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Ataraxia/
Autunna et sa Rose - Odos Eis Ouranon-La Via Verso Il Cielo
2CD (Equilbrium Music) |
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This is a nice treat from Portuguese label Eqvilibrium who turn an blessed eye on the Italian neo-classical league, pairing up two outstanding names such as Ataraxia and Autunna et sa Rose for a luxurius double-CD release that is bound to be a must-have for those who admire these two groups. Sparked by a live performance by both bands in a church in Italy back in May 2003, this release incorporates the songs that were performed that evening, re-recorded in the all-new arrangements that were worked out specially for that night. It was an acoustic evening and Ataraxia propose on CD 1 -Strange Lights- a very special selection spanning many of their releases (including the deleted Orlando and Des Paroles Blanches), graced by flute, classic guitar, piano and a range of acoustic percussion. Beautiful and passionate as ever, the material acquires a more intimate dimension, with a touch of dramatic added by some of the piano arrangements. It's worth mentioning that two out of the twelve tracks on offer are new titles and show that there's yet a lot more to expect from this unique band, with over 15 acclaimed releases already in their curriculum. Autunna et sa Rose have chosen to propose their 11-track set as originally recorded during the concert, under the title Logos on CD2. It's a piano and cello performance, alternating dramatic moments to pure neo-classicism aided by a beautiful female soprano, to counterpart the male austere vocals and recitation that characterises many of the songs featured. I think this essential, stripped-down format is Autunna's native format, the one in which they live at best and are able to conjure up the strongest emotive power. Limited at 2000 copies, this is not a disc to let pass by unnoticed! www.ataraxia.net - www.ederisia.com - www.equilibriummusic.com |
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Gianfri |
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Another
Headache – Pushing The Envelope EP (Thisco) |
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The solo project of
Englishman David Bourgoin, Another Headache explores experimental avenues of unquiet ness and cosmic
paths. Clocking at about 20 minutes, it’s a rather
short journey for this type of experimentation and does give
the impression to end prematurely, rather than carrying on
with the goal of transporting the mind of the listener to
its own microcosm, which is what it seems to be doing with
the 4 tracks featuring hypnotic repetition and
cinematic-style samples evoking mental exhaustion and
alienation. Add Sonic Youth type
guitars on the opening Near Death and a delirious
Pinkflydesque feel in the closing Contact and you
have a quite good idea of what to expect from Another
Headache. By all means a bleak release, should please those into the
darkest aspects of experimentation, boarding on cosmic and
death industrialism. www.irrational-arts.com - www.thisco.net |
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Gianfri |
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Antisisters
- UNZ! (Shadowplay) |
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After 4 self-released albums
the Russian darkwave-electro band Antisisters have finally a chance to show their talent to an audience
previously beyond their reach. The opener of Unz!,
called Saint Sinner, is already a little masterpiece; a
trance sounding beginning is flown together with a fantastic
dark voice and catchy tunes which one can’t easily get
out of the mind. The following song Fucked by Angels is to me strongly
reminiscent of the German band The Escape who also offer this
nice kind of melodic goth rock. With the third track
Kraft Und Energie, Antisisters are tempted into
German lyrics, and this in a quite clear and well-spoken
way. The following songs like the ballade Grayscale
Dreams,
or the cold and scary sounding dance floor-pieces
Creation and Clay, which feature mechanical
backgrounds, are, like all the other songs, in English.
Normally one could name every single song of this album
because each of them has something special in its own way
and is absolutely fantastic. All in all Antisisters have produced in my eyes a really great work with this 10
song album, everyone who likes deep going and powerful dark
wave with goth rock influences shouldn’t miss out on
it. Last but not least, the last song is a remix of my
favourite piece, Saint Sinner. And that’s not the only reason I would buy this
wicked album for sure (if I would not have it already).
www.antisiters.com - www.shadowplay.ru |
Karin
Zenzinger
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Avant-Garde
- Cyanure (GB-Productions) |
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Despite the project name
that could possibly mis-lead towards obscure
experimentalism, Cyanide is a neat darkwave album with a couple of references to
old-school Cure, back when flanged guitars and simple, yet effective
arrangements where the essence of the game (e.g. intro to
Grigio). Or perhaps we should call it new wave, the way this genre
was referred to in Italy back in the days when the wave was
truly new (and before it was dubbed dark). Alessio
Schiavi
has dug right into the dark tradition of the old school,
updating it with a very good, yet simple and linear vocal
interpretation, a rarity back then in the Italian scene. A
hint or two to Joy Division don’t go amiss, the ghost of Bauhaus crops in here and there. Although one must admit that
Avant-Garde are and sound rather retro indeed, there’s a sense of
freshness to this album, definitely re-enforced by the fact
that the now obligatory trendy
back-to-the-roots-cum-tons-of-ugly-makeup approach exported
by the US and German acts is neatly avoided, in favour of a
minimalist approach to the presentation that is, in fact,
more in tune with that era this album drives us back to. I
feel that the prime (and maybe only) clients of this album
are to be found in the old crowd who knew true darkness
before darkness became the “joy” of generations of
bright speculators who. I am, of course, in this crowd.
