Album a Day (EP Edition): Emilie Autumn - Girls Just Wanna Have Fun & Bohemian Rhapsody Double Feature EP

No slam on Lady Gaga, but those in the Goth/Industrial scene know that what Gaga is doing is basically what artists in their realm have been doing for years. In fact, I'd say the "real" Lady Gaga is someone closer to the scene's own Emilie Autumn who has been pushing the boundaries for years and displays the level of talent that Gaga showed on Saturday Night Live (when she turned off the techno and just sang with a piano) on a constant basis. This isn't to say I'd like to compare Emilie Autumn to Lady Gaga as I think it should be the other way around since Autumn is certainly the more talented of the two. Emilie Autumn was labeled a prodigy at age 9 and left music school at 14 because of disagreements with the school over her non-traditional ways, showing her early penchant for rule-breaking that is displayed on this wonderful EP. Normally an established artist like Autumn might release a cover as a b-side or the main track on a single but with a few original tracks. While there are a few originals here (and good ones at that), Autumn puts two covers at the forefront of the disc with Cyndi Lauper's Girls Just Wanna Have Fun and Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody, and just for kicks there's also a third cover in the form a live version of The Smiths' Asleep. Both of the main cover songs on the album are really good and I love the bold choice that Autumn makes by covering two songs that are not only popular but so closely associated with the artists that originally played them that ot only can it be risky to attempt but in the case of Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody just technically challenging to play. Though Bohemian Rhapsody is the more difficult of the two, Autumn really shows off her vocal skills when belting out the main chorus of Girls Just Wanna Have Fun. You do begin to wonder why the choice of these covers. I think in the case of Girls Just Wanna Have fun it makes plenty of sense given Autumn's love affair with music and just wanting to be able to do it on her own terms. I suppose you could also point to Bohemian Rhapsody for the similar qualities that Autumn likes in her own music including classical elements, lyrical showmanship, etc but I think there's also something in the lyrical content that drew Autumn in (perhaps something worth exploring in a future interview were that to happen). In addition to the original cover of the Lauper classic there are four remixes with the standouts being the Asylum Remix by Inkydust and the Teatime Remix by Autumn herself. Both versions give the song more of traditional club feel which can be nice just for throwing down if you're DJing. Both versions are good but I lean more towards the Autumn remix because of the great snare drum about two-thirds of the way through the song. I'm not a huge fan of the live Smiths cover just because its so short that don't really have time to get in to it but I think it serves well as an intro to the live original song, Mad Girl, that follows it. These two tracks probably should have been one similar to the Suffer The Little Children/Hell Is For Children medley from Pat Benatar's "Live on Earth" album. The other original song on the album, Gentleman Aren't Nice, is a really great quintessential cabaret song from Autumn and is a nice counter-point to girls just wanting to have fun (a good note to end on). Favorite Tracks: Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, Bohemian Rhapsody, Mad Girl (Live), Girls Just Wanna Have Fun (Teatime Remix by EA), Girls Just Wanna Have Fun (Asylum Remix by Inkydust), and Gentlemen Aren't Nice

Album a Day: Shiv-R - Hold My Hand

Certain countries are better at particular kinds of music than others. Typically one would associate Industrial with The United States, Canada, or Germany (though it should be noted there is some kick-ass industrial in Japan as well) so I was quite surprised when I was sent a few CDs from Australia back in 2003. At first the only releases I saw were from a small label by the name of Ground-Under Productions. I was really surprised when I heard that these bands sounded similar to several bands that were more popular in the states. A band by the name of Resurrection Eve sounded a lot like a VNV Nation or Assemblage 23 whereas another band, Stark, sounded reminiscent of Rudy Ratzinger's Wumpscut. In time I stopped hearing from GUP and I was afraid I couldn't get my Australia Dark-Electro fix. Eventually I was contacted by another label, Crash Frequency when they put our their first release, Australian Independent Electro Vol. 1. This compilation featured some familiar bands like the aforementioned Resurrection Eve and darkwave pioneers Ikon alongside some really cool bands I had never heard of like Tankt, Angelspit, Angel Theory, and The Crystalline Effect. Continuing the trend of Australian-dopplegangers, The Crystalline Effect sounded a lot like a more manic version of Collide. Cut to 2010 where the American Industrial scene is just beginning to catch-up with yours truly as Angelspit has become a club staple and now Metropolis has released the debut collaborative album, Hold My Hand, between Stark's Lee Bulig and The Crystalline Effect's Pete Crane together as Shiv-R. Though the two have aided each other for the better part of a decade, this follow-up to their 2008 EP Parasite is the first full-length collaboration between two of Australia's veteran underground musicians. Though as important as these men have been to Australia, the album was constructed with Crane in London, England and Bulig working out of Bangkok, Thailand, which certainly speaks volumes about the creative process in relation to technology in 2010 and also puts an interesting twist on the inspiration behind the work. This album is a really solid effort that displays both artists' talents while maintaining a cohesive new sound that is basically what you would expect from both of these men. The disc moves well and my only critique is that I found the tracks without vocals (mostly found in the middle of the album) slightly less interesting than those with, but even then I still thought all of the tracks had club appeal as well as just enjoyable to listen to (if you find electro-industrial fun to listen to like I do). The real stand-out track is Blood Spatter which I could easily see the Combichrist-crowd falling in love with. I also love the photographic-booklet-artwork by Matthew Burgess that should be appreciated by any fetish-enthusiast. Favorite Tracks: Buried, The End (Pt. 1), Corruption, Blood Splatter, Taste, and Open My Vein

Album a Day (Digital/Solo Edition): Amanda Palmer - Do You Swear To Tell The Truth The Whole Truth And Nothing But The Truth So Help Your Black Ass

Goodbyes are difficult, and often times certain relationships just don't want to end in spite of the fact that its obvious to everyone that at least one side stopped trying a long time ago. Of course I'm speaking about Amanda Palmer relationship with Roadrunner Records. Originally Palmer's band The Dresden Dolls and Roadrunner had a good relationship which Palmer details in a letter written to the label just after her release in April, but Palmer goes on to explain that things when sour around 2006 with the released of their second album, Yes, Virginia..., which was given very little support by a label that once helped pay for significant promotion, international touring, and helped transition The Dresden Dolls from a local Boston act to something far bigger. Go ahead, ask a friend if they know who The Dresden Dolls are and they'll tell you they've at least heard of them. Well when your label stops promoting you and tells you to please hide your belly because its unpleasant to look at (which Roadrunner allegedly did in response to Amanda Palmer's music video for Leeds United, prompting an online uprising by the AFP-fanbase) that might be a cause for wanting to end that relationship, something that took two years to accomplish. In celebration of her release in April, Palmer digitally released the song Do You Swear To Tell The Truth The Whole Truth And Nothing But The Truth So Help Your Black Ass to her fans via her website for free (though asking for any donations in appreciation). This song is a little bit more of a stripped down version of Palmer's other work given the fast nature in which it was conceived, being written months earlier but only played for significant other Neil Gaiman and friend Tom Dickins before being recorded in about five hours with the help of Evelyn Evelyn band-mate Jason Webley on guitar, trombonist Sam Kulik (who just happened to be visiting his family in New York and called Palmer that morning with the intentions of a simple get-together), and of course Amanda Palmer pulling triple duty with vocals, piano, and the ukulele (a precursor to the Evelyn Evelyn material and Palmer's new EP Amanda Palmer Performs The Popular Hits of Radiohead On Her Magical Ukulele, soon to be reviewed here). I love the stripped down nature of this song as it reminds me of the VH1 Storytellers series, especially given the very narrative quality to Palmer's work and heavy in this near six minute song. Webley and Kulik's contributions help bring another level of legitimacy to this release. I love the lyrical content of the song including the title (said by Palmer during a live show to be inspired by and NWA lyric which then inspired Palmer to perform NWA's Fuck Tha Police). My favorite line in the song would probably be "I like being alone around people", though I'm also keen to Palmer's verse in which she describes being a blow-job queen and how everybody enjoys a blow-job. The whole song just gets at the point that Palmer is going to do what she wants and sucks for anybody that thinks otherwise. Favorite Tracks: Seriously? It's the only fucking one! By the way, you can still download it and read all about the reason for the release here

