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Music Reviews

MOON ROCK: Eclipse Of The Mood

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Artist: MOON ROCK (@)
Title: Eclipse Of The Mood
Format: CD
Label: Lunar Entertainment
After their debut "Power To People" Moon Rock are back with their ECLIPSE OF THE MOOD. With this one the duo refined their sound and song writing bringing us fresh tunes like the opening "The Deed Is Done" or the two remixed by B! Machine ("See A Lot" and "Everybody Everywhere"). This new album is a good one and the ten songs are catchy enough to gather more fans from the altenative scene because songs like "Time To Play" and "I Think It's Over" remember a little New Order of the "Republic" era (I didn't like too much their newest one I prefer thousand times the last album) and Pet Shop Boys. Only a little more production and their could really get more attention. The peculiarity of this album is that only four tracks out of ten are sung by one of the Hoboken duo, the other ones see as guest vocalists Jemma, Damian "Plague" Hrunka and Dave Baggot. Never boring, catchy and worth the listening...what do you want more to get your copy of newest Moon Rock? P.s. Unfortunately their website isn't updated and it's really poor and you won't find any information about this CD. Write them and help spread the word.


Black Tape For A Blue Girl: Scavenger Bride

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Artist: Black Tape For A Blue Girl
Title: Scavenger Bride
Format: CD
Label: Projekt Records
Can we expect anything but brilliance from this group? I was wondering the effect that the marriage of Sam Rosenthal and Lisa Feuer would have on the band,given it's themes of isolation and love betrayed. It seems to have given a new strength and edge to the group rather than staying in the same course. While not the tour de force of "As One Aflame Laid Bare By Desire,",it is a force to be reckoned with, a guiding light for an often redundant ethereal scene. Elizabeth is the songbird of deepest winter, with a raw sensuality to her vocals that may well siren call you into the stereo. Sam's piano/synth lines flow over his elegant poetry, painting the lost heroine and her tragic tale like a pained sculptor of emotion. Lisa's flutes are like hearing the voice of a lost lover in your mind, filled to the brim with melancholy and crushing emotion at the same time.
My favorite is "Floats in the Updrafts" which is also the shortest. I could have standed for this to be alot longer. And a guest appearance from Spahn Ranch on this one?!The guys vocals are actually quite elegant.
Also I reccomend the aforementioned "As One Aflame", which is too powerful to even start describing. But where is our old buddy Oscar Herrara?!? Rating:10


CENOBITA: Metamorfosis

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Artist: CENOBITA (@)
Title: Metamorfosis
Format: CD
Label: Triso (@)
Distributor: Audioglobe
After three years from the release of "Neo Milenio" finally the band did it, releasing a perfect blend of melody and power titled METAMORFOSIS. The album is really different from the first one and even if the band didn't detach from the ebm genre this new one opens the sound to new influences and ideas. Being less raw than "Neo Milenio", METAMOFOSIS with tracks like "Estrellas" or "Indiferencia" explores better the electronic/melodic solutions obtaining in this way more exposure toward the alternative dance scene. They aren't sellouts but the tracks in this way sound more fresh and interesting than the usual beat assault. For sure the tracks are based on the ebm cliche but you know, there are different ways of using the gears... The only weak point in my opinion is represented by the excessive lenght of the tracks which during six of seven minutes tend to make loosing the attention to the listener.


NAPALMED: Never Mind The MSBR, Here's The Napalmed

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Artist: NAPALMED (@)
Title: Never Mind The MSBR, Here's The Napalmed
Format: CD
Label: Napalmed
Despite the title which recall the first Sex Pistols' album, NEVER MIND THE MSBR has got nothing to do with punk music at all! Divided into two long tracks ("MBR Not MSBR" and "Never Mind The MSBR, Here's The MBFR") the CD contains seventy minutes of noise, screams and stuff. The first track isn't structured at all and it has got an "in your face" attitude, while the second one is more experimental and starts with distant delayed and reverbered drums with improvised concrete noises just to increase little by little during its fifty six minutes lenght, adding more noise and speeding up a little the rhythm which change time to time. Sonic anarchy seems to be the main Napalmed's target and this make of this CD an album for the lovers of extreme noise manipulations/improvisation. Too bad there's no writing support to their noise assault, this would been helpful for understanding the band's thoughts, because since I know they put a lot of economical efforts in releasing this CD I think they did it with a purpose...


Psyche: Endangered Species

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Artist: Psyche (@)
Title: Endangered Species
Format: CD
Label: ArtOfFact Records (@)


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This is a club heavy collection of Psyche tracks and remixes including a remix of "Goodbye Horses". The first track on this release to grab my attention is "Memento" which starts out with a Depeche Mode like bass grind. It's got a nice groove to it and a dark synthpop feel to it combined with the smooth vocal harmonies Psyche are known for. The mix of "The Hiding Place" on this disc is doen by Massiv In Mensch with the influence of the bouncey dance beats with heavy technology and slight trance feel like their latest album Die Rein. This is a very nice track indeed as it features two of ArtOfFact Records top bands coming together. The first mix of Renegades sounds like a live mix (or at least it has lots of crowd noise on the intro). It's begins with piano but quickly moves into a thumping deep dub rhythm.
The track I found most interesting is the Tokyo Club Mix of "Goodbye Horses" as the original had some interesting melodies but this club mix takes the song to a completely new level. There's just something about the beat of that single that screams gay disco but I love it anyway.
Dropping the pace quite a bit and modifying the overall tone and structure the song "Eleven" reminds me of Art of Noise when ambient. That's the only way I know how to explain it. It has that same pipe-like sound combined with ambient piano and environmental textures. A beautiful piece! This is probably my next favorite next to "Goodbye Horses" though they change the entire song about midway through as it evolves into a much more upbeat rhythm and percussion thing with a choral sound added in then replaced by a nearly standard techno drive. This is a very intersting mix of styles and textures and completely unexpected. I like surprises (5 points guys).
The original version of "Damaged Soul" I think is clear enough and outshines the mixes. Lastly, I don't know what that synth effect is on "Prisoner To Desire" but I love it. The vocals at the beginning sound so 1980's though. Of course it was done in 1987 but included here anyway so I guess it's forgiven as it is still interesting if not a bit confusing.