A slight step forward in
time, without selling out the core elements of the old style
could possibly gain Avant-Garde a few more friends. www.oniricapaura.net
- www.gbproductions.net |
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Gianfri |
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Carlo
Spera & Stereonoise – Sto Correndo (Videoradio) |
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Progressive
electronic pop could be a loose way of describing this debut
work for Carlo Spera & The Stereonoise. An elaborate,
competent and clean production that explores new paths of
electronic music, fusing influences of various genres,
resulting in a complex work that looses the initial pop
connotations in favour of a funky/jazzy approach that I
doubt will go well with the (mostly) darkened audience that
we supposedly cater for. I personally can’t digest
stuff with a funky flavour, but that’s just me and does
not deter from the intrinsic value of this production. The
electronic backbone is of pure electro-dance quality,
sporting spot on programming and detailed attention to the
individual sounds employed. The mostly off-beat vocals
increase instead the sense of non-pop that characterises
this release, meaning for some tracks the difference between
a possible dark-electronic-pop hit and the actual fare.
Tracks such as Sono Un Uomo or Acid Age are among the
best moments of the album that turns unbearably funky in its
second half instead. If you like your electro-pop mostly devoid of melodies and
vastly concentrated on progressive values, this might be for
you. www.stereonoise.com |
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Gianfri |
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Christopher
Kah – A Wonderful Darkworld (Axesscode) |
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Congratulations! Here we
have something special. While many others have already
attempted in vain to connect the dark scene with techno
sounds, Christopher Kah has found the right hang on it. Hypnotic bass-lines and
hybrid-electronic sounds, which are based somewhere between
the underworld and heaven are giving this album a really
strange and special base. Besides that, the cold and
mechanical vocals in French and English -sometimes sounding
like a robot- by Miss K are
giving these powerful, far-reaching dark techno noises a
certain special feel. The best bits to listen to this
13-track album are for sure the dance-floors scene clubs.
Especially the background voices/noises of the 5th track,
called Intumenti K are reminiscent somehow on mid 90ies stuff
by Die Form. The title A Wondeful Darkworld is nearly perfect for this work, which is a perfect
combination of dark feelings, strong beats and powerful
rhythms that leave a sign. This work is really an invitation
for a journey to the dark worlds of techno-sounds. www.axesscode.com/label |
Karin
Zenzinger
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Cobra
Killer – 76/77 (Monika Enterprise) |
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This another product of the
Berliner underground fetching some deserved attention with
an highly oblique approach to musical entertainment. The
female duo proposes a lo-fi mix of bizarre compositions
heavily flavoured in 60’s garage and psychedelia with a
plethora of electronic elements to boot. If you want to look
at forced references, I could throw in names like B
52’s or
maybe even Daisy Chainsaw, but that’s as vague
as one could get. In fact, what’s most interesting
about this album is the employment of electronic elements
and heavy digital treatment of those retro sonorities,
resulting in a weird sort of mix of 60’s garage and
contemporary electronics. They extend their reach to some
post punk tendencies that receive a similar treatment,
moving them is an Alien Sex Fiend sort of parallel world and they get all NDW with the German
sung titles. The lyrical content is also highly amusing,
like, who can resist to such titles as Let’s Have A
Problem or I
like It When It Burns A Bit? Once in a while is nice to
leave the strictly dark path and give space to some more
uplifting products like Cobra Killer. Of course their compelling
experimentation with mixing and matching genres with the
help of a great personality and a large dose of electronics
and sampling, makes them perfectly suitable to our coverage
in the first place. www.monika-enterprise.de |
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Gianfri |
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Cobra
Killer & Kapajikos – Das Mandolinenorchester
(Monika Enterprise) |
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Oh mine! This is maybe a
little too exotic for what I can take, but here we go
anyway. The album is just what it says on the tin: the girls
have teamed up with a proper mandolin orchestra consisting
of 3 mandolins, bass, keyboard and cajon and reworked 12
songs from their back-catalogue, plus thrown in a new title.
No more electronics, no samples, rather an atmosphere that
is more country-western than anything else, although the
peculiarity of the vocals and the compositions remains.
Definitely an unpredictable move shoving these ladies have
little restrictions to their agenda. And definitely the most
we can stretch out of our path though. www.monika-enterprise.de
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Gianfri |
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Corrosion
– N-Y-A-G-A (Self-released) |
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Corrosion is the new venture of Matthew North of All Living Fear fame,
who has this time round teamed up with Paul Roe on
vocals. Despite using the common UK goth formula of voice
plus guitar cum synths&drumbox, they considerably depart
from the UK gothic rock tradition by throwing in the melting
pot a variety of elements that liven the album up, with
different ingredients at different times for a good dose of
variety throughout. Take the quirky electronics on
Resurrection Playground for example, never invading but effective
in giving the sound the benefit of that updated twist and
punch that has driven names like Libitina to a wider audience.
