, a bit jazz, a bit rock, all good. And the vocals in Khmer make you feel like you're listening to it in a bar in the jungle heat, I file this kind of thing under Summer Music, good music, hot air, long days, great feeling to it.

Turnbull A.C's - Let's Get Pissed
Label: Out Of Line
Released: 2008
Genre: Industrial, EBM
Turnbull A.C's, named after the gang from the movie Warriors, is a side project for Pontus Stålberg (of Spetsnaz), whose main goal is to create EBM as heard in the 80s. Less crunch, more reliance of the beat, and a little more repetition of chorus. Let's Get Pissed is a pretty good party-album, throw it on when the party needs something loud, catchy and danceable in the background that isn't very noisy or guitar-distorted. All the songs do suffer from sounding a little too alike, the lyrics really stand out as the shift in song. Man Made Modern Machines stands out as a club-style classic, and We Can Drink Without Having Fun is an awesome track - fun and loud.

Rough Guide To Brazilian Lounge (w/ Bonus Axial album)
Label: World Music Network
Released: 2009
Genre: Jazz, Bossa Nova, Lounge
I love these Rough Guides, really. This one, though, is interesting. The entire thing is really light, lounge jazz. It's an entire RG of what I end up putting on in the background to allow me to focus, not really listening so much as letting the music block other noise. It's not loud, it's not particularly catchy sing-a-long type music. But it is really good, the jazz here is fused solidly with Bossa Nova rhythms - or rather Brazilian sounds are given a slight jazz flair.

Axial - the bonus disc by this band - on the other hand, is even more down the downtempo road, even lighter. While still really good music, it's the kind of stuff you take it really easy to, afternoon nap or reading material. Non-intrusive music, Sandra's voice is hypnotizing, it does demand some attention, making you pause and Listen to the music.

A good compilation, but fairly downtempo, I wouldn't pull this out to dance to.

Bonus Album:
Caustic - Born This Way
Label: none
Released: May 2011
Genre: Industrial
This little four-track gem was given away on Caustic's Facebook page. It's a couple remixes of Hiroshima Burn, and one each of The Saint Of Fuck-Ups, and White Knuckle Head Fuck. I think these remixes were done but not chosen for any specific release, and Caustic is one of those 'it was made and must be heard' type guys. If you've 'Liked' his Facebook page you can go grab a copy of this. Very club-oriented remixes, but honestly nothing really awesome. Just a fun little four-track bit that is good to throw into a big mix.

Week of 5/31 - Jazz, Industrial, Ambient, Gothic Rock

A couple of this weeks selections are short, I probably should have added one more to make up for it. But I'm sticking to Five Per Week anyway. The new release, Eliane Elias is one of those artists I probably should have known about all along, being a moderately famous Jazz singer and pianist (famous in Jazz circles at least), from Brazil she's got a lovely voice, has been recording since 1984, and is completely new to me. Sometimes I wonder how I miss artists like this. Especially considering the number of jazz aficionados in my family.

New Releases:
Eliane Elias - Light My Fire
Label: Concord Music Group
Released: 5/31 2011
Genre: Jazz (Latin, Pop, Lounge)
Eliane Elias hails from Brazil, and her music is in both Portuguese and English, Light My Fire bounces around the arena from a very Latin Jazz sound (usually in her own writing), some lounge (or Nightclub, however you want to call it) jazz perfect in those after hours jazz clubs, and a pop-music sound. This album has a few covers on it, chiefly the title track is a cover of the The Doors (doing the song some actual justice and in my mind proof that Jim should have been writing for other people from the begimning - he can't touch the elegance of Eliane's rendition), and Stevie Wonder's "Ma Cherie Amour" which is a beautiful sounding cover. If you're not a fan of jazz with too many horns, I definitely suggest this, it's quiet, elegant and brings just enough bounce to keep you paying attention - maybe even dance.

