Cesium_137 are determined to dominate in 2009. Later this year they will put forth a new album with production assistance from Assemblage 23′s Tom Shear. In the next couple months they will be re-releasing their long out-of-print debut full length, Advanced/Decay, completely remastered with bonus tracks as a digital download. As of today they are giving the fans, both new and old, a chance to own the act’s very first release, The Fall maxi single, via Metropolis Records – also as a digital download.

Originally put out by the long defunct Tonedeaf Records label back in 2001 these two releases received a lot of immediate acclaim and sold out fairly quickly without subsequent pressings. Now you can get a taste of Cesium_137′s origins, as well you should. The early material was a lot more raw and aggressive while still adhering to an atmospheric Trance aesthetic built to enhance dancefloor dynamics.

My review of Cesium_137′s last album, 2007′s Proof Of Life, led to a defensive exchange between Isaac Glendening and myself as Isaac thought I was overly critical, if not unduly harsh, regarding his vocals. While I enjoy C137′s music I have always found the vocals a little empty and more than often…pitchy. When it comes to any sort of Pop music, whether rock or electronic, I can accept uneven vocal performances in a live setting. These imperfections make the music more human, more a commodity of the common people as opposed to the innately talented or studiously trained. Yet when it comes to recordings where one has the advantage of playbacks and multiple takes with a producer it just seems a little sloppy and even lazy to allow things to go flat or sharp without going back and fixing the errors. Occasionally such moments can actually be endearing, enhancing the musical experience, but these instances are rare. More often than not it just…sounds bad. And Isaac took issue with the way in which I pointed this out.

I still think Cesium has always and still does make great music. This early material has a much punchier, grittier vocal style making pitch and tuning obsolete issues, for the most part. They’ve refined their sound considerably over the past decade but you should really take the time to appreciate these initial efforts because they really do…rock, in a club/Electro/Industrial/Trance sort of way. I actually prefer this stuff to their more recent output. And the remixes from underground acts like GASR, The Morgen Particle and Dubok are fantastic floorshakers. Also included is the act’s first collaboration with Shear, “Language Without Lies (Assemblage 23 Mix).”

Priced at less than a dollar per song the collection is certainly worth it as there isn’t a poor track in the mix. Sure, five of them are the same song but the differences in the remixes are significant. I had no problem listening to this from beginning to end multiple times. Take advantage of The Fall‘s rise from the ashes. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.