Paul’s overdriven and fx-ed guitar
backbone is possibly the common denominator of about all of
the 11 tracks on offer. The result is an overall pleasant
album that grows on you rather than impacting at first
listen. The character of the vocals and many of the
production choices put this album initially more into the
alternative rock arena rather than darkwave, although it
does turns darker as it progresses on. But that’s not
necessarily a bad thing at all. If there’s an area that
leaves room for improvement is perhaps that of the some
synth arrangements that could do with a dose of imaginative
work rather than relaying on many predictable sounds than
end up partially undoing on some tracks the livening up work
nicely conceived for the album as a whole. Personal
highlights are the mentioned Resurrection Playground, Nyaga, My Brother, the anthemic Shattered Fragments; Dead is a brief glimpse of
gothic rock, introducing what is probably the best track on
the disc, The Elemental. Sinister Dexter closes
in spooky fashion, while I won’t neglect to mention the
catchy, if predictable, Temple of Secrets that opens the disc, quiet
suited for radio play and boozy dancefloors. www.corrosionuk.com |
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Gianfri |
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Daemonia
Nymphe / Louisa John Krol / Nikodemos Triaridis – Ghost Fish (Prikosnovenie) |
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This is a quite eclectic
release showing to the audience a new face of these
enchanting artists who are no strangers to the pages of
Darklife. From the very opening, it’s clear that we are
in for something special with Ghost Fish and, after a short introduction, we get two numbers of what
I could best describe as experimental rock, some sort of
newly conceived form of progressive, where guitars best
suited to rockabilly meet frantic violins, complex rhythmic
drives the proceedings and Louisa comes through in a quite determined fashion with rocking
vocals. Believe me, this is highly refreshing stuff! Taking
off from there, one appreciates an album packed with
experimentation, in this case carried out exclusively with
classical instruments, such as violin, flute, Louisa’s own mandolin, contrabass, with the obvious exception
of the electric guitar. Some tracks bound to raise some
eyebrows out there are The Lonely King, which bound to be a
favourite for the dreamy gothic and ethereal crowd and is
very good example of the unique sound this collaboration has
managed to come up with or Skin Meadow, which takes on the tradition of early Cocteau Twins and gives it a good spin and an unique character.
There’s a typical LJK–type as well (Tangaroa),
after which matters turn dark again until the end of the
disc, keeping on with the progressive touch that sets this
project apart from the crowd. I can’t help but
associate the attitude if this album with that of the
This Mortal Coil projects. I strongly recommend this album
to anyone out there fond of the classic 4AD tradition while
being on the look for new vigour and dynamism to go with.
www.prokisnovenie.com |
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Gianfri |
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Dimension Zero –
Replica (Dimension Zero) |
|
This really short work
includes just 4 tracks, which could be described as
independent-electronic-rock. The first two tracks are
somewhere between The Bloodhound Gang and Ministry, without a
possibility to say concretely where. The distorted vocals of
both the first two tracks are reminiscent of Ministry, the rhythm is in a
rocky, fast and powerful style. Specially the first track
has a lot of power in it and burns itself in your brain by
using sounds, which are easy to pinpoint and strange electro
rhythms. Some pieces, like the melody and to a lesser extent
the vocals of the last 2 tracks remind me in a strange way
of Nick Cave’s Nocturama.
In the end it’s really not easy to say something about
this CD, the best for you would be to check out the
web-page, where Dimension Zero are giving away free Mix Kits of the single from their remix
site www.mixkits.com - www.dimensionzero.com |
Karin
Zenzinger
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Doppelgänger
– Dancing (Shodowplay) |
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Somewhere in Russia there
must be a nest of hidden high quality musicians, which was
discovered by the label Shadowplay. After Antisisters’s
UNZ!, this is the second album I hear from this label and I can
only say “wow”! Dancing is from beginning to the end
an excellently conceived album for those into melodic
goth-rock, with excellent vocals and well played instruments
like drums or guitars. Doppelgänger know how to make fans of this music-style happy! Some of
the tracks in the album remind me of one of my
favourite bands Scream Silence. With a superbly sounding
front-vocalist and harmonic fitting instruments,
Doppelgänger are every bit as good (or even better?) as them and I love
these subtle Bowie influences. What is a rarity
with the majority of nowadays releases, every song of this
11-track album is stunning and gives away the feelings of
the band, who seem to play their songs from their heart,
rather than purely for making business. Beware music scene!
Here comes Russia, with a lot of talent and a potential to
overthrow some of the establishment ricj of clichés
characterising the music scene in the west. www.doppelganger.ru
- www.shadowplay.ru |
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Karin
Zenzinger |
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The
Fair Sex – The Dark Ages – 2CD (Van Richter) |
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If you wanted a definitive
retrospective view of this landmark electro act who have
left a remarkable sign on the dark-electronic scene of the
late eighties and through the nineties, then you could do a
lot worse that getting yourself a copy of this 2-cd set that
comprehensively encompasses the true best of their
production. This is a North American release and is
abundantly overlapping with the recent Thin Walls Part
II which
we have covered on our latest issue X online review special.
Being a double CD set obviously gives some advantages to
this release (although, of course one should not forget the
Thin Walls Part I disc).