Album a Day (Soundtrack Edition): The Crow Soundtrack

If you're not familiar with this soundtrack then there is zero chance you were paying attention in the mid-90's. For many The Crow was their favorite film (and if you think this is just simply a cult movie then I challenge you to go back, check out some of the better performances, look at the cinematography, just see the production design and then tell me its just a cheesy movie) and part of what spoke to a large number of people was the soundtrack. Often times with these compilation soundtracks what makes them good is that you're calling attention to a particular genre and putting it in the mainstream where it wasn't before, i.e. with Hackers you had all sorts of electronica, Mortal Kombat was mostly industrial, SLC Punk should be obvious to anybody. The previously mentioned soundtracks are great, but the difference with The Crow was that it was more about the vibe than the genre. There was clearly a lot of attention to detail when it came to what songs would fit this film in spirit not just in catering to a particular audience. The end result is mostly dark as should be expected but you get a mix of metal, rap metal, hard rock, industrial, modern rock, and shoegaze, which serves to create a narrative throughout the album. My point being here that often times with compilations its almost impossible to discuss the disc in terms of flow, movement, etc., but the diverse nature and hard work put in to it makes that much more doable. I love the way this soundtrack starts off with The Cure's Burn (specifically re-written for the movie) the song was easily the theme song for the film, which is completely fitting given that the comic book's creator James O'Barr was an avid Cure fan, even going so far as to reprint the lyrics to The Hanging Garden on a full page of one of The Crow comics (something worth picking up and checking out by the way). This is one of my top Cure songs (probably my favorite to dance to) and its so odd because the song has a fairly different vibe than any other Cure songs and part of its appeal is centered in its unique quality. After the initial Cure song the soundtrack moves into one of the more underrated bands of the 90's, Machines of Loving Grace with Golgotha Tenement Blues, just a great industrial rock song. Machines of Loving Grace actually might be one of the more diverse bands on the album themselves as you get this great mixture of most of the other elements in the band and especially this song. This also helps with the transition to the next several tracks which are a bit harder including perhaps the most mainstream song on the album, Stone Temple Pilot's Big Empty, and the most popular song on the album Nine Inch Nail's cover of Joy Division's Dead Souls. Big Empty of course would go on to become one of the bands most popular singles and would eventually be released as both a single and on the album Purple, however it's first release would come on this soundtrack. Nine Inch Nails version of Dead Souls would become so popular that many began to think that Reznor was responsible for the writing of the song (interesting that this would happen to Reznor just short of a decade later when Johnny Cash covered the Nine Inch Nails song Hurt). In a way I wish that the Joy Division version was on the album because of O'Barr's similar affinity to Joy Division that he had for The Cure, often titling chapters after Joy Division songs. However, Reznor's version of this song is just so good and this is one of only a few Joy Division covers that really had stood out as being just as good as the original (and one of the few covers that isn't of Love Will Tear Us Apart). The cover also has such a great placement in the film and would be one of several covers on the CD in addition to Pantera's cover of The Badge originally by American Hardcore Punk band Poison Idea and Rollins Band's cover of Ghost Rider by Suicide. In regards to Ghost Rider, there's something very on the nose about including a song about another comic book hero (and almost feels like wearing white after Labor Day) but its such a solid cover and if you're going to pick a song about another "super hero" then I'd say Ghost Rider is it. Its also amazing with the bands mentioned you still get on top of that Helmet, Rage Against The Machine, and Violent Femmes who would become three of the more legendary bands in the mainstream consciousness. However, the rest of my favorite songs on the album would come from bands that gained more success in their respective underground scenes like My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult, Medicine, and Jane Siberry, who all played significant roles in the film with both TKK and Medicine appearing separately but each on stage in the warehouse/club that was part of Top Dollar's headquarters, and Jane Siberry's It Can't Rain All The Time would start as the song by Eric Draven (The Crow)'s fictional band that winds up playing on repeat as Sarah listens to it on vinyl only for Eric to appear out of nowhere. This is a great soundtrack that was well put together, thought out, and with a lot of care. Favorite Tracks: The Cure - Burn, Machines of Loving Grace - Golgotha Tenement Blues, Stone Temple Pilots - Big Empty, Nine Inch Nails - Dead Souls, Rollins Band - Ghost Rider, Helmet - Milktoast, My Life with The Thrill Kill Kult - After The Flesh, Medicine - Time Baby III, and Jane Siberry - It Can't Rain All The Time

Album a Day: Ahab Rex - Blood On Blonde

I think Martin Atkins and I might agree that Ahab Rex is one of the most underrated musical projects going today. My proof is that I merely listened to this release, the Queen of Softcore EP, and a few tracks on various compilations, whereas Mr. Atkins contributed drums on the two of the best songs on the album, Ordinary Things and The Queen of Softcore. Atkins Pigface-co-conspirators Chris Connelly and Steven Seibold also lent their musical talents with Connelly providing guest vocals on Ordinary Things and Seibold aiding Martin Atkins in a Pigface remix of To Whom It May Concern. This 2006 album is essentially Ahab Rex's re-debut as Blood On Blonde is mostly a reworking of 2004's Rollin With The Ahab Rex Quintet with the addition of several songs including the Atkin's aided ones. But whether you consider this album to be a debut or sophomore album for the band, this is one of the strongest efforts I've heard in years and really takes some risks. Ahab Rex's vocalist of the same name has these bold industrial-style vocals strongly comparable to Snog's David Thrussell mixed with a blend of various indie rock styles with a multitude of instruments. There's a lot of great stuff on this album with Rex's dramatic vocals that often are more spoken word than sung but the result is something close to poetry. Whatever Rex's singing lacks in harmony is more than made up for by vocalist Brooke Cassell who is featured on five of the ten album tracks on the CD. As much as all the vocals can take center stage, the music on the album is absolutely well put together for something that at times give that great dirty rock feel on a song like Undertow No. 5 and other times feels closer to a Tom Waits on a track like Dope Sick. All the lyrical content is also just really great, very minimal like the music but well constructed, catchy, and original like listening to Joy Division for the first time. I almost hate to compare so many aspects of the album to other musicians but I think all the influences are readily at the forefront with elements of Tom Waits, T-Rex, Snog, Pigface, PiL, and I'm sure the list goes on. Everything about the album itself is well put together as well with a strong opening with the Atkins-assisted tracks including the single, The Queen of Softcore which is just such an absolutely smooth-fucking song that makes you want to DJ at some sort of noir bar (I actually think the whole album has sort of a noir feel to it) and continues with a range of different sounds that keep the listener wanting more from start to finish and showing a great flow and then concluding with the title track, two remixes (one by Pigface and another by Assassains of Ordinary Things, and a non-music track that normally one would find at the beginning of an album but is much more conscientiously placed at the end. The album is also well-produced by Ahab Rex and mastered by Collin Jordan who has mastered albums for Grim Faeries, Chris Connelly, Nocturne, Pigface, and My Life with The Thrill Kill Kult amongst others. The album artwork by chicago illustrator Yunicorn is also just so fitting for the album as you have a real fusion of industrial and indie rock that perfectly suits the band. I beg you to please check out this album and if you're first to get this far and live in the Greater Los Angeles area I have one copy to give away if you want it. Favorite Tracks: Ordinary Things, The Queen of Softcore, Thank You Mister Russia (An Alcoholic Love Story), To Whom It May Concern, Dope Sick, and To Whom It May Concern (Pigface Remix)

Album a Day (Film Edition): Ondi Timoner - DiG!

Ondi Timoner's 2004 documentary DiG! is a tale of two bands: the first being a fairly well-adjusted band in the form of The Dandy Warhols who rose to modest prominence in the mid 90's with an album released on Capitol Records before falling to the more-often-than-not-inevitable hatchet job by their label when the first single from their first album on Capitol failed to meet ridiculous expectations. The band then garnered more success on their own in 2000 with the college-radio hit "Bohemian Like You". If DiG! were about The Dandy Warhols I would say this movie would at best be your typical band-released bio DVD. Fortunately the flip-side of the coin would be a much more interesting story with The Dandy Warhol's frienemy band, The Brian Jonestown Massacre, a much more chaotic but infinitely more talented band led by Anton Newcombe. This is a great documentary and so it should come as no surprise when it won the Documentary Grand Jury Prize at Sundance in 2004. The film follows around both bands over seven years garnering a vast sea of footage (reportedly between 1500 and 2000 hours depending on who you talk to). The immense amount of footage is one of the bigger aspects of what makes this documentary so great as Timoner never has the need to reference any kind of stock footage and any talking head moments are immediately accompanied by some sort of supporting footage and for the most part the footage tells the story itself. Newcombe has come out as saying that the film is unfair but in spite of Dandy Warhol's leader Courtney Taylor-Taylor's narrative possibly skewing the film, the impression that I get is that you have one band that has basically had the same career as many other bands. If you can pay the bills being in a band then that's great, but I never get the impression that The Dandy Warhols are anything special, and often certain members come off like arrogant pricks (with the exception of Taylor-Taylor who is certainly self-confident but he repeatedly praises The BJM and Newcombe, though who knows how much of this perception is in the editing). Newcombe comes off in the film as eccentric but prolific. Perhaps Newcombe is right that the film portrays The Brian Jonestown Massacre as ending or that The Dandy Warhols are somehow more successful despite Newcombe being the more talented one, but that to me is just the drama of filmmaking (one we would hope gets left out of documentary filmmaking, but a narrative is a narrative even if its real). Generally I think documentary film watchers will go the extra mile to do the research on their own and if they like the music of The Brian Jonestown Massacre (and how can you not at least be intrigued by the way the band is portrayed in this film) then they will discover the music for years to come. I hope at some point Ondi Timoner decides to create another epilogue to this film since there is more of a story to tell, especially with the recent return after an eleven year absence by Matt Hollywood. I love all the aspects of this film though as its really well cut together, compelling, and I love the dirty quality of the footage from various cheap video cameras with some film rolled in as well. The mixed media of the doc gives the whole thing more of a music feel and only adds to the aura of the events. My favorite moments from the film also come from the interview segments with Genesis P-Orridge of Psychic TV, especially when discussing the way mainstream music labels destroy music. Interestingly that becomes a compelling b-story of the film. There is probably enough footage here to make a compelling argument for another documentary about the evils of the music industry. My other favorite moment comes when both bands are reaching a certain level of success and while The Dandy Warhols are partying with photographer David LaChapelle, The Brian Jonestown Massacre are partying with actor Harry Dean Stanton (the lead of one my favorite films, Paris, Texas). However you feel about those images would probably mirror how you feel about each band respectively. Whether you are a fan of either of these bands or not I highly recommend watching DiG!

