Gothic BC

Quick refresher on this semi-regular feature here at I Die: You Die; A Game Called Echo is the thing where we recommend a more recent album you might enjoy if you’re a fan of a classic record. That’s it, basic as it gets.

Front Line Assembly’s Hard Wired (1995), and Kurs’ Muter (2021)

Look, if you’re reading this website you’ll know trying to summarize the importance of any one of the Big Four albums of Front Line Assembly in a single paragraph is a fool’s errand, so for the purposes of this particular column we’ll draw your attention to the balance and maturity held by the last of those records. Learning from some of Millennium‘s excesses, Hard Wired reigns in the chugging guitar and marshals it within Fulber’s propulsive programming, rather than allowing it to run roughshod. Between new styles of sample manipulation and ornamental programming, the record ushers in a whole new host of sounds used to conjure the cybernetic hellscape just on the horizon which FLA had been pursuing for half a decade (and which they’d never stop chasing), while still keeping the whole record’s feel within the brooding, gloomy ethos they’d had on lock for years. Your personal mileage may vary in terms of which Front Line record you feel to be their strongest, but few of them manage to reach Hard Wired in terms of equilibrium.

Hard Wired by Front Line Assembly

We come across a whole lot of records which like to tout their “cyberpunk” credentials, which sometimes amounts to little more than “we glued some old circuits to our guitars and sampled Robocop“. Thankfully, that’s not the case with the debut from Italian act Kurs. More than the narrative threaded through Muter or in the glitchy sounds which augment its classic electro-industrial programming, its the oppressive and menacing mood of the record which links it both to the origins of cyberpunk lit and to attempts to render it in aural form by the likes of FLA. It’s one thing to be influenced by the rhythmic swing of FLA’s basslines, it’s a whole other to tap into the murky grime and smog-filled nights which make up the setting of records like Hard Wired, and that’s where Muter ends up distinguishing itself from so many other cybershaded pretenders to the crown.

Muter by Kurs

Concrete Blonde’s Bloodletting (1990), and Rosegarden Funeral Party’s Martyr (2019)

Nobody really talks about Concrete Blonde’s role as a gateway band into the broader world of goth, largely because aside from the omnipresence of the title track from 1990’s Bloodletting, they didn’t release many songs that fit musically into the tradition of Our Thing. To wit, the Hollywood-based rock combo fronted by Johnette Napolitano were probably closer in spirit to bands like The Pretenders or Fleetwood Mac than Bauhaus or Siouxsie & the Banshees. That said, there’s an aesthetic argument to be made for the particular way Bloodletting‘s downcast mood and Napolitano’s powerful voice work together, taking the tropes of American hard rock and injecting them with a gravitas that is gothic if not strictly goth. And yeah, “Joey” remains a jam the world over (the chances of hearing it at any random karaoke bar you happen into remain high in 2024), but there’s some excellent deeper cuts too, like “The Beast” which isn’t dissimilar from the the rock chug of Vision Thing, or the folky “Darkening of the Light” which sounds kind of like what you’d get if Nick Cave covered REM circa Fables of the Reconstruction.

So if you’re one of the folks who holds a candelabra for that record’s particular brand of rock grandeur, good news, Rosegarden Funeral Party’s excellent 2019 LP Martyr has you covered. Sure the comparison could be made on the basis of frontwoman Leah Lane’s phenomenal singing voice and guitar playing, but there’s more to it; the Texas trio channel a specific mix of longing and ever-so-slightly theatrical angst that is a dead match for the energy that made Bloodletting resonate. Check the way Lane hits the all or nothing hooks of “Mirror’s Image” and the damnably catchy “Pills” out of the park, or how the band effortlessly jumps from the new wave bass and synths of “AMC”‘s verses to its anthemic chorus. Thats a band that knows how to walk on the gloomy side without being a downer, and who has classic rock songwriting on lock.

MARTYR by Rosegarden Funeral Party

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One goth rock record and one EBM record: not sure there’s a more down the pipe format for an episode of We Have A Technical than that! Sunshine Blind’s debut and Spark!’s most recent LP prompt discussion of production, vocal range, and all of the usual hair splitting Bruce and Alex are wont to get into. As always, you can rate and subscribe on iTunes, Google Podcasts, download directly, or listen through the widget down below. 