But, most importantly, thanks to Van Richter, TFS have come within easy reach of the North American audience
who have now the chance of digging through the proficient
career of this top German pioneering act. Their formula, an
innovative and well balanced mix of dry yet punchy
electronics and subdued distorted guitars, melodies to boot,
a punky attitude, beats to drag you swiftly to the
dancefloor and intriguing vocals, has proved to resist the
corrosion of time, space and flimsy trends. The Dark
Ages features 25 tracks and,
curiously, two previously unpublished numbers are omitted
from the tracklist, one being a fitting cover of
T-Rex‘s
Childern of the Revolution. If you have missed the
TFS phenomenon while it was in full sweep from the 80’s
through the 90’s, you get here a golden opportunity to
catch up. But don’t forget that one of the tracks
featured is a new one! www.vanrichter.net |
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Gianfri |
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Ikon –
Destroying The World to Save It (Nile) |
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A Return in style for
Ikon who, after the double release of Psychic Vampyre (that has been available in Europe only since a few months
now), propose a full album worth of classic gothic rock
material demonstrating to have reached a level of maturity
enviable for many acts on a stale scene, as far as both
composition and arrangements are concerned. The introduction
of subtle electronic elements, ad hoc synth lines and
intriguing sampling, add to the leading guitar and pushy
bass lines that characterise the band’s sound
traditionally. The energetic opener Never Forgive! Never
Forget! offers electric guitar savoury of goth rock and is
fast-paced to se the mood for an album that has energy to
sell from beginning to end. The Dying Crown keeps the pace and so does Without Shadow, another gothic rock hymn to easily dance to. Similarly to
the tradition of any respectable live show in the genre,
track 4 slows down the pace and brings in acoustic guitar
rhythmic that is another strong point on much of the best
output of the Australian combo. The hit Psychic Vampire
is featured in an updated version, beefed up with additional
electronic treatments, which is the best version to date.
Kris McCarter’s vocals ride the flowing river of guitars and bass
and driving beats with the usual security. Despite being
quite loud in the mix, they hardly bring the music itnto
shadow, rather they are seamlessly integrated by a very
competent production. A nice extra touch is given by an
input direct from the world of faeries, with Luisa
John-Krol
taking on leading vocals on Ashes Of Blue,
bringing an unexpected, yet well fitting touch of ethereal
to the album. There’s hardly a track on the album that
doesn’t deserve a special mention. My Crucible brings back Joy Division-like
basslines, coupling them with a catchy refrain and some more
fine guitar work. Heresy carries an atmosphere that will attract fans of classic
Mission; Slaughter (for The Love of Christ And The King) offers theatrical synth strings enriched by Louisa’s backing and the closing the Black Goat of
Jiudas features readings of the Judas’ betrayal spin-off in
the background, in Italian, wrapping the album with worrying
sounds of war sirens, the same that had opened it as a
prelude to the first track. Gothic rock fans and Ikon fans united, this a truly recommended release and a
significant step forward for the dark rock scene. www.ikondomain.com |
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Gianfri |
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Ilios –
Encyclopedia-RW (Antifrost) |
|
Fast rewind to issue IX
where we covered the Old Testament album,
to remind you that this is highly experimental stuff. Even
more intriguing is the fact that this album includes
contributions by no less than 19 artists of the
experimental/noise variety (including Ilios himself), providing their own individual imprint to the
tracks that back in 1993 made up the third Ilios release
Encyclopedia. The result is frankly astonishing and, in my personal
opinion, this album has a wider reach potential that
Ilios’ release themselves, due to the variety of sonic
approaches that fuse themselves organically in this
50-minute worth of material. I would skip the routine of
actually going through the relative merits of the different
tracks and those who take part in this work, suffice to say
that there is enough sonic entertainment ranging from the
quiet and sketchy to the rumbling and devastating, with
unexpected sampling solutions to boot, to make any
experimental-noise-industrial enthusiast happy, whirling in
a vortex of unconventional creative directions. At least, we
were! www.antifrost.gr |
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Gianfri |
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Ilios –
Vento Elektra (Antifrost) |
|
Sharpen your ears, as this
is what you need to be able to perceive the waves of
‘Electric Wind’ emanated by this latest
Ilios production. For once, an
experimental production does just about what is says on the
tin (albeit in another language). Vento Elektra is
essentially a long piece of static, monotone noise which
well resemble (or maybe is produced with) slow wind hitting
a microphone. It conjures up a sense of deserted, vast space
where you find yourself at night. A desert, possibly. From
time to time, the cathartic quiet is briefly broken by
sudden cut-ups, but (and here I’m gonna spoil your
listening experience, sorry), you won’t get the much
expected blast that blows your speakers and ears away since
you had turned the volume up to actually start to perceive
what’s going on. Instead, there’s a slow,
progressive increase of robustness in the signal, which
gradually becomes more audible, until it turns into a roar
that grows and fades relatively rapidly leaving a sense of
no man’s land behind. That’s not everyday stuff,
even for the most passionate avant-gardist, and is indeed a
rewarding listening experience solely in very specific
circumstances. This doesn’t take away from the fact
that Vento Elektra is a stad-out chapter for Ilios
who brand himself an anti-artist, therefore has all his own
right to produce what we can call anti-music by vocation.
