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Cyberaktif, “eNdgame”
Cyberaktif
eNdgame
Artoffact Records
The parallels between Cyberaktif’s sole pre-existing LP Tenebrae Vision from 1991 and the industrial supergroup’s 2024 reunion eNdgame are pretty easy to draw. Like its predecessor, the new LP finds Cevin Key and Bill Leeb reuniting creatively for the first time in years (Leeb having been an early member of Skinny Puppy with Key before the foundation of Front Line Assembly), and like that record it reflects the contemporary musical modes of its creators.
If it’s been a few years since you revisited Tenebrae Vision, it’s an album that feels alternately like the FLA material of the time, and the music that Key and musical partner in Puppy and beyond Dwayne Goettel were exploring in their trippy instrumental industrial project Doubting Thomas. And you get the same vibe from eNdgame: there’s a strong sense of the melodic, highly produced sound Leeb and his long-running collaborator Rhys Fulber have been working in their recent FLA albums, and a healthy dose of the psychedelic, textural dub that has informed Key’s production and compositions in recent years.
It’s a combination of musical ideas that is complimentary, and while very few songs on the record stick out in terms of hooks or composition, it is a pleasurable listen. A cut like “Bitter End” takes the laidback and smoked out sound of Key’s bouncier modern programming and welds it to the sleek cybernetic sound design that has been informing the last decade or so of Front Line’s work, resulting in a pleasing organic groove. Opener “A Single Trace” swings in a different direction, riding the sort of solid bassline and drum programming that have been a hallmark of Leeb and Fulber’s catalogue, the atonal blips of its synth lead and vocodered chorus accented by some subtle bits of stereo sound design which feel very Key-like in their application. It’s all very nicely put together and the songs feel like they have a deliberate construction without succumbing to the sometimes jammy nature of Key’s muse or the formulaic approach that has plagued some of the more recent Front Line albums. On the topic of Leeb’s vocals and lyrics – well, they’re fairly on brand, with Bill tossing off non-sequitur couplets like “Poison Gas/Midnight Mass” and “Path of Doom/Poisonous Moon” in his signature processed growl. That’s basically a feature and not a bug at this point; a line like “Clowns are dancing everywhere/Throwing knives like they just don’t care” is more charming than eye-rolling if you’re a devotee.
There are two standout moments in terms of songs, ones that suggest a bit of a different direction the record might have taken. “The Freight” takes the sort of cinematic vibe that Front Line’s video game soundtracks Airmech and Warmech and molds them into a slow rolling ballad that blossoms with some synthwave flourish, distinct for its gradual build and musical payoff. It feels like something neither Leeb and Fulber nor Key might have done on their own, which is what makes the other truly notable track “Broken Through Time” even more interesting for its reach back to the sound of the project’s immortal club classic “Nothing Stays”. The emotional melody carried via the sort of hard PCM drums and the soft-edged synthlines that informed the golden era of both FLA and Skinny Puppy respectively, its reverie more potent simply because the artists so rarely mine that kind of nostalgia in their own contemporary work.
As it stands, eNdgame is neither a throwback to the early nineties, nor a bold new exploration of the potential of the pairing of musicians that made it. Rarely more than pleasant, but never less either, it speaks to the musical evolution of its creators and the ways in which their artistic trajectories both align and deviate after all these years.
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Filmmaker, “Hollywood Cult”
Filmmaker
Hollywood Cult
VEYL
Look, at this point beginning a discussion of the latest Filmmaker record with a comment about how prolific Fauntes Efe’s primary project is has become a cliche, one we’d fall victim to with more frequency if we were able to cover more than a fraction of that work. Hell, production delays have resulted in one pressing of the last Filmmaker record we wrote up only being shipped now, and in the interim at least two full lengths, six EPs, and a couple of compilations have been released, not including new LP Hollywood Cult.
Still ostensibly rooted within Efe’s home turf of throwback techno and EBM, Hollywood Cult is proof positive of just how much grey area there is between the theoretically distinct worlds of techno bosy music and “mutant” EBM. Specific sounds can be picked out belonging to either camp, but the lo-fi delivery and chaotic if not downright arbitrary arrangement and construction of the tracks ends up taking precedence. Like Bryn Jones or Richard D James, one gets the sense that Efe locks onto a groove or intersection of programming which strikes his fancy, rides it for all its worth, and then moves on.