Album a Day (Single Edition): Icon of Coil - Android

In general I'm not a big fan of singles for a few reasons: First off, they often take up almost as much if not just as much (I have yet to see more) room as regular CDs with only one to four songs (more than four and you've got an EP on your hands). They also usually include some b-side that if you're a die-hard fan you have to have and singles usually have a much more limited pressing life so the disc can become rare so having that one song can get expensive unless it gets released on some sort of b-sides or rarities collection at which point you're pissed that you spent the time tracking it down. There's also the price. If you are a fan of imports like I am then you can wind up spending as much for a single as you would a regular album from the States. Now, a lot of this is solved in the digital age and we're already seeing fewer singles get released physically (unless as bonus-tracks on an album). The thing is that the rarity of that single is often what makes a b-side or remix on it so hot, especially if the song has club value. This was certainly the case with Icon of Coil's Android single. In the early 2000's Icon of Coil was one of the top two or three most popular EBM bands even pushing on the doors of mainstream consciousnesses with their 2002 release The Soul is in The Software which featured the popular goth/industrial club songs Access And Amplify and Other Half of Me. By 2003 their fanbase was craving new material and so the band released the precursor to what would become their third and final album (at least for now) Machines Are Us (great album). While Machines Are Us would wind up having the familiar Icon of Coil sound, the single Android told a different story, perhaps one more indicative of the direction the individual members of the band would take. The title track is a much more aggro and sounded closer to vocalist Andy LaPlegua's new project Combichrist (which has now become just as popular as Icon of Coil was). It's also interesting to see the two remixes of the song on the album are from LePlegua's Combichrist (though I'd actually say the Combichrist remix makes it sound less Combichrist-like bizarrely enough) and main-Icon of Coil-programmer Sebastian R. Komor's Moonitor. The two remixes are decent but what really makes the single worth it is that b-side I talked about earlier, a cover of Front 242's Headhunter. For anyone that was going to Goth/Industrial clubs in the late 80's early 90's they will remember the popularity of this song and then again in the late 90's when the band re-recorded the song and released it in 1999 with a slew of remixes. Generally when people make lists of club anthems in the goth/industrial scene this song will make everybody's list so you can venture the guess that there have been a number of covers of the song, however none quite so successful as this one. IOC does such a great job respecting what the song means and then finding subtle ways of reinterpreting it that makes for a great cover and a rejuvenated club track. This is also so interesting in Icon of Coil's discography because this to date was their first and only cover. I guess my point in all this is that if you're going to do a single then using Icon of Coil's model is probably a good one: A song from an upcoming album that will create intrigue, a rare b-side (maybe a cover), and a couple of remixes (and using those remixes to promote your other projects since you're not sticking with this one is probably a good idea as well). Favorite Tracks: Android, Headhunter, and Android (Mix by Combichrist)

Album a Day: Celldweller - Celldweller

History has shown us time and again that new things are frightening. When my friend Kilean first played Celldweller I wasn't really sure what to think about the album, though I knew I had to hear more so I contacted the label and asked if they could send me a copy. As I listened to it more I started to find songs I could identify with but others still seemed odd. Then as time went by the odd songs began to grow on me as well. Change is good and Klayton, the mastermind behind Celldweller, is no stranger to change. Technically this self-titled 2003 release is the debut of the Celldweller act, this is not Klayton's first rodeo, having performed/fronted a number of projects under various aliases that might start to sound familiar including Circle of Dust, Argyle Park, and Angeldust (alongside illusionist Criss Angel). I absolutely love this album and this project may be the most mature work that Klayton has ever done. Both the initial sense of confusion and later love for the album is really rooted in the genre-blending that Klayton implements in his work. With mixes of metal, industrial, EBM, drum 'n bass, house, and trance, at first you would think would just not go well together but Klayton just has such a clear understanding of music and taste level that he knows what works well, when to push forward and when to step back. This level of musical aptitude goes even further as Klayton was able to involve a lot of experimentation and retain a lot of hooks that allows for the album to be so accessible to the general audience while enabling thought from the complexities of the album. There's also really nice contributions to the album by Jarrod Montague from Taproot lending his drumming skills on the track I Believe You and electronic artist Fluffy Starr adding vocals to Frozen, The Stars of Orion, and Welcome To The End. I think the first half of the album is the catchier part with tracks like the very catchy Switchback, which later became a single with a music video. Klayton has said that there were about 50 demos for Switchback (two of my favorites being included the Beta Cessions, a two-disc compilation of early versions and instrumentals from this album) and all the hard work really shows in the finished product. The first half of the album also includes some highlights like Stay With Me (Unlikely), Under My Feet, and Afraid This Time, but I think the real gems are the two longer tracks (both coming in at over seven minutes) The Last Firstborn and Frozen. The Last Firstborn is really what I was talking about earlier when it comes to experimentation on this disc as the song moves back and forth between metal driven industrial and a mix of drum 'n bass and Goa style trance. Again, this would seem to be too much to handle there's something about it that just works. Frozen is a little bit more traditional but might be the underrated club track of the album just on its pure raw energy and emotion alone. One of my favorite aspects about the album does come in the latter half where Klayton demonstrates a technique implemented on Circle of Dust's Disengaged wherein Klayton takes songs from earlier in the album and reconfigures them in a way that I wouldn't quite calling remixing but rather re-imagining. Here it is with the song Stay With Me (Unlikely) which he turns inside out for the track later in the album entitled Unlikely (Stay With Me). The result isn't one of my favorite songs but still interesting nonetheless. Overall I think this is just a really solid album that has a great flow that is as good whole as it is separate and has spawned several remix CDs, a collection of early versions and instrumentals, and a number of online remix contests (and most of this additional material is certainly worth exploring). Favorite Tracks: Switchback, Stay With Me (Unlikely), The Last Firstborn, Under My Feet, Frozen, Afraid This Time, and So Sorry To Say

Album a Day (Boxset Edition): Various Artists - Century Media Records 10th Annivesary Box Set

