With Alex on his way to Italy (while listening to a non-stop loop of PWEI’s “Touched by the Hand of Cicciolina” no doubt), it falls to Bruce to watch over this ol’ blog for a few weeks. Will that change much for you, the faithful reader? Probably not that much, although you may see fewer glowing references to our lord and saviour Chris Pohl, and a few more lengthy and introspective takes on exactly which Cure live bootlegs have the best version of “Push” listen to while you stare catatonically at pictures of yourself from high school. Will you even notice a shift? Chances are no, but just in case, here’s an all-Alex Tracks to hold you down ’til he gets back.

M Ax Noi Mach can't remember where he parked his car

M Ax Noi Mach, “Walking at Night”
Philly tape-scene maven Robert Francisco pops back up with something new in the lead-up to his new LP On The Edge. Known for his work in power electronics and noise, this vibe seems a lot closer to the lo-fi-Dirk Ivens vibe we’ve been hearing crop up over the last year and a half or so. It’s still plenty crunchy though, the static threatening to completely subsume all other sounds present in the song. Check the video, and then maybe consider a good ol’ Bandcamp pre-order.

GoFight, “Gay on the Dancefloor (Denmark Leaether Strip remix)”
If you listened to Jim Marcus’ GoFight album from 2015 Napalm Baby, it’s likely you’ll remember “Gay on the Dancefloor”, a fun electrosleez number with a heaping dose of the tongue and cheek sensibility that has defined the project’s output. Upping the ante on that front is this new remix from Uncle Claus Larsen of Leaether Strip fame, a dude who we figure might have some experience in the matters discussed in the song’s lyrics (and then some). Get yer electrosleez on, and pick up the digital single with additional mixes by Cyanotic and Beauty Queen Autopsy.

Brutes, “Darkened Place”
Something new from our hometown, the debut single from dark electronic trio Brutes. Right in our wheelhouse, this track has plenty of grit, psychedelic swirl and bubbling bass to keep us intrigued while we wait to catch them live the first time. Coincidentally that’ll be at Verboden 2016, the upcoming Vancouver dark music gathering we’ve mentioned a few times. Keen to see what shakes out with these cats, another fine addition to what is on the real turning into one of North America’s best dark music scenes.

Ganser, “Audrey”
Speaking of Verboden and bands we will get to see there, we’re quite keen on the opportunity to check out Ganser, a Chicago outfit with a pretty interesting take on swirly postpunk. Their latest single “Audrey” is a head turner if you like a bit of the old gothic chorus pedal and darkwave synthpads in the mix. Processional yet drifting and unearthly, “Audrey” is a good omen for their forthcoming 3-track tape of the same name.

Blutengel, “Children of the Night (reworked)”
Who would have known that this new (reworked old) Blutengel song would spark another round of THE GREAT DEBATE? Okay fine, so maybe you didn’t need a crystal ball to see that one coming, but even we need to wonder how far this thing will go, and how deeply the website will be torn apart by it. If any of this is a mystery to you, then you should go listen to that podcast. Or don’t, and just enjoy some of this fine German cheese; both are valid options.