Andre Faria: Ganda som, méne...

Andre Faria:
Hocico

Sometimes there are shows that evoke such a special atmosphere that it just feels like they have to be conserved on record...Hocico´s concert in Israel on last year´s tour definitely falls into this category. The spirit of the masses, the ambience and the energy of the band - everything falling into place perfectly. The result was so impressive that Erk and Racso decided to make the soundboard recording for this show available to a wider audience, though this concert was never recorded / performed with a release in mind. The recording shows Hocico in their purest form - raw and unrefined : a frontal attack made of pure energy, decimating all in its path. On "Blasphemies In The Holy Land" Hocico perform a selection of their tracks with a pure flow of power - with the presence of the audience and its interaction with singer Erk Aicrag felt throughout its duration. "Blasphemies In The Holy Land" is presented with brand new artwork in digipak format and is strictly limited to 2000 copies only. A must for fans, collectors and all electro-freaks attempting to grasp the phenomenon that is Hocico...


Tracklisting:
01. El Infierno Que Viene
02. Spirits Of Crime
03. Ecos
04. Tales From The Third World
05. Distorted Face
06. Poltergeist
07. Bloodshed
08. Keep Barking Dogs
09. Born To Be Hated
10. Odio Bajo El Alma
11. Death As A Gift
12. Untold Blasphemies
13. Forgotten Tears

Paper Lace

it's on here!

very nice
anyone want the song I can email it to them

Paper Lace, The Night Chicago Died.

Daddy was a cop, on the east side of Chicago

anyone know the song that starts with those words?

Tuesday: Pretty sure Eddie was a cop.....alot of his family was :)

“Antics” is a steady and confident album, from which you can hear that Interpol has matured. Since “Turn on the bright lights” they gradually crystallized a style of their own, leaving a great deal of the often mentioned comparisons like Joy Division, The Chameleons and The Smiths behind. Through “Antics” it becomes more clear what Interpol itself stands for.

The bright sounding album presents a rich collection of diverse songs, from the strong and pushing “Slow hands” (which is the hardest track) to the mournful “A time to be so small”. If there were a connecting theme between the songs it would be romanticism, because the bulk of the lyrics deals with (disappointed) love and also musically the album breathes a very romantic and passionate atmosphere. The track “Narc” with it’s semi-70’s-discobass even reminds me a bit of the Loveboat.

“Evil” and “C’mere” serve as catchy poptunes for the change in respect of fine-spun musings “Take you on a cruise” and “Public pervert”, two achingly beautiful tracks. The latter starts with a weird minimal, almost tango-like tune that eventually ends up in a dramatic guitar orgy. Another highlight is the exciting “Not even jail”, in which a big brewing atmosphere is built by sparkling guitars and enchanting keyboards on top of ongoing snare hits. When at the second chorus the vocals go up, you think the song can’t possibly last any longer, but then you are surprised again by an even more majestic instrumental epilogue, slowly fading away into eternity.

The only outsider in my opinion is the opener “Next exit”, which could deter a listener at the first hearing, especially when he is expecting another dark and moody Interpol album. I have been told that this one actually was the first track Interpol ever wrote and that it was originally intented as an overture for concerts. Well, don’t let this apparently happy on-the-road evergreen put you out, but try to persist; it shouldn’t be hard considering all the magnificent music to follow. I can only say that Interpol again delivered a true beauty.

http://saint.etienne.net/saint/etienne?http://www.saint.etienne.net/news/

ANTICHRIST:
NamNamBulu

ANTICHRIST:
Nine Inch Nails

It's hard to believe that Nine Inch Nails' mile stone, "The Downward Spiral", has been out for ten years. Their label, Interscope, took this fact as occasion to do an exquisite re-release...

People who know The Cure's deluxe edition of "Three Imaginary Boys" know that Universal come down handsomely when it comes to deluxe edition's packaging. In 2005, "The Downward Spiral" comes in the same double digipak as The Cure's first record, and of course it includes different tracks than the '94 original issue.
Disc one is now an SACD, playable on super audio as well as normal CD players, even if just SACD player owners will get to know all details, as the record was completely mastered and mixed in Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound.
The most interesting thing about this release is, especially for collectors, the package's second CD for which Trent Reznor pushed out some b-sides, demos, non album tracks and remixes.
Look forward to new, other or rare versions of classics like „Burn“, „Dead Souls“, „All The Pigs, All Lined Up“ or „Liar“. This re-release combines fine contents and packaging equally, and it's also an optimum appetizer for the new studio album, "With Teeth", due May 3rd, 2005.
The only problem with this double CD is the same one that The Cure's "Three Imaginary Boys" came with: fans already own this album, and it's really unfair to force them to buy another edition, even if there's no doubt about this record's quality.