In 2001 Century Media Records, home to some of the most diverse and prolific metal bands around the world, released a three-disc box set in honor of the labels ten year anniversary (though this is really the 10 year anniversary of their foray into the States as the label actually started in Germany three years prior, but let's think of it like a wedding anniversary). I thought that since we were only about six months away from the twenty year anniversary that this might be a good time to discuss this release (a bit of a teaser if you will). First of all, I can't begin to say enough good things about Century Media Records as they not only put out some many amazing and forward-thinking metal bands in a variety of metal sub-genres but also I just always had nice personal dealings with them when I was doing my Goth/Industrial college radio show, The Last Exit, back in Ithaca, NY in the early-mid 2000's (the years just after this release actually). I remember when Lacuna Coil was really just taking off in the states and touring with Type O Negative. I asked a contact of mine at the label if we could make an interview happen at The Palladium in Worcester, MA and they were very helpful with the hook-up (this would go one to be one of the bigger venues I would interview in) and I was able to share 30 minutes with the beautiful Cristina Scabbia thanks to the good folks at Century Media. I love label box set's because you know the hard work that goes into a release like this. The compilation has to really represent something that the people putting it together, the founders, the bands, the past and present staff, and especially the fans are going to feel represents each of their individual interests and come out as accurate. In addition, when you're still an active label then you are going to have to live with this release for a long time. To this end I think that this compilation is really successful. I love the division of the first two discs between Western and Eastern Hemisphere because this gives the perception that CMR is really a global metal label which is true for the most part, although most of the bands are from either Anglo-America (The US and Canada) or Europe (though their bands certainly do tour worldwide). The division between the discs makes for an interesting study because you can try to understand the differences amongst metal bands on that global scale between the two metal superpowers. The first two discs really show off the diversity of metal that has been on the label (including some sub-genres I've never even heard of) covering hardcore, noisecore, mathcore, sludge metal, power metal, extreme metal, rap metal, technical metal, groove metal, death metal, metalcore, progressive metal, heavy metal, industrial metal, goth metal, doom metal, crossover thrash, and honestly the list goes on. Now this may seem funny to anyone that takes part in a particular scene knows all the sub-genres that come with it (I certainly do from my years in the aforementioned Goth/Industrial scene) but I think that also speaks volumes about Century Media Records open-mindedness to good metal. Included with the release is a beautiful 90 page booklet that includes stories by several bands that have been on the label and more often than not the stories include, "When no label wanted to sign a band that made (insert your metal genre) Century Media listened to our sound and were excited to sign us." and the vast majority of those bands have gone on to garner a great amount of success. In fact, the second disc of all the Euro bands clearly illustrates how Century Media got behind female-fronted metal bands such as Lacuna Coil and The Gathering long before any one else. The first disc is filled with great American metal that makes you want to head-bang with the red, white and blue but the second disc may be closer to my heart as I've always had an affinity for European metal bands like the previously mentioned Lacuna Coil and The Gathering in addition to Nocturnal Rites, Moonspell, and Tiamat amongst others. The funny thing you begin to notice when looking back and forth between those two discs is that there are more bands of certain genres than you thought from those given areas. Like I would have thought all the power and fantasy metal would be on the Eastern Hemisphere disc but then you have North American bands like Seattle's Nevermore, Colorado Spring's deceptively European-sounding Jag Panzer, and Tampa's Iced Earth. Conversely I thought the majority of death and industrial metal would come from the US but Germany's Morgoth covers both of those genres in addition to The Netherland's Asphyx, and Rotting Christ, which really verged more on grindcore in their earlier days. So you would think when listening to the two discs that you'd get this very different sound that's distinct for each part of the overall compilation but there's a lot of diversity all over and I think that is really what represents this label. This release also just features some of my favorite bands including Shadows Fall, Strapping Young Lad, Lacuna Coil, Arch Enemy, Iced Earth, Eyehategod, The Gathering, and Moonspell but introduced me to some bands I wasn't really familiar with but would like to check out more of like Sentenced, Nocturnal Rites, Borknagar, and Jag Panzer. I think that's really representational of what is good about this release and that is that if you are a fan of these bands then this is a great release with a lot of nostalgia. If you don't know these bands or this label then this is a great starter pack to get introduced to a variety of metal genres and bands so you can figure out what and who you might like. This is also shown between the first two discs which are a compilation of songs from various label releases between 1991 and 2001 which is great if you're not a metal head and don't own most these releases. But if you do happen to be a complete metal junkie then you're treated with the third disc of Rare and Unreleased recordings including a track by label founder Robert Kampf's band Despair. I'm glad that this disc wasn't just padded with live recordings (in fact the only live recording is a really good one of Iced Earth's Colors). The other great thing for old fan and new fan alike is the 90 page booklet with stories from the bands about the label and just their own experiences, an interview with Robert Kampf, more stories from a few past and present staff members, and the discography of all the releases up until this compilation. I also just really appreciate the first story by Stuck Mojo which discusses their relationship with Pro Wrestling (of which any of my readers knows that I am a big fan) which anyone that was watching WCW back in the late 90's remembers the Diamond Dallas Page vs. Raven and The Flock music video that the band did. This is accompanied by a great picture of the band holding DDP's various title belts. The packaging is just beautiful with pictures of the bands and Century Media staff all over the booklet which itself has gorgeous artwork of the ocean and old-world maps all bound in an understated black box with "Century Media 10 Year Anniversary" and a big X in silver on the cover. Normally I would be skeptical of a release limited to 10,000 copies worldwide but when Century Media (perhaps the biggest label in metal) says there are only 10,000 copies then I feel like owning one is a big deal (even if I did get my copy used for four dollars) so if you can get a copy then I suggest you do (even if you have to spend more than four dollars). Favorite Tracks: Disc 1 (Western Hemisphere): Demolition Hammer - .44 Caliber Brain Surgery, EyeHateGod - Sister Fucker (Part 1), Merauder - Master Killer, Only Living Witness - No Eden, Iced Earth - The Hunter, Strapping Young Lad - Oh My Fucking God, Jag Panzer - Black, Turmoil - Playing Dead, Shadows Fall - Of One Blood, Nevermore - The River Dragon Has Come, God Forbid - Broken Promise. Disc 2 (Eastern Hemisphere): Morgoth - White Gallery, Samael - Flagellation, Tiamat - Whatever That Hurts, The Gathering - Strange Machines, Moonspell - Opium, Borknagar - Oceans Rise, Nocturnal Rites - Destiny Calls, Lacuna Coil - My Wings, Angel Dust - The One You Are. Disc 3 (Rare & Unreleased): Samael - Manitou, Stuck Mojo - Fuckin-4-$$$, Nevermore - System's Failing, Moonspell - Ataegina, The Gathering - Adrenaline, Morgoth - Indifferent, Sentenced - Digging The Grave, Nocturnal Rites - The Journey Through Time, and Tiamat - The Children of The Underworld

Album a Day: Gavin Friday - Shag Tobacco

A classic album by a classy musician in the form of Gavin Friday (ex-Virgin Prunes). This third album by Dublin-born Friday would be his last for about seven years, instead shifting his focus to other artistic endeavors. I love this album as Friday's music oozes sexiness with a thin layer of filth just to cap the whole thing off. The whole album has a lounge feel to it and yet there's also a deep complexity to the work though in the end Friday is really just a romantic. And that isn't necessarily "romantic" in the "boy loves girl", "girl loves boy","girl loves girl", "boy loves boy", or "two boys love a girl and a dwarf" sense (though surely that is in there, except perhaps for the dwarf), but rather a romanticism for words, culture, art. The best example of this may be in the track Caruso which is a tribute to the Italian Opera singer Enrico Caruso. Friday is able to tap his purest of emotions and translate that into his music. For that reason it should come as no surprise that one of the songs on the album, Angel (not my favorite song, but a good tune) would be used on the soundtrack for Baz Luhrmann's film Romeo + Juliet. At times it feels like there's an effortless quality to the album that contributes to a relaxing atmosphere but again the complexity of themes that are in each song and also span the entire album are just great and then are mixed in with beautiful music that demonstrates Gavin Friday and contributor Maurice Seezer's diverse musical talents, as can be seen on several tracks in which Fridays sings through a megaphone that he calls the stronzophone. One of the highlights on the album for me is the cover of T-Rex's The Slider. The original version of The Slider is a usual affair you would expect from T-Rex (which even as popular as they are, they still remain one of the most underrated bands). Friday slows down the track just slightly giving it an almost creepy feel that really makes the skin crawl. In general Gavin Friday has a great understanding what to do with a cover as would later be demonstrated with his appearance in the Neil Jordan film Breakfast On Pluto where Friday portrayed glam-rocker Billy Hatchet playing a cover of Sweet's Wig-Wam Bam. In both instances Gavin Friday really makes the song his own while still paying tribute to the original. In addition to a certain level of seriousness there is also a great humour all over this album on songs like Mr. Pussy and Dolls. This 1995 album also shows why its so well worth having physical albums as the liner notes include the prose of Irish novelist Patrick McCabe. The story requires several reads and still doesn't make much sense but has beautiful imagery and manages to incorporate the titles of the songs from the album. This album can usually be found pretty cheap used so even if you're still skeptical then I recommend you spend the 5 dollars and give it a shot, I'm sure you won't regret it (or if you do then fuck you). Favorite Tracks: Shag Tobacco, Caruso, The Slider, Mr. Pussy, You Me and World War Three, and My Twentieth Century

Album a Day (Film Score Edition): Bernard Herrmann - Bernard Herrmann's Music From Alfred Hitchcock's "Vertigo"

