Two cd-rs, both dated 2001, from this experimental noise trio also responsible for many other projects (like V.) and collaborations spawning from the active Zeromoon headquarters. Second Violin is Adam Bohman (voice), Zan Hoffman (tapes, sampler) and Jeff Surak (prepared violin, the neck), aided on "Victoria" by Rinus Van Alebeek (probably responsible for the spoken parts in German). Both works share certain basic characteristics, though "Hospital Fugue..." is in my opinion more coherent and better assembled. SV have a quite original sound which is a blend of chaotic industrial noise, minimalism, ambient, impro and eclectic experimentation, sided by spoken/recited tracks. Manipulated string sounds and electronic loops often manage to create minimal, but well crafted pieces like the two "Dinner music on an empty stomach" ("First course" and "Second helping") on "Hospital Fugue..." - there's an hallucinated feel of gratuitous dada craziness throughout, which could remind (as a spirit, not as a precise sound) of some Nurse With Wound record. Sometimes the improvised parts become a bit tedious, though, as in "Victoria"'s last track, really really long and exceedingly solipsistic.

An anthologic double cd from the Garden, featuring singles and bonus tracks on cd1 and a live recording (Castle Rabenstein, Germany, 28-09-2001) on cd2. The latter has a perfect, crystal-clear sound, so it's probably the best way to listen to the band's blend of gothic and melodic rock - sort of Paradise Lost meets The Cult, with an emphasys on energy and catchy tunes. Comes with the usual esoteric layout, and information about the tracks.

An extremely mature and challenging cd-r from this Italian post-jazz-rock quartet (guitar, bass, drums, and keyboards). Comfort's instrumental tracks seem to strive between a solid, almost mathematic structure and liquid free-form detours, and the whole work benefits from this demanding and slightly cerebral quest for variation. Possible spiritual references (but bear in mind that Comfort actually sound like none of them) could be DK3, Don Caballero, Lounge Lizards, early Tortoise or Miles Davis in his electric period, and lots of soundtracks. "Cadillac" would be a perfect soundtrack for a noir movie, with its cinematic incipit, but also has impalpable atmospheric breaks, while "Lo spazio vellica" collapses its quasi-caraibic and reggae rhythms to an aggressive rock crescendo, then again to post-rock guitar dilutions. "Privilegio" is a melancholic bridge between silences and organ laments, re-building themselves in a jazzy melody; "Miriam Raving" starts with gentle impro guitar pickings but evolves into a square rhythm. "Lidia" is gloomy and obsessive, crossed by electronic shivers and lost in a paranoid solipsism. But these are mostly partial and impressionistic descriptions, since every track is more of a microcosm with often sudden - though well balanced - changes of tempos, styles and moods; it would take pages to describe the entire work with accuracy. Really one of the best Italian projects in this field, and I do hope that some label officially releases these tracks, because they're excellent.

The Laine Gebel's one-mand band "Ex Nihilo" has a total retrospective conception, completely focused on the electro-goth fisrt school born between the half and end of the 80's from the wedding of the Christian Death's macabre perversion with the DAF and Nitzer Ebb's first synthetic pulsations. So you will find grandiose keyboards cascades, possessed and wicked voices, deacadent melodic bass lines and all other classic ingredients that made the history of this genre. It's a pity that the production has a poor quality, because although the album is not original and fossilized on old ideas however it sounds enjoyable, funny and sufficiently various. I prefere when Ex Nihilo hit on the accelerator, reaching the emphasis of the furious EBM and approaching the Hocico's devilish attitude. Surely i think this cd is more appreciable and honest than several releases of idolized and famous EBM bands that make up a perfect hit single for the charts and then repeat the same versus for ten songs!

Let's start our story twenty one years ago, when a joung fellow named Vince Clarke decided to quit his previous band, Depeche Mode, to start a solo career. He read an ad on NME where a r'n'b singer named Alison Moyet was searchig for a blues band. He answered to that ad, which had nothing to do with his way of composing, but luckily enough the duo soon after did some smash hit singles like "Don't Go" or "Nobody's Diary" giving to the audience and to history two album "Upstairs At Eric's" and "You And Me Both" plus a bunch of singles. Twenty years after, the synthpop fame of the duo hasn't reduced. On this tribute compilation you can find nineteen versions of Yazoo songs. Every band gives its interpretation of the songs creating some gems. I liked a lot the Empire State Human, Ganymede, Vivid Suspance, The Agency, Cosmicity, Exhibition, Spray, Jimmy Harris versions and the particular Elevated Sins' "Winter Kills" which was sung like a '70s band. Do you remember the chorus Queen were used to do? Well, something like that. Really amazing for a synthpop track! Recommended also if you aren't a Yazoo's hard fan!