Tracklist
CD1
1-Mr. Self Destruct
2-Piggy
3-Heresy
4-March Of The Pigs
5-Closer
6-Ruiner
7-The Becoming
8-I Do Not Want This
9-Big Man With A Gun
10-A Warm Place
11-Eraser
12-Reptile
13-The Downward Spiral
14-Hurt

CD2
1-Burn
2-Closer (Precursor)
3-Piggy (Nothing Can Stop Me Now)
4-A Violet Fluid
5-Dead Souls
6-Hurt (Quiet)
7-All The Pigs, All Lined Up
8-Memorabilia
9-The Downward Spiral (The Bottom)
10-Ruiner (Demo)
11-Liar (Reptile Demo)
12-Heresy (Demo)

NamNamBulu has been rising at light speed in the electro scene, and "Alone" is another solid MCD from these up-and-comers.

To be honest, it doesn't really offer anything new in terms of style or sound, but it definitely isn't average, either. NamNamBulu have always had a very mature, polished sound that gets people moving and thinking.
The song "Alone" has some excellent lyrics that are brought to life with a great sense of emotion, courtesy of Henrik Iversen. Iversen has a very powerful voice that is unique and instantly recognizable. Vasi Vallis' song structures are excellent as usual.
I do have to say though that the opening of "Moments" was kind of disappointing, simply because it sounded just a little too much like VNV Nation's song "Epicentre". Actually, if Ronan Harris jumped on the mic, it would be a VNV Nation tune. "Moments" just has that VNV sound. I don't mean to take anything away from NNB, but this song was just lacked their distinctive sound. The 'Addicted to Endanger' re-mix of "Moments" fairs a little better, as the synth sound was changed up a little. But, the re-mix lacks Henrik's distinctive vocal presentation, and thus fails to satisfy me personally. The instrumental, "Contamination", is put together well but becomes overly repetitive after about three minutes. Overall, "Alone" is, as I previously stated, a solid addition to the NNB library, but doesn't offer anything overwhelming.

Tracklist
1-Alone
2-Alone (Extended Mix)
3-Moments (Duette Version featuring Endanger)
4-Moments (Addicted to Endanger)
5-Contaminated

A first impression was brought to us with the fiery advance single "Born To Be (Hated)". So, now it’s time for the album by Mexico’s electro weirdos. Will it deliver the dangerous stuff electro heads are longing for?

Well, also their meanwhile fifth studio album is no lovely sweety for romantic hearts. Hocico's music still is what it is: a harsh and disturbing dark/splatter electro assault, combined with Erk Aicrag's aggressively distorted vocs and sparkling melodies. Following up the basis laid down with their prior album "Signos De Aberracion" (2002), Hocico created a modern mixture of unmercifully hitting beats and threateningly seething soundcsapes but also loads of gloomy ambient parts. „Bizarre Words“ is a good example for this interaction as it’s both aggressive and spheric. Whilst listening there’s kinda feeling that the two musicians more than on the last record picked up some of those certain rough splinters from their early days. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that they did a step back in their evolution. It’s more like they brought their „punky“ roots home to themselves again and found a good way to mesh it with their up-to-date technology costume. „Sprit Of Crime“ amongst others is one of the potential club tracks. Lyrically dealing with jealousy, the song effects exciting cause of its breaks within the way through. Hocico managed to serve a neatly composed album with the right dose of devilish energy and apocalyptic atmosheres.

Tracklist
1-El Infierno Que Viene
2-Tales From The Third World
3-Bizarre Words
4-Spirits Of Crime
5-Born To Be (Hated) - original odium
6-Love Posing As A Prostitute
7-Ecos
8-Oracion Nocturna
9-Death As A Gift
10-Padre No Nuestro

After last year's full-length attack "Assimilation: Chapter One", the German electro industrial crew returns with a new EP.

