This the kind of song that you listen to on your headphones while bobbing your head. You just let it wash over you and feel a certain comfort. It's a depressing song about how some people will just give you trouble, no matter what you do, and how aggravating it is to the person on the receiving end. It's something everyone experiences, and it's sometimes good to just know that everyone does experience it. You might be "out of place", but depending on the perspective, everyone is "out of place" in one way or another.
Monday, December 31, 2012
Stray - "Out of Place"
This is the last post of the year, and I want to cap off 2012 with a song from this year that I feel like I can relate to very well, Stray's "Out of Place" from Letting Go.
This the kind of song that you listen to on your headphones while bobbing your head. You just let it wash over you and feel a certain comfort. It's a depressing song about how some people will just give you trouble, no matter what you do, and how aggravating it is to the person on the receiving end. It's something everyone experiences, and it's sometimes good to just know that everyone does experience it. You might be "out of place", but depending on the perspective, everyone is "out of place" in one way or another.
This the kind of song that you listen to on your headphones while bobbing your head. You just let it wash over you and feel a certain comfort. It's a depressing song about how some people will just give you trouble, no matter what you do, and how aggravating it is to the person on the receiving end. It's something everyone experiences, and it's sometimes good to just know that everyone does experience it. You might be "out of place", but depending on the perspective, everyone is "out of place" in one way or another.
Santa Hates You - It's Alive!
I have a slightly interesting story about how I got to listening to this album and liking it.
(Property of Trisol and Santa Hates You, used under Fair Use for direct, substantial commentary on product)
I'm not going to lie. At first, I was incredibly skeptical. Before I started listening to this album, my only experience with Santa Hates You was watching the "Rocket Heart" music video. In what may be a severe understatement, I did not like the song or the video. To be a little more blunt, it actually turned into a running inside joke that a friend of mine and I shared. I found this bewildering, because Peter Spilles is touted as being a creative genius, and Project Pitchfork is fantastic.
So, a few days ago, I was looking around for some new music to listen to again, and I came across people talking about how great Santa Hates You's It's Alive! was. Needless to say, although I heard glowing reviews, I couldn't help but to still be unconvinced. I looked around for a way to listen to the album before committing any resources to it, because I had no reason to believe I'd enjoy this album, considering my previous experiences. But, in what may be a textbook example of what I talked about in my post about music evaluation, I came across Santa Hates You's official MySpace page and was pleasantly gobsmacked. The entire album is on there for streaming with every song in full. I listened to the whole album a couple of times on there, and I found myself absolutely wanting to buy their album (and doing so).
This album was chock full of substance, and I felt like every song had a fulfilling element to it. Of course, there was still a lot of the "goth-industrial cheese" that I expected, but my experience with this was as far removed from my experience with the "Rocket Heart" video as it could be. My favorite songs from this album were "Independence", "Scum", "How to Create a Monster", and "Skeletal Parade".
"Independence", "Scum", and "How to Create a Monster" feel related to one another with a general theme of fighting against a status quo of evil and despair. "Independence" feels like the anthem, "Scum" is the battle cry, and "How to Create a Monster" is a public service announcement.
In "Independence", Jinxy and Peter pump you up, making a stand in regard to having the right to be free from a world that chooses not to prescribe to a progressive point of view. They don't want to be part of, as they call it, a "killing machine". There aren't tons of lyrics in this song, but the point is clear. The tapping-tapping-tapping-booming percussion methods used in the background really serve to bring about the opening act mood of the song, too. As such, this is a perfect lead-in to "Scum".
"Scum" is the crown jewel of this album. (If you want to see the music video for this song, go here.) This is truly a powerful song that shows just how wonderful of an activist influence musicians can be. "Scum" is certainly not a song for those with sensitive sensibilities, but it gets the point across. The beat is sinister and angry, and the lyrics explain in full that the musicians feel like it's all over for people who want to oppress others, particularly for personal gain and purported religiosity and morality.
"How to Create a Monster" is all about power and how the quest for it creates corruption and evil. There is plenty of imagery of the immorally ambitious person creating justifications to himself or herself about heinous acts and oppression. Meshed with this is the intervention-like tone of the chorus, explaining to this hypothetical power-hungry person that swallowing all this power will turn him or her into a monster. At the end of the song, the idea comes across that no matter what the recklessly ambitious person tends to believe, in the end, the only evil who really needs to be vanquished is that person, himself or herself.
I like "Skeletal Parade" for different reasons than I like the other three. The tune is exceptionally catchy, and it makes a really interesting idea for the afterlife (assuming I'm not way off in regard to my interpretation). When someone dies, he or she goes to the moon and joins a parade of skeletons. It's a little off the wall, but it almost sounds like a dark mix of a children's song. If you didn't pay too much attention to the lyrics, you'd almost think the song was trying to come across the same way as "Bungalow Bill" for The Beatles. This song is oddly fun.
All in all, it's difficult to not enjoy this album. My opinion of Santa Hates You definitely changed after listening to It's Alive!, and I think this is a perfect case for making sure people are adequately informed to make decisions on music purchases. I can safely say that I would have not even considered buying this album had I not been able to hear the full songs, first.
Why I:Scintilla matters
If you want the reason why I'm sitting here, today, typing post after post on this site and why I have the full speed ahead rekindled passion about the goth-industrial scene that I have now, this video was it. I mentioned in my Alice in Videoland post from two days ago that I was trying to fight my way out of a rut back in 2011, and getting into AiV started the ball rolling in regard to my being able to enjoy the scene again. But if my getting into AiV was what let off the spark, I:Scintilla was what poured gasoline all over it.
Energetic. Melodic. Sultry. Powerful.
Up to that point, I hadn't seen a video like "Swimmers Can Drown" in all my time being into this type music. I hadn't heard anything like this, either. I had to look up these people just to make sure this was actually industrial. It was almost like I was listening to pop, but this wasn't the pop like you hear on the radio. And this wasn't futurepop. I had been into bands like Covenant and VNV Nation for a long time before this. No, this was definitely something else, and I almost fell out of my chair watching it.
It was like I had been walking through a desert, and I finally found the basin that I had been looking forever to find. And then I reached the basin, tasted the water, and I knew I found the real thing. This was no mirage.
I needed more and more and more and more.
I hopped from "Swimmers Can Drown" to "Cursive Eve" to "Ammunition" to "Havestar" to "Capsella Bursa Pastoris", and I just couldn't help myself. It was like these people had invaded my brain, knew exactly what I needed to hear, intentionally hid themselves from me for nine years, and then finally revealed themselves to me at exactly the right moment. But even the band itself could not produce all I needed to stay satisfied. I had to look for more like them. I had to see if other bands existed to ease the hunger that I didn't even realize that I had until then.