“Shocking Therapy” finely grates acid squelches into such tiny fragments and jams them into such tight spaces between thudding techno kicks that the listener experiences a sensation closer to panicky itching than the expected builds and falls of classic acid. In fact, that sense that the tracks exist to communicate a certain low-fi, smoggy texture rather than a particular genre or rhythmic register, is the overarching sense communicated by Hollywood Cult. The queasy undertow suggested by the echoing synth flutters beneath the surface patina of percussion on “Peacekeeper Ritual” and the red-lined drum loops and heavily-flanged synth sprains of “Criminal Rite” cinch that impression.
As I alluded to off the top, keeping up with Filmmaker’s releases is no small task, and even dedicated listeners may find it difficult to ferret out substantive distinctions from one release to the next. While that can make exercises like this write-up a bit challenging, it also means that just about anything can serve as an entry-point to the catalog. The counterpoint of of holo-tinted, heavily-phased programming and lo-fi kicks and snares (which could either connote 90s EBM or breakbeats, depending on your personal history) on opener “Secrecy” is as good an introduction to Efe’s aesthetic as one is likely to get at this point. Wide-screen ambition, grainy Super-8 charm; that’s Filmmaker.
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Tracks: February 5th, 2024
We both had a fun time this weekend playing sets at Coffin Club, part of the broader Restricted Entertainment crew we’ve been rolling with for twenty-plus years now. Would you even believe that happenstance pitted the Senior Staff against one another, with Bruce playing the goth room at the same time Alex was spinning in the industrial room? Kismet. Anyway, as we often talk about on the podcast, having the impetus of writing for ID:UD has immeasurably helped our DJ games, making sure that we’re never falling back too heavily on nostalgia and that we’re constantly field testing brand new tracks for Vancouver floors. Speaking of new tracks…
Houses of Heaven in the house
Soft Crash feat. Ready in LED, “Free Yourself”
What do you get when techno industrial maven Phase Fatale and italo-body king Pablo Bozzi team up? Pure 90’s NRG it turns out. We certainly were getting big nineties vibes from the duo’s preceding release Your Last Everything, but new release (appropriately titled) NRG is basically exactly what it says on the tin; balearic beats, gated pads, and soulful female vocals abound. The connection to Our Thing is getting pretty strained here(although the Alen Skanner remix of “Your Last Everything” on the EP will probs work on your dark disco dancefloor), but we’re not gonna lie, this still hits with us.
NRG by Soft Crash ft. Ready In LED
Rosegarden Funeral Party, “Doorway Ghost”
Between various reviews and podcasts we’ve been discussing the ways in which new crops of bands are linking classic goth tropes with more broadly accessible styles, and few bands remain as skilled yet also unpredictable at that as Rosegarden Funeral Party. The flashy, speedy glam of new cut “Doorway Ghost” has more in common with The Associates than The Virgin Prunes, and the deployment of sax here feels more in keeping with the long-lost “new pop” movement of the early 80s than saxgoth as we commonly understand it.
Doorway Ghost by Rosegarden Funeral Party
Ultra Sunn, “Shake Your Demons”
Poised for a big 2024, Belgium’s Ultra Sunn will have plenty of folks tuning into US, technically their first LP, when it drops in a couple of months. We’ve enjoyed the slinky grooves we’ve come to expect from the band on the first couple of pre-release singles, but the harder and stricter EBM foundation of “Shake Your Demons” doesn’t just show that US might find the duo casting a bit further afield, but also serves as a great counterpoint to the unexpected big beat/breaks sounds which close this one out.
US by ULTRA SUNN
Black Asteroid feat. Actors, “Ashes and Dust”
Sounds like Bryan Black is bringing his venerable Black Asteroid project to Artoffact Records, with a new LP Infinite Darkness due in May. The electro project has made a habit of working with artists we enjoy, from Zola Jesus to Wes Eisold, and the track listing for the new record suggests that’s a trend that will continue, with collabs and contributions from the likes of Front Line Assembly, LOUISAHHH, Speedy J(!!), Ian Astbury (?!), and our very own ACTORS, who bring some of their trademark polished darkwave sheen to single “Ashes and Dust”. Very keen to hear what this record is gonna sound like.
