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.

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.

-Brian Eno, Interview with The Guardian, 1-17-10.

I guess I’m always shocked when I hear a musician coming from the standpoint that they’re not making enough money with their music, regardless of the reasons they offer as the causes for their lack of revenue. If you’re not on some major corporate label why would you expect that you can use your music as the primary source for your income? Without a great deal of press – press that goes way beyond pissant little blogs such as ours – you’re never going to have widespread name recognition. And beyond that if you’re making noise Industrial you pretty much have to expect that the audience will be very small. The VAST majority of music listeners like a great melody, a good singing voice and beat that has a definite hook. Maybe that doesn’t sit well with you, and hey – I’m with you. Maybe you want to make instrumental rhythmic noise without melodies and harmonies and have progressive, ever-changing beats and perhaps you feel there should be a wider audience for such music.

Where I come from we have a saying; “Tough shit, asshole.”

Just because you bought all the equipment and learned how to use it, just because you put together a series of tracks and recorded them, just because you manufactured CDs and art-filled booklets to sell to the public does not mean anyone is obligated to buy your shit. There’s this sense of entitlement I’m seeing coming from musicians who seem to think that just because they’ve put an act together and recorded music people must buy their stuff. And they get all pissy and throw out all sorts of scapegoating when there are no – or very few – takers.

Well, guess what? If not many people are buying your stuff you’re probably not very good. That’s the long and short of it right there. And yes, I’m a dick for saying it but refer to the above saying as a reference. Maybe you found some blog to give you a good review and that served as a great ego stroke but when regular people hear your music they pass. Our site reviewed nearly 100 new albums in the past year from a variety of labels. 100 albums within 12 months. And we didn’t even come close to covering all the music that was released in the limited genres we cover. You want to scapegoat? Instead of blaming file sharing and YouTube and such try blaming your peers – all the people out there making and marketing music. They’re the ones making it less likely people will buy your stuff. It really doesn’t matter how big a fan you are of a specific style, buying hundreds of albums within a year’s time is highly unlikely. Just trying to keep all the acts straight is next to impossible.

But it doesn’t just have to mean you’re no good. It could be (and I guarantee you this is the exception, not the rule) that you’re too good and your forward thinking art is a bit much for people to take. Perhaps they’ll eventually catch up to you and there will be success later on but it might not be until after you’ve thrown up your arms and quit in frustration.

Back when I was making music I never expected to build a career out of it. I already had a career as a laborer, one that gave me regular, predictable pay, benefits and even a pension that will ensure I don’t have to work until the day I die. Music was, to me, a hobby. It gave me a chance to flex my creative muscle and “communicate” with people in an abstract way. That was the reward. When we recorded an album we would sell them at shows but we would always put on the back “Unauthorized duplication would be cool” because we recognized that getting our music in as many hands as possible was the key, even if it meant next to nothing in sales.

And I really didn’t want my music to become my career. Music was my art and my art was an expression of life. Once the art becomes your life you lose the capacity to view life in a relatable way to those who might respond to your art. It’s the daily struggles of going to work at the scheduled time every day, dealing with the authority figures hovering over you, paying your bills on time and trying to successfully maintain and nurture relationships with workmates, acquaintances, friends and family that make compelling – and yes, mundane – life experiences which are then expressed in art that speaks to people. Honestly, I’d rather have musicians poor and struggling just like me than gallivanting all over the country or world, climbing out of bed whenever they want and partying/drinking well into the wee hours of every morning. That ain’t real life and once you make it to that point you have no idea what real life is anymore. Hence, your art becomes less vital.

“A working class hero is something to be,” Lennon once sang.

There are going to be artists who won’t be able to accept the new paradigm in music distribution. Some are already threatening to quit since – in their minds – there’s no point in making music if people aren’t going to hand over a ton of money for them to do it. I say good riddance. We have far too many people making music and I’d rather have the people who have a passion for music regardless of financial compensation stick around than those who just want to make a fast buck. I don’t believe the music is going to go away precisely because there are plenty of people who have that passion to express themselves and it doesn’t matter if it doesn’t make them rich and famous. What matters is the art. What matters is what is being expressed. That’s all that is relevant.

So am I saying artists shouldn’t be compensated in some way for what hey offer up for us to enjoy? Hell no. If you take something away from these gifts you should be willing to give something in return. I just don’t think the rewards should be so substantial that they remove the artist from the world that nurtured their art so effectively. That doesn’t adequately serve the purposes of great art.

Oh, and read the rest of the interview with Eno. Brilliant, brilliant man.

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)