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.

They’ve got a new full length album coming out at the end of February on Metropolis called Change In The Neon Light which will serve as a proper debut in spite of the self-released ’07 EP Into a New Mausoleum. To warm up potential new fans and whet the appetites of established admirers they have presented a new five track single for “Anthem Of A Doomed Youth” which contains that song and another album selection along with three remixes.

Named after a book which compiled poetry from those who served in the first World War, the title track rings with bittersweet guitar and crunchy bass while its companion piece, “Modern Lust,” shimmers with synth and propulsive percussion which serve as the backdrop for an overly familiar sounding chorus.

The three remixes of “Anthem” run the gamut from the bouncy and ebullient “Cheap Speed Remix” to the dramatically slowed down and phasered echo of “No Wave In Hell Remix” to the intriguingly restructured “Gomorrah Remix.” None of the three are particularly memorable and probably won’t serve to make the band much of a presence in the club circuit.

While I could count myself among the crowd that thought at first this was just another pointless retread I have to admit that the more I listen to Veil Veil Vanish the more I like and appreciate what they’re doing. They’re definitely a band to watch and it would seem their wildly growing popularity will make it that much easier to do.

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.

10. :Wumpscut:, Fuckit (Metropolis Records) Rudy Ratzinger has been at the Goth Industrial game for almost 20 years now and his once-pioneering style seemed to hit an apex with 2001’s Wreath Of Barbs, and each release since has gotten progressively more watered down and uninspired-until this year, anyway. Fuckit is a strong album from start to finish, hearkening back to the dank and creepy artistic beginnings while infusing popular Techno synth-lines that are some of the best in the genre recently. Showing that old and new can be mixed to create something great, expect :Wumpscut: to continue to burn dance-floors for years to come.

9. Zeromancer, Sinners International  (Trisol Records) After abruptly breaking up following a successful tour and album in late 2003, it seemed that one of the most promising new Industrial/Glam Rock bands was done before they even really got started. However there were rumors last year Zeromancer were returning, with two singles and a short tour. Early this year the full-length dropped, and it definitely delivered. Blending Metal, Electronica and Emo Rock, Zeromancer have updated and improved their earlier sound to show a softer but no less brutal vocal side and improved electronics to go with the shredding guitars. A very solid start to an underrated band’s return.

8. Epochate, Chronicles of a Dying Era (Metropolis Records) A surprise breakout act this year is Epochate. Composed of Victor Love and Noras Blake, the idea of an Industrial Ambient album seemed a great one, and the execution of it was surprisingly even bolder. The sound is large, booming, and so finely layered with Powernoise elements you have to wonder if your stereo can take the shake. It isn’t Metal, it isn’t Noize, but it’s somewhere in between, and touts an Ambient melodic structure not always appreciated the way it should be. I look forward to hearing and experiencing more and you should too.

7. Prometheus Burning, A plague called huMANity (Crunch Pod)   Mixing  Industrial, Glitch, Ambient, Powernoise, Techno, and some extremely savvy programming into something both harsh and haunting, this duo from Portland, Oregon have come to dominate your mind by way of forceful beats, harshly unsettling vocals and intelligently brutal lyrics. One of  the surprise frontrunners to be on anybody’s must-have list very early this year, it has held up amongst the best of the best since, with its strength in every aspect from song crafting to vocals to layering the madness. To try to describe the sound is almost futile, and so is resisting. Just know that even in the quiet moments of ambience this album has crunch and thump aplenty.

6. Evil Cowards, Covered In Gas, (Metropolis) It’s not often that music being socially angry and sarcastically glib is outright fun (Voltaire and Caustic notwithstanding), but try telling that to Tyler Spencer  (from Electric Six) and William Bates (from Fall On Your Sword.)  Going straight for the jugular lyrically, this brand new side-project has shown that you don’t need to be “dark and spooky” to make an impact. Like I pointed out, this album can be likened to “Monty Python on a horror binge”. But don’t let the flippant tone deceive you, the Rock music itself is very, very solid and even boldly experimental at times. These guys know exactly what buttons to push, and that makes this an album you must own.