Infinite Darkness by Black Asteroid
Houses of Heaven, “Within/Without”
We got a tiny taste of the new Houses of Heaven a few months back when producer Matia Simovich played some cuts at a DJ set a few months back, and have been waiting for the record announcement since. Unsure how Within/Without will follow from the tense, dubby sound of the California project’s debut Silent Places, but if the title track is an indicator, we’re gonna get lots of percussion, rich synthwork and some of the same slick melodies that caught out ears a few years back. Keep tabs on this one, we have it earmarked for special attention when it hits.
Within/Without by Houses of Heaven
Trauma Phase, “Challange”
Bozzi & co. aren’t the only ones drawing upon brighter retro Euro sounds. Having woven a fair amount of speedy trance and futurepop sounds into their approach to TBM over the past couple of EPs, Poland’s Trauma Phase continue to expand, drawing on some 80s space disco and maybe just a little bit of 90s Eurodance in order to add colour and drama to this stabby number. They were perhaps hampered by their club-friendly debut being released just when the pandemic was breaking out, but as we’ve said before, Trauma Phase remains one of the most overlooked acts consistently putting out great club numbers.
IV by Trauma Phase
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Twin Tribes, “Pendulum”
Twin Tribes
Pendulum
Beso De Muerte Records
It’s hard to believe that Twin Tribes’ previous LP of originals Ceremony came out in 2019, if only because the Texas-based duo of Luis Navarro and Joel Niño Jr. have stayed so close at hand during the intervening years thanks to their aggressive touring schedule. One might expect that given what road warriors they’ve proven themselves to be, and the deep dig into formative goth influences that their work has displayed, that new album Pendulum would favor the rock side of the melodic darkwave movement. Somewhat contrarily, it’s a record that delves further into their synth-based work in a fashion that both eschews the current (and some might argue derivative) electro-darkwave sound, and maintains their focus on snappy songwriting.
The latter factor is especially important to Pendulum‘s success; Navarro and Niño Jr. have never been far from a solid hook or a catchy riff, but one of the LP’s particular strengths is the way that those elements are delivered effectively without forgoing the atmospherics that are so central to Twin Tribes’ sound. That means that early cuts like “Another Life” and single “Monolith” come out of the gate hard, establishing their mood with synth bass, pads and leads, their icy tension filled out quickly by guitar filigree and tastefully melodramatic vocals. The clip at which the material moves and the pace it maintains without becoming monotonous is impressive; while there’s not a lot of variation in the drum programming and tempos, Twin Tribes use instrumental variation to keep things distinct – see the strummy rhythm guitar on “Sangre de Oro”, or the washy reverbs and overlapping vocals that fill out the excellent “Eternal”.
That rhythmic consistency matches the bounce and punch of the heavy use of synths (which, again, sit far more in line with the earliest forms of new wave and darkwave than modern dark dancefloors) which distinguish Pendulum from Ceremony. If that record doubled down on the pure goth rock genome in their debut tape Shadows, Pendulum swings (no pun intended) in the opposite direction, expanding on Shadows‘ interest in crystalline synth chimes. This shift in instrumentation is admittedly subtle, and doesn’t ever break from the expectations set by Pendulum‘s predecessors. Note how “Temperance” is almost entirely comprised of synths and programming, save for exactly the sort of spiralling guitar lead we’ve come to expect from the duo, yet feels entirely sympatico with the thudding rock of “Sanctuary”.
With those synths keeping things bright and uptempo (well, at least by Twin Tribes’ standards: this is still goth and darkwave we’re talking about), Pendulum maintains the band’s rep as one of the most immediate and enjoyable acts in their field. Three albums in, Navarro and Niño have their aesthetic on lock, and their broad fanbase will be overjoyed to have a new iteration of it after a hiatus from recording. Recommended.
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We Have A Technical 493: Ford Topos
Lustmord thieving the fire of the gods at Maschinenfest.