www.antifrost.gr
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Gianfri |
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La
Mamoynia – La Mamoynia (Die Kraft durch Die Form) |
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An album bringing me back to
the heydays of the Italian electronic new-wave, when synth
novelties mixed well with post-punk energy and vocal quality
was not an option. I remember thinking how that nice and raw
new form of expression was marred by bad vocals if compared
to continental counterparts. Maybe it was attitude after
all, maybe not. La Mamoynia fit
well that tradition and bring raw energy, with minimal
electronic-wave elements which are well conceived and
structured. The use of Greek vocals is certainly a novel
element and an asset for the band. The impression I get from
this album is similar to that of a live bootleg recording,
that shows the qualities of the band but doesn’t quite
make justice to them. In my humble view, a better capture of
the sound and some extra work on the vocals are in order for
better impact. No doubt a live gig seems to promise quite a
lot from what I can hear in the 10 tracks of this debut
album. Also, a new album is out now, I’ll be impatient
to check it out. www.lamamoynia.com |
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Gianfri |
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Miguel
And The Living Dead – Alarm!!! (Strobelight) |
|
With their
death-goth’n’roll this combo fully honour their
name! In this 11-track album called Alarm!!!, Miguel And The Living Dead are
creating a funny kind of horror rockabilly, which
doesn’t exclude the influences of bands like The
Damned or Alien Sex
Fiend. The guitar and bass-loaded rock-batcave sound in
combination with horror-film-samples, spooky effects and the
strong and good trained guttural voice of the singer give
Alarm!!! A good
edge. The intoxicating rhythms and the varied sound effects,
which are reminescent sometimes not only on horror films,
but also of old western movie soundtracks, are quite
entertaining through this interesting work. Also the
CD-booklet with its classical horror-movie artwork is done
in an excellent way. The music and also the grave-romantic
look of the band members are promising also a imaginative
live stage show; if we’ll get the chance to see one,
we’ll tell you about it. www.strobelight-records.com
- www.migueldead.com
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Karin
Zenzinger |
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More –
Nothing (GB-Productions) |
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Unimaginatively named
More are a 3-piece out of Rome with a foot in the gothic rock
cum deep voice and the other in the acoustic ballad of
darkwave connotations. I have mixed feelings about this disc
and the one setback is a mix that leaves to be desired in
places, as far as balance of frequencies and general
production are concerned. There are quite a few up moments
and the opener, Never, an eclectic take on goth rock, is an example of that. The
following Tears In My Eyes is the catchy number for the
throwing hand generation. Quite a good start on these
accounts. The album unfolds thereon without really a
sharpening of the tools that the band seem to have a grasp
on. Nothing Real is a good number of
darkwave with a catchy, growing intensity. Pity for the
cheap synth strings that fail to convey the vibrant
intensity of the composition. Growl is ponderous and sports big guitar chords and neat
production tweks, and, did you guessed it, growling vocals.
The sharp transition to the next acoustic ballad, Morsets
of Me
doesn’t really work well, although both tracks are
probably the best numbers on the disc. I guess that a good
dose of focussing would be of much benefit to the band,
although of course there’s no denying that many
elements are there that can be enjoyed. www.gbproductions.net |
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Gianfri |
|
Michaela
Melían – Baden-Baden (Monika Enterprise) |
|
A fluid work of dark
chill-out electronica so well crafted it has quickly worked
its way through my personal list of favourites.
Baden-Baden is a
minimal synthetic trip partly through the influential
traditions of the German electronic school, partly through
the modern minimal tradition of the so-called ‘laptop
scene. The result is additionally darkened by low cello
layers or smooth synth soundscapes and kept rolling by
mid-tempo minimal rhythmic serving the repetitive backbone
of most of the tracks. These are long instrumental pieces
that work with subtlety their way through the
listener’s mind employing also guitar and piano sounds
as well to give the electronic dimension a little twist. The
result is quite cinematic in style, evoking images of wide
landscapes rolling through and locking you in various states
of consciousness. There are a few hints of industrial
influences as well, although, as almost everything on this
album, there are subtle enough to fit without leaving a
strong mark. More Kraftwerk than Ant-Zen, so to speak! The
hypnotic character of the compositions, culminating with the
spacey title track, comes to an abrupt end with the last
track, which is a cover of A Song for Europe originally by Roxy Music. This is a moving, acoustic rendition, that twitches the
nostalgia nerve in no time after you hear the first lines
sung by Michaela. This the only chance to appreciate her vocals in action
and is an absolute stand-out piece that is a glorious
conclusion for an album that is worth blind consideration
for all those who grew through the pioneering efforts of the
German electronic school and enjoy mind-absorbing
soundscapes and mid-tempo electronics for those trippy
moments. www.monika-enterprise.de
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Gianfri |
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Moon Far
Away - Belovodie (Shadowplay / Prikosnovenie) |
|
Belovodie means 'white-water land',
according to the promo notes on the CD sleeve, Moon Far
Away play
beautiful heavenly music inspired by the Northern Russian
folklore. They use traditional instruments ...arranged with
electronics. This really is an impressive CD, some
absolutely divine material here, molding traditional songs
from north west Russia with dramatic, male and female
vocals, with some modern day Goth influence. Moon Far
Away stand in relation to the
culture of north west Russia in the same manner as
Argine and
Ataraxia
build on the heritage of their native northern Italy. They
also have the talent to select melodic pieces which have a
wider appeal. Recommended. www.gothic.ru/mfa
- www.shadowplay.ru - www.priksonovenie.com |
|
Mike
Shankland |
|
NFD –
Live & Unleashed
(Jungle) |
|
This disc was part of a
special re-edition of NFD’s No Love Lost, released back in April in a double-CD digipack, in
occasion of the band most recent UK tour to date, intending
to showcase the band ‘nephilinesque’ live appeal.
Out of the 10 tracks included and the 50-minute playing
time, 8 are recorded live, one is a new studio track (So
Let It Begin, which you can also get online on the
band’s website) and one is a remix. What you get on
this disc is quite appealing if you are into goth rock of
the most powerful variety, fuelled by dark guitar riffs and
that sort of basslines one Tony Petitt only can be responsible for and growling vocals to boot.