Like we know it from their previous releases, Mike Johnson (Sero.Overdose, Infekktion, Virtual Embrace), Oliver Senger (Sero.Overdose, Infekktion) and Chris L. (Unknown, live keyboards in Dance Or Die) are painting their sound pictures with similar colours as the Belgian pioneer Suicide Commando. Some people noted them as copycat, some stated they're only influenced heavily.
However, what you can't deny is the fact that Agonoize are talented with regard to create smashing, easy-to-get-into-your-head stuff for the dark dancefloor. Tough rhythms, harsh'n'noisy industrial sounds, simple keyboard melody spots and heavily (not very varied) distorted vocs is the mix we're given.
Please forgive me that I'm oldfashioned and won't call their style, like it's trendy these days, "endzeit electro". It's dark electro with an apocalyptic touch.
Sometimes with a fast pace ("Chains Of Love", "Eye On You"), sometimes in a midtempo region ("Sick", "Running"), sometimes slow ("Evil Inside").
And offering solid standard throughout. Not more, not less.
So if you're into Suicide Commando, old Wumpscut or generally hammering electronics, you won't do wrong to check this release.
The promo version didn't offer the remixes, so sorry, no words on them.

Tracklist
1-Chains of love
2-Sick
3-Running
4-Evil inside
5-Eye on you
6-Masturbation generation
7-With the eyes of a criminal
8-Sick by Destroid
9-Chains Of Love straight electro version
10-Sick by Captive Of Society
11-Chains Of Love by Combichrist
12-Sick by Analogue Brain
13-Sick - live video

Mike Johnson (Agonoize, Infekktion, Virtual Embrace) and his crew are back with the second release.

Compared to Agonoize or Infekktion, Sero.Overdose's music shows the pop side of the menu. With a focus on harmonic sounds and rhythms, plausible pop melodies as well as Andre Hartung's clean, varied vocals, the Berlin based band created a relaxed piece of work between synthpop, future pop and relaxed electro.
Whilst balancing on that mix rope, Sero.Overdose deliver ballads ("Killer", "Spirits") as well as midtempo tracks ("Ever", "Sometimes") and stuff to move your body to ("Never", "She"). So this diversely painted picture is a plus point.
The songwriting itself is done in a solid way, but - and this is a bit of a minus - some totally overwhelming kicks are missing.
It's a nice record with some nice and emotional moments, but in a way you feel you've heard it all before many times. Apart from Andre's noteable vocals, the individuality's missing a bit. Kinda flaw that many artists within the synthpop and future pop branch have.
However, you can hear Sero.Overdose invested much work to come up with a feelingly album, and everyone into De/Vision, Colony 5, Angels & Agony and Covenant's smoother side wouldn't do wrong to
check them out.

Tracklist
1-Ever
2-Rain
3-Missing
4-K
iller
5-Sometimes
6-Never
7-She
8-Horizont

9-Spirits
10-Over
11-Stay
12-Harmony
13-
Hoffnung
14-Wir
15-She (version)

The question with regard to Wumpscut's new effort "Evoke" whirred through the air for a long time. Will Rudy Ratzinger celebrate harsher sounds again or is he continuing the milder direction of the recent past?

The latter is the case. Which means that fans of Rudy's prior 2000 crashing electro phase probably once more will sigh big time. People, who're following Rudy's music for a shorter time period and don't have those back to the roots hopes, or longterm fans who're a bit more open will find a solid release. Not overwhelming, but no disaster either.
Rudy wanted to evolve, and he did that. That`s a necessary thing for a band, and I basically respect and welcome that. How the evolution is finally turning out, that's written on another piece of paper. Rudy went the way he felt comfortable with - painting his tunes with a harmonic colour.
Based on repetitive lyrics, the bulk of the songs is slower paced, with sweet pop melodies, strings or atmospheric areas brought in ("Hold", "Obsessió", "Maiden") and 4 songs with focus on female vocals by Jane M. and Rudy's girlfriend Clara S.
Whilst those kind of tracks have been a smaller part on Rudy's records in his earlier years, they're now flown into the center of it all. In addition, the songs seem not so dark like in the past, the general fragrance is a more brightened one.
If you're looking for some more energetic moments, you've to stick to "Rush" with it's included siren sound, "Churist Churist" with it's artificial language lyrics or "Breathe" with it's provokingly aimed voice samples. Not new in the :W: world, and an ongoing discussion.
What else? With "Tomb" and "Krolok" (including voice samples) you can find some dreamy, a bit monotonous instrumental pieces on the record whilst the creation "Don't Go" offers a vocal interaction between Jane M. and Rudy (clean voice!), some pulsating beats but altogether a smooth flair.
Summarized said, the album only "evokes" an okay impression. There are some fresh and catchy moments and it's technically well done, but the real thrill is missing a bit. Electro must not necessarily be hitting and attacking and speedy all the time, even reserved paced stuff can be intense, heavy or exciting. But this isn't continuously the case on "Evoke". Some more vitamins next time and we'd all be happy.