I have yet to find another I:Scintilla, and I'm not sure such a thing exists. Over time, I found a lot of bands that Pandora and last.fm told me were similar, and I even enjoy a significant number of those bands and musicians. But there is only one I:Scintilla.
Energetic. Melodic. Sultry. Powerful.
Up to that point, I hadn't seen a video like "Swimmers Can Drown" in all my time being into this type music. I hadn't heard anything like this, either. I had to look up these people just to make sure this was actually industrial. It was almost like I was listening to pop, but this wasn't the pop like you hear on the radio. And this wasn't futurepop. I had been into bands like Covenant and VNV Nation for a long time before this. No, this was definitely something else, and I almost fell out of my chair watching it.
It was like I had been walking through a desert, and I finally found the basin that I had been looking forever to find. And then I reached the basin, tasted the water, and I knew I found the real thing. This was no mirage.
I needed more and more and more and more.
I hopped from "Swimmers Can Drown" to "Cursive Eve" to "Ammunition" to "Havestar" to "Capsella Bursa Pastoris", and I just couldn't help myself. It was like these people had invaded my brain, knew exactly what I needed to hear, intentionally hid themselves from me for nine years, and then finally revealed themselves to me at exactly the right moment. But even the band itself could not produce all I needed to stay satisfied. I had to look for more like them. I had to see if other bands existed to ease the hunger that I didn't even realize that I had until then.
I have yet to find another I:Scintilla, and I'm not sure such a thing exists. Over time, I found a lot of bands that Pandora and last.fm told me were similar, and I even enjoy a significant number of those bands and musicians. But there is only one I:Scintilla.
Sunday, December 30, 2012
The Luna Sequence - They Follow You Home
I know that not everyone is the biggest fan of albums of pure instrumentals, but for those of you who like that sort of thing, I have a treat for you. Do you want to hear music that sounds like it came from top-notch action title video game soundtrack (but it didn't, and this artist would probably take to doing that kind of thing like a duck to water, given the opportunity)? If the answer is "yes," I can promise you that you will not be disappointed with this afternoon's choice of music.
(Property of The Luna Sequence, used under Fair Use for direct, substantial commentary on product)
The Luna Sequence is a musician who does all instrumentals, and her music would be best described as having influences of electronica, punk, and metal. I mentioned her before in regard to I:Scintilla's Skin Tight, because she did one of the remixes, but I can assure you that remixing is just one of her many musical talents. She has put out five albums since she started in 2009, but in this post, I'm going to talk about my favorite album of the bunch, They Follow You Home.
One thing I like about all the songs on this album is that they all incite some sense of urgency or action within them. Every time I listen to any of these songs, particularly "I Eat Your Heart", "The Path to Abandonment", and "The Collective Voice", I feel like I'm being called to stand up and do something or go somewhere, even if there are no words to convey that message. This isn't an album if you want to kick back and chill out; this is something you listen to when you want to drum up some motivation.
At number two in the track order, "The Famine" feels like the real warm-up song for me, where I feel like I'm on the first leg of the journey that The Luna Sequence is leading me on. It almost sounds like a hard remix of what you'd expect for world music in an RPG or it could easily be background music for a first level in a beat-'em-up. (I really can't help but to use so many video game references when referring to this album or any of The Luna Sequence's music, because every album feels very cohesive and it's like each one leads you on a quest. There are no words, so you have to use your imagination to fill in the gaps that your emotions leave. For me, the easiest way to materialize my feelings is to compare them to the first thing I think about every time I have a listen: gaming.)
"Lure the Vultures" feels like I'm conducting a surprise raid in the middle of the night. What sounds like the faraway chants of a choir at the beginning and the soft background melody in the middle really added to the atmosphere that I interpreted as being surrounded by night. The minor scratchiness and the electronic bass all over the forefront of the song though gives me the feeling that this night is definitely not meant to be serene.
Without a doubt, "The Path to Abandonment" is my favorite song by The Luna Sequence, period. I sense this overall feeling of revenge throughout the song, almost as if this is meant to be played in the background when a main character is fighting a decisive battle against an enemy who took someone dear from the protagonist. The bit from about 3:04 to 3:36 seems to be my biggest evidence for how I feel, because I can almost picture someone in pain, remembering everything that happened and being resolute in making someone pay.
The other song I want to mention in particular is "The Collective Voice", because that song feels like the true climax of the album. If "The Famine" is just breaking out into the world, then "The Collective Voice" is the final battle (and "Ocean Under Light" is kind of like the ending). The drums really bring the sense of decisiveness and finality to the song, but the tune gives a sense of openness, too. It's like regardless of whatever the struggle the listener who has undertaken this quest has had to endure, that person is not alone.
Obviously, a lot of what I felt was personal to me, and people who listen to this album (or any of The Luna Sequence's albums, for that matter) will have their own feelings and thoughts to bring to the table. But what matters is this is the kind of music that intentionally incites those thoughts and sparks the creativity of imagination. This is the kind of music that cuts through your defenses and simply makes you feel. It's not as important what you feel as much as it is that the winds of emotion sweep in at full force.
Project Pitchfork - "Timekiller"
If you want an example of what I think a well-shot music video looks like that incorporates stereotypical goth-industrial "cheese" to its advantage, look no further than Project Pitchfork's "Timekiller".
(Look at all the gold stuff on his face!)
There are some bands that come across as appearing unoriginal and uninteresting in their videos when they try too hard to be goth and/or industrial and not hard enough to be good. Just because a musician has been efficient in cramming as many cues as possible about genre specificity doesn't mean there is inherent quality in the work. Project Pitchfork seems to understand this concept well, and the creation of the "Timekiller" video seems to put on a clinic about how to focus on making a video good, first, and how the creepiness and weirdness will come naturally.
First, admittedly, Peter Spilles has a natural voice and look that easily lends itself to the type of music Project Pitchfork makes. Having natural advantages goes a long way in anything. Second, he has a good song to work with. That goes a long way in making a quality video. I've watched videos before where the video has to do a lot of work in making the song seem less poor, and it gets pretty painful to watch. That being said, I think the video work in "Timekiller" brings the house down.
