By oneamyseven

A post-apocalyptic wreckage of electronic debris and Industrial remains for a reconstructed world

A few weeks ago I noticed an email in my box asking me to cast a vote to get KMFDM (on tour with Combichrist this fall) to play in Salt Lake. Sure, it seems like a good idea, but voting online to get a band to come here is about as effective as signing a petition to impeach Bush. Who gets this petition? And what promoter is going to see that 28 people voted and say, "Wow! I guess I better book these guys"? If you want to see a band bad enough I have two recommendations for you: 1. Dig deep into those pockets for money to either travel to see said band or 2. Pool money together with your friends, find a venue willing to help you out and then promote the hell out of the show. You may or may not lose money, but if you love the band that much, I can attest that it is sometimes worth the paying a $200 ticket price when everyone else pays $10 to see them and have the satisfaction of hanging out with one of your favorite acts.

On that note, here are some shows you should support and lessen the blow that a promoter might have to eat. Clear your calendar on Thursday, July 6th for the All Hamerican Pig Show with the meaty beats of PIG along with Mindless Faith, Digital Mindy and Carphax Files. Start stashing the cash for upcoming shows in the fall including Snog, Terrorfakt and Tonikom.

Larvae
Dead Weight
Ad Noiseam
Street: 06.12
Larvae = Industrial – ustrial + y
Larvae has stripped off their clothes revealing a deeper, soulful persona on their second full-length, Dead Weight. Breaking out of the semi-structure of grinding bass beats and slow-motion melodic notes from Fashion Victim, Larvae screams that they are impossible to classify with Dead Weight. Five of the 12 tracks feature four collaborators who are entirely different from each other and unexpected. Beautiful, soft, female vocals from Jessica Bailiff on "Telecast" and "Thanks for Playing" delve into a genre so acoustic that the subtle electronic elements are the only reminder that you are listening to anything from the Ad Noiseam label. Fellow Georgian act, Hope for Agoldensummer, drop into the indie-rock setting with a outdoor summer concert track on "Airplanes." Is this the same Larvae? Back to something in my personal comfort zone, Shadowhuntaz and Scalper lay down the rap with static electronics and dropped beats over profound melodies just the way I like them. Although this departure seems to jump from one style to another, this is a strong point for Larvae where breaking out of the standard genre is welcome and refreshing. It was never doubted that the work of Larvae was amazing, but this exploration is flawless.

Combichrist
Get Your Body Beat
Metropolis
Street: 06.02
Combichrist = This shit will Fcuk you up + Funker Vogt.
Goodbye Funker Vogt, hello Combichrist. Get Your Body Beat could alternately be titled This Shit Will Fcuk you up 2006. Combichrist took all the same sounds, rearranged them and threw in some expected lyrics to make something as explosive as last year's Everybody Hates You. Andy Leplegua's talent has been seen in numerous bands and he is selling himself short by doing what he's already done. It peeves me to see a band milk the one good song they did. Not even remixes from KMFDM, Amduscia, Spetsnaz and Manufactura can breath life into the latest Combichrist EP. The first nine tracks are the money-making 4/4 EBM hits; fortunately we get something new on the last track. "DNA AM" is slow and melodic with scratchy electronic waves and bits of sampling and is beautiful. He knows how to make static beats that you can't resist, but it would be nice to get something that really sounds new. And can we stop it with the "fcuk" thing already?

Dismantled
Anthem (Digital Only Release)
Metropolis
Street: 04.25
Dismantled = Pop + Industrial or "Poprial"
Ever since the "Breed to Death" single came out last year, my faith in Dismantled has been restored. My dislike for this act came from press playing up how Gary Zon was trying to sound like Frontline Assembly mixed with him winning the contest for remixing Wumpscut's "Wreath of Barbs." With Anthem, Zon reaches further into his love of pop music and follows in the "Breed to Death" format, a song that is disgustingly poppy with an Assemblage 23-type melody. Zon has mastered the integration of pop into industrial and may end up being one of those so-called sell-outs, but he deserves it. With three versions of "Anthem," killer militant beats on "The March" and the uninteresting "Recall" this EP follow-up to Standard Issue should be cued for downloading in your iTunes.

Motor
Klunk
Novamute
Street: 07.25
Motor = Douglas McCarthy + 2006
As a general rule, I steer away from artists with "Motor" in their name, but this particular band was on Novamute, a respectable label, I gave it a listen and felt the rewards of taking a chance. Without sounding dated, Motor brings back memories of the simplicity of early industrial artists like Nitzer Ebb and Front 242. In fact, on "1x1" Douglas McCarthy of Nitzer Ebb growls over heavy electronic dance beats. The perfect marriage of modern electro-clash meets old school industrial on Klunk should inspire all DJs to rock the house with this break from standard dance hits. On "Din 13" hard acid grooves pulse and strobe free of vocals. Both Motor and Klunk were unexpected, but well received by my dance-floor-industrial craving ears.