Tracklist
1-Maiden
2-Churist Churist
3-Don't Go
4-Evoke
5-Tomb
6-Hold
7-Krolok
8-Breathe

9-Rush
10-Perdition
11-Obsessió
12-Churist Churist by Recently Deceased
13-Maiden by Nersoton (vs :W:)

Due to massive request, NamNamBulu's first EP, "Blind?", will be re-released under the new name "Blinded!" via Infacted Recordings on April 25th...

The former six track (remastered) EP got extended with seven bonus tracks.

Tracklist:

1 Now Or Never
2 Ignorance
3 Surviving
4 Guardian Angel
5 Trapped
6 Nightmares
7 Now Or Never (reconstructed)
8 Beaten (V.2.0)
9 Surviving (outdated)
10 Ignorance (Perceive mix)
11 Trapped (unplugged)
12 Memories (Vox Celesta rmx)
13 Memories (Pearls of Dew rmx)

The legendary first Gaë Bolg CD "John Barleycorn must die" is being re-issued on May 2nd. This debut has been much demanded and highly requested since it was issued first on the Cynfeirdd label some years ago. On this album you can expect a mix of martial-medieval-industrial-symphonic music with a lot of trumpets and drums, operatic vocals and obsessive tunes. This new edition is strictly limited to 500 copies and comes in a simple cardboard-sleeve. It holds the same cover than the first edition but in a different colour (red on white). The CD was re-released by Gaë Bolg himself as a private ‘collector’s edition.

Nirvana: sum 4 u
http://www.swingoutsister.com/
http://america.net/~davdmock/swingout.htm
----
http://stimpco.com/personal/music/basia/
----
http://www.garbage.com/

Laura Nyro

April 8th: Born:

1971, Darren Jessee, drums, Ben Folds Five, (1997 UK No.26 single 'Battle Of Who Could Care Less').

1963, Julian Lennon, (1991 UK No.6 single 'Saltwater').

1963, Donita Sparks, guitar, vocals, L7, (1992 UK No. 21 single ‘Pretend We’re Dead’).

1962, Adam Mole, Pop Will Eat Itself, (1991 UK No.15 single 'X Y & Zee').

1962, Izzy Stradlin, guitar, Guns N' Roses, (1988 US No.1 & 1989 UK No.6 single 'Sweet Child O' Mine', 1991 US No.1 album 'Use Your Illusion II')

1962, Jerry Kelly, Lotus Eaters, (1983 UK No.15 single 'First Picture Of You').

1956, Justin Sullivan, New Model Army, (1985 UK No.28 single 'No Rest').

1947, Steve Howe, guitar, Yes, (1977 UK No.7 'Wonderous Stories', 1983 US No.1 & UK No. 28 single 'Owner Of A Lonely Heart'), Asia, (1982 US No 4 & UK No. 46 single 'Heat Of The Moment').

1942, Roger Chapman, vocals, Family, (1971 UK No.4 single 'In My Own Time'), Streetwalkers.

1929, Jacques Brel, French singer, songwriter, died of cancer 9/10/78. Scott Walker, Alex Harvey, Frank Sinatra, Dusty Springfield all Covered his songs.


April 8th: died:

1997, New York singer/songwriter Laura Nyro from cancer

1985, US songwriter J Fred Coots. Co-wrote, 'Santa Claus Is Coming To Town' and the Pat Boone US No.1 hit 'Love Letters In The Sand.'

AHAH, I´ve made the review of this album some time ago and dedicated to Bruno Jesus...

Andy LaPlegua (Icon Of Coil) returns with yet another side project, this time called Combichrist, and it is, in my opinion, his best to date.