5. Assemblage 23, Compass, (Metropolis)   In order to survive in a niche market for any length of time, you must constantly adapt your sound or eventually you will be forgotten by the pathetically short-attention-spanned fans. Seattle’s Tom Shear (Assemblage 23) has been one of the most constantly evolving Electronic artists over time, and Compass is a masterpiece. Blending elements from Electronica, Rock, Techno, Synthpop and Post-Punk into a cohesive and powerful whole is no easy task but that’s what he has done here. This album not only pushes the boundaries of what electronic music can achieve but also straddles the fine line between club staple and listening experience almost perfectly.

4. VNV Nation, Of Faith, Power and Glory (Anachron America)  The juggernaut duo of Marc Jackson and Ronan Harris have been experimenting with their own brand of Synthpop since 1995, adding Dance and Rock elements with varying degrees of success over time. It’s almost as if they are trying to perfect a recipe of sound. While every CD has gotten them closer to something, no one had any idea quite what the end result could be. Having decided to release Of Faith, Power and Glory on their own label has allowed them to put the various pieces together the way they want, and the result is their most complete yet: A perfect balance of Pop, Rock, and Dark Electronica that absolutely soars with intensity.

3. Din {A} Tod, Westwerk, (Out Of Line) With so many bands lately unwilling to take any kind of musical risk, the bands that do stand out in a crowded field. In a year full of both great surprises and disappointments, Din {A} Tod caught my attention early on with their sophomore set, and as the year went along I found myself enjoying it more and more. It is a work-in-progress Electro-Rock album [They remind me a bit of Joy Division], but what is amazing is how well they do with the minimalist experimental approach. As an added bonus, the whole trip is relatively short so you can dissect and digest it better. The future is bright for this act, so check them out already.

2. Julien-K, Death To Analog, (Metropolis)   When a band can blur the lines between predetermined genres with skill alone you know they are doing something right. Whether to call this Electro-Rock or just Electronica is splitting hairs, but the party and club vibes emanate from every note on every track. The whole experience has mega-hit written into every boom, clank, buzz and warble. The merging of mainstream Pop-Rock and modern underground Electronica begins right here. Delivers the six years’ worth of hype and more.

1. The Prodigy, Invaders Must Die,   Proving once again why they are considered legends in the dance-oriented Electronica movement of the 1990’s, The U.K.’s The Prodigy started this year off  in overblown style and have never looked back. Going forward (backward?) with a focus on sprawling Rave hooks and crunchy Industrial beats meant to played as loud as possible, this is by far and away their strongest album from beginning to end. They have created an epic dance record that you simply can’t escape. Unlike other artists on this list they have gone back to their strongest suit, and simply do what they have always done (make you move your ass), only they do it better.

…And there a metric ton of albums that, for minor reasons, didn’t make my list but would make anyone else’s, like:  Noisuf-X,  Velvet Acid Christ, Yendri, Caustic, Babyland, Seabound, Dope Stars Inc.,  Rotersand, NoLongerHuman, Herschlag, Uberbyte, and Combichrist.

Plus, coming in January we start next year off with the debut of Veil Veil Vanish, an EP by Grendel, new full-lengths from Liquid Divine and XP8, and the long-awaited Suicide Commando, among other things. No rest for the wicked, I tell ya…

Tracklist is as follows:

1.)  Halloween ‘09
2.)  The Ones Who Walk At Night
3.)  The Darkness (Darker Mix by Komor Kommando)
4.)  I Want It (IVardensphere Mix)
5.)  Gonna Getcha (Drone Remix)
6.)  From Below
7.)  Creepy Crawler (Dirty Whore Mix by Virtual Terrorist)
8.)  Bleeder (Industrial Strength Mix by Seb ‘O’ Tron 2000b)
9.)  The Darkness (Demo Version)

Electronic Saviors: Industrial Music To Cure Cancer seems like a bit of a self-serving title but hey, you get a shitload of new music for an incredibly low price and the money goes to a good cause. Win win.

And I’ve been burned countless times. Not all the purchases I’ve made have been worth the price.

So the furor over file-sharing tends to get lost on me. It’s not that I refuse to be sympathetic with the artists. Look at what I do here. I spend a great deal of my free time actively promoting the works of people I don’t even know. I don’t openly advocate that you obtain this music for free. I want you to buy it, particularly if it’s actually really good. I want you to support the artists that are worthy of financial support. I’m an admitted music junkie and I openly confess that I’ve downloaded albums. I have engaged in what some would have you believe is the single greatest threat to music. If not for this new scourge artists and labels would still be able to support themselves and move out of Mom’s house.

