“Anybody out there?” asks Trent Reznor as he and Atticus Ross casually drop a new “Nine Inch Nails” album. The band’s new album is titled Ghosts V-VI, and it is a continuation of the Ghosts series they dropped for free back in 2008. Like Ghosts I-IV, the new installments of the series are available for free on the band’s website. Reznor has described the album as “Some of it kind of happy, some not so much.” You can download Ghosts V-VI from the link below:
Artist: Machine Girl
Album: U-Void Synthesizer
Genre: Electronic/Hardcore/Breakcore/Industrial/Drum and Bass
Label: Self-Released
Rating: 8/10
Listening to Machine Girl’s music is like being sucked into a tornado carrying the most abrasive elements of various genres, and I do mean ABRASIVE. What a long way Machine Girl has come from spewing out tons of “Electronic” instrumentals on “Bandcamp” to getting even louder and louder with every release while lead member Matthew Stephenson screams his guts out. Following the highly successful The Ugly Art, Machine Girl has returned with his follow-up U-Void Synthesizer, and somehow this album is even noisier than it’s predecessor. Like The Ugly Art, this album incorporates live drums that give this album a fuller sound that evokes the fast-paced and brutal spirit of “Punk,” but just keep in mind, this isn’t “Dead Kennedys.” This is Synth-Punk meets Industrial meets Breakcore meets just about every abrasive genre known to man. It’s uncompromising, it’s discombobulating, but that’s part of this album’s charm. Sure it’s not for everyone, okay, sure it’s not for most people, (anyone who hasn’t acquired this taste will think that all of their electronic household appliances got together to have an orgy) but this is futuristic “Punk,” the result of the massive influence “Death Grips” have had on a younger generation of DIY artists such as “Deli Girls” and “Five Star Hotel.” Machine Girl is undeniably the torch carrier for this generation, and though they can be lyrically absurd with lines like “I don’t want you on my dick so suck my shit,” that absurdity combined with loads of cryptic content is fun to decipher and formulate your own interpretation. U-Void Synthesizer isn’t much of a departure from The ugly Art, but it’s louder and noisier and Machine Girl’s sound hasn’t lost it’s appeal quite yet.
Written By: Steven Sandoval
Being over 20 years in the music world, Detroit duo “ADULT.” still manage to sound fresh and reinvent themselves with every release. Their last album This Behavior was a back to basics triumph that recalled the Electroclash sound of their early work, but with a veteran sense of focus the band improved on that sound incorporating the darker EBM-laden grooves we’ve come to know the band for. Now, just two years after that release the band have announced they will be releasing their follow-up Perception is/as/of Deception on April 10th via “Dais Records.” The band have also released the album’s debut single “Why Always Why,” a synth-heavy track that is as urgent sounding and anxiety-inducing as it is danceable, because you know with “ADULT.” it’s anxiety always (if you know you know.) You can watch the music video for “Why Always Why” below:
Jehnny Beth of Post-Punk group “Savages” has announced the release of her debut solo album which will be released on May 8th via “Caroline Records.” The album is titled To Love Is To Live, and that’s a title much of us need to hear right now. Along with the announcement, Beth gave us some heartfelt words. “Life’s so strange. Today is the day of my album announcement and I’m on a train to see my dad who’s spent the last two days in intensive care. I was supposed to be in LA to promote the album this week but decided to be with family instead. When I started making this record all I could think about was the impermanence of life, that I had to do this before it’s too late, and here I am now sitting on a train telling you that my album is coming and it’s called TO LOVE IS TO LIVE. Today those words resonate more than ever. There isn’t really anything else in life is it? only love, only love will remain.” Today Beth has also shared a new single off the upcoming album titled “Flower.” You can listen to the track below:
In December of 1979 “Throbbing Gristle” released their “Industrial” classic 20 Jazz Funk Greats. Don’t let the name fool you, you won’t hear Jazz or Funk on this record, instead you’ll hear 11 tracks of uncompromising Industrial that incorporates various elements of Synth-Pop, Post-Punk, and Disco, but these genres are mutilated and drenched in the band’s anti-music style. The lyrical content consists of erotic themes and taboo subject matter, because, well….. it’s Throbbing Gristle. About the misleading and quite humorous album cover, member Cosey Fanni Tutti has stated “We did the cover so it was a pastiche of something you would find in a Woolworth’s bargain bin. We took the photograph at the most famous suicide spot in England, called Beachy Head. So, the picture is not what it seems, it is not so nicey nicey at all, and neither is the music once you take it home and buy it. We had this idea in mind that someone quite innocently would come along to a record store and see the record and think they would be getting 20 really good Jazz/Funk greats, and then they would put it on at home and they would just get decimated.” This album is regarded by many as the band’s best work, and it’s hard to argue with that. This was some of the most unique and innovative music unlike anything that came out of the 70’s, and is still a tough and incredibly disturbing listen today, and let’s not forget the massive influence the band had on all of the Industrial artists that followed. Happy Anniversary.
