Strong weekend showing for Vancouver, with an excellent show from HEALTH, which also afforded us the opportunity to talk to Johnny, the band’s public face for We Have a Technical. That episode will be out this week, along with the usual reviews, as we speed towards the site’s 15th anniversary in a few short months. Will we do anything special for it? Only time will tell (and whether we even remember to note it when it happens), but we’d like to say thanks for continuing to read the site year over year. It means a lot to us, and we’re never unappreciative of your support. On to Tracks!
Laibach, “Musick”
Laibach is no stranger to doing dance music; the band’s big revival in the early 2000s was tied to the crossover sound of “Tanz Mit Laibach” (and the associated flash animation, you had to be there). With that said, them putting together symphonic a symphonic house jam like “Musick” that completely obliterates the line between irony and sincerity, with Milan spouting some corny platitudes before spitting out “I’m sick of music!” through clenched teeth. That’s our Laibach, you could be a fan for life and still have no clue what they’re doing next.
Divider, “Burning Concrete”
The strict and minimalist strain of EBM on-again, off-again LA project Divider work with is a very rare quantity on this side of the Atlantic, with NTRSN and latter era Haujobb being the closest yet still imperfect comparisons. A whole new LP’s worth of deep sound design and unsettling rhythmic experimentation from Bryon Wilson and co is good news and calls for some deep listening in the weeks ahead, but for now on first pass we’re impressed by cuts like this slowly flanging nodder from Zero.
Nightsister, “After Me”
Another enjoyable single coming our way courtesy of Portland’s Nightsister, who’ve had a steady drip of darkwave releases going back five years. But, as we heard on “In Your Eyes” earlier this year, a stronger pop influence has begun to work its way into Nightsister, and that’s definitely the case with “After Me”, which connects modern electro-darkwave with a decadent vocal recalling any number of early Weeknd singles. As with “In Your Eyes”, the whole thing holds together despite its varied pedigree.
Comfort Cure, “Water”
Detroit’s Comfort Cure first grabbed our attention with some gritty mutant EBM, but this new joint “Water” has a much more classic electro-industrial vibe. Not that we’re complaining, the funkiness is still here, and the interaction between the tightly programmed synths and drums is really sharp, setting the stage for menacing and detached vocals. Strong stuff.
Flint Glass & Ah Cama-Sotz, “Biological Vestiges”
The folks behind veteran rhythmic industrial/downtempo projects Flint Glass and Ah Cama Sotz teaming up again after 2024’s enjoyable Wakan Tanka, this time for a record based on Gene Wolfe’s mind and genre blowing Book Of The New Sun is pure catnip to at least half of the ID:UD senior staff. Wolfe’s world is one in which nothing can be taken for granted, and that which goes unsaid ultimately means everything. It’s a florid yet shadowy world which is very well suited for the murky, submerged compositions and productions we’re getting as tasters of The Shadow Of The Torturer thus far.
Ari Mason, “Heaven’s Gate (Male Tears remix)”
We were kind of confused to hear that Ari Mason’s 2016 LP Creatures was getting a remix release for it’s tenth year anniversary, if only because it seemed like Mason had moved on from darkwave, working in a more chamber/indie pop sound for the last decade. Still, the lineup of remixers more than justifies the exercise, with contributions from Lana Del Rabies, Bestial Mouths, Pictureplane, and Fragrance amongst others. This heater from Male Tears does right by the original, and it’s nice to revisit the songs of this cult fave from the 2010s.