Certainly any film composer will list Bernard Herrmann as one of the greatest composers of all and no one could even be blamed for putting him at the top of that list for providing the world with the music to Ray Harryhausen's Jason and The Argonauts, François Truffaut's Fahrenheit 451, Brian De Palma's Obsession, Rod Serling's The Twilight Zone, Orson Welles' Citizen Kane, Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver, and of course almost every Alfred Hitchcock film including my personal favorite (both for the film and the score) Vertigo. Bernard Herrmann's work is genius enough on his own but to me Herrmann's work always got pushed to its very limits by the macabre brilliance of Alfred Hitchcock. One of the most difficult elements about scoring a film like this is that there is a necessity in the story where things have to start in one style and really shift during the turning point of the film without seeming like two different scores. Herrmann's soundtrack allows for all of the emotional complexities of the film that Scottie goes through because of his condition (which is vertigo in case you had a hard time figuring that out), love, paranoia, obsession, etc. A complex film needs a complex score and Herrmann was clearly up to the challenge. What I love about this score the most is that it really captures the collaborative process of filmmaking because you have Hitchcock setting the tone with the story, which is really brought to life by James Stewart and Kim Novak and then enhanced to such a great degree Herrmann's score that shows his true understanding of what Hitchcock was going for. Of course this isn't a movie review, but rather a discussion about the soundtrack which is just such a delight to listen to even outside of the film, though the release I have only includes about half the original score. The score was first released in this 34 minute version that includes most of the major cues and was the only release available until 1995 when a version was re-recorded with Joel McNeely conducting the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and then in 1996 another version was released but this time of the master recordings which were not kept in the best of conditions. A third release came in 1999 with James Conlon conducting the Paris Opera Orchestra for the only ever recording of the full seventy-four and half minute score. I personally like the first copy the best because I'd rather listen to the original version of the score then a recorded one like the McNeely version (which isn't complete either) or the Conlon one (which is actually very rare to get a hold of anyway) and while I haven't heard the 1996 release (though I do plan to) the fidelity issues could be a problem. The tones are beautiful in this film and I can't even do justice to the analysis of the score in relationship to the rest of the sound design of the film as whole papers have been written on the subject but there are great little nuances such as the two-tone falling motif that imitates the fog horns at either side of the Golden Gate Bridge (a centerpiece of the film's San Francisco locale). If you love scores, film, or just beautiful music then you should pick this up as its inspiring to work to, great to chill out to, and is just highly emotional without being gratuitous. Favorite Tracks: Vertigo Prelude and Rooftop, Farewell and The Tower, and Love Music

Album a Day (EP Edition): Voltaire - Banned On Vulcan!

Voltaire just makes me smile. New York artist/musician Voltaire has been making people smile for years in a scene filled with people that a lot of people mistakenly think don't want to smile, including many of those within the goth scene itself. Originally self-released as a rare EP mostly only available at live shows, Banned On Vulcan!'s four tracks all quickly became favorites of Voltaire's live audiences (and if you haven't seen Voltaire live then pick up his live CD and attempt to find out what you're missing) and so it was eventually released on Voltaire's label at the time, Projekt Records. If you haven't figured it out by now this EP is a tribute to the most popular sci-fi television franchise of all time, Star Trek, which produced five television series (six if you count the animated show that ran from 1973 to 1974) spanning 30 seasons plus eleven movies including the newly relaunched J.J. Abrams franchise that is bound to produce at least one sequel. I have to admit that I was a big Next Generation fan as a kid and also watched the first few seasons of Voyager so I have a geek love for this album on top of just being a big Voltaire fan. What makes this EP so good and Voltaire's music in general is really his attention to detail. Voltaire is one of the smartest men I have ever met (something that hopefully his students at The School of Visual Arts greatly appreciate) and so while it's obvious that he is an avid fan of Star Trek, he also wasn't simply satisfied at simple jokes that only a Trekkie would get. There are a lot of really intelligent and clever lyrics put into the twelve and half minutes of this EP. The mini-album starts off with such a bang with the song Worf's Revenge where Voltaire raps from the perspective of the Klingon Federation Officer Worf from Next Generation and later Deep Space 9 fame. Voltaire should rap more often because he does a great job on this track. I love when he says that never sweats a Romulan because he's just a limp-wristed Vulcan with a bad attitude. There's just this great infusion of Trek knowledge with gangsta-rap stereotypes like talking about his cock (his head isn't the only part of Worf that's got ridges) or "I hate the tribbles, those little furry shits...but I love my Klingon bitches because they got three tits". The second track, The USS Make Shit Up, is probably the best (though only my 2nd favorite) covering all of the ridiculous plot devices of each Star Trek series with the exception of Enterprise which wasn't out at the time of this EP (though Voltaire later rectifies this on his live CD with a bonus verse about the Scott Bakula prequel series). Not only does Voltaire sing here about all the ridiculous situations throughout Star Trek but also takes the opportunity to ponder questions like how the Klingons went from looking like Puerto Ricans dressed in gold lamay to heavy metal rockers from the dead with frizzy hair and lobsters on their heads (pointing out the addition of the more prominent ridges over time). The third song, The Sexy Data Tango, was not really a favorite of mine for a long time but there's just something about the idea of Data as a sexual being that one appreciates over time and Voltaire does such a great job once again taking the Star Trek theme but marrying it to a style like a tango that one would not necessarily think to blend but completely works. The last track, Screw The Okampa! (I Want To Go Home) is my favorite on the EP and one of my favorite Voltaire tracks period. This take on the classic West Indies Folk Song "The John B. Sails" made famous by The Beach Boys as "Sloop John B." take the perspective of one of the crew members of Voyager just wanting to get the fuck home playing off of the plot of Star Trek Voyager where the crew of USS Voyager led by Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) is stranded in the Delta Quandrant for seven years. Even if you're not a Star Trek fan this is still a great collections of songs that are fun, diverse, catchy, and perhaps will teach you something about one of the Mecca's of geekdom. It's also just always impressive what Voltaire can do with just an acoustic guitar and how fitting he looks as a Vulcan (Vulcan's are so goth because they are basically emotionally dead). Favorite Tracks (all of them): Worf's Revenge (The Klingon Rap), The U.S.S. Make Shit Up, The Sexy Data Tango, and Screw The Okampa! (I Want To Go Home)

Album a Day: Black Tape For a Blue Girl - 10 Neurotics

Ten albums over twenty-three years, in addition to five EPs that generally contain at least some new material, is a lot of effort for one band, especially when you take into consideration a lot of that work falls on Sam Rosenthal who is also the head of Projekt Records (the premier label for all things ethereal and darkwave in addition to goth rock, dark cabaret, ambient, and neo-classical). Though Rosenthal's fingerprints are all over this album, he certainly wasn't alone as this alone may be the most star-studded for the band yet with a lineup including Brian Viglione (The Dresden Dolls), Laurie Read (Attrition), Athan Maroulis (Spahn Ranch), and one of my absolute favorite musicians in the form of the beautiful Nicki Jaine. The album also features great guest appearances by Lucas Lanthier (Cinema Strange), Black Tape alums Elysabeth Grant, Lisa Feuer, and Michael Laird, and the bandmate of Rosenthal and Jaine's other band Revue Noir, Gregor Kitzis who you may also know as the violinist for Voltaire. This is just a great album up and down and I think the new lineup in addition to the appearances by old band members has really helped rejuvenate the Black Tape project. I suspect the real muse here has been Nicki Jaine who ever since joining up with Rosenthal for the aforementioned Revue Noir has seemed to really light a creative spark under Rosenthal who hadn't released a new Black Tape album since 2004's Halo which was good but not nearly as strong as 10 Neurotics, perhaps relying more on old Black Tape sounds rather than pushing the envelope and continuing to grow like is so evident on this album. It also doesn't hurt that the songs featuring Jaine as the main vocalist pretty much feel like they could be straight from Jaine's discography (which if you haven't checked out then you are missing out on of the most talented musicians I have ever heard) but enhanced by Rosenthal's own music and production skills. I think Rosenthal's strength in this album is really recognizing the strengths of the musicians he's working with, collaborating, and adjusting the style to fit theirs while retaining his own trademark sound. I'd say one of the better examples of this would be the track The Pleasure In The Pain which features former Spahn Ranch member Athan Maroulis on vocals. The track really borders on the industrial sound that everyone is familiar with for Maroulis but the acoustic nature of the song leaves it in Rosenthal's realm. One of my favorite tracks on the album is The Perfect Pervert which reminds me a lot of two of my favorite films: The Image and Maitresse (both about the fetish world and S&M relationships) not just because of the S&M content but also about the relationship between the fetish world and the day to day world that inevitably sneaks in. In fact the whole album plays like a foreign film to me with a great mix of intelligent ideas, old world and new world sounds coming together and just stunning imagery next to funny little moments. There's a great variety of sounds on this album with the more Nicki Jaine-esque tracks, the classic Black Tape songs, and then other sounds that touch more on the dark caberet of Brian Viglione or just nice singer/song-writer tracks like Love Song. The production on this album is tight which really with Rosenthal with help from Steve Roach, no one should be surprised. The album also comes with a wonderful booklet full of beautiful pictures of naked women alongside pictures of the band member's, lyrics, etc. Great work by all those involved in the album who are clearly all master's of their craft, and a special hats off again to Nicki Jaine for how much I adore hearing her say "fuck". Favorite Tracks: Sailor Boy, Inch Worm, The Perfect Pervert, Love Song, Rotten Zurich Cafe, The Pleasure In The Pain, and Curious, Yet Ashamed

Album a Day (Book Edition): Who Killed Amanda Palmer: A Collection of Photographic Evidence