Those levitation shots appear so effortless. They look like something believable within the story that the video tells, and that's important. The insects, although kind of a trope, seem to add flavor to the video as opposed to forcing genre cues. The water pouring inside during the storm brings a different take to the depressing storms near-trope, too. There are a lot of different takes on what are normally cliches, and Project Pitchfork manages to put forth a truly creative work as a result. Even the subtle shots, such as the brief shot of the aspirin, bring value to the video.
I'm sure not everyone will agree with my assessment, but in my humble opinion, if you want to see a properly made goth-industrial music video, "Timekiller" is a splendid example.
(Look at all the gold stuff on his face!)
There are some bands that come across as appearing unoriginal and uninteresting in their videos when they try too hard to be goth and/or industrial and not hard enough to be good. Just because a musician has been efficient in cramming as many cues as possible about genre specificity doesn't mean there is inherent quality in the work. Project Pitchfork seems to understand this concept well, and the creation of the "Timekiller" video seems to put on a clinic about how to focus on making a video good, first, and how the creepiness and weirdness will come naturally.
First, admittedly, Peter Spilles has a natural voice and look that easily lends itself to the type of music Project Pitchfork makes. Having natural advantages goes a long way in anything. Second, he has a good song to work with. That goes a long way in making a quality video. I've watched videos before where the video has to do a lot of work in making the song seem less poor, and it gets pretty painful to watch. That being said, I think the video work in "Timekiller" brings the house down.
Those levitation shots appear so effortless. They look like something believable within the story that the video tells, and that's important. The insects, although kind of a trope, seem to add flavor to the video as opposed to forcing genre cues. The water pouring inside during the storm brings a different take to the depressing storms near-trope, too. There are a lot of different takes on what are normally cliches, and Project Pitchfork manages to put forth a truly creative work as a result. Even the subtle shots, such as the brief shot of the aspirin, bring value to the video.
I'm sure not everyone will agree with my assessment, but in my humble opinion, if you want to see a properly made goth-industrial music video, "Timekiller" is a splendid example.
Saturday, December 29, 2012
Industrial Anti-Oppression blog
If social causes matter to you, and you're part of the goth-industrial scene, I recommend that you read the Industrial Anti-Oppression blog (for which I just realized that we share the same base generic layout template, haha!). These people stand for tearing down misogyny, racism, and homophobia within the scene.
(Public Domain License)
These people aren't quite as active in posting as they used to be, but I definitely think what they have to say is very much worth reading. They care about wanting the industrial scene to be more inclusive of people who are traditionally marginalized, and I feel that's a necessary goal for any subculture. We have to be willing to be frank about the social issues that face the scene, and we need more people like those who make the Industrial Anti-Oppression blog to give voice to those discussions. I wholeheartedly agree that the scene does have its problems, and we can't let bigoted views even be considered as worthwhile opinions.
I tip my hat off to these people, and I hope they come back and post with more frequency, once again. If you want a good place to start, check out their post about their reasons for starting the blog in the first place.
Alice in Videoland - "Spaceship"
There are times when blog posts practically write themselves. This is one of them.
Alice in Videoland will always have a special place in my heart, because they were kind of the precursor to my rekindled love for the type of music I'm writing about now. I had been in a bit of a rut, and I had kind of let my industrial-electronica interests simmer on the back burner. Alice in Videoland though, with songs such as "Numb", "We Are Rebels", and "Better Off", got me back in the swing of things. Basically, through the use of music search websites (e.g. Pandora, last.fm, etc.), Alice in Videoland led me to I:Scintilla, Freezepop, and Tying Tiffany, and I:Scintilla led me to most everything else. It's kind of odd, since I don't think any of those bands are particularly similar to each other, but I won't look a gift horse in the mouth.
Anyway, one of the only annoying things about AiV is the fact that they don't have a big Internet presence. Their official Facebook page, for example, is not buzzing with activity. It's disappointing, because, at least based on what I've read about them, they seem to be a really cool bunch and would probably be awesome to interact with, if only they'd put themselves out there for fan interaction. I was actually amazed to see them post something a few days ago, which was a link to the video above.
The video for "Spaceship", which I think may have been AiV's first music video, based on Toril Lindqvist's comments, is a prime example of why these people are so special to me. You can tell that they had fun with this video, and I can't help but to think that these people love what they do with every ounce of their being. There are some musicians and musicians who, although they may be talented, they don't appear to really be in love with their craft. Alice in Videoland is does not seem to be one of those bands, at least from my perspective. When I watch this video, I feel the energy that exudes from the band, and I think that's the biggest draw for me. The song is fairly simple, and it's not going to tell you the meaning of life. It's not a throwaway song though. It's fun, and I think the listener is supposed to feel a sense of pure enjoyment.
If you like AiV, or if this post made you interested in AiV, please let them know! I'd like nothing more than to see them do more fan interaction. I think both the band and the fans would get a lot out of it.
Alice in Videoland will always have a special place in my heart, because they were kind of the precursor to my rekindled love for the type of music I'm writing about now. I had been in a bit of a rut, and I had kind of let my industrial-electronica interests simmer on the back burner. Alice in Videoland though, with songs such as "Numb", "We Are Rebels", and "Better Off", got me back in the swing of things. Basically, through the use of music search websites (e.g. Pandora, last.fm, etc.), Alice in Videoland led me to I:Scintilla, Freezepop, and Tying Tiffany, and I:Scintilla led me to most everything else. It's kind of odd, since I don't think any of those bands are particularly similar to each other, but I won't look a gift horse in the mouth.
Anyway, one of the only annoying things about AiV is the fact that they don't have a big Internet presence. Their official Facebook page, for example, is not buzzing with activity. It's disappointing, because, at least based on what I've read about them, they seem to be a really cool bunch and would probably be awesome to interact with, if only they'd put themselves out there for fan interaction. I was actually amazed to see them post something a few days ago, which was a link to the video above.
The video for "Spaceship", which I think may have been AiV's first music video, based on Toril Lindqvist's comments, is a prime example of why these people are so special to me. You can tell that they had fun with this video, and I can't help but to think that these people love what they do with every ounce of their being. There are some musicians and musicians who, although they may be talented, they don't appear to really be in love with their craft. Alice in Videoland is does not seem to be one of those bands, at least from my perspective. When I watch this video, I feel the energy that exudes from the band, and I think that's the biggest draw for me. The song is fairly simple, and it's not going to tell you the meaning of life. It's not a throwaway song though. It's fun, and I think the listener is supposed to feel a sense of pure enjoyment.
If you like AiV, or if this post made you interested in AiV, please let them know! I'd like nothing more than to see them do more fan interaction. I think both the band and the fans would get a lot out of it.