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Dead Voices On Air
:jamiel:spybey:
Re:Mission Entertainment

Industrial, drone, technoid, ambient, Mark Spybey’s had a turn with it all, whether through the Dead Voices On Air project which has been his primary focus since the early 90s or his innumerable collaborative projects with a sizeable percentage of any list of experimental/industrial legends one might care to scribe. In short, he’s absolutely nothing left to prove at this point, yet he’s also been on an incredible run of major latter-era releases, going back at least to 2009’s Fast Falls The Eventide (keeping up with Spybey’s interstitial and archival releases on Bandcamp is now a part-time job akin to being a Pink Dots curator). New LP :jamiel:spybey: might be the product of a relatively recent collaboration, but that only goes to show the equanimity with the broader world of experimental music in which Spybey now seems to reside.

Spybey’s work with psych-rock act The Drood’s Nathan Jamiel goes back at least to a joint Psychic TV cover a couple of years back, and is expanded upon here with both sharing compositional and vocal duties. Were Jamiel’s name not on the proverbial tin, it would be easy enough to chalk up the quavering, feathered post-rock textures of “Drought Stones” or the country-stoned strumming of “Skin Horse” to Spybey’s muse carrying him towards slightly more traditional rock instrumentation than usual, but there’s clearly an easy harmony between the two.

The unapologetically contemplative, autumnal, and dare I say sacred mood Spybey’s music’s tilted towards in the second half of the DVOA catalog remains in place here, with a sense of sanguine reflection running through :jamiel:spybey:‘s arrangements and sounds. This isn’t to say that there’s a willful naivete or desire to use ambience as a numbing narcotic; The straightforward cover of Gira’s “Blind”, presented here relatively free of ornamentation or showy transposition, just shows how well-suited the Dead Voices On Air aesthetic already is to that wounded, beautiful, and utterly haunted song.

It’s tempting to link the combination of earthiness, beauty, lamentation, and, well, basic decency and empathy which has marked the last fifteen or so years of Spybey’s work to his day job as a therapist. After all, it takes someone with a broad, unblinking, and yet ultimately hopeful view of humanity to follow a Swans cover and a piece called “Down With The World” with a straight-faced and optimistic interpretation of “We Shall Overcome”, rendered here as a medieval-styled hymnal. Regardless of the path he’s taken to arrive at it, Spybey now holds over the vast plains of sound explored by Dead Voices On Air with a canny grace and wisdom.

Buy it.

:jamiel:spybey: by Dead Voices On Air

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Varg I Veum
self-titled
SwissDarkNights

Where the last half-decade or so has seen electronic darkwave dominated by a distinctly bouncy and dancefloor oriented sound, there is still a significant number of acts plumbing the style’s icier history, especially in Europe where the cross-pollination of cold wave and minimal synth is palpable. Varg I Veum fit nicely into the latter category, and from their homebase of Naples the duo consisting of Alessandra Policella and Michele Mozzillo (ex of Hapax) have put together a solid collection of tracks for their self-titled LP, balancing both DJ-friendly programming, regal vocals, and some excellent textural and thematic ornamentation from their esoteric and historic influences.

While the promo copy for the album is quick to cite medieval folk as a touchstone, you won’t find any period instrumentation or synthetic recreations thereof here. Moreso it’s in the lyrics which are inspired by, and in some cases drawn directly from, the Norse epics where Varg I Veum explore that aspect of their sound. Whether you can detect that in a passing listen to a snappy dancefloor-ready number like “The Dim Glass” with its plucky synth hook and glassy pads, or through the hard snare hits and quantized bass of the melodramatic “Wolfsbane” is arguable – it’s more present in the stoic, deep-voiced delivery favoured by both members when singing. Those moments like the cinematic “Hoarfrost” with its tinkling synths and and deep pulsing bass contrasted against marshal sounding timpani and brassy synth horns do bring a more teutonic energy to the fore, it’s a shading more than a tangible dimension a casual listener will latch onto.