I love companion pieces. As an artist I totally get it when you say to yourself, "Yeah...this works but how can I expand on it and if I can't do it alone who can help me?" And that's exactly what Amanda Palmer has done for her debut solo album Who Killed Amanda Palmer. I purchased the book, Amanda Palmer: A Collection of Photographic Evidence, when I went to see her with my former housemate (can I just say how nice it is to live in a house every once in a while?) and close friend Brian (so close that he bought me a ticket to see Amanda Palmer with him) play here in Los Angeles with Sxip Shirey (accompanied by Sxip Shirey's hair, if you don't get it then you weren't at that show so sorry, but you can follow them both on twitter), Jason Webley (to whom she dedicates the book), and her and Jason's collaboration Evelyn Evevlyn (and I'm sure I will be reviewing their debut album together very soon as I have listened to it a few times and it just all sorts of good). The book was 40 dollars and well worth every penny. Limited to 10,000 copies (which seems like a lot but limited is still limited) the book features the lyrics to all of the songs on the record with the exception of What's The Use of Wond'rin? plus stories by Palmer's fiancé Neil Gaiman (this is normally the place where I'd tell you who this is but if you don't know who Neil Gaiman is then its probably best you discover on your own) and photography by Kyle Cassidy (who also reportedly laid out the book), Beth Hommel (one of two photographers including Cassidy that got top billing on the book alongside Palmer and Gaiman), Ben Cerf, Tom Dickins, Lauren Goldberg, Amandacera Hannon, Marie-Harveline Caron, Regin Hertrich, Ryan Krakowsky, Michael, McQuilken, Gregory Nomoora, Ron Nordin, Oliver Orion, Tegan Rain, Malka Resnicoff, Nicholas Vargelis, Anabel Vasquez, Rodriguez, and Amanda Palmer herself with appearances by several artists most prominently (at least to me) Jason Webley and Regina Spektor. I really like the inclusion of the lyrics and this is definitely not the first time Palmer had something like this (or the book itself) as there were either companion books or at least songbooks (and sometimes the books were a mix of the two) for her previous releases as part of The Dresden Dolls. What makes this book different is that she chooses to play more off the fiction aspect of the title Who Killed Amanda Palmer. The lyrics here are the one element that don't really match the theme but if you are going to have companion pieces then they are going to need to have at least some crossover (something I'm dealing with now as I work on my new avant-garde film and book of short stories both titled The Impossible Task of Knowing) so I think the inclusion of the lyrics is nice for the fans of the music. Its also interesting to read the lyrics and listen along to the album (which is what I did, though the order of the lyrics are in the order on the album that they appear in the book so I skipped around the songs as I read along in the book) because you'll notice that the two don't always match up which would seem to indicate that the lyrics were put into the book before they were finished being recorded (though this is also something that could have been changed at times during the mastering process of the album which is said to have taken three times). I don't think it should come as a surprise that the real highlights of the book are the short stories by Neil Gaiman. There are only a few but each of them is a bit of a different style and so sometimes you get stories that seem like clues as to the fictional death(s) of Palmer and other times you get a simple small poem also connected to the theme but not always as directly. Gaiman's language is always just so compelling and I love the quiet nature of his writings here. One of my favorite lines comes towards the beginning of the book as part of a diary entry by one of three young girls that finds Palmer's corpse. The line says, "The bruises on Ms. Palmer's neck were the colour of blackberry jam. There's another great story about a writer riding in a hot air balloon with his love and typing out the end of his novel (perhaps metaphors for Gaiman and Palmer) when his love gets annoyed with his typewriter before he throws it out of the balloon (though this would seem to indicate to me not Gaiman and Palmer). My favorite story though is one about a girl (named Amanda) whose father marries a woman with a daughter of her own and then the father dies leaving Amanda with her stepmother and stepsister (both of them just awful). The story reads like a Hans Christian Anderson or Brothers Grimm fairytale where a young Amanda is sent by her evil stepmother to buy drugs for her. I'll try to spare you the spoilers but Amanda's generosity winds up resulting in jewels pouring out of her mouth as opposed to the stepsister who's greed and indifference only produces various lizards and reptiles. I just adore the jewel imagery which is enhanced by a wonderful photograph by Amanda Palmer of jewels coming out of her mouth and she lays dead. In fact almost every picture in the book is of Palmer's fictional corpse taken by the various photographers in a number of scenarios. The aforementioned picture is the best one taken by Palmer though the other ones are generally good. In addition to that photo I really like the two page spread of eight photographs taken in succession of Palmer in her underwear in a very cabaret looking room going absolutely nuts (one of the few photos in which she is not a "dead") and the red and green close-up shot of Palmer on the page just after the lyrics to Oasis. Kyle Cassidy probably has the most photos throughout the book. I don't really think there are any outwardly bad photos in the book but Cassidy's generally aren't my favorite. Most of them are technically good but remind me a lot of most of the photographers I experienced while working in the fetish scene which is to say that the pictures are fine but the photographers are so enamored with the subject and the concept that they often fail to take advantage of the photographic medium and so the pictures are ok but more a good idea than a well executed piece of work. I think Cassidy's best photo is actually of Palmer in a diner with two friends and her face is lying in her food while the two friends are looking anywhere but at her. Palmer doesn't look actually dead in this photo, its just funny and feels like its the most honest photo in the book. There's also a cute picture by Cassidy that accompanies one of Gaiman's stories in which Amanda Palmer's future-self travels to the past Terminator-style and kills her past-self. Cassidy's photo involves Palmer in her more current look holding a sword and standing over the body of herself-circa-Dresden Dolls (with full makeup). I think Beth Hommel's pictures are stronger and often more subtle like in a great photograph just after the lyrics to Runs In The Family in which Palmer's corpse is in the background mostly out of focus with just her hand and the leg of a really great piece of furniture (maybe a chair) in focus in the foreground though my favorite of Hommel's pictures is right on the nose: a polaroid of Palmer nude and dead in the snow just in front of the Yale University School of Art sign and dated December 19, 2008 9:10 PM (clearly trying to recreate a crime scene photo). In fact, in usual Amanda Fucking Palmer fashion she is naked all over this book so if never have seen her in such a state, curious, and don't mind corpse poses or arm-pit hair then the book may be worth it alone to you for that. I won't go into detail about every single photographer but my favorite pictures (besides the ones previously mentioned) include a black and white nude photo of Palmer's nude corpse washing ashore by by Michael McQuilken (I believe the only B&W photo in the book), Palmer's corpse in her underwear with the panties pulled just below her ass just beside a baby carriage in the hallway of what appears to be a hotel by Marie-Harveline Caron, Palmer hanging by a noose on swing next to a young boy swinging by Kyle Cassidy, Palmer's corpse in full cabaret attire lying on a cobblestone street alongside Kriss Kross magazines (worth it for the beautiful color alone) by Regis Herthrich, Palmer's bloody corpse in a sequined dress where the photo looks again like a crime scene by the on-camera flash by Anabel Vasquez Rodriguez, the cover photo (but inside the book) of Palmer lying dead on a couch, covered by leaves, with the words "Who Killed Amanda Palmer" written on the wall accompanied in the book by a fictional description of an anonymous artist using the body as an installation piece both by Gregory Nomoora, Palmer's corpse once again in underwear, a garter belt, and stalkings this time on a spiraling staircase as the photo is taken down the stairwell with the foot of the on-looker peaking in by Marie-Harveline Caron, and my absolute favorite is of Palmer's bloody corpse in fishnets and a pink tank top accordianed-up in a shopping cart by Nicholas Vargelis

