In many ways, 2009 has been the year of disappointment and let down. This also seems to be true in industrial(etc.) music. Maybe I just haven’t been keeping track, but I just haven’t heard that much music that I liked. Long awaited new releases were either let-downs or just okay. Then it just seems more and more annoying terror-banana keeps coming down the conveyer belt. But there have been a few albums that did catch my attention.

Steinkind – Galle, Gift Und Größenwahn (Vail Records)
This band takes on the “old-school” ebm (see: D.A.F) sound that has been coming back into fashion. However, their spin on it has much better production quality, and they throw in a fair array of sounds too keep you interested (they also do catchy hooks, if you’re into that sort of thing). So just imagine a loud bassline and angry German chant-like shouting. It’s a fun album.

Marching Dynamics – Workers Party of Haiti (Hymen Records)
This was my by favorite album of the year. As IDM is slowly formulated to do nothing but gratuitously elicit an emotional response, this album strongly stands out. You won’t find that many warm-womb-occupying sounds here. Instead the album incorporates a wide dynamic range of awkward sounds and themes. If you’ve got nothing better to do on a Saturday night, have a few drinks and crank this album up –- it’ll put you in a better mood.

Synapscape – Again (Ant Zen)
I guess in my opinion, this was my favorite club-friendly album of the year (though I don’t think I ever heard any of these tracks in a club). To my ear it sounds like very distorted synth-pop. The power noise legends seem to be getting better and better with every release. You should take the effort to discern the lyrical content, trust me.

Gothsicles – Sega Lugosis Dead (WTII Records)
This might be the feel good album of the year. While listening, you just have to check your pretentious standards at the door. The video game themes have been partially abandoned, covering more pressing issues like being one of the only people on the dancefloor in the club, hating the sun, and lead singers of bands owing you money for speeding tickets. It’s catchy, even if does sound campy as hell.

Synth_etik – Waiting For the Rapture (Hands Productions)
At first, I was mildly disappointed by this release. The lines between Synth_etik and Totakeke, Frank Mokros’s other project, are slowly blurring. I was expecting something more hard-edged and crunchier. But this is more of a moodier album, which needs to be listened through from start to finish. It has an epic theme that flows through out the whole damn thing.

Funker Vogt – Warzone (Metropolis Records)
I’m not sure why I like this live album. I spent a large bulk of my life disliking Funker Vogt, but as of recently, they seem to sound great. As far as the live aspect… well, take all your favorite Funker Vogt songs, add some surf guitar riffs (hard-panned left), and girls-gone-wild screaming samples (hard-panned right). I realize that may not be a shouting appraisal, but I can’t stop listening to this album.

Disharmony – Evolution (Tympanik Records)
I’ve been waiting for this album for a long time. Tympanik released a great remix cd by them last year, and this is finally the new release. This will appeal to those that really liked Skinny Puppy’s “Back and Forth” V.3.

End – Dangerous Class (Hymen Records)
This is the fun album of the year. It’s a mix of 50’s rock and breakcore, with various references to bad sexploitation films and psychedelics. It shows you that having a bad attitude can still mean having a good time.

Nitzer Ebb – Industrial Complex (Artist Addiction Records)
I was surprised as hell by this. I wasn’t expecting much from a new Nitzer Ebb album, but this album should have been released a long time ago. Most of the songs maintain a fidelity to the old formula, of strong bassline and McCarthy shouting about god knows what (though he does more vocalizing on this album then I’m used to). The lyrics still have that ad-lib feel to them that we all know and love.

Mommy Hurt My Head – Mommy Hurt My Head (Progress Productions)
Remember what we use to call “dark electro” in the late 90s? Maybe not… but if you enjoyed all those 90s FLA releases, you’ll love this album. One of the members was also formally in Arzt+Pfusch. So if you miss the way industrial (etc.) sounded before everything turned into trance with gremlin vocals, check out this release.

Heimstatt Yipotash – Urban Night Motifs (Hands Productions)
This is the one solid power noise release on this list. It very much sticks to the old formula of over-compressed heavy beats, without getting into any fancy sounds. There’s a few ear-catching samples, but otherwise the album just make your body convulse (that’s a good thing, in my book).

Cervello Elettronico – Process of Elimination (Crunch Pod Media)
I wrote this list about 3 weeks ago, but decided to let it sit so I can think of more stuff to add. After considering it, this is the only album I added. I didn’t really like CE’s first album, which I had high hopes for. But while this album takes a very similar formula, something about it just sounds better. This is just a speculation, but maybe the low ends sound better on this release. Regardless, it’s a great album of catchy non-lyrical dance music. It’s kind of trancey, a bit hard-edged, but at the same time it has it’s own refined sound.

Oniric – Cabaret Syndrome (Caustic Records)
I guess this is the oddest choice on this whole list. Maybe I’m in an odd mood, but this album isn’t electronic at all. It’s a mix of weird folky-cabaretlike (?) ballads, with lots of real instrument sounds, and some female vocals. Quite a few of songs incorporate accordion, which is in my opinion the most under-rated instrument ever. Musically it reminds me a lot of mid-era Nick Cave.

There’s plenty of stuff that I haven’t gotten around to hearing, which may make next year’s list. Tympanik just put out a smattering of new releases, all of which look pretty interesting. I also look forward to hearing their latest installment of the “Emerging Organisms” series, which I lovingly dub the Pure Moods of the industrial (etc) scene. There’s a new Suicide Commando album… but don’t hold your breath for that being anything that you haven’t already heard before.

(as a short footnote: Pow(d)er Pussy’s long-awaited second album Takenoprisoners, is nowhere near as enjoyable as the last one, but it’s still a pretty fun album… though I’m a bit disappointed that they stopped using those damn sexy portamento bass slides)