Not that that’s a detriment at all; Varg I Veum know their way around a darkwave tune, and the application of gothic melancholia and vague menace to give it some dimensionality. “The Seafarer” is an excellent example thereof; its forward momentum is brought to bear via effective rhythm programming, while its ominous electronic textures create a mood of impending disaster, never capsizing entirely, but never feeling far from doing so. That the song leads directly into the very pretty closing number “Briars” whose post-punky drum patterns and slightly more gentle vocals are no coincidence; where the former is building you up for disaster, the latter takes that tension and slowly unwinds it with a subtle but easily grasped resignation, smaller but not less catastrophic in its own sad way.

As more trad European electronic darkwave goes, Varg I Veum’s debut is an excellent example of the genre done right. No excessive drama, nor any straying too deeply into atmospheres that overwhelm effective songcraft, it’s an album that shows a deep understanding of its stylistic mother tongue, and the ways in which it can be both physically and emotionally moving by turns.

Buy it.

Varg I Veum by Varg I Veum

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Okay so it’s halfway through January already, which seems nuts but also kind of comforting? Like, the passage of time is something we’re probably overly concerned with if only because having done this here website for 12+ years we’re now deeply conscious of the ebb and flow of Our Thing, and the unexpected ways in which some aspects of it change and some stay the same. Does this read like we’re stalling because we don’t have any pressing matters to document in this space? God we hope not. On to Tracks!

Dionysus

SPARK!, “66 ton krom”
SPARK! is back, SwEBM is good again! Awoooooo (wolf howl). Jokes aside, we enjoyed the material that SPARK! produced in the years between the release of their definitive statement on quirky pop/body music Hela Din Varld, but the return of that record’s vocalist and founding member Stefan Brorsson to the fold for a new record is giving us reasons to celebrate. Why you ask? Listen to how god damn weird and perfect “66 ton krom” is and then get back to us: instantly one of our most anticipated records of 2024.
66 ton krom by Spark!

Anja Huwe, “Rabenschwarz”
Accompanying a massive Xmal Deutschland reissue campaign from Sacred Bones, we’re being treated to the unexpected reemergence of Anja Huwe; frontwoman for that legendary band and possessor of one of the most powerful voices in the history of goth. Solo LP Codes will be out in early March, and for now we have “Rabenschwarz”, a combo of thrashy goth rock and skittering darkwave electronics, with Huwe’s voice perhaps not as unhinged and careening as it once was, but still with that unmistakable tone.
Codes by Anja Huwe

Dionysus, “Blue Swan”
Speaking of Xmal, it would not shock us at all to learn that some of their records might be in the collections of Aussie newcomers Dionysus, whose debut Theatre of Dionysus dishes out swooning goth atmospheres and straight-forward stormers like this which picks up right where 80s US deathrock left off. Galloping stuff which manages to find equanimity between frenzied rhythms and the sorts of harmonics tunes like this need to add a certain je ne sais quoi.
Theatre of Dionysus by Dionysus

Zanias, “Earthborn”
Alison Lewis comes out of the gates strong in 2024 with the announcement that she’ll be following up her tremendous (and best of 2023 per our Year End coverage) Chrysalis with a new LP entitled Ecdysis. Per her social media posts, this is material drawn from the same inspiration and time period as the last LP, but more abstract in nature, and in some ways a counterpoint to the very direct self-reflection of that record. New single “Earthborn” certainly has that vibe. Mark your calendars.
Ecdysis by Zanias

Dancing Plague, “Fading Forms”
Gotta admit that despite them being a PNW act, we’ve not spent a lot of time with Portland’s Dancing Plague. The announcement of new LP Elogium seems like a good opportunity to rectify that oversight; due in March from the good folks at AVANT!, the two tracks put up as teasers are very much up our alley. Deep male vocals, interesting string programming, and some dancefloor pulse if you wanna spin it out at the club, plenty for us to latch onto here.
Elogium by DANCING PLAGUE

The Golden Age Of Wrestling, “The Chauffeur”
Are you feeling wistful and reflective as we are, dear ID:UD reader, now that we’re a scant seven weeks away from the retirement of legendary pro wrestler Sting? Jeff Cancade, aka Devours, certainly seems to be as the forthcoming Scorpion Deathlock LP from his The Golden Age Of Wrestling side project is named after the Stinger’s signature submission manoeuvre. But you don’t need to have a horse in the Scorpion Deathlock/Sharpshooter debate to enjoy the shimmering ethereal ambience of a piece like “The Chaffeur” (no, not a Duran Duran cover).
Scorpion Deathlock by The Golden Age of Wrestling

The post Tracks: January 15th, 2023 appeared first on I Die: You Die.