Album a Day: Razed in Black - Damaged

Its rare, but it happens every now and then where a band really just eventually finds the inspiration to go from middle of the road to great and that's exactly what Damaged represents. I'm not by any means saying Razed in Black was bad previous to this work, however Romell Regulacion's Razed in Black essentially spent two albums a few EPs as a solid industrial band with the one club hit being Oh My Goth! which is lyrically much better than the title would suggest but honestly if you're around other people and someone either here's that main chorus hit or just sees the title it can be a very embarrassing moment sort of like when you tell some of your friends that you like Pro Wrestling and you have to attempt to explain to them why its actually really good. In an interview I did with Romell after the release of the album he talked about the autobiographical nature of the Damaged as connected to a really difficult relationship/break-up he went through as the inspiration for the album and there's something just about the honesty and pure emotion of this album that really translates as I think it what was able to carry this junior album from the King of the Hawaiian goth/industrial scene to the next level of music making. Though originally more of an industrial band, Damaged has a really interesting mix of the bands signature industrial style mixed with elements of EBM, synthpop, and house. I also love that the elements Regulacion stayed true to the elements of RiB that were good before like prominent guitars mixed into the electro-industrial sound but even stepped that to a higher level in addition to friendlier synths that create a nice contrast to the darker electronic elements. I also really appreciate that Romell used this album as an opportunity to show off more of his vocal work which is just so rich in emotion on tracks like Share This Poison and Come Back To Me. Sonically this is a really complex album with a lot of layers that accompany the layers that go with the kind of situation that Romell clearly had gone through and shows in both the music and lyrics. It can get old listening to albums that focus more on love or breakups specifically so its actually refreshing that you get the full range of emotions here and thoughts like wanting to put the blame on anyone involved at different times, wondering where it all went wrong, reminiscing, and trying to just put things back the way they were. This is just such a heartfelt disc with wonderful music that is touching to listen to while also a great club album with several hits on album. I also really love the length of the songs. There are 11 tracks on the album with a total of just over an hour of music with each song averaging about five minutes, which allows each song really develop and adds for nice moments like the starting of the computer and synths at the beginning of Visions. These little bonuses give the album add another dimension similar to movie sampling but more original, create a narrative to the process, and also allows for breathing room. There are also several really nice appearances by fellow artists and friends of the project including Jay Tye (Soil & Eclipse), Athan Maroulis (Spahn Ranch), Alexys (Inertia), Reza (Inertia and Killing Joke), DJ MissGuided, and RiB contributors Yoshimi Shinozaki and Vicci Neptune. The album comes in a really nice digipak (which fittingly quickly gets damaged) with beautiful artwork and a bonus disc of some really cool remixes. The remixing actually seems like it begins at the end of the first disc which is an alternate version of Never Meant (originally from the album Sacrificed). The remix disc actually begins with another alternate version, this time of the album track Blush. The alternate version isn't really all that different but perhaps even slightly more club friendly (not all that different than a radio edit). The second track is a remix of Leave It All Behind by Romell that really shows off his remix skills as one of the more consistent remixers in the goth/industrial scene. Though normally his remixes can often be much clubbier more spastic versions I think he knows his music so well that instead we get these amazing 80's style synths layered over a track that was already really solid on its own. The Eve of Destiny remix of I'll Damage You and Soil & Eclipse remix of Am I 2 Blame? are pretty standard club mixes and actually not terribly interesting but sandwiched on the CD between them is really the crown jewel which is the Assemblage 23 remix of Visions. I challenge anyone to find a better remixer in Goth/Industrial than Tom Shear of Assemblage 23 (and he's certainly one of the top remixers in electronic music or music period). Tom really breaks down a song, understands what it does, and then gives his take on what he'd like to see done with it. If a band plays similar music to him then I feel like he makes sure to give the song he's remixing as different a take as possible and I think that is the excellent result we get with this track that is just so distinct with that amazing synth line throughout the song. I'm not sure whether I like the original version of Visions better or this remix but I would love to see Tom Shear do more remixes outside of Goth/Industrial with bands like The Knife, Ladytron, Robots in Disguise, IAMX, and even non-electronic bands like The Killers or Amanda Palmer. The disc continues on with two particularly intriguing remixes. The Break Athem remix of Visions (interestingly renamed here as Visions of Our Past) by Sonic State brings the song into a really tribal and visceral place that would feel redundant if it just weren't so compelling and the Neikka RPM mix of Blush is just a really cool industrial track. The album finishes with a reprise of Visions (the most remixed song on the album) that on its own is nothing special but I think caps off the roughly hour and forth-five minutes between the two discs rather nicely. I also think its really great that the two discs is the standard version of the album with no special edition because I think it just adds to the epic quality of this master work. This album was released in 2003 and while Razed in Black claims to still be active its really a shame that there hasn't been an album since (though there have every now and then been new tracks or covers on various compilations and tributes mostly put out by the bands first and only label Cleopatra, having signed with them just after the band's founding back in 1994). Favorite Tracks: Blush, Share This Poison, There Goes My Head, Leave It All Behind, Visions, Come Back To Me, Nevermeant_V2, LIAB (Future Retro Mix), Visions (Assemblage 23 Mix), Visions of Our Past (Break Anthem Mix), and Blush (Neikka RPM Mix)

Album a Day (Single Edition): miLù mit Kim Sanders & Peter Heppner - Aus Gold

This three track 2004 solo-debut single for artist miLù (Anke Hachfeld of Mila Milar) would see the frequent Schiller collaborator enlisting the aid of two other Schiller collaborators in the form of Eurodance alumni Kim Sanders (Flame, Captain Hollywood Project, Culture Beat) and EBM mainstay Peter Heppner (now ex-Wolfsheim) for the title track Aus Gold (From Gold). Aus Gold is a really beautiful track and miLù's vocals remind me of a slightly pulled-back Björk and while listening to it I was really digging on it. The structure of the song introduces Kim Sanders during the 2nd verse and Heppner in the 3rd with the song ending on all three performing the chorus. I really love songs like this because it really allows for the collaborative process. In fact the lyrics to Aus Gold were co-written by miLù and Peter Heppner with producer Dirk Riegner (Secret Discovery, Space Jazz Dub Men) contributing to the music writing. With Sanders vocals you have four talented artists all coming together to create a song that has both mainstream appeal (well mainstream if you either speak German or enjoy singing in the German language) and appeal to the artist's respective main-genres. The main reason I actually bought this CD was being such a Wolfsheim fan and wanting to the hear the guest vocals by Peter Heppner, who has shown in the past to always choose great projects to lend his vocals to in addition to consistently being a positive addition to any song having worked with the aforementioned Schiller, Umbra et Imago, Paul Van Dyk, Joachim Witt, Goethes Erben, and José Alvarez-Brill amongst others. What I find particularly interesting about the timing of this contribution is that it was around the same time as Wolfsheim's Casting Shadows, the band's last album before the split of Heppner and Markus Reinhardt. Though the real split is said to have happened in 2005 after Heppner signed a multi-album solo record deal, it wouldn't be hard to guess that the collaboration on this slightly more mainstream-sounding disc might have foreshadowed Heppner's inklings towards wanting to brand himself more for a run at a solo career. The second track Du Mensch is sort of a more fun track with only miLù on vocals this time. I really like this track and see the radio appeal (again really only if you are in a German speaking country or a fan of the German language). The third track is the first track again but minus the guest vocals by Sanders and Heppner which to me basically makes it a throwaway track. The CD also includes a video for Aus Gold that is really only worth because of some cool vintage footage (hopefully found and not recreated) and the chance to see Peter Heppner in a jean jacket (though he's wearing two jackets which just goes to show how fucking cold it must have been on whatever beach they filmed it). The big thing you have to really appreciate about this release is that it set to work in support of the German Red Cross for the aide of Afghan Poorhouses. Favorite Tracks: Aus Gold and Du Mensch

Album a Day: Shadows Fall - Threads of Life

I have to give my older brother Lee all the credit in the world for recognizing how good Shadows Fall was long before I ever did, though it helped that he had the opportunity to be around the then-growing Hardcore and Metal scene in New England. In fact we were right in the thick of it with local metalcore bands like Overcast and Aftershock breaking up and reassembling into bands like Killswitch Engage and Shadows Fall, though all of this would be a few years before my time or at least a while before I was a metal fan. Since then these bands have really made the transition as the pioneers of metalcore and have constantly shifted their sound and matured as artists and one of the best examples of that is 2007's Threads of Life. While I don't have a bad thing to say about previous Shadows Fall records I just think Threads of Life is a mature album and shows the bands growing understanding of not only how to put together great individual songs but how to make an album work on a whole. There's a great mix of more traditional metal songs like Dead Uprising, mixed in with cutting edge tracks like the first single released from the album Redemption, and even melodic reflective songs like Another Hero Lost. This fifth album is the band's only release on a major label (the band has since started their own label Everblack Industries) the boys from Western Massachusetts really stepped up their game and all the hard work and dedication shows in a grouping of songs that for the most part all seem really personal and heartfelt. I love that much like the aforementioned Killswitch Engage there are a lot of really positive songs on the album like Redemption (which earned the band a Grammy nomination for Best Metal Performance with no shame losing out to legendary metal-gods Slayer) but still critical with a fantastic song like Failure of The Devout. Lyrically there are a lot of really interesting songs on this album that are really carried by Brian Fair's fantastic vocals. I always appreciate that Brian Fair is a singer and isn't afraid to sing and do a really good job at it, although there is a good balance between his singing and a fair amount of that metal scream as well (though perhaps more subtle than other bands). There's a lot of great guitar breaks in this album both electric and acoustic that adds to moments of breathing room that can often be missing from metal albums (or just a lot of albums in general these days). I also really enjoy the consistency of the album. Every track is really good on its own but there's a cohesion of themes amongst the songs like loyalty, hope and struggle in the face of adversity, the harsh reality of death. I also really like covert art illustrations by Angry Johnny. Overall this is a really solid album and worth not just listening to but really engaging with. Favorite Tracks: Redemption, Failure of The Devout, Venomous, Another Hero Lost, Dead Uprising, and Just Another Nightmare

Album a Day: Jessica Vale - The Sex Album (Second Edition)