Cosmic, stygian, abyssal, impassive, call dark ambient what you will, just don’t call it late for dinner. On this week’s episode we’re discussing how this unique and often deliberately occluded genre emerged out of industrial and has taken on a life of its own. As always, you can rate and subscribe on iTunes, Google Podcasts, download directly, or listen through the widget down below.
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Gallows’ Eve, “13 Thorns”
Gallows’ Eve
13 Thorns
self-released
Even within the relatively narrowly defined world of trad goth rock, there are still subdivisions to be found. The question of whether one swears fealty to the nimble Leeds sound of Sisters, Mish, and March Violets, or to the bellicose sturm und drang of Fields Of The Nephilim can end up splitting hairs to a degree Emo Philips would be proud of. Personally I’m on record as never really getting on board with the Nephilim or their disciples (mostly German, looking in your direction Dronning Maud Land),.but the hooks, polish, and range of influences including the Nephilim brought to bear by Sweden’s Gallows’ Eve on their debut LP has more than overcome those prejudices.
It’s tough to overstate just how direct Gallows’ Eve are in their approach to goth rock. There’s no beating around the bush with darkwave ambiance or post-punk austerity; you’re getting smoke-machine riffs, doubled-up drum machine fills and Djarum-stained bellows from the outset. Thankfully, unlike so many continental acts who take the Nephs’ brooding compositional style to heart, Gallows’ Eve are arriving with plenty of immediate riffs and instantly memorable anthems. That songcraft could be a product of band members’ previous tenures in various metal acts (though the chug of “Just Like Us” owes more to Vision Thing than King Diamond or, god forbid, gothic metal), but regardless of origin, they’re working an impeccable set of sub-styles and markers into those tracks, from the crooning harmonics of Ikon (“Oneirocide”) to the sort of thunderous rhythmic propulsion so many second wave bands attempted but often fell short of (“The Rivers Will”).
The Malmö trio have had a string of singles and EPs over the past couple of years, with 13 Thorns being made up of rerecorded and remastered versions of their extant catalog, plus a handful of new tracks. That slightly prolonged gestation means that by the time tracks like “Born To Die” or “Reign Of Ash” appear here, the band doesn’t just sound tightly dialed in, but has had time to make minor adjustments in instrumentation and focus, allowing elements like the haunted ballroom piano which waltzes through the latter track to have a full and lush body, serving as a nice counterpoint to the speedy riffs. That attention to detail isn’t a substitute for core songwriting, but works to justify 13 Thorns‘ near hour long run-time; sure, three or four tracks in you have a solid sense of the ethos the band’s going to hold to for the rest of the record, but there’s just enough subtleties in the production and ornamentation to keep things from ever getting too repetitive.
I’m not sure that I’ve encountered a debut LP by a trad goth band that felt as bracing, well-assembled, and memorable as 13 Thorns since 2010, which saw the full-length arrivals of both Pretentious, Moi? and Solemn Novena. Make no mistake, this isn’t a record for casuals or the uninitiated; if you can’t handle non-stop pentatonic fretwork or lyrics about drowned loves and blood spilt upon graves there is absolutely nothing for you here. But if, like me, those things are catnip to you (and I’m guessing they might be if you’ve read this far), I’m already confident in saying on the last day of January that no other band will give you them in spades this year the way Gallows’ Eve will. Recommended.
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Weever, “Mémoires de Guerre”
Weever
Mémoires de Guerre
Khoinix
Rennes, France-based producer Weever has about as conceptual a remit for his music as any we’ve encountered in the modern techno industrial landscape. Latest LP Mémoires de Guerre specifically references 13th century warfare as an inspiration, as portentous a backdrop as any for a genre release that draws from dark ambient, neo-folk and rhythmic noise as part of its sonic makeup. Less concept than context, the project’s medieval framework goes beyond invoking the cost of conflicts (presumably the Hundred Years war given the time frame) as a marker of brutality, and dips into the use of some period instrumentation to fill out its compositions.
