It would have been preferable to have more original Tábor Radosti work, especially after such a long wait since the last album, but that is just one of a couple of minor complaints about what is generally a quite enjoyable piece of very dark electronica.
Category: Featured Reviews
Flint Glass/Polarlicht 4.1/Transistor – Zoran’s Equation
With a fantastical yet intriguing story as the scene, we have this three-way collaboration piece to provide the soundtrack. Highly respected French artist Flint Glass has teamed up with lesser known, closely related German acts Polarlicht 4.1 and Transistor to offer 45 minutes of ice-cold atmospheres and dark archaeological beats.
C.H. District – Conclusion
“Conclusion”, ironically enough, is a record that just leaves you craving the next offering, with a sound alternating from the alien of Beefcake and retro-club of Oil10 to the lo-fi of Tarmvred. Don’t let the comparisons fool you though, as the musical work here certainly has its own character and sound, managing to offer great continuity as an album without sounding repetitive.
Caustic – The Golden Vagina of Fame and Profit
Welcome to Mr. Fanale’s most accessible release to date. As Caustic so aptly reiterates on the opening track, “The Golden Vagina of Fame and Profit” is all about the beats, rhythms and hooks. It is surprisingly catchy, and with just about every song featuring a very driving rhythm, this is most likely going to be one of the top industrial albums of the year.
Mobthrow – Mobthrow
This very promising debut release from Mobthrow presents an album that is, for the most part, full of mellow drum’n’bass and dubstep, but enhanced with a number of different characteristics. The album is quite moody, emotive and sullen, often having a meditative aspect to it.
Autoclav1.1 – All Standing Room in the Goodnight Saloon
The album is much of what we have come to expect from UK musician Tony Young – driving orchestral compositions punctuated by powerful piano chords and pressing guitar, all supported by tight rhythms and wrapped in shimmering strings. Let us hope that what is brewing quietly in the incidental aspects of this album can unfurl in new, greater directions in the future.
Myo – Memory Gospel
As a sound research laboratory, it must be recognized that “Memory Gospel” holds a wealth of valuable material, potentially interesting to fans of the genre, as well as to musicians searching for innovative methodologies of sound manipulation in order to create uncommon sound landscapes and thereby enrich their compositions.
Typhoid – Simulazione Di Divinità
Perhaps it’s just that typical Italian passion shining through that makes Typhoid such a pleasure to listen to, perhaps it’s subliminal programming via music. I’m even willing to accept that it could be clever composition, careful production and intelligent application of rhythm. The fact remains that “Simulazione Di Divinità” is an absolutely lovely album and one I’ll revisit regularly.
Kifoth – Violence Corporation
Kifoth deliver, on “Violence Corporation”, pretty standard fare in the realm of electro-industrial. This is not to say that it’s more of the same formulaic harsh dance music – on the contrary, Kifoth manage, despite the sonically limited nature of their chosen medium/genre, to offer up, in varying degrees, doses of aggression, socio-political commentary and, believe it or not, fun.
Fiction City – Nova
If the pedestrian approach is overlooked, it soon becomes obvious that actual talent has been engaged and awoken in the assembly of the music. Sequencing, construction and arrangement are all crystal clear and tight, as is the mastering and levelling of the completed tracks. The instrumentation is also, for the most part, well defined.