After yammering about our beloved Kinetik fest off and on since we started up this here weblog, we’re heading to Montreal to hang out with friends new and old, crack some delicious Quebec microbrews, and check out dozens upon dozens of bands. We’ll be DJing on the second night of the fest, so come say hi if yr at the fest and so inclined. The update schedule’s gonna be a tad erratic while we’re away. We’ll try to publish detailed and considered takes on the goings on (and we’re sure to be Tweeting like crazy throughout), but half-baked rants full of blurry phonecam photos are more likely. In any event, we’ll leave you with our traditional schmear of new steez from across the spectrum of this thing of ours. Fill your ears up, and we’ll see y’all back here on Wednesday the 23rd!

The Pain Machinery, “Running Red”
A new single from The Pain Machinery is cause for some excitement in our estimation. We dug hard on the CCP act’s 2011 album Surveillance Culture, and the acid inflected SwEBM (that’s what we’re calling Swedish Electronic Body Music from here on out) that won our hearts is on full display here. This’ll drop as a double a-side single (b/w a new version of “Grinder) on May 18th, leading up the new album Restart in June. Are you hearing the bassline on this fucker? True school.

You Shriek, “Pearly-Dewdrops’ Drops (Cocteau Twins cover)”
NYC’s You Shriek have been kicking around the periphery of our consciousness for ages, a compilation track here and a random single there. We weren’t aware that they had gone on hiatus, but apparently they’ve reactivated? One way or the other, it takes some serious ethereal-ass cojones to take on a beloved number like the Cocteau’s “Pearly-Dewdrops’ Drops” (quite possibly the best song ever written about dad batter), and hell, they even do it justice. Pop over to their Soundcloud and peep this, as well as a cover of the Sisters’ “Adrenachrome” for good measure.

Terminal Gods, “Electric Eyes”
…Speaking of “Adrenochrome”, if, like us, you think it’s just the bees knees, then this brand of Eldritchery should serve you right well. All three tracks from Terminal Gods’ new 7″ can be streamed below (normally we just like to link to one track, but make sure you check the lead title cut). Between Ulterior and now these guys, we’re very happy to hear newer bands picking up on the unabashed -RAWK- allele in the Sisters’ genetics.

∆AIMON, “Flatliner (Snow Covered Grave Mix by V▲LH▲LL)”
Remember the other week when we said ∆AIMON were on some next shit, and how y’all should be rocking their recent FLATLINER EP? Hope so, because if they keep dropping remixes like this one, we’re unlikely to shut up about them. This one is by some other triangle band we aren’t familiar with (although with a name like V▲LH▲LL we’re guessing they’re repping mountains instead of pyramids), a nice crunchy take with a smidge of swing in the rhythm track. Hop the train folks!

VNV Nation, “Tomorrow Never Comes (Leaether Strip remix)”
Okay, leaving aside any question of the quality of the last VNV album (it was aight, not spectacular), Ronan and Mark just did something super cool not two hours ago: Free remix EP! And not some janky collection of no-names either, this thing is stacked with mixes from Daniel Myer, Rotersand, Reaper, and the other guy from AFI. Not to mention this pleasant slice of club bounce from dark electro godfather Claus Larsen, to whom VNV owe no small debt as he was one of the folks who brought portentous, imperial sounds to EBM back in the 90s. The EP can be snagged over at Bandcamp, once again, I’m sure they coulda released this on CD and charged 10 bones, but decided otherwise, and hey, that’s cause for kudos.