Valisia Odell, “Shadow Of A Dream”

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Valisia Odell, "Shadow Of A Dream"

Valisia Odell
Shadow Of A Dream
Detriti Records

Shadow Of A Dream is labelled as Greek singer Valisia Odell’s debut, but by the end of its breezy half hour run-time you could be forgiven for mistaking her for a stylist who’s been working in darkwave for decades. That’s actually half true, as Shadow Of A Dream is effectively a rebooting of the duo Strawberry Pills, who released a handful of singles and one LP in a minimal wave vein a few years back. The name change isn’t just marketing though, as the focus on Odell’s vocals gives the record a dramatic and engrossing throughline.

Odell’s vocal range and performance style has precious in common with, say, Lene Lovich or Rozz Williams, to grab a pair of grand dames of goth out of a hat, but like those veterans’ releases Shadow Of A Dream places Odell’s commanding vocals and personality right at the center, both in composition and production. That place in the limelight is something Odell makes a meal of, practically looming over the listener with swooping trills on “My Sin” and commanding Greek invective on “Makria” with authority.

Beyond the vocals, the core tunes on Shadow Of A Dream strike a nice balance between modern dancefloor cool and a more classic sense of darkwave harmonics. Handled by Aristomenis Theodoropoulos, who in addition to Strawberry Pills has served time in half a dozen post-punk, goth, and folks acts, tunes like “R.I.N.” and “An Arabian Tale” make the most of their stripped down synth instrumentation with less-is-more flourishes and harmonics. The stabby synth funk of “Breaths” recalls the too-briefly-with-us Animal Bodies more than more contemporaneous comparisons to Boy Harsher or Dark Chisme which I can anticipate others making. Late album highlight “The Light Shines Through” builds a fantastic dancefloor slowburn by juxtaposing shimmering bells against a simple kick and Odell’s untreated vocals against processed ones.

We’ve long held that atmosphere, however you’d care to define it, is darkwave’s defining feature. Of course, the means of producing that atmosphere doesn’t have to be limited to constant gauzy synth pads, and the way Odell’s vocals haunt this record are proof positive of that. Alternately vengeful, malevolent, and chiding, she draws deep from the wells of classic gothic drama and theatricality to thrilling effect here. Recommended.

Buy it.

Valisia Odell – Shadow of a Dream by Detriti Records

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We Have A Technical 555: Jeeves & Wooster Meet Who?

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Cyanotic

We’re getting into the weeds of US industrial this week, discussing a record that captures a very specific early 90s moment, along with some formal experimentation in D.D.T.’s Discomedia, and one which consolidates the strength and range of cyberpunk stalwarts Cyanotic, The Trigger Effect. We’re also looking over the solid lineup and new location for this year’s Subtance Festival.  As always, you can rate and subscribe on iTunes, download directly, or listen through the widget down below.

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Nevada Hardware, “Split Scene”

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Nevada Hardware
Split Scene
Thinkbreak Records

Doug Jones’ Nevada Hardware has a small but mighty catalogue of work. The project’s debut LP No Future from 2018, and the occasional compilation track and remix (including the absolutely storming version of “Rhythm of the System” cooked up for Klack) have shown Jones’ excellent capacity for producing stomping, Big Beat influenced instrumental electronics, with a healthy dose of guitars and some touches of Mortal Kombat style techno. It’s been a long wait for new album, but nothing about Split Scene suggests that time was wasted: at seven tracks and 25 minutes, the record bangs harder and demands to be played louder than any other material Jones has released to date.
 
Nevada Hardware’s secret is in mashing together some proven dancefloor sounds with an ear towards heavy grooves that are both funky and headbang worthy. “The more things change, the more they stay the same” intones the sample that starts the record, and “World Code 666” bears that out with its breaks-driven rhythm, army of sampled and processed guitars and vocal snippets with a build to a big cinematic climax – these are all well-established sounds, but there are few acts are this adept at invoking peak-era Crystal Method, Freestylers and your choice of PS1 era racing game aesthetics into such a potent form. Jones can modulate that for variety as required, melding it with gnarly high-speed techno on “In the Dark” or balls-out synth-driven crossover thrash on “Letters of Sympathy” without ever repeating himself, a feat of smart execution in and of itself. 

For all that clamour, there’s also some pleasing subtle touches that tie individual songs together. “The Suburbs Dream of Violence” is rapid-fire vocal clips and rolling drums on its surface, but the menacing chord progression that sits behind its chorus, and the fuzzed out breakdown are what makes it into a proper song. Similarly, the mid-tempo bounce of “Overload” channels disco’s rhythm guitar and drum interplay, melting it down and moulding it into a cyberpunk dance jam that will play to rivetheads and synthwavers alike. The laidback soul that makes its way into “Fluoride Stare”, and the touches of EBM programming and choral voices that inform the title track are easy to miss in the sturm and drang of it all, but they’re crucial to making the record more than just a collection of bangers. 