And, make no mistake, this is as close as you get to the
Neffs without being the real thing, which works well in the live
scenario as opposed to the studio session where you’d
hope they’d have moved on. I find this live rendition
of the tracks quite more appealing that the studio
recordings, suggesting that next time the band hits your
town, a visit is due even if you where somehow left cold
from their studio effort. If you are a goth rock enthusiast,
that is, of which I’m sure there’s still plenty
around despite the somehow stale state of a scene offering
few novelties and too many carbon-copiers. www.nfd.web.com
- www.jungle-records.com |
|
Gianfri |
|
Oöphoi
& Louisa John Krol – I Hear
The Water Dreaming (Prikosnovenie) |
|
One of those co-operation
you know from the outset it must work well, sees Italian
Oöphoi –known as master of ambiences in some circles-teaming
up with Australian Louisa John-Krol –the
living fearie-, to deliver a delicious album of meditative
and nocturnal connotations. The winning combination sees
dilated and textured ambiences and may elements calling to
nature being explored by ethereal vocals that are finely
treated to join the sounds in a dreamy symbiosis. One
interesting aspect of this album is the use of traditional
instruments to go together with analogue synths and what are
cited as ‘insect samples’, although their organic
blend does not reveal much of the sound building blocs. This
is a typical case of turn-off the lights, let go of yourself
and be enveloped in a world that is soft and intangible,
where caressing sounds and graceful voices will set you
adrift in a immaterial, slow journey. A fairy-tale of peace
and slowly dancing shadows. Don’t let the dream end.
www.deeplistening.it - www.louisajohnkrol.com -
www.prikosnovenie.com |
|
Gianfri |
|
Plastic Noise Experience – Noised (Van
Richter) |
|
Noised, the new Plastic Noise
Experience
(PNE)
release from Van Richter Records, represents a wide range of
sound perspectives from various facets of the industrial
crystal. I thought this was my first introduction to the
band, but it turns out I recognize a couple of the tracks
from local clubs, including City of Lies,
Hellraiser,
and Moving Hands. Energie has also received some play on
Seattle’s weekly industrial radio program. My daughter
thought 1001
sounded like dance music for aliens, and couldn’t
resist busting out with some extra-terrestrial moves of her
own. My old friend Bob, who has good and diverse taste in
music, happened to be over while I was giving it a listen,
and he found a lot of good things and favorable comparisons,
which I was planning to remember and include here.
Unfortunately, I’m old, and my memory is not all it
once was. The best I can offer, by way of summary, is that
PNE
is finding a receptive, active and enthusiastic audience
among nightclubbers and barhoppers, radio-listeners,
children and people in my apartment. Plastic Noise
Experience is made up of the dynamic duo from Hamburg,
Claus Kruse on programming and vocals and Stephen Kalwa
on programming and lyrics. Noised contains newly remastered
recordings of PNE’s previous work
Rauschen.
That accounts for the first 11 songs, which are more in the
electro/industrial mode that Germany seems to best
represent. The new bonus tracks (12-18) cover a much broader
range of styles and sounds, which seem to work out pretty
well for the PNE boys. The new tracks don’t have much
in common with one another. Each has a unique sound, and
innovation and experimentation are the only common thread.
Energie and 1001
could be kissin’ cousins or neighbors of
Kraftwerk’s.
Stadt im Schlaf, an instrumental, is strongly reminiscent of
Coil,
while a cover of Motorhead’s Hellraiser goes in
a powerful, driving dancefloor direction. Noised contains
a strong element of classic electro, but doesn’t die
out there. Diverse styles, approaches and influences are
apparent throughout, and the new tracks show sure signs of
artistic development and change from the earlier work.
Speaking of the earlier tracks, some of the English lyrics
are a little confusing. I know English is the lingua franca
of the media world, but I think exceptions are made in the
realms of gothic and industrial music, where the Germans
hold a commanding lead. People love to hear this style of
music in the Muttersprache. More German songs from this band
could only add more power and flow to what’s already a
good thing. www.vanrichter.net |
|
Dharmageddon |
|
Rise
of The Fallen – Citizen Cain
CDs (Golem) |
|
Rise
of The Fallen – Citizen Cain DVD (Golem) |
|
I’ve been treating with
great attention this release by Rise of The Fallen who
are a Canadian combo and a name unknown to me prior to
receiving this promo package. A single release on DVD
presenting videos to the three tracks included is a bold
move for a relatively unknown band, therefore worth some
extra attention. First of all I’d mention that the CDs
shares the same tracks as the DVD, which are three quite
different version of the title-song, and adds a fourth
version to boot. Citizen Cain is presented in its album version, placing the band in dark
goth territory, complete with hard, yet well tamed guitars,
a subtle electronic work and choirs of solemnity. This turns
out to be a very good track. The German Westerndream
Remix offers what it says on the
tin: a typical dark-electronic version of unmistakable
Teutonic flavour, complete with lyrics in German, which
should please their stiff-moving dancefloors. The third
track is a so-called Electro Clash Nod Mix, the less inspired version, featuring cheap dance sounds,
yet the one most likely to go down with the kids.,
unfortunately. The CDs adds another not essential
dance-inspired version, which, by the way, does
differentiate from the other three. Which in turn
differentiate significantly from each other and feature
crystal clean, pounding production. Add nice video
production –and I’m typically not very generous
with music videos, simply because I personally find them
often pointless- and you have a nice little package that
deserves a true go for dark-electro and EBM fans. Whether
the band in real life sound like this or are more close to
the darker, more guitar oriented incarnation of the album
version is a dilemma we’ll wait to resolve when we
receive a copy of the album for review. www.golemrecords.com |
|
Gianfri |
|
Remain
Silent – Dislocation (Axesscode) |
|
The human civilisation has
finally seceded in self-destructing and the machines have
taken over. A typical post-humanity scenario, and if it were
not for the self-appointed bastards that rule the planet
today (you know who you are, bushes, blairs and co), we
might still look at this as a far-away sci-fi fantasy. But
we are getting closer, thank you villains. With Yann
Souetreaka Remain Silent, a
Frenchman whose works are highly connected with the best
wave of French Electronic-Industrial (read Mlada Fronta
and co.), this is already news from the past. He
doesn’t put the blame on anyone, but with
Dislocation, we are
deep within that post-homo era and Remain Silent conducts us on an impeccable journey through this truly
fantastic machinescapes. It’s wild electronics,
it’s changing rhythms, it’s sudden breaks,
it’s atmospheric backdrops, it’s some very good
electronica with an harder industrial edge that make this
album extremely appealing to a wide spectrum of listeners.