Filling Out The Collection:
Combichrist - Throat Full Of Glass
Label: Out Of Line Records (German Release)
Released: 2011
Genre: Industrial
Combichrist are one of the work-horses of the Industrial world, they always seem to be either on tour or in the studio, and they've got the fanbase to show for it, and the catalogue to back it up. This particular single is the German release, because it includes the video - and the American release had to be censored (it shows breasts and violence, God help us all, they edited out the breasts....). The title track and four remixes are here. Each remix is a very different take on the track. There's a standard heavier dance beat, a sped up version, a dub version, and a slowed down version. The last track is a remix of Industrial Strength which is very club friendly. Pretty much exactly what you expect out of an Industrial genre single. The song itself - can't for get that - is catchy, the hook and chorus are infectious, it's almost radio friendly in that regards.

Bella Morte - Undertow
Label: Metropolis
Released: May 2011
Genre: Gothic Rock
Bella Morte is one of those modern Gothic Rock groups that would have easily fit right in with the 80s genre kings. A distinct vocal sound, and excellent composition. This two track digital single has one track from their upcoming album, and a cover of Celine Dione's "My Heart Will Go On" which they take out of pop-hell and give it new life, known for covering it live at shows, they finally recorded it. And with their darker sound, low guitars, and Andy's distinct vocals make it a much darker song that before. The new album is out June 14, 2011.

Panda Bear - Tomboy
Label: Paw Tracks
Released: April 2011
Genre: Ambient
Panda Bear is an ambient (and almost by nature of ambient electronica highly experimental) artist, his latest release Tomboy fully explores a low energy, and mellow, environment. It's very good for putting on in the background and just letting the room fill up, though it doesn't have some of the multiple layers that some ambient artists fill their sound with. It's very stripped, very simple, mostly bass and vocals throughout. His vocals are treated to sound somewhat distant, buried in the underlying beat. The album comes with a digital download of a live set played in 2010, unlike some artists in the genre the live set isn't as improvised, mostly straight renditions of album tracks. The album also comes on vinyl (which has a digital download of the full album + the live album), and it's white vinyl which I think makes it look more interesting than other colors bands choose.

16 Volt - Beating Dead Horses
Label: Metropolis
Released: May 2011
Genre: Indutrial
Long standing duo, 16 Volt, latest is an Industrial-Rock power house, dark and gritty. Exactly what you want from these guys, as the years have progressed their sound gets heavier, grittier, and more aggressive. Beating Dead Horses delivers 13 tracks of pure club-friendly industrial rock, with no slowing down. The standout tracks are the title track (which opens the album), Sick Sick Sick, and We Disintegrate. The rest is good, but nothing really extra-ordinary, to be honest. It fits right into a playlist or set list to keep things moving smoothly along to a heavy guitar laden beat. I definitely recommend it for fans of the genre.

Week Ending 5/21 - Rock, Dubstep, Gothic Rock, Japanese Trad.

This week is largely a selection of work my wife picked up, which makes it a little less hard and a little more diverse. Also, the new selection has a story behind it; Danger Mouse and Daniele Luppi set out to record a soundtrack the way the Italian's did in the hey-day of the Spaghetti Westerns, right down to methods and technology and even finding some of the musicians who recorded music forty years ago. There's no movie, just a soundtrack. I've also throttled back a bit, adding only five albums a week to my collection, which is a good number for me to actually listen to them all at least twice through.

New Releases:
Danger Mouse & Daniele Luppi - Rome
Label: Capital Records
Released: 5/17 2011
Genre: rock
The album cover bills this as Starring Jack White and Norah Jones, both of whom lend their voices to this work. It does sound like a soundtrack to a movie, songs specifically recorded for specific scenes. It's not a narrative, it doesn't tell a story, just feels like it's part of one. The music itself is mellow, soaring at times, low key at others, very light. It's also very short, at thirty five minutes it feels both too short and just perfect. Any longer and they might have lost the magic, but you still want it to go on - just like a good story. This is definitely in the top ten of the year so far.

Filling Out The Collection:
Bauhaus - ...And Remains
Label: Beggars Banquet
Released: 2009
Genre: Gothic Rock
This little gem is actually a small set of leftovers from the Bauhaus Omnibus Editions of their re-releases. Three new studio mixes are included: a new mix of Bela Lugosi's Dead, another mix of Terror Couple Kill Colonel, and an early studio mix of Double Dare. Then there's three live tracks from a halloween show at the University of London Union in 1980. It's straight from the soundboard, and you can hear the mix is off a little - bit this is history. And lastly there's a Poem that Peter Murphy ended a show with early on. It's a short little EP of bits for die hard fans, a little bit of Gothic Rock history here.