Except that this isn’t a new phenomenon. Not by a long shot.

Decades before I participated in file sharing I found a way to hear music for free. We called it “dubbing” back in the day. I would take a friend’s cassette tape and copy it with a dual cassette deck. This way my friend could keep his or her cassette and I would also be able to listen to the album away from him or her. I didn’t do it because I wanted to screw the artist or the label. I didn’t have any sort of malicious intent. I did it because I loved the music and I didn’t have any money to give them. Any way you slice it neither the artist or the label was going to get my cash because there was none for me to give. Yet I was able to hear the music and develop into a “fan.” As a “fan” when I did get money I was able to spend it on concert tickets to see the artist and even buy merchandise. And as an ersatz collector I eventually purchased a copy of the album as well. If you’re as old as I am – or older – you’ll remember the cries in periodicals and on the streets that, “Home taping is killing music!” Note that it most certainly did not. The RIAA even lobbied congress for a high tax on blank cassettes in an effort to turn that shit around and make it work for them.

Later in life I struggled with things like rent and food. As such I couldn’t spend a lot of money on my love. The full price of a CD was exorbitant to my tiny budget. Yet I managed to collect the music I adored while at the same time preventing the artist from receiving any money. Again, this wasn’t out of moral turpitude. I wanted the music but couldn’t afford its steep price. So I would look for the album in the used CD section of my local record store. The prices were often slashed by two thirds and I didn’t feel any guilt over the practice especially since many albums I purchased, either new or used, had a number of songs I just didn’t like. When you spend, say, fifteen dollars on a CD with ten tracks on it that comes to $1.50 a track. After listening to it repeatedly you figure out that, in your estimation, only four tracks are particularly good and when you listen to the CD you skip over all the other tracks. In essence you were screwed out of nine dollars. No, seriously. Many view it as such. You might be able to sell off the CD to a used store but they only give you a couple bucks for it. Any way you look at it you didn’t get your money’s worth. You lost money on the deal.

This has been going on for as long as music has been packaged and sold. Hell, the whole debate on property, “intellectual” or otherwise, has been bandied about for a couple hundred years. You should read what Thomas Jefferson had to say about how the rights of the “inventor” shouldn’t be so all-encompassing and relate it back to this “intellectual” property nonsense. So now, along comes the internet and you no longer have to depend on personal friends or disgruntled consumers to provide you with music. You can find it online, download it and “try it before you buy it,” at a higher quality than a dubbed cassette even! Granted, it’s not always of the highest quality but it’s enough to get a good idea if the music is actually worth it. The consumer is no longer the victim of the moderately or occasionally talented artist. Some have even argued that “Creativity depends upon the owners of creativity having less than perfect control”. The fact is the consumer has been the victim of dishonest or unethical business practices within the music industry for decades. An album is released with the fanfare of a couple hit singles. The consumer is led to believe that the album is a real gem based on these singles. The album is purchased and it is discovered that these two singles are the only worthwhile tracks on the whole album. That’s like being tricked into buying a car with a fresh new paint job only to have it die on you a couple hundred miles after you take it home because the engine was never maintained. But just as you can take a prospective auto purchase for a test run and even pull it into a mechanic’s shop for the once-over before purchasing it you can also let an album grow on you before you commit to buying it. That only seems reasonable. It’s fair.

How many albums do you own that are filled with tracks you love? Be honest. And how many CDs contain multiple songs you skip over because they just aren’t as good as some of the others on the album? Obviously the artist felt the songs were good because he or she put them on the album. But the artist was wrong and the “product” is actually inferior. Yet just as there was no malicious intent on the artist’s part to screw the listener/fan out some hard-earned cash the music admirers out there have grown weary of feeling screwed and now have the means to easily rectify the situation. This isn’t an evil, destructive thing. In reality it’s empowering to the avid music listener/consumer. And it should serve as a wake-up call to the artist to be more selective about any album you assemble. It should also be a warning to the labels. If an artist provides you with what you believe is a substandard selection of songs you are certainly well within your right to decline putting it out. If the artist feels you are in error they can always go elsewhere or release their music independently. Music fans now get to judge whether or not a CD has any value before purchasing it. If the value isn’t worth the price in the mind of the consumer then the consumer isn’t going to waste the money. If Cevin Key pulls all his scabs then places them in a plastic baggie and puts it up on ebay it might actually get some bids. Hell, it might sell for a few hundred dollars. You might think that’s crazy but that would be the “worth” of his bag of scabs because someone was willing to pay that price. If someone isn’t willing to pay fifteen dollars for your CD after hearing it then guess what? Your CD ain’t worth fifteen dollars no matter how much you may protest. It simply does not have that level of value in the mind of the consumer.