If you're looking for an album filled with deeply touching lyrics that you can smooch your significant other to, then look elsewhere because you won't find a single song that would lend itself to this type of activity.
On the other hand, if you want songs that will help you to share with others how pissed off you are, how much you hate the world, or you're just feeling a little bit malevolent, then "Everybody Hates You" is right up your alley!
The beats and the synth work are spectacular throughout "Everybody Hates You", and that is the album's strong point. For the most part, the songs have a faster pace, and the beats really pound on this album.
The lyrics are, at times, overboard to the point of making it seem like LaPlegua is just trying to be as shocking and offensive as possible.
A good example of this is the song "God Bless", where we are treated to a song which has lyrics that are nothing more than the naming off of various mass murderers and serial killers.
After checking out Combichrist's website, it became very apparent that LaPlegua isn't exactly seeking political correctness with the monster that is Combichrist, and I personally think that is a good thing. It is about time someone put out an album that conveys the message "I'm pissed off and I hate you all, so go f*** yourselves", takes no prisoners, and makes no apologies.
It is a risky move in today's entertainment world to be so aggressively negative, especially when you take into account the popularity of LaPlegua's main project, Icon Of Coil. I give him a ton of credit for taking the chance and not looking back. A good album for those times when you're in a bad mood.
Stand-out songs on this one are "Enjoy the Abuse", "Blut Royale", "Happy [edited] Birthday", and "I'd Like to Thank My Buddies".
(The European limited edition version contains a 9 track bonus disc of mostly atmospheric pieces that certainly don't seem to fit into the Combichrist sound. That's what I think, anyway. They're cool to chill to, but that's about it.)

Tracklist:
1-This S*** Will F*** You Up
2-Enjoy The Abuse
3-Today I Woke to the Rain of Blood
4-I'm Happy Anyway
5-Blut Royale
6-Who's Your Daddy, Snakegirl?
7-Feed Your Anger
8-God Bless
9-Like to Thank My Buddies
10-Happy [edited] Birthday
11-This My Rifle
12-Lying Sack of [edited]
13-Without Emotions

P.S. I'D LIKE DEDICATE THIS GREAT GREAT RECORD TO ALL MY BUDDIES AT B.K.

ANTICHRIST: I appreciate your enthusiasm...but please try not to provide such long posts....condensed versions will be greatly appreciated.thanks.

ANTICHRIST: Is it safe to assume you're not a fan of the likes of Slim Whitman and Don William?

Release Date: April 12, 2005
By Ilker Yucel
Assistant Editor

VNV Nation
Matter + Form
Release Date: April 12, 2005

THE PAST

In 1995, EBM was in a bit of disarray. D.A.F. had not performed in almost 10 years. Front 242 had abandoned their sound for something more layered and guitar-oriented, something much closer to their industrial imitators; a move which ultimately led to the band members pursuing side projects. Nitzer Ebb had released their final album. The old school EBM was over, allowing not only mainstream industrial to take over, but also paving the way for techno, rave, and eventually hip-hop to take over the clubs. Out of this came a new breed of EBM and electro bands to pick up the torch and dominate the dance floors. One of these bands, now a legend in their own time, is VNV Nation. Fronted by Ronan Harris, and backed up by percussionist Mark Jackson (who would join later), VNV released Advance and Follow in 1995. It was an album marred by poor production, a next-to-nothing budget, and almost no promotion. Nonetheless, the music of VNV Nation was making its way into many DJ's setlists. Characterized by abrasive beats, cold electronics, and anthemic lyrics that dealt with anything from serial killers to military intervention, VNV Nation struck accord with much of the industrial dance crowd looking for a new leader in the battle against the status quo.

1997's Praise the Fallen solidified VNV's sound up to that point, improving aspects of production and delivering a much more cohesive and slightly more militaristic message. With songs like “Honour” and “Joy,” the band came across as something of a marching band for electronic/industrial soldiers off to war. However, it was also with Praise the Fallen that the band started to showcase a broader emotional range; songs like “Forsaken” and especially “Solitary” showed the band's leaning toward building a better future and finding strength and hope where there seems to be none. In 2000, they released Empires , an album that became the standard for most of the upcoming electro crowd, and also introduced the world to a new genre: futurepop . Equal parts EBM and synthpop, VNV's music became more and more melodic and more structured, almost abandoning the original industrial elements (save for the hard electronic beats and the use of samples, though they have been downsized with each successive album). Other bands started to get caught in their wake, following and even imitating their sound. Among them, Covenant, Apoptygma Berzerk, and Assemblage 23; all bands with their own level of notoriety, became the forerunners of the futurepop sound. The re-release of Advance and Follow in 2000 was a pleasant reminder to older fans, and an introduction to newer fans, where VNV Nation started. With updated production and some re-recording, the 2000 rerelease unveiled some of that album's hidden magic. It also served as a sign to VNV's latest mode of thinking: looking to the past to create the future.

