And before you dismiss them based on genre affiliation know that they don’t sound like the one dimensional dullards that make up a significant portion of styles such as these. Think early-to-mid Nineties Projekt with less chorus and delay. You can get a small taste at Last.fm. They’re at least worth a few blissful minutes of your time.

Check out the preorder link for a complete tracklisting.

And for you locals, I’m sure you’re champing at the bit for The Sisters Of Mercy live at First Avenue tonight!

The rumor mill has been abuzz about the possibility of a deal with Metropolis records on a collaborative effort with acts from the film but as of yet this is still only a rumor. Catalog have the sort of sound that can be difficult to peg. As I listen to the tracks they have up on their MySpace I grow frustrated because I can make references to a variety of influences yet I can’t say they sound exactly like one other act in particular. And the frustration stems from the fact that the music has such an inherent familiarity that I feel like I should be able to point to one other act and proclaim that, “Catalog sounds exactly like __________.” A solid comparison escapes me. And really, I guess that’s one of the best compliments you can give a band; saying they possess that level of familiarity without coming across as a ripoff of another artist.

In one of their old blog posts they mentioned that they were working on a song called “Martin” that was based on the classic George Romero movie of the same name. They decided to include some guitar on the track and managed to recruit none other than Rikk Agnew, the original guitarist of Christian Death, as well as the Adolescents, 45 Grave, Psychic TV, etc.

I really think you should check them out because it seems to me that the chances are good you’ll be hearing a lot more about them in the coming years and they’re planning a full length CD in early ‘09 so keep your eyes, and ears, open. Their music has a glam polish to it but maintains a dirty feel. The vocals are unassuming and decidedly understated. There is a Punk aesthetic mixed with a modern Techno efficiency. They would be well-matched on a package tour with DTC faves Kloq. Listening to the material they’ve created thus far leads me to believe that once they hit their stride they’ll be leaving a number of other acts breathing the glittering dust in their wake.

Seriously. You should check them out. Now.

Now in EBM, it has seemingly become the new standard — to mimic playing live. It’s always fun to see pictures of bands playing live, and to notice that the keyboard is missing a power plug or an audio or midi cable (and of course there’s the infamous USB cable to nowhere).

But this is a development that’s really confused me, and maybe I’ll write more on performance and the history of electronic music.

(I’m also very impressed by their promo services, as they seem to be the only record label to make their releases available prior to the street date)

The latest offerings off the label are mostly in the range of angsty-club music (see my earlier post on the some of the new-comers). C-lekktor’s debut, “The Silence Procession,” is a hard pounding montage of mexcian-ebm-style club anthems (if you liked Amduscia and Hocico, you’ll really like this release). DYM’s long awaited release, “The Invalid,” is by far the most innovative harsh ebm (aggrotech, terror-ebm, terror banana, etc.) album I’ve heard in a long time. Finally, Wynardtage — a band who’s music I’m not particularly into – is showing a lot of promise with their latest release “The Grey Line.” Wynardtage’s sound seems to be progressing and becoming more interesting, reminding me a lot of some of the classic Wumpscut albums. (I should mention that all of the above releases are available at a very reasonable price).

The video is no longer there but you get the point.

With filesharing having become so prevalent and leaks hitting the internet weeks, sometimes months before an album is released this alleged “magic” is no longer there, according to the guy in the video - which is also no longer there. Our innocence has been robbed of us and this is just another example of how we’ve ruined yet another wonderful tradition of our youthful years - something the kids these days will never understand. *big dramatic sigh*

What a big, steaming pile of horseshit.

The excitement’s still there you twit. Only we no longer have to forgo sleep to wait in some stupid fucking line amongst a bunch of people with whom, given the choice, we would prefer not to “share an experience” anyway. I endured the midnight pre-sale ordeal only once, and that was when Guns N Roses’ Use Your Illusions I & II came out back in September of ‘91. I didn’t have time to listen to both discs anyway because it was already after midnight and I had to get up early for work. I believe my girlfriend at the time actually did stay up to listen to them but it isn’t as though she ever put much effort into life anyway and I left her shortly thereafter. She wasn’t particularly good in bed and her priorities were always out of wack. She took both GNR discs even though I was the one who purchased them that night. The memory of that worthless harpy causes me to seethe.

But I digress.

The excitement of a new release is still there. For those that fileshare, checking the usual online haunts/torrent sites for a leak becomes a ritual, waiting for that fateful moment when someone finally posts the album you’ve been eagerly anticipating. It’s as much a contest for bragging rights now as it ever was, it’s just more personal. If you capture the leak before anyone else you know you become the king of the hill while your friends marvel at your fileshare-fu. If it’s a magnificent release you can quickly copy it off for your friends and they will love you for it. If it’s a complete piece of shit or merely a minor disappointment you can prevent those you know (and yourself) from standing in line to pay for the damned thing. There’s no cause for rehashing the faux-Good ‘Ol Days ridiculousness and no reason to ring for lamentations.

Music was always a crap shoot, waiting in anticipation then laying your money down for an entire album based on the strength of one early single and hoping you would be rewarded for your ten-or-more dollars of investment. NOW you can try before you buy and that puts all the pressure on the artist to excel, not allowing them to rest on their laurels with the hope that the loyal fans will automatically follow along. The excitement is still there but in many ways the experience is even better than it was years ago.

