Well, as you read this we will no doubt be shaking off the last vestiges of our Canadian Thanksgiving Tofurkey induced comas and getting back to the matter at hand. The matter at hand being sifting through the massive amount of music that dropped this last week and starting to organize our thoughts on Year End (and what still to be released material might make the cut). That’s not at all the sort of thing we don’t enjoy, perhaps you’d like to help us out with some of your thoughts in the comments? Either way, hot Tracks post this week, pull up.
HEALTH, “Children of Sorrow”
HEALTH describe their forthcoming LP Rat Wars as “The Downward Spiral for people with at least two monitors and a vitamin D deficiency”, which is as accurate an encapsulation of their fanbase (ourselves included) as you can get. As if to reinforce that industrial connection, they even dip into the ol’ KMFDM playbook, sampling a thrash metal riff for single “Children of Sorrow” and building a monster groove out of it in their own inimitable noise rock meets hard electronics style. All this and a collab with Godflesh? We’re in.
Wire Spine, “Safe”
Has it really been 5 years since we had a new recording from Vancouver’s Wire Spine? While we’ve been hearing lots of fun new material from the duo across various live shows (most recently at Edmonton’s Purple City music festival) it’s a real pleasure to get to hear “Safe” in its studio form, complete in all its spooky electro-darkwave with that punky edge the duo have always brought to bear. New LP soon, we’re amped.
Brixx, “The Kindest Smile ft. Forces”
After a pair of intriguing EPs, we’re very keen to check out a more in-depth exploration of Australian producer Brixx’s unique, chilly, and considered take on new beat and EBM sounds. We’ll be getting just that with the release of Brixx’s first full-length, Erotomania, and if the rest of it is half as engrossing as this hypnotic joint featuring eternal site faces Forces, we’re in for a treat. Nominally the soundtrack to a non-existent 90s erotic thriller, Erotomania‘s seeing release via the fine folks at Synthicide and will no doubt get some fuller coverage here shortly.
Djedjotronic feat. Rein, “Smog on the Dancefloor”
While hosting a listening party for the new EP from Djedjotronic on Italo Moderni, producer Jérémy Cottereau revealed he was a producer on the forthcoming LP from Swedish EBM by way of electronic pop queen Rein. That’s a hit pairing; some of you may recall that Djedjotronic and Rein’s previous collab “Transmutation” was tremendous, and hell, this new largely instrumental cut “Smog on the Dancefloor” is no slouch either.
Ortotasce, “Ignite Me”
Speaking of unique spins on EBM, Florida’s Ortrotasce doesn’t miss with this new single. “Ignite Me” does a cracking job of linking North American mutant EBM to the realest of Belgian ur-sources, balancing nimble minimalism with gutteral low-end. Should appeal to those who, like us, still hold a candle for the likes of VALIS and //TENSE//.
Wingtips, “Deaf Pursuit (Kris Baha Remix)”
Wingtips’ sense for classic goth/darkwave songwriting, not to mention their capacity for electronic composition via the Visceral Anatomy side project, seems to make them ripe for remixing. Collecting a handful of previously released mixes from their whole discography (like Twin Tribes’ great pastel goth take on “Innocent Blood”) and adding just as many new ones, their Remixes comp is being introduced with the stabbing EBM of Kris Baha’s interpretation of “Deaf Pursuit”.