Yoshida Brothers - The Best Of, Tsugaru Shamisen
Label: Domo Records
Released: 2008
Genre: Japanese Traditional, Rock
The Yoshida Brothers take a traditional Northern Japanese style and instrument, and fuse in a bit of western style with it. It's very much a traditional sound, but it feels like rock and roll when they play it. This collection puts together some of their best tracks over the previous ten years, a good place to start if you're interested in them. Both brothers play the Shamisen, there are very few other instruments on the album anywhere.

Blow Your Head: Diplo Presents Dubstep
Label: Mad Descent / Downtown Music
Released: 2010
Genre: Dubstep
This compilation covers the entire gamut of Dubstep, from the hard fast stuff to the low end stuff. Dubstep encompasses a whole suite of tricks, all of it manipulated music. One track is vocals with nothing but a clap and snare hit behind it, another is a lot like very standard trance music - though it's all basslines and drum hits. One track is even just called 26 Basslines - and it is just that and only that. All of it's danceable (which is the point), some of it more so than others. As I'm just getting into the genre this really feels like it was a great place to start.

Rough Guide To Paris Lounge (with Bonus Disc: Marianne Dissard "Paris One Takes")
Label: World Music Network
Released: 2011
Genre: Traditional, Pop, and many others
Paris Lounge doesn't focus on a style of music (as some Rough Guides do) but a region, in this case Parisian musicians, of all sorts. From pure pop music to electro-swing. Ballads, rockers, dance tracks and styles going back to Paris' lounges of the sixties. This is a good cross section of musicians recording and playing in France today.

Marianna Dissard is from Paris, but based in the US now, the bonus disc on this compilation was recorded in Paris during a one day break in her tour, it's a series of new takes from her debut album and a few cuts from her upcoming album. Her sound blends French Euro-Pop with Americana, it fits well in the Indie-Rock scene if you're looking to expand that horizon, but it's distinctly not that. Her voice melodic and soft, the songs are mostly of an upbeat bouncy nature.

Week Ending 4/16 - Rock, Industrial, Goth, Blues, Indian

Smattering of everything this week. The two New Releases I picked up were a single from Tim Skold and Caustic's full album. Both digitally, Metropolis Records nicely provide a PDF booklet of the liner notes, not just the cover art. Which I highly appreciate and may switch all my Metropolis purchases to digital format. If only more labels followed in their footsteps.

Caustic - The Golden Vagina Of Fame And Profit
Label: Metropolis Records
Released: 4/12 2011
Genre: Industrial
His first release on Metropolis, the album is a very old-school industrial release. No squealing guitars, just thumping beats and crunchy noise. A couple tracks are mostly instrumental and are, in the context of the album, a bit annoying. I'd throw them into a mix and let them get happily lost in the background of a long day. The stand outs are Hiroshima Burn (a massive beat and lyrics that make me want to throw down in a mosh pit), Orchid (Unwoman lends her vocals to a great anti-rock cut), Chum The Waters (not as pure awesome as the remix on the single off the album, but still awesome and full of drums), and White Knuckle Head Fuck (just beautifully angry). Good old Industrial club cuts.

SKOLD - Suck
Label: Metropolis Records
Released: 4/12 2011
Genre: Industrial
The single off the upcoming Skold album. Tim Skold has been in the business a long time, and after 15 years is finally putting out another solo album. The first five tracks are the Title and four remixes. It's a great industrial-rock song, an ode to wanting to be the Rock Star - very fight club. The last three tracks are all non-album tracks. It's nice to see a single contain several non-album tracks instead of just one. If they're any indication of the upcoming album (out 5/10) then it will be an excellent and dark album.

Double Down - Polarity
Label: self released (purchase through CD Baby)
Released: 2008
Genre: Rock
Double Down is a Denver local band, rock and blues-rock. Polarity was released during a time when they were switching out bassists almost as fast as Spinal Tap went through drummers. It's a good solid rock offering, good for nights when you just need something blue collar with some blues thrown in. Bar Rock, really.

