It’s the marketing campaign behind Full Spectrum Dominance, out on Tympanik Audio, that both irritates and appeals to me. I mean, it’s clever and well played even though it’s totally ludicrous. And now Thrussel’s even managed to get Side-Line in on the whole thing.

Some background (in case you skipped the review): in essence, DARPA (the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency), a shadowy government organization, commissioned Thrussell to “produce a recording that reflects the ideals and reality of Vision 2020, a futuristic military strategy program.” DARPA granted him a sizable budget and gave him access to defense installations and personnel the world over in an effort to utilize field recordings and the sounds of sensitive hardware and technology in an effort to weave together a soundtrack reflecting the aims of an undercover Skynet-like organization.

Y’know, puuure bullshit.

DARPA itself is not bullshit. It’s actually a pretty frightening organization. But the rest of it? C’mon. I’ll give Thrussell points for coming up with such a grand sounding scheme. Unfortunately the music is terrible.

Side-Line did an interview with Thrussell that was apparently “censored” by US military authorities. And Side-Line bought into it. So the guy scores some points with me for sticking with this whole thing so diligently and coming across as convincing, to some.

Now if he could only make music as cool as his cover stories.

Their last release, 2009′s Mercury was offered as a free download (which is still accessible here) and they’ve been putting out material for about a decade and a half now so it’s impossible for me to break their output down for you (although Discogs did manage a pretty comprehensive list of their output). On the 22nd of this month Hymen Records is releasing their latest work, Neon, and it’s something those of you with more adventurous tastes should pick up. The press release mentions that its “pulsating sub-bass and acherontic (where did that word come from?!) synth lines induce a multitude of moods (including) aggression, disarray and melancholy.” Yep, sounds like Somatic Responses. This is one to which I’m looking forward. You should be as well, particularly if you were ever a fan of Aphex Twin and Autechre. Early on the act’s material could be pretty spotty but as of late they really seem to have hit their stride and evolved into a consistently satisfying outfit with which you should be familiarizing yourself if you haven’t already.

MIAB’s latest effort is due out at the end of February (early March in the States) and it offers something a little different. Sampling the chip music of old C64 video games and throwing in a few covers such as Last Ninja 3 and Giana Sisters that geeks the world over will no doubt relish, R.E.T.R.O. promises to match kitsch with a hefty portion of cleverness. It eschews the dark and alluring feel of their first three albums for something more playful and fun. But don’t let that turn you away as it still has that Mind.In.A.Box atmosphere that we’ve come to enjoy over the past eight years. Just check out the samples they’ve posted on their website.

Even if you decide to pass on this latest project the act are planning on putting out a proper album later this year that will mark a return to the continuing storyline of the first three releases. MIAB are on the freshly resurrected Dependent Records in Europe and Metropolis Records in the US.

Netherlands-based act Tapage, one of the more prolific artists on the Tympanik Audio label, recently uploaded a YouTube video which shows you how he goes about putting together a loop. It’s eight and a half minutes long. There are no explosions or car chases but it’s interesting nonetheless.

Be sure to check out our review of the latest Tapage release, Fallen Clouds.

The most irritating thing about the track is that the chord progression during the chorus sounds almost exactly like Dead Or Alive’s “You Spin Me Round (Like A Record).” This could be deliberate, but I doubt it. The lyrics have something to do with making Electro music for the underground and seem to be rifled off in a mocking tone. This would make sense as Erickson has relayed some disdain for the club circuit in the past. Yet the song itself is a clubby track. I suppose that’s supposed to be “ironic” or something. It might be considered as such if it was a significantly more worthwhile piece.

What makes this single worth it are not the four largely uninteresting remixes of “Caustic,” nor the reworking of “Killed In Space.” The last two tracks are from the Toxic Coma days, an early Erickson project apart from VAC. “Mental Itch” and “Zombie Sex” actually sound more lively and vital than anything on The Art Of Breaking Apart. Now that is ironic. “Itch” could actually be used by modern DJs as it straddles a line between classic sounding material and a contemporary production feel but “Sex” has a rather bright sound with a lot of silliness throughout and it actually grows quite irritating after a couple minutes.

The Caustic Disco single is available digitally from Metropolis Records.

The band blends romantic, melancholic Weimar poetry with danceable dark electronic music. Basically it sounds like Harsh EBM with occasional fits of angelic female vocals. But they have a “new angle” in that the lyrics are based on classic poetry verses. I mean, that makes it fresh and new, right?

You decide.

“Something I Choose To Ignore” has rapid beats and raw, Punk guitar providing a platform for Zomboy’s impassioned roar. There’s an awkward fade-out at the end that lends an unfinished feel to the song but it does serve as a quick two and a half minute burst of energy to get things going. A little production assistance from The Dark Clan’s Dan Clark makes “Imported Failure” a catchy number, infusing a bit of icy synth melody which compliments the guitar riffing nicely.

Assemblage 23′s Tom Shear did such a great job with the reworking of “Within Silence” on the Intelligence: Revised remix album that he was invited to make another contribution. This time out he handles “Gone” with a surprising amount of restraint but adds a juicy club flair to the track, adding crisp percussion and subtle layering that make it extremely palatable for dance floors. “Rid Of Me” showcases Liebchen one last time with a wispy throwback of a tune that has elements of New Wave combined with power ballad flair. It would have benefited from a little brevity as it gets overly repetitive toward the end but it’s an intriguing experiment that stands apart from all the band’s previous material.

The last track is a live recording of one of their most popular songs, “The World Ends Today,” performed at a show in Madison last year. The sound quality is surprisingly clear and represents a hard working act tirelessly dedicated to providing even more energy in a live context than can be heard on their studio recordings.

Five tracks for five bucks, available in hard copy format only (no digital release), All Things Belong To Us Now is one for the fans as much as it is for those who haven’t yet looked into what XuberX is all about. Preorders are being taken at the Radio-Active site.

That about sums it up. Ambassador21′s latest album is Power Rage (Face Your Future Killers).

So be sure to read I:Scintilla: The DTC Interview and if you don’t already own The Approach and Optics or the Havestar and Prey On You EPs then you should seriously consider picking them up in preparation for their latest batch of electronic-tinged club Rock.

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)