Aesthetic Perfection – Gods & Gold
Bass Agents – Black Winter
Apotheosis – Oh Fortuna
Assemblage 23 – Disappoint
And One – Military Fashion Show
Covenant – We Stand Alone
Crystal Castles – Not in Love (ft Robert Smith)
David Bowie – I’m Afraid of Americans
Filter – Hey Man, Nice Shot
Deftones – Passenger
NIN – Ruiner
H.I.M – Wicked Game
Sisters of Mercy – Lucretia My Reflection
Depeche Mode – Personal Jesus
Type O Negative – Wolf Moon (ft Zoanthropic Paranoia)
Dioxyde – Geist
Skinny Puppy – Testure
In This Moment – Roots
VNV Nation – Retaliate
Solar Fake – The Pain that Kills You Too
Neuroticfish – Mechanic of the Sequence
Portishead – Machine Gun
The Cure – Burn
Depeche Mode – I Feel You

The post DJ Surreal – January 14, 2024 appeared first on Vancouver Descent.

Celldöd
Pandoras Ask
Electronic Emergencies
Having been diving headlong into the squelchy, acid-soaked outskirts of EBM for nearly two decades, first in the latter part of The Pain Machinery’s catalog, then with his solo Celldöd project, the thudding, tweaky pulse of opening number “På Alla Sätt” on Anders Karlsson’s new Pandoras Ask EP should come as no surprise. But despite that and the classic EBM swing of follow up track “Nytt Namn” which is a strong reminder of the longstanding legacy of EBM in Sweden to which Karlsson has been no small contributor, there’s a decidedly wounded and uneasy air about the whole affair. That shouldn’t be too much of a surprise; Celldöd was created in name and in practise as a direct comment on Karlsson’s struggle with cancer, after all. That air remains throughout Pandoras Ask‘s brief run-time, from the strained, clenched vocals on the Neue Deutsche Welle-tinged “Ge Upp” to the disquieting key of the bass programming in the closing title track, as if a spider were stretching its legs towards the furthest minor key it could reach with every note.
Pandoras Ask by Celldöd

Alen Skanner
Intruder
self-released
If you’ve become familiar with Alen Skanner’s work via compilation appearances remixes (like the barnburning version of Zanias’ “Simulation” from last year), the sound of Intruder should be instantly recognizable. The Spanish producer’s trademark sound lands squarely in the zone occupied equally by late stage new beat, the harder strains of NRG and good old fashioned EBM; “Narcotic Influence” and “Tekno Syndrome” are both equally good touchstones. It’s a sound that lives and dies by how hard the 16th note basslines rock and how cleanly the percussion lands, an understanding Skanner has clearly internalized and applied across the EP’s 4 tracks. It’s to use orch hits for a big hook as he does on “Armed Police”, but any question of their effectiveness is wiped away by the track’s descending progression and in-the-pocket rhythm programming. The title track makes further use of the vocoded vocal hooks that have become something of a trademark for Skanner, and while they grab the ear with their retro-charm, the song has a sneaky amount of funk thanks to some effective use of swing and the delay-based groove of its bassline. While the 90’s techno vibes are strong throughout, there’s something especially gratifying in hearing how well Skanner has absorbed that school of production’s lessons; check the syncopation of the twin leads on “Total Recall”, or the use of atonal progressions to give “Mechnical Nightmare” a menace that matches its warped metallic pad effects. An all killer release from a producer who has seized on something we were missing, whether we collectively were aware of it or not.
Intruder by Alen Skanner

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Absolute Body Control

An oft-overlooked record by a crucial artist about to make their big move, and a reunion record which is surprisingly of a piece with the artists’ earliest work, despite everything they did in the interim. This is a needlessly wordy way of saying that we’re talking about Leæther Strip’s Science For The Satanic Citizen and Absolute Body Control’s Shattered Illusion on this week’s podcast, as well as a handful of records on the immediate 2024 docket. As always, you can rate and subscribe on iTunes, Google Podcasts, download directly, or listen through the widget down below. 

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