Don’t get it wrong though, Split Scene has more than its share of absolute barn-burners, each one distinct enough from the rest to stand on its own. An informal survey of other DJs and reviewers who had the record as a promo before the street date revealed that everyone had selected a different song as their personal favourite, a testament to its overall quality and its depth. Certainly one of the most kinetic records of the first third of the year, and by virtue of its giant-size hooks and stompin’ beats, one of its most fun. Recommended. 

Buy it.

Split Scene by Nevada Hardware

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Tracks: April 22nd, 2025

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An Easter weekend which featured a papal death, a John Cena title win, and 4:20 is certainly one for the books. We’re hoping you’re navigating the day to day surreal nightmare that is 2025 as best as can be hoped, dear reader. We’re trying to stay grounded by looking forward not just to the festivals we’ve been discussing on the podcast, but a few high profile upcoming releases by the likes of Bootblacks, General Dynamics, and Lead Into Gold, all of which we’ll be discussing right here, alongside Tracks posts like this one.

Skren

Skren

Youth Code, “In Search of Tomorrow”
We’re thankful as fuck that Youth Code are back after a few years absence, and with the release of the second teaser for the forthcoming Yours With Malice, we’re equally thankful that the LA duo are doing something we’ve never heard them do before. There have been YC songs we found personally inspirational, invigorating, and even hopeful, but rarely has the band leaned in on that sound in a melodic fashion as on “In Search of Tomorrow”. And they pull it off without sacrificing the scathing anger and energy that has always been what set them apart from the rest. Hit play below, and see what we’re talking about.

Skren, “Fragment”Do you, dear reader, ever feel nostalgic for X-Fusion, Xotox, [X]-Rx, and a whole mess of other German acts beginning with X from a couple of decades back? Düsseldorf’s Skren certainly do from the sound of their new EP Fragment, and whether you call it aggro, cyber, or Pro Noize you know it when you hear it, and boy howdy do you ever hear it on the title cut. Timed and executed just right, a joint like this is almost strong enough to make one forget how much of a stranglehold stuff of this ilk used to have on clubs.
FRAGMENT by SKREN

Spire Circle, “Burning Alive”
The late 90s moment when a whole wave of goth rock bands began to drift from their pure trad roots and began embracing a range of electronics from the broader worlds of darkwave and industrial is a very, very specific time, but it’s one Manchester’s Spire Circle have honed in on quite nicely with their new single. Balancing a thudding goth nod with just enough shiny synth flash, there’s a great machine-rocking drive here…which might even have a whiff of the likes of Gravity Kills around the corners?
Burning Alive by Spire Circle

Ships in the Night, “Blood Harmony”
We admit to not having checked out recent Metropolis records signee Ships in the Night ’til now, and feel bad for not having done so. The low-key, but still engaging energy of the recent singles from Alethea Leventhal’s solo project hit a really nice sweet spot between classic and modern darkwave, with enough pop sensibility to appeal to witchy goths and casual dark synth fans alike. “Blood Harmony” is especially quite nice, on a 90’s soundtrack kinda tip.
Blood Harmony by Ships In The Night

INVA//ID, “Slug (Wetworks Mix)”
INVA//ID started the new year off with an everything and the kitchen sink industrial rock release, The Agony Index. As we noted upon its release, it was the sort of record which felt crammed to the gills with ideas and sketches, some of which simply didn’t have time to stretch out, so a couple of mixes (plus instrumentals) which stretch “Slug” out from its minute and a half LP incarnation makes a lot of sense. The pensive EBM crawl of this one is a reminder of the menace INVA//ID can hold even when not piling on the guitars.
.Slug. by INVA//ID

MMK, “Ilsandra in Ruin”
A tip of the IDUD ballcap to modebionics, who tipped us off to the video for “Ilsandra in Ruins”, from MMK’s EP of the same name that came out in the fall of last year. We generally don’t go this far back for a Tracks post, but we think you’re likely to enjoy this one; it sits right in the early dark electro pocket, where bands were taking influence from the Vancouver sound, but melding it with continental EBM amongst others. Just a great slowburn of a track, with an excellent video to boot! 

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We Have A Technical 554: A Wizard Did It

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DHI - Death Horror Inc

Death And Horror Inc. live in Toronto circa 1995.