Music is no longer subject to Caveat Emptor. It’s time for the artists and labels to realize this and either put up or shut up because file sharing isn’t going to go away no matter how much you whine, piss and moan. In fact, the MORE you whine, piss and moan the more you’re going to turn off/alienate your audience. I hear both artists and those running labels/imprints actually putting down their prospective audience, saying that they’re freeloaders and just want everything for free. What a brilliant way to get people to buy from you! [/sarcasm] Even if someone figured out a way to eliminate file sharing completely I’m pretty certain you wouldn’t see any uptick in album sales.

Learn from the past. When Garth Brooks railed against used CD sales cutting into his profits back in the early Nineties his fan base revolted. When Metallica’s Lars Ulrich railed against Napster in the mid-Nineties the fans revolted. So you think that wailing like a bitch about file sharing is somehow going to endear you to your audience? Are you really so daft?! You’re in the wrong business. If anything, file sharing is going to weed out the people who shouldn’t be creating and marketing music. Music will always be there. Music will survive. But if you aren’t capable of adapting to the market you’re going to fail and no amount of whining or scapegoating is going to matter one. goddamn. bit. And the best way to adapt to the new market is to be better at what you do. Be better than everyone else because there are a ridiculous number of people out there doing just what you’re doing and vying for all that money floating around out there.

But I’m not just going to sit here and rail at the artists and labels. As with anything there invariably are people who abuse a system. There are people who download everything and buy nothing. I don’t like those people. Just as I don’t like it when I hear people complain about high ticket prices or the prices of shirts at concerts. If you like an artist you should be willing to support the artist. But I’m not going to demonize everyone who has downloaded albums because I understand. These days you want to be sure you’re not spending your money frivolously. In my interview with ESA’s Jamie Blacker I asked him his opinion on file sharing. It angers him. And what he stated was “I think that there are enough sites out there which make available a platform to sample what a band or artist has to offer. With this in mind, there is no excuse for illegal downloading and file sharing.” I would have to respectfully disagree. While some artists will actually put their entire new album up for streaming on MySpace before the release most do not. Whether I visit a band’s webpage, their MySpace, the label’s site, etc. I typically get to hear only a couple tracks and sometimes just friggin’ snippets of tracks. Hey, this is okay if you’re offering songs on a track by track MP3 basis. I’ll just buy those songs. But I’m not going to dive in headlong anymore for an unproven act who has two really damn good songs on their MySpace page and a CD full of filler of which I was not aware. As I stated earlier I’ve been burned too many times. And even if all your music is up online the speakers on my computer aren’t nearly as good as those on my stereo in the other room and you’ve compressed the shit out of the music to post it anyway.

So what prompted this rant? Back when I made a post entitled You’re Killing The Music I got a large number of responses in favor of what I had to say. There was one respondent, however, whose tone stuck in my craw. And one thing in particular that was stated irked me to no end. In response to my suggestion that people should be making mix CDs for their friends to introduce them to new music this individual’s retort was, “YEA! that’s real legal!”

Seriously? That’s what it’s come down to? You are so vociferous in your aim to ensure no one puts one of your songs on a blank CD that you’re going to go after someone innocently trying to build your name and promote your product. THIS is why I’m so angry. Every time I hear someone go off about file sharing it just seems like they don’t get it. They liken it to “stealing” when that seems a questionable metaphor for what’s actually going on especially given the dubious arguments regarding “intellectual property.” If I walk into a store and steal your CD then I’m guilty of stealing it. If I make a rip of the intangible melodies on the physical CD I’m just not convinced that’s stealing because if I like it I buy the CD and if I don’t it gets flushed.