This sort of thing is hardly new in the broader scope of Our Thing, with records by projects like Will and countless sketchy martial industrial releases treading comparable ground. Where Weever makes a good job of distinguishing itself on this release is in how it positions itself within the current instrumental industrial-techno sound. The title track has a clanging snare sound that given the low, whirring synths and sickly horn fanfare of the song can read as the clash of swords or hammer striking anvil, but also wouldn’t sound out of place on a more raved-up noisy cyber cut. “L’Escalade de la Violence”‘s mid-track breakdown uses drawn-out synth strings and bits of organic drums as textural devices, colouration that gives the track’s stormcloud grim synth pads the air of the calm before a battle.
If you have your doubts about whether any of this fits with the DJ-oriented end of the sound, the host of remixes that fill out side B of the EP draw some connections that might not otherwise be obvious. Oliver’s remix of “Eclat De Noirceur” adds some rhythmic gating, chirpy synths and a slightly more syncopated rhythm to the song, ever so subtly suggesting the current classic trance revival. CVSUMED goes one better and dips into the sort of rhythmic workout mixed with folk instrumentation that has become the bread and butter of The Devil & the Universe, letting the kick drum eat up a significant amount of musical real estate with ghostly choirs and snatches of hurdy gurdy and strings that occasionally rise above the fray.
Inasmuch as we’ve seen a boom and bust in the number of producers trying their hand at the various strains of techno that border Our Thing, the juxtaposition of electronic music and the medieval that fuels Mémoires de Guerre is a motif that continues to appear across the history of industrial as a genre. With that understanding, Weever’s exploration of that niche within a niche yields some notable and interesting examples of the formula and its potential for the grandiose and the ominous.
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Tracks: January 29th, 2024
Hey friends, January is basically over and we’re already in the thick of new 2024 releases. Its weird how some years sneak up on you in terms of bands you like putting out new stuff, by our count there’s about a half a dozen LPs pending (that we know of) by bands we’ve followed religiously on this site over the next 11 months, and probably a whole lot more that we haven’t caught wind of yet. Do you have something you’re particularly keen on coming down the Our Thing pipeline? Let us know in the comments!
Blacklist are back(list)
Urban Heat, “Sanitizer”
We’re bullish on Urban Heat for 2024, and new single for Artoffact should give you an idea why; “Sanitizer” highlights the Texas trio’s combination of club-ready darkwave instrumentation, front man Jonathan Horstmann’s tremendous vocal charisma and the band’s knack for easy to hum hooks. In short, even before you get to their live show (which we are very excited to take in again in the not too distant future) the band have all the ingredients to break out as a crossover act. You’ll be hearing this on playlists and in clubs pretty soon if not already.
Sanitizer by Urban Heat
Autumns, “Your Stream Numbers Don’t Mean Much”
Looks like we have another slab of killer hardware-driven body music to look forward to from Irish producer Autumns this coming weekend. Fluttering pings and electro-styled glitches don’t do anything to soften the absolutely locked in groove on this number. If you haven’t gotten on board with the likes of releases like I Didn’t Mean To Send It Twice and Still In The Thick Of It, there’s no time like the present to catch up with one of the best in the game today.
Take The Bait by Autumns
Chrome Corps, “Body Attestation”
Been a while since we’ve had a new track from Chrome Corps, but it’s very cool to see them return with a cut on Curses’ addendum to his excellent Next Wave Acid Punx DEUX compilation. “Body Attestation” has all the things we dig about the Seattle based project’s take on classic EBM; big fam basslines, some excellent funky rhythm programming, and distinctive punkish vocals that put a bit of a sneer on the package. Great cut, hopefully more will soon follow.
Next Wave Acid Punx DEUX – Secret Cuts by Chrome Corps
Bestial Mouths, “Slitskin (Orphx Remix)”
An act like Bestial Mouths is perfectly suited for a full-length remix release – Lynette Cerezo’s voice and the haunted demeanour which permeates everything about Bestial Mouths can’t be lost even in the most extreme reworkings. Witness Orphx taking their dense, powernoise-inflected style to “Slitskin” on the forthcoming Backbone comp (also featuring mixes by Curses, Lana Del Rabies, IV Horsemen, and a slew of other major names). Cerezo’s anxious fretting over the abject nature of embodiment weaves through the concrete jungle perfectly.