Friday, December 28, 2012
Tying Tiffany - "Drownin'"
This song just makes me really happy when I listen to it, and it gets lots of use on my Droid. Who cannot like the slightly shoegaze-ey, yet fast-paced electronic goodness that is Tying Tiffany's "Drownin'"?
I don't have tons to say about the song other than the fact it's one of my favorites, ever, and it's what got me into Tying Tiffany. If you are at all into this kind of music, I think it would be difficult to not like this song.
Evaluating music for purchase
This is a subject that I'm sure will get people stirred up. How do you evaluate music for purchase? What makes you buy albums as opposed to single songs? What makes you buy anything, as opposed to streaming it? Of course, the answer in for this questions boils down to just one thing:
When I evaluate music, I won't purchase it until I've listened to the entire song, usually multiple times. A number of artists don't seem to like it when people put their music on YouTube for people to listen to whole songs, but I feel that's been a necessity for me to find out about a lot of the bands that I'm into now and evaluate songs and albums for purchase. I'm firmly of the opinion that if you like a song, you should support the artist and buy it, but I don't feel like the ways that many artists give us to make that decision are terribly useful.
For instance, hearing a short preview for a song isn't going to give you any emotional investment in a song. You'll hear thirty seconds of it, but a song isn't like, say, food. With food, you can have a small sample and your body creates emotions quickly. You (usually) know right away whether or not you like what you're eating. With a song, on the other hand, it's not nearly so simple. Once in a while, a sample may pop up that has epic levels of innate beauty, but rarely is a disjointed sample from a cohesive whole going to give you an adequate understanding of what the song is about. Samples are good for two things:
1. It's a lot easier to tell from a sample whether or not you're going to dislike something. You may not be able to decide easily whether you're going to definitively buy something from a sample, but you'll know for sure if you're turned off by it to the point that you won't consider buying it. Hearing something nice won't necessarily bring you to buying a song, but hearing something you don't quite like will probably make you not buy it.
2. It helps you to determine authenticity on major music selling websites. Often, someone will come in with a cover of a song and be intentionally misleading about that. You can tell from the sample whether the music is actually from the artist you think, usually by hearing the singing in the sample. (Protip: If you're on a major music selling site, listening to samples of songs that aren't instrumentals, and you don't hear any singing, be very suspicious.)
So, you need to listen to the whole song. Some may say that there is always Pandora and other online radio sites like it. The problem with that is the level of randomness involved. You could be listening to Pandora all week and not get a good understanding of an album (or even a song). If you're anything like me, you can't just listen to a song once and make an immediate decision to purchase. You may need to listen to a song four or five times before deciding that a song is worth your money.
"But it's only 99 cents! Why should it matter?"
If you only intend to purchase one song, ever, or one song every once in a great while, that argument holds some merit. If a person is going to be miserly over a single dollar, then that person probably shouldn't be buying music in the first place. The problem lies in the fact that it's not a single dollar. For people who consume and purchase music regularly, those dollars add up. For example, if someone were to purchase, on average, one song a day that turns out to be a throwaway, that means about $362 would get wasted per year. There might not be a lot of things I can do with a dollar, but there are plenty of things I can do with $362. Even if it's every other day, it would still be $181. If it's only once a week that you make such a mistake, it's still over $50. That's why being able to sufficiently evaluate music matters. Adopting that philosophy doesn't cause the consumer to lose out on a single dollar, but rather drastically more.
This is why I defend the YouTube uploaders. I don't feel that artists usually give us good means of deciding our purchasing decisions. There may be a few that offer significant amounts of streaming or put up a lot of videos of their own, but usually, you get maybe one or two music videos per album (and sometimes, they want you to pay for the music videos) and virtually no streaming. I'm not going to buy a song, let alone an entire album, just because someone tells me it's great. I've had way too many people sing praises for music, only for me to think quite differently.
What would make me happy would be if artists put all or a significant portion of their music on YouTube. Obviously, I can understand not wanting the music to be in purchasing grade (320 bitrate for MP3s), but if you could hear the songs at an adequate quality before purchase, like 128 or 192 bitrate, you can make a fair decision on purchase. I won't lie and say there won't be people who will abuse the system, but I think there will be a lot of people who will also be very happy and be more willing to purchase music, too, because they've been able to level the information disparity within the transaction. Those people who abuse the system are probably not customers artists will be brokenhearted about losing, anyway.
All in all, I think the important take-home message here is that artists and record companies need to come up with better ways for customers to make informed decisions about how they buy music. I think that will help to bring in more new business as well as make current customers more loyal to the brands.
Thursday, December 27, 2012
Flesh Field - Strain
So, I only just found out about an awesome band that's now broken up and not doing anything anymore. This band is Flesh Field, an industrial/aggrotech project headed by Ian Ross. The last finished album was Strain, which was released in 2004. The female vocals on this album were done by Wendy Yanko, who was new to this album. (The previous albums had their female vocals sung by Rian Miller.)
(Property of Metropolis Records, used under Fair Use for direct, substantial commentary on product)
Most songs begin with an orchestral bit that transitions to fast, hard, but not necessarily harsh electro-industrial melody. The symphonic sounds tend to be scattered throughout some of the songs, too. Every song tends to have that sense of urgency, too, like the listener is supposed to be intentionally active. Although all the songs are enjoyable for different reasons, the songs for which I felt the most affinity were "The Eucharist", "Seethe", "Amoeba", and "The Collapse".
"The Eucharist" appears to be a commentary on religion, particularly Christianity. My interpretation of this is that people will be smothered by their own religion if they don't think critically about it and unquestioningly submit to it. The sounds are particularly sinister with the slow, deep beat (somewhat resembling a heartbeat, if you think about it) in the back. There's a fair bit of mixing of noise with melody that makes this song really interesting to listen to.
"Seethe" begins with a choir-like vocals mixed with a fast thumping rhythm. The entire song throughout has a simple message of telling an arrogant jerk that he or she no longer matters, and the mix of the thumping and buzzing in the background is appropriate to the feeling the song is trying to convey.
"Amoeba" seems considerably more depressing than the previous two songs that I mentioned. The musicians are trying to jam the "It's not you. It's me." message in every line, explaining how someone feels like he or she is causing harm to someone else by simply being in that person's life. There is a fair bit of violin in this song, which is not surprising, considering the mood.