How does community lead to the discovery of new music? How do changes in the circles we run in or means through which we communicate lead to changes in our musical diets? How do modern algorithms interrupt or aid those musical flows? These are questions probably best left to serious sociological researchers, but instead you’ve got us two chuckleheads talking about the subject on this week’s podcast. As always, you can rate and subscribe on iTunes, download directly, or listen through the widget down below.

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The Birthday Massacre, “Pathways”

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The Birthday Massacre
Pathways
Metropolis Records

Since their debut in 2002 Canadian rock act The Birthday Massacre have stuck to the promise of their earliest recordings, maintaining their dreamy, popsmart sound across a catalogue that is now some ten albums deep. While the band, still centered around founding trio of Chibi Taylor, Michael Falcore and Michael Rainbow has modulated their sound in various ways over time, they’ve never abandoned their defining aesthetics of dark fantasy.

The question at the heart of The Birthday Massacre’s new LP Pathways is whether a band that has existed for more than a quarter of a century can still conjure the same sense of youthful wonderment and reverie. One the one hand, they sound as slick and neon-glossy as ever, pulling off radio-ready pop-rock cuts like “Wish” characteristic poise. Vintage TBM, its big chorus built up from the hook introduced in the opening moments, and is adorned with tasteful synths and Chibi’s always charismatic vocal presence. That number along with a few other cuts (the charging title track, and the melancholic closer “Cruel Love”) are the kind of easy, fun, and above all catchy songs that band has never lost a knack for.

On the other hand, there’s a sense that the band are casting around for something different to do with themselves, with some puzzling results. “Sleep Tonight” brings back the downtuned riffing of the mid-period records, but it mostly ends up weighing the song’s melody down, its hook lost in a sea of guitar. Elsewhere on “Whisper” Chibi uses a growling delivery in contrast with her normal clarion vocal style, a choice that isn’t out of step with the plodding alt rock of the song, but doesn’t really gel with TBM’s characteristic sparkle and shine. The band have always had one foot in heavier sounds, but most of the record’s harder tracks feel like they would have worked better without the chug.

Pathways is roughly on par with The Birthday Massacre’s contemporary records, and has a few gems that speak to the songwriting and presentation that have always been their strengths. For a band of their vintage to still be able to do that effectively is certainly nothing to scoff at, and longtime fans will no doubt find some new favorites for their playlists and live singalongs.

Buy it.

Pathways by The Birthday Massacre

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Solo Ansamblis, “Scenos”

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Solo Ansamblis - Scenos

Solo Ansamblis
Scenos
Artoffact Records

The broader world of post-punk has undergone massive changes over the past ten years, both in terms of reach and sub-styles. After a lengthy run of North American bands cleaving perhaps too closely to Joy Division and similarly weighty elder gods, the surprising crossover success of Molchat Doma has led to a somewhat lighter but similarly monochromatic wave of acts from former Soviet states holding sway, drawing younger listeners to the style but often delivering a fairly conservative read on it. While Solo Ansamblis do indeed hail from Baltic territory and at times trade in of-the-moment chilly and languid sounds, their willingness to run riot through electronic, funk, and krautrock inspired sounds on new LP Scenos is a welcome reminder of just how colourful post-punk can be.

This is far from the Lithuanian act’s first rodeo. Indeed, our first point of contact with them, 2020’s “Baloje” was an indicator of their interest in robotic funk and their willingness to buck contemporary trends five years into their career. Now ten years in, that free-roaming approach still holds on Scenos, with the morose and minimal opening title track giving way to the more squared off and intrepid stomp of “Oda”. But it’s when the chorus pedal on the guitar of “Švelnūs jausmai” adds a sheen of lithe funk to its motorik beat that the record’s combination of freewheeling surrealism and solid grasp of Neue Deutsche Welle throwback sounds really kicks in.

That ability to pick up on the subtler sides of classic post-punk is something which keeps adding depth and dimension as Scenos unfolds. The funky synth lope that pokes and threads its way through “Meilės Mašina” has far more in common with left-field synth classics like Grauzone’s “Eisbar” than just about anything happening in the field today. On the flip side of that, the detuned and grimy acid synth scribbling of “Tendencija” finds Solo Ansamblis taking a page from much more recent electronics to bring their already solid rhythms to modern nightclubs, albeit with a stutter-step.

By the time the Neu!-indebted “Nuobodu” and its reprise close out the album with a rave-up which feels like Snowy Red going motorik, the sense that Scenos leaves the listener with is one of variety and, well, fun. That last notion is one which might not come to mind very often with post-punk these days, but Solo Ansamblis’ ability to send their rhythmic talents casting out towards so many touchstones from the past and present can’t help but feel like a welcome and infectious change of pace in the current post-punk landscape.

Buy it.

Scenos by Solo Ansamblis

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