And the award for song title of the year goes to….. Seriously, there’s nothing like listening to Street Sects’ music and brutally screaming out your existential pain. They’re truly a genuine band who pour everything they have onto their music, and it’s captivating. The band will release their new E.P. Gentrification IV: Suspended from Gallery Rails this Friday via “The Flenser,” and today they have shared a music video for the opening track “If Life is a Gift, It’s in Very Poor Taste.” You can watch the music video below:
On this day in 1989 “Industrial” legends “Ministry” released their fourth album The Mind is a Terrible Thing to Taste.” Diving further into the “Thrash Metal” leanings that popped up on their previous album The Land of Rape and Honey, The Mind is a Terrible Thing to Taste was the first album that found the band fully developing their signature style of Thrash-leaning “Industrial Metal” with countless samples and unrelenting heaviness. Sole member Al Jourgensen has been vocal about his disappointment with this album, citing the chaotic background of the recording and the fact that him and pivotal band-mate Paul Barker were never in the same room during the recording of the album as the reason for that, but that chaos translated to the music quite well with it’s aggressive and terrifying darkness. This album was the complete reinvention of the band. A reinvention that still hasn’t been matched to this day. Happy Anniversary.
On this day in 1989 “Nine Inch Nails” released their groundbreaking debut album Pretty Hate Machine. Recorded almost entirely by sole member Trent Reznor, this album took the “Industrial” style and combined it with elements of “Pop” with traditional verse-chorus structure that added accessibility as opposed to bands such as “Ministry” or “Skinny Puppy” whose music was on the more harsh and tumultuous side. This was the beginning of Reznor’s typical lyrical themes of angst, depression, obsession, addiction, society, and religion, and the sincerity of it all still to this day can resonate with anyone whom feels misunderstood and alienated. Sure this album sounds instrumentally skeletal compared to what followed in the “Nine Inch Nails” discography, but I can’t think of a better starting point for what became an important legacy in music history. Happy Anniversary.
As far as i’m concerned, “Chelsey and the Noise” are one of the most innovative acts in Industrial/EBM music today. They adopt traditional Industrial sensibilities all while fearlessly incorporating a darker version of Pop to make us dance and even Metal to make us thrash. Halloween is upon us, so of course we need a new track from the duo, and on their new single appropriately titled “Are You Afraid?” they deliver an enticing combination of EBM, Metal, and even a little Trap, proving once again that they aren’t afraid to drag the genre of Industrial kicking and screaming into the new age. Don’t be afraid to listen to this track. Link below:
https://m.soundcloud.com/chelseyandthenoise/are-you-afraid
Noise/Industrial duo “Street Sects” have undoubtedly been on a roll since the release of their “Gentrification” EP’s back in 2014. Following the success of their string of singles, an E.P. and two full-length albums, the idea of the band continuing their harsh and abrasive “Gentrification” series seemed unlikely, but earlier this year we were treated to a third installment titled Gentrification III: Death and Displacement, and it was as Hellish as one would expect. Now, a month later, the band have announced that they will release the fourth installment of this series on November 22nd via “The Flenser.” It will be titled Gentrification IV: Suspended from Gallery Rails. Today the band shared one out of the two tracks titled “Tomorrow is a Trap,” and it’s back to business as usual, which makes the band so damn enticing. You can listen to “Tomorrow is a Trap” below:
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