"The Collapse" is a perfect song for club dancing, in my opinion. The lyrics show a fair bit of minimalism, merely giving an abstract sense of someone's downfall, but I'm not really giving notice to this song for its lyrical content. I'm a big fan of the overall beat and the use of percussion and synths. It's the type of song that is hard not to start dancing to when you're alone in your room with your headphones.
Overall, I really love this album. I wish I had gotten into this band sooner, but that's how it goes. Strain was the last finished album, but if you go to the band's website, you can download instrumentals for the unfinished album that was supposed to come out last year.
Switchblade Symphony - "Clown"
I wish I wasn't putting quite so much old stuff and opinion pieces on here at the moment, but I do admit to maybe starting the site up at not the best time, being the holidays and all. Everyone is kind of in a holding pattern, and there just isn't tons of news to report. Once the first of the year hits, I'm sure things will start picking up. Until then, you will get a lot more pieces like these.
So, who remembers (and misses) Switchblade Symphony? Unfortunately for me, just as I began to even be aware of them, they were kind of on their last legs in regard to making new material, and I didn't really begin to appreciate them until the past couple of years. I look at the "Clown" video (above) and wonder where that flavor of goth music is these days. It's not the creepy, somewhat tinny goth tunes that are intended to quietly creep you out, and it's not so booming goth rock that tries to hit you in the face with its darkness. "Clown" is forceful and runs some wicked low-pitch percussion and synths, but it still tries to invite you within the story world. Switchblade Symphony knew how to pull the listener in without having to resort to the quiet approaches that most softer goth music takes these days.
Switchblade Symphony is exactly the type of band that makes me fall in love with the goth-industrial-electronica-etc. genre over and over again. The vocalist, Tina Root, had range that could be shown from her ability to flawlessly execute the prettier tunes, such as "Wallflower", as well as in the more forceful ones, such as "Mine Eyes". The band also knew how to adequately tell a story with every song. By the time you finished with a song, you were able to imagine a scenario in your head about what was going on, and you would feel like you gained something at the end. For instance, going back to "Mine Eyes", you should be able to clearly picture the hope for a divine miracle by the end of the song.
All in all, I wish musicians made more stuff like this, now.
So, who remembers (and misses) Switchblade Symphony? Unfortunately for me, just as I began to even be aware of them, they were kind of on their last legs in regard to making new material, and I didn't really begin to appreciate them until the past couple of years. I look at the "Clown" video (above) and wonder where that flavor of goth music is these days. It's not the creepy, somewhat tinny goth tunes that are intended to quietly creep you out, and it's not so booming goth rock that tries to hit you in the face with its darkness. "Clown" is forceful and runs some wicked low-pitch percussion and synths, but it still tries to invite you within the story world. Switchblade Symphony knew how to pull the listener in without having to resort to the quiet approaches that most softer goth music takes these days.
Switchblade Symphony is exactly the type of band that makes me fall in love with the goth-industrial-electronica-etc. genre over and over again. The vocalist, Tina Root, had range that could be shown from her ability to flawlessly execute the prettier tunes, such as "Wallflower", as well as in the more forceful ones, such as "Mine Eyes". The band also knew how to adequately tell a story with every song. By the time you finished with a song, you were able to imagine a scenario in your head about what was going on, and you would feel like you gained something at the end. For instance, going back to "Mine Eyes", you should be able to clearly picture the hope for a divine miracle by the end of the song.
All in all, I wish musicians made more stuff like this, now.
Does anyone remember Kompressor?
Every time I hear "K Is for Kompressor", it brings a fuzzy feeling of nostalgia of when I used to go to be more into the club scene. It also reminded me that there were people out there who did not take the scene too seriously and could poke fun of it (and themselves, too).
For those of you who aren't as familiar with this brilliant musician, this was a parody industrial act from the early-2000s of Drew Fairweather, one of the artists of the webcomic, Married to the Sea. He'd always cover his face with an alien mask and start singing these really over-the-top, flat-out strange industrial parody songs. "K Is for Kompressor" is probably his most famous work.
I wish I knew of more industrial parody acts, but I don't know of any. If anyone knows of any that fit the bill, I'd definitely like someone to share. I think that's the kind of thing that can really add levity to a scene that sometimes takes itself too seriously.
For those of you who aren't as familiar with this brilliant musician, this was a parody industrial act from the early-2000s of Drew Fairweather, one of the artists of the webcomic, Married to the Sea. He'd always cover his face with an alien mask and start singing these really over-the-top, flat-out strange industrial parody songs. "K Is for Kompressor" is probably his most famous work.
I wish I knew of more industrial parody acts, but I don't know of any. If anyone knows of any that fit the bill, I'd definitely like someone to share. I think that's the kind of thing that can really add levity to a scene that sometimes takes itself too seriously.
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
New domain redirect!
I have the audiocantrips.com domain now, so if you just go to http://www.audiocantrips.com, it will redirect to this site. I have nothing else to say at the moment. Happy reading!
Solitary Experiments - "Point of View"
I've started getting into Solitary Experiments a lot in the past few days. A good bit of their stuff sounds a lot like old to mid-era Covenant with the very dance-worthy new type EBM and harsh end of futurepop sound along with forceful, slightly echoing tenor vocals. There are some songs which feel like they may have a bit of darkwave influence in them, although I'm not sure that was the intention, and they seem to shake my decision processes a bit as a result. The songs that really feel like hard futurepop are definitely my favorites, and the one, lonely song that they promote ReverbNation luckily fits that bill.
I wish the band would put out some music videos or other significant means of reliably exposing people to their music. I think they could really help them to become bigger in the United States, especially, if they did more of that flavor of promotion. Although people can listen to the band's songs uploaded by random people, I don't believe that gives a band like this a ton of respect or exposure. Promotion has a lot to do with the success of musicians, and this is a prime example of a band with a lot of talent but not so much in the way marketing help, in my opinion.
I wish the band would put out some music videos or other significant means of reliably exposing people to their music. I think they could really help them to become bigger in the United States, especially, if they did more of that flavor of promotion. Although people can listen to the band's songs uploaded by random people, I don't believe that gives a band like this a ton of respect or exposure. Promotion has a lot to do with the success of musicians, and this is a prime example of a band with a lot of talent but not so much in the way marketing help, in my opinion.
A lot of these people have day jobs, you know.
(In the Thick of It (Alex Proimos) / CC BY 2.0)
I may make this a recurring column if there's interest in this. Basically, I just want to share what the day jobs are of a few musicians you all know and love.