The CD is accompanied by matching illustrations representing
the era the album deals with. The visuals give an instant
cue to what to expect musically, the compositions follow
suite, offering a true cinematic side that can’t be
ignored. So much, in fact, that I can’t help but seeing
the booklet illustrations animating themselves to follow the
elaborate industrial excursions conceived by Yann.
OK, I’m seeing things here, but what about a short
animated film to go with a selection of tracks out of this
album? What about maybe a full film instead? Now that would
be the only way to surpass this release. www.remain-silent.net - www.axcesscode.com/label |
|
Gianfri |
|
Richter
- Cost Of Living (Sound as A Weapon) |
|
Richter’s synth-electro music is done in a cold-sounding way.
The monotonous sounding male voice and electro sounds are
giving the main effect of this production. But with easy to
remember texts and rhythms this Canadian band knows how to
give their album the necessary kick, in some places, so that
the listener doesn’t become bored. All in one this 14
track-album is working out a nearly sad, thoughtfully
atmosphere; nothing for friends of fast and danceable songs
and dance-floor hits, but for sure the right stuff for
people who enjoy the quiet way of electro based sounds with
a well fitting silent voice. www.richtermusic.com |
Karin
Zenzinger
|
|
Sci fi
Industries – The Air Cutter (Thisco) |
|
We have met Sci Fi
Industries in some Thisco samplers already and it’s now time for a
new full length of dark electronica that can’t pass
unobserved for all fans of electronic industrial music. In
this venture, Luís Van Seixas (who by the way is co-founder of Thisco) is joined by
Fermando Cerqueira whom you have met under the
guise of Rasal.Asad (if you have paid attention, that is!). The Air
Cutter is cutting edge rhythmic electronic soundscapes said to
have been created with no computer aid whatsoever. I’m
not sure how that matters at all, but the product is a
compelling electronic journey devoid of any excess and
focussing instead on painting laid back soundscapes on a
canvas of minimal rhythmic that results in one of the most
ingenious pieces of absorbing dark electronica that sports
sinister chill out qualities in abundance. I’m not sure
how popular this genre is within the limits of Portugal
itself, but this album goes a long way in re-affirming that
there’s a substantial nest of dark electronics and
industrial being cultivated round the Thisco house and
Sci Fi Industries play
damn well their part in making this circle stick out a
little more towards widespread recognition. www.thisco.net |
|
Gianfri |
|
Supreme
Court – Yell It Out (Black Rain) |
|
Supreme Court is the second band of Kay Härtel beside
his first project Davantage. One could say that
with Yell It Out, Kay is going
on where he had stopped before with Davantgade
(see review in Darklife IX and on the Darklife homepage).
