As we mentioned on last week’s podcast, it was by sheer accident that we ended up DJ a Nine Inch Nails tribute party just one day after the release of Bad Witch, Reznor’s new ‘more than an EP, less than an LP’ record. In short, it was a very NIN-centric weekend for the Senior Staff, and that prompted no small amount of discussion of the legacy and discography of the band even as we were spinning highlights and deep cuts from said discography for Vancouver club-goers. Like we’ve said before, we often keep NIN talk somewhat in check on these pages as there’s so much able coverage of (Oscar winner) Trent Reznor’s work elsewhere. That said, Bad Witch interested us in some ways the last few NIN releases didn’t, so expect some further discussion of it in this week’s episode of the podcast. ‘Til then, we have six new tracks to keep you going through the week!
The Life of a Lingua Ignota is always intense
Lingua Ignota, “God Gave Me No Name (Nothing Can Hide From My Flame)”
Lingua Ignota fucked us up with her brief but incredibly intense performance last week. The strength and control over her voice, the sparseness of her material arranged for piano, and blasts of power electronics were all astonishing and incredibly powerful to see. Catch her on tour with The Body, and pick up her All Bitches Die LP which has just been reissued with incredible bonus track “God Gave Me No Name” which you can stream below.
Locked Club feat. RLGN, “Osaka Madness”
Info on (possibly Russian?) producer Locked Club is scant, but their second release in as many years is nothing if not effusive. Full of over-the-top acid and self-consciously lo-fi kicks, the ЛОМАЙ EP is brash and exaggerated for much of its run-time, but things are dialed back a bit for this cool and steady EBM-tinged stormer which weaves just the right amount of melody over some classic and undeniable basslines.
Neon Cities, “In Waves”
We’ve covered Chase Dobson’s work in the electro-industrial and technoid worlds through his Cellar Graves and c.db.sn projects, respectively, but he also has an interest in smoother synth realms via his Neon Cities project. As the name indicates, there’s a heavy synthwave vibe to the new “In Waves” single, but Dobson’s able to bring some silky guitar work – half new wave, half yacht rock – to add some texture and build to the proceedings.
Black Nail Cabaret, “Bête Noire”
Brand new one from Black Nail Cabaret, whose material has been gradually moving towards electropop in recent times. Admittedly the sensuous cabaret elements of their earlier releases can still be heard on the new Bête Noire EP (especially on the track “Lorraine”), thanks in no small part to the elegant and stately vocals of Emese Arvai-Illes. She’s for real one of the most distinctive singers across the board in Our Thing, so getting to hear her sing on any track at all is gonna be a pleasure.
FEAR730, “DownTownDistrict”
More off the wall yet undeniably compelling stuff from Seattle’s Vertex collective. Moving between hardvapor, classic rave, and ambient sounds, FEAR730’s debut Gemma City points to a broader and more holistic approach to electronics than we’ve yet heard from the Chrome Corpse and Night Terrrors camp. Digging how the sparse arrangement on this one allows interesting choices in string and drum sounds to hold sway.
Coldkill vs Kant Kino, “Silent Morning (Original Mix)”
Who else but your dude Rexx Arkana is out here repping 80s synthpop obscurities like Noel’s “Silent Morning” in 2018? For his take on the track Rexx enlisted the help of Norwegian EBMists Kant Kino, and the result is pretty good indeed; latching onto the melancholy of the original but in a nice modern production style. You can hear the whole EP over on Bandcamp, including a couple of tasteful remixes by Solar Fake, Jean-Marc Lederman, and Aeon Rings. That vocoder tho!