Erica Dunham of Unter Null is a pastry chef. Her baking business, Unterbites, focuses heavily on bacon and has a whole section of the merchandise devoted to it. I have yet to try her pastries, but I'm definitely interested. She does have a number of good reviews from her customers.
Brittany Bindrim of I:Scintilla is a graphic designer by trade. She has a degree in graphic design, and she does all the physical artwork for the band. Considering her talent in that field, I've pitched the idea on their Facebook page that she make a Tumblr or another site totally devoted to her artwork. I don't lie when I say that I look forward to the album cover artwork just as much as the music.
Sam Rosenthal of Black Tape for a Blue Girl owns and manages the Projekt independent record label. Prominent artists include Aurelio Voltaire and Android Lust. Owning and running a record label sounds like a lot of work to me. I wonder how Mr. Rosenthal has the time.
I know what it's like to have to work to make ends meet while having something very important and time-consuming in the background. So I can definitely sympathize with these people who probably have insane schedules and little time to just vegetate. A lot of people seem to think that being a musician means you get to just hang out and perfect your art all the time, but that only happens once you get to a certain level of fame and fortune. Before you get there, unless you have someone else doing the work of keeping the lights on and food on the table, it can be a real grind.
Boring admin stuff - Update schedule
I think the schedule that I want to keep in regard to this blog (at least for the time being) is to at least have a post every morning and every afternoon, and you all will get a bonus post on Monday and Thursday evenings. That doesn't prevent me from making more posts, if I so desire, but I'm going to try hard to stick to this schedule as my minimum. I'll probably only decrease my post count for a given day if it's either a major holiday that most people in the United States celebrate (e.g. Christmas) or if there has been some sort of major event (in my life or the world) in which I would deem it inappropriate to go on with business as usual. Also, I won't count "boring admin stuff", such as news about the format or physical aspects of the site, toward my total. So, you won't have to worry about cop-outs there.
Tuesday, December 25, 2012
It's Christmas Day.
Since it's Christmas Day, and I know most of my readers will probably be too consumed by festivities for the day, I'll make just a single post.
What better (or at least more hilarious) way to celebrate Christmas than by mashing it up with the goth-industrial scene in various ways? Here are some videos that should amuse (or disturb) the scenester in you:
What better (or at least more hilarious) way to celebrate Christmas than by mashing it up with the goth-industrial scene in various ways? Here are some videos that should amuse (or disturb) the scenester in you:
Some guy dancing to "Jinglefunk" by Eisenfunk
"Tannenbaum" by Midfinger
"'Industrial Christmas' Dance Music Video" by Alex Wilmot
"Twas the Night Before Black Mass" by Aurelio Voltaire
For those of you who celebrate Christmas and for those of you who celebrate other holidays around this time of year, have a wonderful and safe holiday. If you don't celebrate anything today or anytime near today, have a great day, anyway! Tomorrow, I'll be back to posting as usual.
Monday, December 24, 2012
Tying Tiffany - "5 AM"
If you're one of my close friends, you're probably wondering about the glaring omission of a particular artist in the subjects I've discussed so far. Well, that omission has been rectified. Here's a post about Tying Tiffany.
Her newest music video, which came out last week, is the third made from the songs in her latest album, Dark Days, White Nights. (Her previous two are "Drownin'" and "New Colony".) This video is proof that you don't need flashiness to convey a mood and get your point across in a music video. "5 AM" is a song that you're meant to get lost in and let it surround you, almost like a warm blanket on a cold evening. It's not really meant to be a song that gets you pumped up or dancing on the club floor like, say, "Drownin'" or "Show Me What You Got". As such, I feel the elegant minimalism for the video was not only novel, but entirely appropriate.
Also, Tying Tiffany will be doing tour stops in the US soon, and I will make sure to keep you all up to date in regard to the news on that. So far, her only confirmed stop is at 2013's SXSW, but I will be crossing my fingers for some on the East Coast. If or when she announces any, I will make sure to post. Furthermore, if you want to keep up to date with the latest news directly from the source, make sure to check out her official Facebook page.
Her newest music video, which came out last week, is the third made from the songs in her latest album, Dark Days, White Nights. (Her previous two are "Drownin'" and "New Colony".) This video is proof that you don't need flashiness to convey a mood and get your point across in a music video. "5 AM" is a song that you're meant to get lost in and let it surround you, almost like a warm blanket on a cold evening. It's not really meant to be a song that gets you pumped up or dancing on the club floor like, say, "Drownin'" or "Show Me What You Got". As such, I feel the elegant minimalism for the video was not only novel, but entirely appropriate.
Also, Tying Tiffany will be doing tour stops in the US soon, and I will make sure to keep you all up to date in regard to the news on that. So far, her only confirmed stop is at 2013's SXSW, but I will be crossing my fingers for some on the East Coast. If or when she announces any, I will make sure to post. Furthermore, if you want to keep up to date with the latest news directly from the source, make sure to check out her official Facebook page.
New Alfa Matrix compilation: "Absolute Grrrls Manifesto"
It appears that Alfa Matrix is putting out a compilation next year that features all female vocals. I, for one, am very interested to see how this turns out.
(Property of Alfa Matrix, used under Fair Use for direct, substantial commentary on product)
According to the official Alfa Matrix Facebook page, this is going to be a 4-CD box set with an extended booklet and 40 bonus songs on a dropcard. Alfa Matrix is chock full of talented singing women; Brittany Bindrim, Jennifer Parkin, Erica Dunham, and Emélie Nicolaï are good examples that I just thought of off the top of my head. I'm sure I could come up with more if I thought about it some more, but I think you get my point. I have a good feeling this compilation will be off the chain if it has musicians all of comparable caliber to the ones I mentioned.
What I really like about this is that Alfa Matrix is implying this is just the first volume. I really hope they're serious about making this a big series, like Sounds of the Matrix or Endzeit Bunkertracks. I tend to believe women musicians within the scene do not always get the respect they deserve, and I think albums like these, if done in a serious, non-pandering manner, can really show progress for the scene. If you want my opinion, I think the feedback for this compilation might end up having some interesting implications on a greater level. We shall see.
A blast from the past: The Crüxshadows - "Winterborn"
If you're wondering what got me into this stuff, here's a song from near the beginning of my time being interested in the whole scene. I had been into industrial for about a year and a half or so, and I was starting to branch out into related genres. I got very much into The Crüxshadows in early-2003 with Wishfire, and that is probably my favorite album by CXS. But "Winterborn" from Ethernaut was and still is most definitely my favorite song by the band.
