As unlikely as it may seem, this is the last Tracks post we’ll be making in the year of our lord 2013. It may seem a bit early for that, but the way the upcoming holidays fall and the end of year coverage we have on deck have basically made it a necessity. That means that when we come back from break (we take the week between the 25th and Jan 2nd off) we’ll have all kinds of new songs for y’all to hear. In the meantime, check out what’s on deck right now, and thanks for joining us every Monday, it’s been a great year!
Disagreements over the year-end lists are hashed out by the staff "Amok Time" style.
Komor Kommando, “Servus Pulsu”
We first heard this number during a Komor Kommando soundcheck at Vancouver’s Madhaus, where it stopped both of us dead in our tracks. Y’all know that Seb Komor is one of the great programmer/producer talents in the industrial end of Our Thing, but we wouldn’t necessarily have guessed how well his skills in that department would map onto orchestral sounds so well. If you nab the new Hail the Rhythm EP you’ll also get the Symphonic version of the track, which wouldn’t sound out of place on an In the Nursery joint or the soundtrack to some kinda sci-fi-sword-n-sorcery flick. We have it on good authority that the new KK album is well on it’s way, keep your eyes on this spot for more news as it becomes available.
Phil Western, “darling…”
Speaking of Vancouver-based knob-twiddlers… A couple of weeks ago we talked a bit about Phil Western’s work, both within and without Download. The title track from a new EP released just yesterday hearkens back to the psych-rock touched Dark Features which we discussed, but has a very contemporary grinding darkness that brings DSX and //TENSE// to mind as well. A nice look.
Object, “Halcyon Days”
German true-schooler Andreas Malik’s embarking on a trawl through the archives of Object, his long-standing electro-industrial act. There will apparently be three by-donation digital comps, with the first having just gone up on Bandcamp. Bit of a more melodic tinge to this cut specifically, but should still resonate with anyone who still lights a candle for Zoth Ommog.
[de:ad:cibel], “Solar Plexus”
Our exposure to the music of [de:ad:cibel] has been kind of limited (although we’ve been bumping “Too Tired to Consume” for a couple years now), although what we’ve heard has made an impression. Something about the Laibach-esque vocal stylings mixed with plodding EBM and tickles us just right. Their most recent album Globalized dropped in November, but this track will be released as a remix single this week. Hopefully we’ll get a chance to check it out in the new year.
Underfelt, “Everybody Has Nightmares”
Your boy Réal Cardinal of Comaduster fame is a man of many talents. Outside of the mighty mixture of IDM, bass music and industrial that is his main outlet, he also has an interest in the darker side of dubstep, a flavour we associate with acts like Kode9 and Burial (as opposed to the kind you hear in car commercials and video game trailers). Dig the weird alien sound design and the dusty, dusky crackle that fills in the space between those super deep kicks and bass sweeps. Haunted space station music for days over here.
Lola Kumtus, “Everybody Must Be Like Me”
Finally, a quick blast of Neue Deutsch Welle weirdness from German experimental label Kernkrach’s new comp. Featuring 80s-inspired bleeps of all sorts (including some from Zex Model), Mythical Tapes is a concise but intriguing statement from a long-running label we’ve only recently become aware of.