So cut the crap and quit the pointless reminiscing. I don’t miss that leeching little chippy I once dated and I certainly don’t miss standing in line at midnight facing disappointment. I like things just the way they are right now, thankyouverymuch, just as I’m glad I finally found a woman that doesn’t disappoint. Yeah, there are a few of them out there.

   Stop telling me what your influences are. Stop telling me what style you are. Stop writing up your manifestos about how to play the sub-sub-sub genre that only you, and your anonymous pals on the internet, can appreciate. Music categories are created by music journalists with too much time on their hands, and not enough imagination to just write about what they’re hearing.

   Just shut the fuck up, and make some music, monkey.

So what could generate more anticipation than an album 13 years in the making? How about a new The Sisters Of Mercy recording? The act is swinging into town next week for a show at First Avenue and there’s a buzz in the scene about getting to see this classic act in a live setting once again. While they’ve played “new” songs live in the recent past it’s been fifteen years since any fresh material has been put to record. In a new interview with Side-Line lead guitarist Ben Christo made mention of his influence on the newer songs;

“We’re very much involved in writing the new material. I like to think that Chris (Catalyst, guitarist) and I have brought a youthful exuberance to the band. It’s less morose and more energetic.”

The rest of the interview is fairly bland and lacks relevant or revelatory information (like most Side-Line interviews) but the thought of a youthful, energetic version of The Sisters Of Mercy that is “less morose” certainly elicited a chuckle.

Thaaaat’s right ladies. This prime piece of pock-marked, pasty meat is single again!

Anthony Stewart Head is phenomenal at the Repo Man, Nathan. His characterization of the duality between loving father and vicious killer is striking, honing his vocals to embody emotional resonance while dealing with his daughter and hissing vengeance when out for blood. He masterfully personifies the conflicted soul of this entire effort. The number “Legal Assassin” deserves to be ranked among the best moments of Andrew Lloyd Weber’s Jesus Christ Superstar. The masks we wear in an effort to hide our true selves and the ugliness inherent in each of us as humans which masks the pure love we are capable of expressing are themes that lie at the center of this work. The realizations of error always come too late and that is the tragedy inherent in the film. Someone once said, “If you turn on the light quickly enough you can see the dark.” But are we actually quick enough to acknowledge such realization or are we doomed to our own slow-witted responses in the face of instant gratification and selfish desire?

REPO! is a multi-layered musical parable that will most certainly require repeated viewings. It isn’t without flaws and there are times when it overreaches or just suffers from an overdose of ridiculousness. The scenes involving brothers Luigi (Bill Moseley) and Pavi (Nivek Ogre) are often over the top and while the comic relief provides adequate contrast to some of the gruesomeness it sometimes stretches too far. Even so, a number like “Night Surgeon” where many of the principle players are involved is not only musically stirring but performance-wise elevates this from a purely exploitative exercise into an impressive display of inter-related aural expression.

The vocal performances don’t all match up of course and just reading through the list of contributors this would seem obvious. Yet there are surprises. When you include a professional such as Sarah Brightman in your cast you can expect that the untrained singers will obviously be outmatched. Bear in mind, however, that this is a Rock Opera and in Rock music vocal perfection isn’t the goal. The lack of perfection is what lends this project some of its edge. While Paul Sorvino has nearly a couple decades worth of vocal training under his belt, as GeneCo CEO Rotti Largo his frighteningly boisterous vibrato sometimes overpowers his strong tenor range. His performance and that of young actress Alexa Vega as Shilo suffer from being considerably uneven. But when they are strong they really nail it. And that serves as an example of the recurring trade-off in REPO! - at times you may wince but overall there’s a helluva lot to like about the way this film has come together.

Much has been made about Paris Hilton’s involvement in the project. The inclusion of everyone’s favorite tabloid Princess/punching bag seems like as much a slap in the face as it is an example of “stunt casting.” I hate to really piss off those who would have enjoyed seeing her fall flat in this endeavor but she actually manages to hold her own as Largo’s spoiled, surgery-addicted daughter Amber Sweet. While much of the performance doesn’t require a lot in the way of “acting” her singing voice is actually impressive and there are moments when the nuance of her expressions, even under full makeup, encourages empathy. Just keep telling yourself it had more to do with Bousman’s talented Direction and you’ll be fine.

The ending is a bit anti-climactic and there are moments throughout that are a little too cloying but with every tiny misstep the picture responds with a great deal of strength in recovery. REPO! A Genetic Opera is an impressive offering that is more the result of a number of creative minds rather than simply the product of a great Director or brilliant composer or talented actors. It all comes together in a phenomenally impressive manner and after you’ve seen it once you’ll want to see it again which is pretty impressive considering there’s almost no spoken dialogue. There are a number of layers at which to pick and the music has a tendency to stick in your head even if it comes across as too guitar-oriented or Nu-Metalish for the hipster underground crowd (Soundtrack contributors include mainstream artists from Filter and Slipknot as well as much-admired members of Bauhaus/Love and Rockets). Invariably the “stompier-than-thou” types will cry foul (“You got your chocolate in my peanut butter!“) but it isn’t as though you could ever please them anyway. The music is great, the acting resonates emotionally and the Direction is superb while the ideas provoke much to think about. Pretty damn good for a Goth/Industrial rock opera. Great, in fact. I’d say we easily have a new Classic on our hands.