In my opinion, this song perfectly exemplifies what I think of when someone mentions The Crüxshadows to me. It was stuff like this that got me into them. Other songs that I think of when I think of them are "Tears", "Deception", and "Within". That's not to say their old stuff or their new stuff is not worth mentioning, but it was their kind of "middle era" music that really got me hooked and what holds a special place in my heart. It had that perfect balance between the broodiness and mystery of the older stuff and the high-tech, upbeat tunes they tend to make now.
My interest in The Crüxshadows was kind of a turning point in my musical interests, and in some ways, my life. Before I got into them, my becoming a fan of previous musicians was always a result of someone else within my social spheres telling me about them and instigating my interest. The Crüxshadows was the first band that I really got into because I took the extra step to find out about them after having seen them live during a weekly club night that I normally went to. I searched for as much information about them as I could, and I created my own interest from scratch. As a result, they will always be special to me. They will always be aligned with at least a small portion of my identity as a person, because my memories truly feel like mine and not like stuff I just borrowed from someone else.
In my opinion, this song perfectly exemplifies what I think of when someone mentions The Crüxshadows to me. It was stuff like this that got me into them. Other songs that I think of when I think of them are "Tears", "Deception", and "Within". That's not to say their old stuff or their new stuff is not worth mentioning, but it was their kind of "middle era" music that really got me hooked and what holds a special place in my heart. It had that perfect balance between the broodiness and mystery of the older stuff and the high-tech, upbeat tunes they tend to make now.
My interest in The Crüxshadows was kind of a turning point in my musical interests, and in some ways, my life. Before I got into them, my becoming a fan of previous musicians was always a result of someone else within my social spheres telling me about them and instigating my interest. The Crüxshadows was the first band that I really got into because I took the extra step to find out about them after having seen them live during a weekly club night that I normally went to. I searched for as much information about them as I could, and I created my own interest from scratch. As a result, they will always be special to me. They will always be aligned with at least a small portion of my identity as a person, because my memories truly feel like mine and not like stuff I just borrowed from someone else.
Sunday, December 23, 2012
KMFDM tour dates for the East Coast
(Picture by Whalen647. All applicable licenses can be found here.)
March 17 - Atlanta, GA
March 18 - Falls Church, VA
March 19 - Philadelphia, PA
March 20 - Boston, MA
March 21 - New York, NY
March 22 - Pittsburgh, PA
If you want more information on the tour, go check out KMFDM's tour section on the official website or the official KMFDM Facebook page. These people have been around for more than two decades, and it's fantastic that they're still going strong.
My opinions on I:Scintilla's "Skin Tight"
So, Skin Tight...
I:Scintilla officially put out their newest single on 12-12-12, along with uploading the music video for the song on YouTube. You could have gotten the song months earlier though if you bought it from Sounds from the Matrix 013, and a number of people were exposed to the song by having seen I:Scintilla perform at Dragon*Con 2012. People were interested in the new Skin Tight single not only for the original version though, but for the remixes from The Luna Sequence and Psy'Aviah.
I have no reservations about saying how much I love this single. I already owned the Sounds from the Matrix version of the song, so I didn't need an exact copy. I bought the remixes a la carte, and I must say that anyone who got the single did very well for their money spent.
First, if you didn't already have the original version of the song, you get it here. The original version has that deep, kind of sultry, yet somewhat threatening feel. It has a hint of background scratchiness and vocal screeching to add texture, and you get a feeling that the band is playing different points around you, almost like it's subtly trying to tell a story.
The remix by The Luna Sequence brings a different feeling, one of much more powerful urgency. While the original version gives off a feeling of a desperate defense or escape, The Luna Sequence's remix makes you feel like you're in a decisive battle for all the marbles. There is a lot of distinct fast-paced electronic clinking and clanging in this version, and the guitar sounds slam down in just the right ways to make that feeling of grandeur.
Last, but not least, Psy'Aviah's mix gives a completely different feeling from the other two versions. This mix feels cold and urban, almost like the song is being performed in a seedy, dark alley somewhere in the downtown of a cruel, uncaring city. The song maintains a more subdued and slightly depressing feel throughout. If you've ever listened to Psy'Aviah's own music, this mix gives off a similar vibe to "Virtual Gods".
I can't pick anything I really dislike about this single. If you're an I:Scintilla fan, you definitely don't want to miss out on this.
I:Scintilla officially put out their newest single on 12-12-12, along with uploading the music video for the song on YouTube. You could have gotten the song months earlier though if you bought it from Sounds from the Matrix 013, and a number of people were exposed to the song by having seen I:Scintilla perform at Dragon*Con 2012. People were interested in the new Skin Tight single not only for the original version though, but for the remixes from The Luna Sequence and Psy'Aviah.
I have no reservations about saying how much I love this single. I already owned the Sounds from the Matrix version of the song, so I didn't need an exact copy. I bought the remixes a la carte, and I must say that anyone who got the single did very well for their money spent.
First, if you didn't already have the original version of the song, you get it here. The original version has that deep, kind of sultry, yet somewhat threatening feel. It has a hint of background scratchiness and vocal screeching to add texture, and you get a feeling that the band is playing different points around you, almost like it's subtly trying to tell a story.
The remix by The Luna Sequence brings a different feeling, one of much more powerful urgency. While the original version gives off a feeling of a desperate defense or escape, The Luna Sequence's remix makes you feel like you're in a decisive battle for all the marbles. There is a lot of distinct fast-paced electronic clinking and clanging in this version, and the guitar sounds slam down in just the right ways to make that feeling of grandeur.
Last, but not least, Psy'Aviah's mix gives a completely different feeling from the other two versions. This mix feels cold and urban, almost like the song is being performed in a seedy, dark alley somewhere in the downtown of a cruel, uncaring city. The song maintains a more subdued and slightly depressing feel throughout. If you've ever listened to Psy'Aviah's own music, this mix gives off a similar vibe to "Virtual Gods".
I can't pick anything I really dislike about this single. If you're an I:Scintilla fan, you definitely don't want to miss out on this.
My music is harder than yours, and you are inferior as a result.
You know what I don't understand? I don't quite understand why listening to "harder" stuff is somehow considered a badge of pride or a talking point when evaluating a musician or band. It's like these people think they'll get an achievement on XBox Live or a gold star on a progress sheet on their walls if they happen to listen to music with more bass and harsh vocal distortion than other people. When you step back and think about it, it's very difficult to even take such comments seriously. It makes you wonder if these people actually listen to themselves when they speak.