Also Supreme Court is based on powerful EBM-Electro sounds, combined with
Techno-Noise and the singer’s striking vocals, already
known from Davantage. With its 12 songs, which are nearly all powerful,
intelligent and hard rhythms, Supreme Court is
completely perfect for the dance-floors. If Kay
Härtel has not done the breakthrough in the EBM scene with his
first project, he has a very high potential of doing it now
for sure with Supreme Court. In the end one can only say that this guy has proved again
his great talent to produce high quality EBM music without
forgetting to use his brain. This album is for sure perfect
for every friend of combos like Feindflug, Suicide Commando or
others from this genre and, of course, last but not least
Davantage. www.supreme-court.tk
- www.blackrain.de
|
Karin
Zenzinger
|
|
Ven
Bravo – Changing World (Self-released) |
|
Changing World is supposed to be the first release of the Mexican guy
Ven Bravo. His music can be compared with the fine and pleasant
sounding stuff of known electro synth pop combos from the
80’s. Because of Ven’s ingratiating voice and the harmoniously classical
synth sounds this 10 piece of songs album is from beginning
to end a really charming work. For everyone who likes
melancholic music which invites to enjoy a evening with
cuddling up the partner on the dancefloor or just relaxing
at home should look at this work, which both well composed
and cleanly produced CD. If this kind of music, would not
have been produced already more than enough in the
80’s, and also in the last years, by other artists,
Ven Bravo would have a lot of success for sure. But for the reason
that he is not the first one at all, he has lots of work to
do to win a stand-out place in the scene. May be the fact
that Ven has
decided to release Changing World also in
his mother language Spanish, (the album should be out in
December) will help him to find more fans. In my opinion
it’s a good idea to reach not only English spoking
audiences. www.venbravo.com |
Karin
Zenzinger
|
|
Vigilante
– The Heroes’ Code (Black Rain) |
|
The
Heroes’ Code is a powerful statement of the new
Spanish project Vigilante. The intro, which is done by electronic background and a
mechanical sounding child voice, promises fast going
EBM-Industrial. With the following four tracks
Vigilante present classical
EBM-music, based on fast going electro sounds and a more or
less disturbing male vocal that is quite similar to the
style of bands like Funker Vogt, State Of The Union,
S.I.T.D. or VNV-Nation. The fifth track
called Still Alive is a little different from its
predecessors with a more quiet rhythm and almost pensive
sounding vocals. After this, they go back to the faster
dance-floor sounds, connected with easy to remember rhythms,
computer-like sound inputs and heartfelt lyrics. With the
song Freedom this album also includes a thoughtfully
electro hymn which is based on a deep going voice. The last
two pieces of the 11-track CD are again electro-drum based
power-tracks, which invite friends of this music-style to
move their body in the rhythm of the sound. This work is in
focus of the EBM scene and is qualitatively well done, unfortunately there are already more than many
artists who produce this style of music. www.vigilante.cn
- www.blackrain.de |
|
Karin Zenzinger |
|
|
|
Fairy
World II - VV.AA. (Prikosnovenie) |
|
If you are not yet familiar
with Prikosnovenie’s world made of imaginary creatures and inner
self’s landscapes, then this is an excellent, if not
unique opportunity to catch up with this aspect of this
dark, dreamy world we dearly enjoy. This release comes in he
form of an A5, colour hard-paper 20-page booklet
illustrating the entire Prikosnovenie catalogue, including
band information and an unique showcase of artwork by
Sabine Adélaïde, the
visual “voice” of the label, who is responsible
for all the artwork on all their releases. Fairy World
II includes 17 tracks and is
an involving trip taking you as far away as Japan, through
Australia, stopping in Italy, Greece, Russia, Bulgaria and,
of course, France. World music is the label own definition
of their releases, but for those who don’t yet know
them, Priskosnovenie stand for music full of passion, peace,
beauty, fragility, traditions and, above all, true,
outstanding talent. There could not be a better invitation
to get engulfed in poetical beauty as with this sampler.
www.prikosnovenie.com |
|
Gianfri |
|
Livid
Looking Glass Compilation No. 1 - VV.AA. (Livid Looking
Glass) |
|
Published as a companion to
the debut issue of the Livid Looking Glass magazine
(see review in Darklife X), this is a classic example of
well conceived, compiled and produced sampler. Stemming from
the LA underground, LLG offer a truly international disc, featuring artists from a
variety of countries and continents, maybe a prime in the US
scene? This is only one of the reasons why we at Darklife
like it so much. The other is that this disc offers about 75
minutes of pulsating dark underground titles that cover a
whole variety of genres and are at the same time compiled
with a sapient touch to give seamless continuity through the
lot. From Kirlian Camera to Louisa John-Krol from
Written In Ashes to Collection
D’Arnell Andréa, from Sophya to Morthem Vlade
Art, Hungry Lucy to CTRL, LLG features 16 tracks to be
simply devoured. More industrial and dark electronics come,
courtesy of the likes of Empusae, Beyond Sensory
Experience, OTX, while eclectic entries by
Johnny Hollow or the Tiger Lilies or The Hungry Ghost widen
the horizon of the disc. I might have neglected to mention a
few of the contributing artists in this account of the disc,
but it is in fact much wiser for you to visit their site
site to get all the relevant info on this sampler and the
artists featured. www.lividlookingglass.com |
|
Gianfri |
|
Vaws
Vol. II - VV.AA. (Vaws-Musicfactory) |
|
A CD partly conceived as an
answer to the music-industry, its extortionate prices and
their boring moaning about copying etc, Vaws Vol. II offers
15 newcomer artists presenting their take on the electronic
dark dancefloor that boards on the industrial and rhythmic
industrial as the disc progresses. Vaws-Musicfactory make a
point of offering this CD that comes in cardboard sleeve for
the purpose of saving on shipping costs at a low price of 6
EU plus shipping and encourage folks to copy it for friends
if they so wish, which is a positive attitude as far as I am
concerned. The contributors are said to be almost all
newcomers, but I recognise none of the names (Except for
Von Thronsthal credited for the mix
of the Preussak track, which has a distinct industrial
flavour), so they are all newcomers to me. The first part of
the disc offers bogus standard German electro, floating
between pop, NDW and more battered 90’s dark-dance
that, although not very innovative at all, isn’t that
bad in general, save one or two. As the music carries on,
there’s a shift towards industrialism and here is where
matters start to get quite interesting. With
Verstärker, for example we have a good take on some charged rhythmic
industrial of Ant-Zen connotations, and from there on,
it’s hard and noisy rhythms that dictate the game in a
crescendo of quintessential industrial that deserves a good
notice, like with A Industrya,
1979 or the chaotic Panzer Division.
Not sure how the cheesy electro + industrial combination
will go down with the general audience, but surely this disc
offers a good opportunity to lay bare in front of your ears
15 artists you were probably not aware of before. www.vaws.de |
|
Gianfri |