BACKBONE by Bestial Mouths
Blacklist, “The Witching Hour”
Some very snappy goth rock courtesy of the ever impressive aufnahme + wiedergabe. We have to admit we weren’t following Blacklist during their original run back in the early 2010s, and missed out on their Profound Lore released 2022 LP, but we did and do follow singer and guitarist Joshua Strahan’s work both solo and as a part of Azar Swan. And given how toe-tapping and fun this cut is, we’re probably gonna have to go back and rectify our oversight – we’re never gonna turn down new examples of a classically styled goth rock that actually nail the production and songwriting thereof.
The Witching Hour by Blacklist
Uncanny Valley, “Puppet (Wants Remix)”
The deathrock/synthpop nexus isn’t just limited to the likes of Riki or Nuovo Testamento. Attend to the distinctly Canadian synthpop flavour (it’s undefinable but once you learn to recognize it you’ll never miss it) brought by Wants to a tune from fellow Albertans’ Uncanny Valley’s Fevering Stare. Packed with citric brightness and bounce, it’s over far too soon.
Uncanny Valley – Puppet (Wants Remix) by Uncanny Valley
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DJ MissBDeath – January 28, 2024
Rotersand – 16 Devils
The Soft Moon – Become The Lies
Kontravoid – For What It Is
Solar Fake – Papillon
666 – D.E.V.I.L (Break The Spell Mix)
Zaatar زْعَتر – Ehla Sinin
Front Line Assembly – Millenium
Nine Inch Nails – Happiness In Slavery
Cyberaktif – You Don’t Need To See
Wingtips – Cross The Line
Paralysed Age – Nocturne
Health – Unloved
Electric Callboy – Tekkno Train
Revolting Cocks – 38
Rosegarden Funeral Party – Painless
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DJ Surreal – January 28, 2024
Depeche Mode – A Pain that I’m Used To
Dioxyde – Geist
Brvmes – Haute
Gary Numan – I am Dust
Aesthetic Perfection – Never Enough
Combichrist – What the Fuck is Wrong With You?
Covenant – I Am
Black Nail Cabaret – Spheres
iVardensphere – Sentient Wave Form
Ladytron – Seventeen
Goldfrapp – Strict Machine
Snake River Conspiracy – Lovesong
She Wants Revenge – Tear You Apart
Repo! The Genetic Opera – Zydrate Anatomy
Rammstein – Stripped
Puscifer – The Undertaker
In This Moment – Roots
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We Have A Commentary: Chris And Cosey, “Heartbeat”
Coming hot on the heels of the dissolution of Throbbing Gristle, Chris And Cosey’s debut LP Heartbeat doesn’t just function as a bridge between their work as experimental enfants terrible and the dreamier, trance-like synthesis their work as a duo would explore, but also between major eras in experimental music. In this month’s commentary podcast we’re examining how the record links the origins of industrial noise to the emerging eras of synthpop and post-industrial music. As always, you can rate and subscribe on iTunes, Google Podcasts, download directly, or listen through the widget down below.
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Observer: Dionysus & Harsh R
Dionysus
Theatre Of Dionysus
Urge Records
By Discogs and Spotify’s reckonings, there are somewhere between sixteen and nineteen acts with the name Dionysus, so it might be best to look for the new Aussie post-punk band bearing that moniker by searching for the more distinct name of their EP. Nomenclature aside, the quintet sound tight and aggressive on much of Theatre of Dionysus, with tunes like “Blue Swan” and “Silhouette” adoring thrashing hardcore with just a touch of gothic repose and a vocal style sitting somewhere between The Shop Assistants and Xmal Deutschland. The dreamier side of things comes across well, too, with the opening and closing tracks conjuring wintry plains to mind more than Bachhich debauchery. Between the band’s dialled in approach to the darker side of post-punk and their core hooks and rhythms, they’re worth keeping a tab on.