Usually, comments like those are a self-validation mechanism in which the poster has to make himself or herself have a confidence boost in regard his or her place within fandom. This flavor of antagonism is meant to make the person saying it feel better about his or her own music choices, which tend to be an extension of a greater self. The popularity of music that falls outside of these people's worldviews is considered to be a threat to these people's worth, so combativeness occurs.
A lot of the combativeness seems to be grounded in some level of misogyny and/or homophobia, too. A significant portion of the time, people get called sexual orientation insults or anti-woman insults in relation to listening to music that doesn't fit this almost entirely arbitrary and falsely linear level of musical composition. When I hear insults like being called a certain word for female genitalia due to listening to a certain musician, I hear this, "Your music lacks enough bass and scratchy vocals to meet my arbitrary standard. As a result, I will attribute feminine characteristics to you, and by definition, feminine characteristics are bad and should be met with hostility." Does anyone actually see logic in making a statement like that?
All in all, none of it makes sense to me. So, if you're one of those people who attributes a desire to listen to music with a certain level of harshness as some form of achievement, think to yourself, "Does this make sense? Is it logical?" Then, once you've figured that out, ask yourself why it matters to you so much in the first place. The answer may surprise you.
Saturday, December 22, 2012
Emilie Autumn's "Fight Like A Girl" tour
One thing that I want to do with this blog is show off tour dates for relevant musicians when they come to my general region, which in this case, is the East Coast of the US. I'm not sure if I'll make a sidebar or something for it, but I'll definitely keep people posted as best as I can.
For my first post about this kind of thing, I think it's fitting to mention Emilie Autumn's big "Fight Like A Girl" tour. It looks like she's doing South America, first, but she's coming back to the northern continent with a first stop in Pittsburgh, PA, on January 13, 2013. Here are her East Coast stops for the tour:
January 13 - Pittsburgh, PA
(Photo by Murdoch666 from Flickr, CC Attribution 2.0 Generic License)
For my first post about this kind of thing, I think it's fitting to mention Emilie Autumn's big "Fight Like A Girl" tour. It looks like she's doing South America, first, but she's coming back to the northern continent with a first stop in Pittsburgh, PA, on January 13, 2013. Here are her East Coast stops for the tour:
January 13 - Pittsburgh, PA
January 15 - Washington, DC
January 16 - Richmond, VA
January 18 - Greensboro, NC
January 19 - Atlanta, GA
January 20 - Orlando, FL
January 21 - Ft. Lauderdale, FL
January 23 - Saint Petersburg, FL
February 20 - Boston, MA
February 22 - New York, NY
February 23 - Philadelphia, PA
If you want more details, including times for all stops, non-East Coast dates, and ticket information, check out Emilie Autumn's official website or her official Facebook page.
"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."
So, this is my first post. I wasn't sure how I wanted to start this blog, because there were so many topics I really could discuss. Should I just go right into music news and opinions? Should I introduce the purpose of the blog? Should I introduce myself? Should I just start rambling relentlessly?
Instead of worrying about those questions though, maybe the best thing to do would be to just talk to you, the reader. I'm making this blog with two stakeholders in mind. One, I'm doing this for me, because I feel like I have plenty to say about the music that I've grown to really enjoy and show some level of identity alignment. But two, I'm also doing this for you, the reader. I want to believe that what I have to say will benefit you in some way, whether it brightens your day, makes you think, gives you a platform to argue on the Internet, or otherwise brings you something worthwhile. Am I under the delusion that you will hang upon my every word for the definitive verdict on everything in the goth-industrial-electronica scene? Absolutely not. My main goal is simply to at least provide you with unique, novel, and interesting thoughts about the things I like (and things I don't).
Speaking of things I like, the overwhelming majority of music that I like comes from, speaking very loosely, the overall goth, industrial, and electronica genres. The scope of this blog is to talk about music in those very general categories. In this post, I'm not going to go into a more in-depth discussion of the details of exactly what I like the most (There will be plenty of time to do that later.), but it's safe to say that if I talk about Unter Null, it's a lot safer of a bet that I'll talk about, say, KMFDM as opposed to Nicki Minaj. Of course, a big hint to figuring out what shivers my timbers would be to look at the links list on the side.
So, keep checking the blog for updates. I hope you enjoy what I have to share. To end this groundbreaking post, I figure I'll share a song that I've been really digging lately:
Erica Dunham has a side project, Stray, that is supposed to be the expression of post-fury despair that complements the anger that Unter Null shows off. This song, "No Vacancy", comes from her second Stray album, Letting Go. I absolutely love the instrument choices, particularly the sitar, against the synths. The vocals give off an echo that sounds a bit like she's singing from the bottom of a well or down a dark tunnel, and that's exactly the effect that is necessary for a melancholy song about regret and confusion like this.
Instead of worrying about those questions though, maybe the best thing to do would be to just talk to you, the reader. I'm making this blog with two stakeholders in mind. One, I'm doing this for me, because I feel like I have plenty to say about the music that I've grown to really enjoy and show some level of identity alignment. But two, I'm also doing this for you, the reader. I want to believe that what I have to say will benefit you in some way, whether it brightens your day, makes you think, gives you a platform to argue on the Internet, or otherwise brings you something worthwhile. Am I under the delusion that you will hang upon my every word for the definitive verdict on everything in the goth-industrial-electronica scene? Absolutely not. My main goal is simply to at least provide you with unique, novel, and interesting thoughts about the things I like (and things I don't).
Speaking of things I like, the overwhelming majority of music that I like comes from, speaking very loosely, the overall goth, industrial, and electronica genres. The scope of this blog is to talk about music in those very general categories. In this post, I'm not going to go into a more in-depth discussion of the details of exactly what I like the most (There will be plenty of time to do that later.), but it's safe to say that if I talk about Unter Null, it's a lot safer of a bet that I'll talk about, say, KMFDM as opposed to Nicki Minaj. Of course, a big hint to figuring out what shivers my timbers would be to look at the links list on the side.
So, keep checking the blog for updates. I hope you enjoy what I have to share. To end this groundbreaking post, I figure I'll share a song that I've been really digging lately:
Erica Dunham has a side project, Stray, that is supposed to be the expression of post-fury despair that complements the anger that Unter Null shows off. This song, "No Vacancy", comes from her second Stray album, Letting Go. I absolutely love the instrument choices, particularly the sitar, against the synths. The vocals give off an echo that sounds a bit like she's singing from the bottom of a well or down a dark tunnel, and that's exactly the effect that is necessary for a melancholy song about regret and confusion like this.
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