2002's Futureperfect showed the band blending the best of both the past and the present. With artwork and lyrical themes that recalled the heyday of the 1940's (look to Fritz Lang's film Metropolis as well as the German Bauhaus art movement), Futureperfect was performed and produced entirely on software, belying the band's previous usage of vintage synthesizers. Songs like “Epicentre” and “Fearless” bore resemblance to the past sound of VNV, while instrumentals like “Structure” and “Electronaut” indicated the band was ready to move in a new musical direction. At the time of its release, Futureperfect boasted to be a major event in the world of EBM. In hindsight, some of its elements simply did not work as well. “Holding On” was their attempt at a piano ballad, hindered by Ronan's inability to emote appropriately; this proved to be a major dilemma with the whole album, as Ronan's voice simply didn't seem fit to deliver this type of emotion. This seemed on par with much of the criticism that surrounded VNV from their detractors who often claimed the vocals to be too monotone and lacking in variety. The album also featured a much softer side to VNV Nation, with songs like “Beloved” and “Airships,” which led to disapproval from fans who favored the band's harder EBM sound of old. The much-delayed release of their DVD Pastperfect was met with much praise and anticipation. Wrought with footage from the Futureperfect tour, as well as backstage antics, and the pleasures and pains of being on tour, the contents of the DVD were extensive and well worth the wait.

Now that we've had a taste of history, its time for the future, with the impending release of VNV Nation's new album Matter and Form , due on April 12 th , 2005 on Metropolis Records. This album marks the ten-year anniversary of VNV Nation; as such, Ronan Harris and Mark Jackson are returning to the basic foundation of the band and starting from scratch. Elements of the band's music until now are always present, but coupled with a new focus and a new willingness to expand their horizons. On the band's Web site some months into 2004, Ronan had posted that the software-only approach of Futureperfect was being done away with, favoring a return to the analog beauty that made the sound of past VNV albums so rich and textured. Also, for the first time in the band's decade-long history, they are employing the skills of an outside producer, in this case the world-renowned German producer Humate. The band embarked on a tour at the tail end of 2004 to introduce fans to some of the new material, while also placing snippets of the album on MySpace.com, as well as releasing the Internet-only single “Chrome” in March, 2005, showing the band's readiness to stay up to date with the technology of the times. More than anything Matter + Form reflects the band revamping their sound, doing away with any preconceptions their fans may or may not have about what they should sound like.