Fortunately there are some artists coming around and recognizing the potential file sharing offers and embracing it rather than continue to fight a battle they’ll never win. That’s called good foresight and great business sense. A couple of these artists have even stated that albums aren’t the way to go for them and they’ll be offering releases on a song-by-song basis. For these particular artists I think that’s a wise decision since their albums did have plenty of filler, sad to say. A number of acts have offered their releases with the “suggested donation” route and came away with more money than they made on their previous CD release. I’m conflicted about the waning influence of CD sales. I like having the physical manifestation of the music, the booklet, the lyrics, the artwork, etc. Although it’s getting really difficult to accommodate the sheer volume of albums I own with the limited space in my home. I don’t think a physical medium like the CD is ever going to disappear completely but I’d say that within the next ten years it’s going to be reduced to the sort of relic status only die hard collectors hold onto, just like with vinyl.

The bottom line is that you can’t stop what’s happened. And if your perspective is such that you think you would be selling twice the amount of albums if it weren’t for file sharing I would again have to respectfully disagree. Especially when it comes to Industrial, EBM, or any of the darker, electronic sub-and-microgenres the overall “scene” has shrunk, people are much thriftier these days and there is so much music coming out that it’s almost impossible to keep up. We struggle with it here all the time, trying to maintain the reviews page in a timely manner and occasionally getting buried, literally, by all the new material to review. In spite of all the cries and rants about how file sharing is killing music it’s insane how much new music is constantly being put out there for such a small, niche pool of customers.

A recent independent British poll resulted in an astonishing conclusion: people who regularly download music actually buy more music than anyone else. And you know what? That only makes sense. In these frugal times music junkies like myself, who still devote a good deal of income to this habit, have to be more selective in what we choose to do with our money yet we still spend the money when we find something of value. I do believe that those of us who can’t get enough music – in particular those of us with these less popular genre tastes – are even more loyal and dedicated to supporting the artists we appreciate. So I reject the assertion that it’s file sharing that is making it more difficult for you to sell CDs. In fact there have been many studies done recently, most of which suggested there are so many more factors involved in the perceived decline in sales and if you’re at all business savvy you’ll quit with the pointless scapegoating and start moving forward with some fresh new ideas and strategies.

1. Feindflug “Wintergedanken (Spekulatius Mix)”
2. Hioctan “Hava Nagila”
3. Dandelion Wine “I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas”
4. + 5. Tyske Ludder “Fairytale Of New York” + “Fairytale Of The North”
6. killedbycandy “Cinnamon”
7. Atomic Neon & 6.6.6 feat. Angel Of Night “We Die At Christmas (Rio Black Mix)”
8. Oil 10 “Christmas Machine”
9. Die Perlen “Ohne Strom Kein Weihnachtsmarkt”
10. Jabberwock “xparty (xmas xceptional version)”
11. DYM “Little Drummer Boy”
12. Panic Lift “Hourglass”
13. This Vale of Tears “Frozen Zone”
14. Novalis deux “Halleluja (live)”
15. Plane To Pia “Tausend Sterne sind ein Dom”
16. The Pussybats feat. Meli (Livid Halcyon) “A Wish”

I suppose there are dark and festive types who are going to want this in their collection and I would refer them to this site to preorder the monstrosity. I’d also recommend heading over to DYM’s MySpace to hear what they did to “Little Drummer Boy.” I’m sure that more than a few of you will really dig it.

This time out there’s definitely more of a rock vibe than an electro pop w/guitar feel from what I’ve heard. That’s probably due to the production talents of David “Evil D” Vincent (Morbid Angel) and Scott Humphrey (Motley Crue, Rob Zombie, Ozzy Osbourne). Fret not however as the album still seems to have plenty of throb and stomp.

Most people have a take ‘em or leave ‘em attitude regarding this act and, to be honest, I typically leave ‘em. But they’re always fun to see live so be looking for them to hit your town soon.

I really dig Puscifer. And the video is alright too. It was directed by Meats Meier.

Tracklist for the EP:
1. Polar Bear
2. The Mission (Renholder Mix) (feat. Milla Jovovich)
3. Momma Sed (Alive @ Club Nokia)
4. Vagina Mine (Alive @ Club Nokia)
5. Potions (Deliverance Mix)
6. The Humbling River