The Victim's Ball - The Victim's Ball
Label: self released (purchase through CD Baby)
Released: 2010
Genre: Gothic-Rock
I call it Gothic Rock, but there's no guitars. Though if there were it'd fit perfectly into the early/mid-80s Goth Rock scene. It's traditional instruments from the late 18th- early 19th century. The album focuses around the French Revolution and the supposed Victim's Balls (parties held by surviving nobility) afterwards. It's a dark and melodic album, good for late nights.

Rough Guides
World Music has a service where you subscribe to receive two new Rough Guide compilations a month, given mail from the UK takes a random about of time I never really know when I'm going to get these. . . My wife picks which two compilations she wants to listen to every month.

RG to Desert Blues:
Blues coming out of the North African region. Traditional music mixed with modern guitars, and some other modern elements. It does feel very blues, not in the classic American Delta sense, but in a more overall 12-bar feeling of the genre. Some of it is a bit rock, some of it is hard to find the blues under it. All of it is really good. This one comes with an extra CD from the group Etran Finatawa, which is just excellent.

RG to Indian Lounge
Hard to categorize this, it's not quite techno, not quite lounge, little bit night club, lots of traditional, and all kinds of things mixed in. One track strikes me as "Dub Bhangra" - the only words I have for it. Some of it's slow, some of it bouncy and fast. The Rough Guides are really eclectic selections normally, and if this is even a sampling of how an Indian night club moves they listen to just about anything and incorporate it into everything.

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.

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - The Good Son

Released: Spring, 1990
Availability: recently Remastered and Rereleased, with bonus DVD.
Label: Mute Records (former independent, currently under Major Label EMI)

Nick Cave is one of those artists that everyone should have heard of, and even if you haven't I can almost guarantee you've heard a song by him in some incarnation or another. He started with a group called The Birthday Party, his next group was The Bad Seeds. The Bad Seeds contain Blixa Bargeld - a legend in the Industrial scene, so you know the group was good. Take my word for it.

Most often placed in the Gothic Rock scene, Nick Cave has a firm grasp of good old Rock, Blues, and Jazz. Certainly not to be missed.

Foi Na Cruz - This song is entirely in Portuguese (I believe), the title means "It Happened Upon The Cross". Nick Cave always has a religious theme somewhere on his albums, sometimes cynically, and sometimes not. I haven't translated the lyrics.

The Good Son - The title track is light, with a dark undertone. The song builds to an intense crescendo through the verse and immediately relents on the chorus. It fades out with a slightly too long repetition.

Sorrow's Child - A somber piano carries this tune of loneliness and sadness. We can never completely escape sadness in life, at this reminder of that has a really nice tune.

The Weeping Song - I absolutely love this song; confession: I have put this on repeat for over an hour just listening to everything in it. I couldn't possibly describe the effects this song are on me, but it is profound.

The Ship Song - Another slow dirge-like track. This album is not a dance album, it's not a crank-it-eleven rock out album. It is slow, melodic, and even when it's essentially a love song it sounds low. Generally, a good moody album to have for rainy summer nights.

The Hammer Song - You can almost always hear a story in Nick Cave's songs, but rarely as straight forward as in this one. The Hammer Song feels like an old western to me, from the image of the hammer on a six-shooter to the slight twang in the guitars in the background in parts.

Lament - This song may actually be a dirge, and one of the most cheerful sounding songs on the album.

The Witness Song - This song picks up the pace significantly from the previous songs. A relatively quick paced song that just begs to be hummed along with, and definitely requires a foot tapping.

Lucy - This one is definitely a dirge, a slow piano and string song that ends out the album on a long, slow, but ultimately quiet note of devotion and love. The song fades out with a harmonica and the sound of rain falling. . . just to make the point.

If you're wondering why half the songs are The X Song, it's because they never changed them from the working titles as things were being written. Personally, I think that was a good choice. The whole album is a little sad, but not morose. As I said at the start Nick Cave is often placed with the Gothic Rock scene, and not without good reason.