THE FUTURE

ReGen has the privilege of being one of fifteen publications to receive snippets of the new album prior to its release. Here, we offer a sampler, a preview of what listeners can expect from Matter + Form . Every VNV Nation album has begun with either an instrumental or a spoken-word piece. Matter + Form is no different, beginning with the ambient and even mystifying track, simply titled “Intro.” Immediately, listeners can expect that the band is treading on new ground; bearing little resemblance to any form of melody, and only possessing the sparsest of beats, this introduction can best be described as an electronic György Ligeti (a la his instrumental passages in 2001: A Space Odyssey ). “Chrome” kicks off in fine VNV form with a pumping rhythm, straightforward beats, and some punchy electronics that show the band's newfound experimentation in sound; there are some guitar-esque tones at play in this track, already something new for VNV Nation. Detractors of Ronan's past singing style will be put off by his new style that emphasizes not only a wider breadth of melody, but even incorporating a backup harmony vocal, something that had been lacking in their music before. The lyrics are as aggressive and the chorus as catchy as always; it's no wonder this song was chosen as the kickoff single. “Arena” will come as a shock to many, not just because of its almost happy-go-lucky chord progression which mirrors the happier modes of synthpop, but also because of the drum sound. They almost sound acoustic as opposed to the barrage of electronic pounding we've come to know and love. This offers a welcome change of pace; the song is still catchy, but very uncharacteristic of VNV Nation, which may take some getting used to. However, the electronics are still in full swing and it is a pleaser for the dancefloor. “Colours of Rain” is a subdued piano and symphonic piece that echoes a Chopin Nocturne. Also, unlike previous VNV instrumentals, there is a surprisingly warm, almost natural sound to this track, completely belying the band's reputation for strictly electronic instrumentation. The next two tracks, “Strata” and “Interceptor,” are a pair of hard trance instrumentals that will probably remind most of older VNV, though they are far less repetitious than most music in the genre. The levels of synthesizer tweaking from the snippets alone are astounding. The bass lines are infectious, and the beat is unrelenting. “Entropy” begins quietly, sounding vaguely similar to Futureperfect 's “Carbon.” This changes immediately as a distorted synth line segues us into a hard EBM track that will keep people moving their feet. Ronan's aggressive tone sounds clearer than ever on this track, making the song sure to be a staple in future live performances. For those who could not stand Ronan's vocals on “Holding On,” you will find much solace in “Endless Skies,” a sweet ballad that probably is the closest VNV Nation will ever come to a love song. Ronan has a much better grasp of his voice on this song, conveying the emotional content with greater clarity. The melody on this track, while simple, can bring tears to the eyes. The pace picks up again with “Homeward,” a pulsing EBM track with those familiar synth melodies and an arpeggio bass line that are irresistible to dance to. Ronan's new command of melody is shown again with the heartbreaking chorus. While not as forceful as “Entropy” or “Chrome,” the song is one of the catchiest and most danceable tracks. “Lightwave” presents us with another hard trance track, but again with enough analog synthesizer tweaks to keep it from descending into repetition and boredom. Closing the album is “Perpetual.” With a drum sound like the one heard on “Arena,” and the simple chord progression, this is VNV's attempt at a rock song; without guitars of course. Seriously, it is danceable, but unlike much of VNV's music, there is a distinct sense that it could easily be performed on guitars.

All in all, Matter + Form succeeds in many regards. It picks up on practically all of the shortcomings of Futureperfect and refines them into something that outshines their previous efforts. It shows the band returning to the basics of experimentation and almost ignores all points of reference. This is not VNV Nation as we've ever heard them before, and in this reviewer's ears, the change is most welcome and the result is nothing short of astounding. The formulas of past VNV are gone, making room for the band to explore new formulas and completely redefine themselves and the genre they helped to bring to the forefront. Therein lies the dilemma. The change in sound and style will no doubt upset longtime fans who have certain expectations of what VNV Nation are supposed to sound like. Others may be turned off by the high number of instrumental tracks, when Ronan's lyrics have become such a vital component to VNV's success. However, as testament to the band's return to their roots, one must remember that both Advance and Follow and Praise the Fallen contained more instrumentals than vocal tracks as well. There is a degree to which Matter + Form could even break into the mainstream; with songs like “Arena” and “Perpetual” taking a turn toward a still-electronic, but more rock-oriented style, there is definite potential for music listeners outside the genre to pick up on VNV Nation. These songs could be played on the radio, whereas before it seemed that VNV were exclusive to the clubs. Make no mistake, this is no sell-out effort; Matter + Form breaks down any boundaries the band and/or their fanbase may have placed upon itself. Futurepop was meant to be an amalgamation of differing styles of electro ranging from EBM to trance to synthpop, and as the originators of the term, VNV Nation stay true to this fusion of genres. As Ronan himself said in interviews on the Pastperfect DVD, like it or not, the sound of Empires and Futureperfect is over. Instead of lying in bitter defeat at the downfall of the genre they helped create, the band paves its way forward, staying true to their philosophy and their namesake, “Victory Not Vengeance.” With Matter + Form , listeners can expect a musical revelation; it is perhaps VNV Nation's most diverse album, and yet their most focused. On April 12, 2005 , the electro genre will receive a major wakeup call from VNV Nation's Matter + Form .

Track List:
01. Intro
02. Chrome
03. Arena
04. Colours of Rain
05. Strata
06. Interceptor
07. Entropy
08. Endless Skies
09. Homeward
10. Lightwave
11. Perpetual

Due to be released mid-May 2005, is Glis’ 4th album entitled "Nemesis" and benefits from a blockbuster featured appearance by Front 242's frontman Jean-Luc De Meyer who contributes guest vocals on 2 tracks with adapted lyrics from Charles Baudelaire's "Flowers Of Evil".