Theatre of Dionysus by Dionysus
Harsh R
I WON’T WAIT
self-released
The arc of Avi Roig’s Harsh R material has taken him from the project’s early, extremely caustic electronics that bordered on power electronics to a kind of doomy, rueful version of synthpop. It’s one of those gradual changes that you you don’t see coming simply because it happened in gradual, but entirely deliberate fashion; the material on new EP I WON’T WAIT is even more melodic in its fashion than the doomy compositions of last year’s excellent LP SEEK COMFORT. Mind you that’s not to say there’s anything bright or *gasp* uplifting to be found here, moreso that the kinds of emotions that have always fuelled Roig’s compositions – uncertainty, anxiety, general disquiet – are now being expressed in softer if no less impactful fashion. Listen to the low-key bubbling bass, and the smooth edged-synths that float over them on “CAN YOU”, or the simple atonal sequence that pushes “BURY ME” along: minus Roig’s trademark howled vocals on the former, these songs capture the same feeling of the all out assaults that precede them in the catalogue, but with the bludgeon replaced by a very sharp knife, no less damaging in its way. It’s a remarkable roadmap in a project that we’ve followed since its inception, and whose constant evolutions in miserabilism have never failed to reward even as they afflict.
I WON'T WAIT by HARSH R
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We Have A Technical 492: Moose-N-Effect
Milan’s too sexy for his hat. Laibach live in 2019. Photo by Valter Leben
We’re looking back at specific live performances which left an impression on us in this episode of the podcast. Whether it’s the humanization of icons, extremities of sound or circumstance, or performances which changed the way we think about a particular style or music in general, it’s a very rhapsodic (but hopefully not too nostalgic) Pick Five episode this week. We’re also talking a bit about the tragic passings which hit Los Angeles and the broader dark music world last week. As always, you can rate and subscribe on iTunes, Google Podcasts, download directly, or listen through the widget down below.
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yelworC, “The Ghosts I Called”
yelworC
The Ghosts I Called
Metropolis Records
The idea of a new yelworC record in 2024 came as something of a surprise for fans of the formative early 90s dark electro project; while sole member Peter Schiffmann had emerged briefly in the mid-2000s with two LPs (2004’s Trinity and 2007’s Icolation), there have been no additions to the band’s catalogue since. It’s probably not surprising then that The Ghosts I Called is comprised of about a decade’s worth of material going back to 2013, some of which has the air of being dusted off and refurbished for the purposes of release.
Like the early 2000s LPs most of the compositions eschew the band’s rough-hewn charm for a more produced sound that builds out atmospheres and grooves via synths and tasteful sampled orchestration and dialogue samples. While largely instrumental, Schiffmann’s vocals wouldn’t necessarily add a lot to these compositions; tracks like “Babylon’s Code” are structurally more soundtrack-oriented from an arrangement standpoint, locking some heavy percussion loops, processed voices and a chiming dulcimer into a deep groove for four and a half minutes. The rhythm-oriented tracks are usually backed by a sturdy bassline, and range from more distinctly electronic (there’s almost, almost a big beat vibe to “Mutated Tongues” and the breaksy “The Inner Dialogue”) to almost rock-like (“Crucified with Revolution” and “Erased Name – Blind Life” apply guitars for riffs and melody lines to varying degrees).
While all of those variations on the record’s core sound have their charms, there are some moments that make one wish that the project had dipped more into its classic playbook. “The Way the World Ends” has a burbling 16th note bassline and bitcrushed snares that pair wonderfully with the spooky wind instrument that carries its melody, recalling some of the powerfully spooky atmospherics of the band’s early 90s heyday, and “Can’t You See….?” even conjures up some EBM through its bassline and rhythmic chant sample, albeit layering it with some vibrato’d riffing that gives the song a bizarre if not unpleasant a go-go surf rock feel.
Truthfully though, at nearly 80 minutes, The Ghosts I Called suffers from an excessive length that drags down it down. A tighter runtime might have allowed some more of the songs their individuality; as it stands there’s just too many tracks that are variations on similar looping arrangements of drums, synths and snatches of recorded voices. A return to the distinctive dark electro of classics like Brainstorming was never going to be in the cards, but the fact remains that even given some quite nice production and atmospherics, it feels far more like an odds and sods compilation of what yelworC has been up to for the last decade or so rather than a focused and crafted album.
The Ghosts I Have Called by yelworC
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