For "Nemesis" Glis incorporates harsher distorted vocals and much darker EBM-industrial compositions than before.

Additional guest vocals on the album are performed by Implant, Seize,
Manufactura and Tau Factor.

The 80’s postpunk and British indie music slowly but steadily make a comeback. Bands like Interpol, Radio 4, Astral and The Stills use the musical heritage of the 80’s in a refreshing way in their modern alternative music. References to The Smiths, Suicide, Joy Division and The Cure are hip again. Now we have something hot again with The Search. Sweden's newest export, The Search, proves with their debut album that you don't need to be noisy or extravagant in order to do the job. Their sound brings to mind influences from eighties bands such as The Cure, Joy Division and Sad Lovers & Giants. The band combines a very crisp wavy guitar approach with a classic rhythmic backbone consisting of bass, drums and keys. Their prog-post-punk sound makes the experience of listening to this album one that you wish to repeat over and over. Throughout the album the powerful strums of the bass and synthesizer, absolutely separates their music from other bands-being their strongest element. Overall, this is a good post-punk tune that builds nicely to a climactic frenzy then fades out slowly. Don't miss out on this one!

ughaibu: Yes, but it's bicycle.

Wasn't the hole song Bernard Cribbins? And it's called 'Right Said Fred'.

Gothtronic is the platform for the lover of dark music. With this we mean the musical genres that originate from or are represented by the Wave-Gothic-industrial subculture, such as is active since the late ‘70s of the last century. We however do not limit ourselves in promoting just a couple of genres but we do the whole width of the dark music spectrum, including dark electronics, but also ethereal and medieval music, dark folk and melancholic metal. It’s not only music we deal with, but we also have the intention to build out this website with sections for movies, clothing, art and comics, user gallery for visitors and in depth articles. Of course you can react in the guestbook or debate on the forum.

www.gothtronic.com

You cannot accuse Darrin Huss of being lazy. Not only does he remain creative within his beloved Psyche project, but he also lends his voice to countless other productions, such as the Parallel Project or Nonpoptale (the new band of former side-kick Remi Szyszka). "The 11th our" sees Huss go back to a past ally in Per-Anders Kurenbach, resulting in a sound distant from later, dance flirting, creations.
Not holding back, the opener "Bloodcurse" does indeed introduce us to eerie surroundings. Lines like: "In this world that time forgot, I am lost again. I lie awake somewhere alone, forever in a dream, a dream" further enhance the sense of desperation.
People keep mentioning that "The 11th Hour" is something of a continuation of the Psyche classic "The Influence", and even though it is difficult to contradict them, this effort seems to be nursed from even darker forces. I can spot a more distinctly human approach in the lyrics as well, making this album crawl down under your skin to dwell with the intention of staying there.
A bouncy side step, in terms of melody and tempo, comes with "15 Minutes", but it is still pretty much as dark as the rest of the disc.
Here and there, like in the dreadful "Defenseless", Huss and Kurenbach can not transmit their vision, but seen as a work of art, "The 11th Hour" performs very well. This is a pretty pessimistic take on the nether regions of the human soul and psyche, and I tend to prefer more upbeat and melody driven work, but credit to Huss for staying true to what he obviously loves, be it futurepop or darkwave tinted pop like this.

nobleheart: LOL! good tunes :)

Ogopogo: there's a cure for that

Anyone heard of Siegall Schwall?

Tuesday: I got a tongue like that too,but I'm not dressing up like ronald macdonald.

http://www.tv5.org/TV5Site/musique/clips-1506-io_le_canto_per_te.htm

Since the early 80's, FRONT 242's ever-growing fanbase has always proven to be the 5th member of the band. A unique communion between fan and artist that has grown and matured over the course of more than two decades. Before the release of their next album, and after the astounding success of the re-release of their debut album "Geography" as a Limited Edition, and to thank the FRONT 242 community for 25 years of staunch support through their quite unusual path, they deliver to their steadfast fans a true and rich treasure, the first official FRONT 242 live DVD showing the band at its best during the impressive August 2004 performance in Lokeren ( Belgium ) in front of more than 17,000 people. This is a unique opportunity for the fans of electronic music to forever own a true piece of music history on DVD, immortalizing the legend and genius of Front 242.

bwildman: Ok, I will have this in attention in further posts. Thanks