In 2005 New York City multimedia artist Jessica Vale released her debut The Sex Album comprised almost entirely (with the exception of Vale's vocals) of sex sounds from various couples amongst the NYC club scene and manipulated into something haunting, beautiful, sexy, dirty, raw, pretty much everything you could want from what is time and again in reviews referred to as "dark rock" (though it sounds basically like industrial to me). There's a great diversity of work here because there are a few goth/industrial club tracks like Disco Libido, The One Over There Is All Mine, and Sarajevo but then more dark breakbeat-style songs such as The Boy In Black or Breather but some of my favorite songs are really the ones that I think are more in line with Vale's multimedia background with the deeply poetic spoken-word pieces Welcome which is basically an instruction manual on how to fuck and Sweet Sixteen in which Vale as the narrator recounts her sixteenth birthday in which she hung out with a boy, got high, drank, had mediocre sex, got poison ivy, and that was pretty much it. Sweet Sixteen to me might be the best track on the CD and reminds me of the works of Sadie Benning (experimental filmmaker, daughter of James Benning, and former member of Le Tigre) and Bill Brown (filmmaker, photographer, and author). The entire album has a great aesthetic appeal and is great to listen to and just enjoy on a visceral level but there's also a lot of layers that can be pealed away that gives The Sex Album a real complexity, though none of this should come as a surprise given Vale's extensive work in the art and film-making communities. In addition to the regular 11-track actual album the CD also includes four bonus tracks (two remixes and two radio clean tracks). The remixes are both solid though I really found myself drawn more towards Jeff Saphin's remix of Boy In Black which brought the track to another level. The Infinite Volume Remix of the non-album track Disco Boy is certainly delightfully spastic. The last two tracks, clean versions of Disco Libido and Boy In Black certainly serve their purpose of having radio friendly tracks that I think helped Vale and this album's climb up the Billboard Charts but for the regular listener and given the subject matter of the album already they are basically throw away tracks that you can skip at the end. This is a great album to just sit down and chill to or fuck to (and isn't that really essential in anyone's collection?). Favorite Tracks: Welcome, Look Pretty, Sweet Sixteen, Sarajevo, Disco Libido (Radio Mix), and Boy In Black (Saphin Remix)

Album a Day (Tribute/Compilation Edition): Various Artists - From Russia With Love: A Russian Tribute To Pigface

I'm always a bit skeptical about tribute CDs because you often wind up with one of two scenarios: either the vast majority of the bands on the tribute can't do the original material justice or the bands on the tribute are far superior to the undeserving recipient of the tribute. The first scenario isn't necessarily the bands' faults because most great covers come out of the band/artist's connection to a particular song/band which necessitates a cover: Amanda Palmer loves Radiohead so she decides to cover a Radiohead song. This decision on the part of the artist/band can help motivate for a better cover because they feel they owe something to the material or they've heard it so many times that they can put their own unique take on it (as will be the case with Palmer's upcoming ukulele tribute to Radiohead out this summer). A tribute CD may collect one or two of these songs that exist but the need to fill a CD means that some bands are going to get recruited for the tribute and there's probably a deadline. The second scenario has generally been the fault of Cleopatra Records (whom we all loved when they were a real label kind of like when MTV used to play videos) who for years felt the need to put out tribute CDs on a regular basis because compilations sell and die-hard fans apparently buy tribute albums. At first we got some pretty good tributes to bands like Metallica (like em or hate em they deserve a tribute and it produced some great material) and though the Marilyn Manson one seemed premature it was pretty good, but then there was a "Goth/Industrial" tribute to Linkin Park and THAT is where I just draw the line. With all of that in mind I wasn't really sure what to think when I heard there was a tribute to Pigface. Pigface is already an eclectic band made up of so many artists that I wasn't sure what a bunch of covers would do but THEN I heard it was a Russian tribute to Pigface. This is a great tribute! Put together by Andrey "box (I swear that's how it's spelled) who fills the Martin Atkins role by contributing to several tracks, this CD is less of a tribute to the actual music of Pigface and more a tribute to the spirit in that there is a lot of experimentation with the tracks and while they may serve as a framework, most of the time the songs come off as original creations (perhaps adaptations more than anything). Several of the bands including Andrey "box's Boxhead, Spiec Boys, Crovj S Molokom, and Brompton's Cocktail are much more on the experimental end of the music and create somewhat of a meditation on Pigface with new interpretations. I particularly like the contribution NHL with a cover of Hips Lips Tits Power (here titled in Russian as Liajki Siski...Htl Power) which is very punk rock and you haven't heard raw until you hear post-communist Russian punk rock covers of industrial songs. I also really like the more traditional cover of Asphole by Arzamas-16. What I just find amazing about this CD is that halfway across the world you have a scene of musicians that are clearly inspired enough by another scene of musicians to come together and put together what is essentially a love letter to the one of the most influential bands in industrial music. There's something really beautiful about that. And you just have to appreciate the Bond-inspired titled and fantastic cover art by John Bergin. Favorite Tracks: Spiec Boys - Kiss King (Kolombo Mix), Brompton's Cocktail - Insemination, NHL - Liajki Siski...Htl Power, Das Reut - Ten Grownd & Down, and Arzamas-16 - Asphole

Album a Day: The Echoing Green - Defend Your Joy

The Echoing Green's Joey Belville has described the objective of his music to be something that makes people want to jump up and down, freak out, and kiss their mom. There's a lot of pain in the world (and certainly this is something that The Echoing Green has explored) but its sometimes nice to just have an album of happy music made with the purpose of being happy and I'd say that's something that is accomplished on this debut album from one of the mainstays of the American synthpop scene. This album was released in 1994 and at times has 90's synthpop written all over it. I really enjoy the early to mid 90's era of this genre because the hype of 80's new wave had died down and we hadn't quite moved in to the resurgence of electronic music of the later part of the 90's and 2000's so there's something very underground and passionate about those still making the music in the face of grunge, industrial, and indie rock. Synth music certainly isn't the only thing that Belville is dedicated to as he is a devout Christian. While his Christianity is always an influence, no one including Belville would really describe The Echoing Green as a Christian band, though this first album may push the limits of that if nothing else for heavily Christian liner notes and uncredited guest vocals by Christian artist Riki Michele on the title track Defend Your Joy. Nothing wrong though with Belville's Christian message (though I am an Atheist myself) but given how he brings it to the foreground in this album I think its work exploring. Back when I was a teenager I grew in Western Massachusetts and my friends and I would go to downtown Northampton a lot. In Northampton there were two types of Christians that were very present. The first were the very vocal, preachy ones that would plead for us to repent and the other ones were these very nice people that on Friday nights would bring hot chocolate, soup, cookies, etc. to a small park at the edge of main street (not just for the homeless but for everyone to enjoy. That second group is how I think of The Echoing Green's Defend Your Joy. I don't think this is their finest work as that would certainly come later with albums like The Winter of Our Discontent, but this is a great start with some really fun tracks including the title track which is a particular favorite of mine. I really love the sample on Enter Love that just pushes the track into overdrive but is also is the type of sample we don't hear often enough (presumably taken from some sort of older instructional film or recording). In addition to the original tracks there's also a pretty cool cover of Underworld's Pray and two remixes, one of the album track Terra Firma and the other of the track Deep Inside Your Heart. The original version of Deep Inside Your Heart would not appear on an official release until six years later on the compilation Oceanaria V1.0. This is a fun very danceable CD that if you're a fan of The Echoing Green will help give you perspective on where the band started out and is worth checking out. Favorite Tracks: Son In My Eyes, Terra Firma (Stand), Enter Love, Defend Your Joy, Brand New Day, and Terra Firma (Stand) (RemYx)

Album a Day (Digital/Rarities Edition): I, Parasite - Assorted Debris (1996-2001)

Originally released in 2002 as a CD-R, Christopher Jon (the brilliant mind behind the epic I, Parasite) has re-released this collection of rarities, remixes, and live tracks from before the release of the band's debut album Turin just past the remix EP Horseslayer (both excellent releases) in digital form available on the steadily more and more popular Bandcamp website. The major difference between this version and the original CD-R is the inclusion of the full version of the EPIC 23:14 track Urine/Heaven Stench/Filth/Hope To Fall which in and of itself could be a stand-alone EP. I love this release because while not all the songs are necessarily of the same caliber of the album releases these tracks really give I, Parasite fans more insight into what was going on creatively in the mind of Jon and to a lesser extent former bandmate Justin Butts (credited simply as J). Assorted Debris (such a fitting name for a collection like this) plays a lot like a road-map though it seems obvious that the album isn't chronological so in some ways its live a serious of anecdotes starting with the track Sn.6x8 and its remix by M.A.S. which I would guess takes place somewhere in the middle and really serves to give you a feel for where you are going. We then we jump back in time with the four Dis.organ.eyes demos (perhaps an earlier name for the project or release that never really got off the ground? I would love a small triptik that went along with the album) which are really quite different than later IP material. These four tracks are fairly basic industrial tracks except that there something's incredibly haunting about them. The synth work really contributes a gothic feel that reminds me of watching an older horror movie like Nosferatu (a film which absolutely still holds up in creepiness). After that we move on to two of my favorite tracks on the album: Ascension and Skinlike (Soft). I'm actually surprised that these two tracks never made it on to an album because they are both vintage I, Parasite (sometimes just need to get cut for lack of room sometimes). Ascension is a little bit noisier but I love how it begins very ambient and but eventually moves into really gut-punching powernoise. It sort of reminds me of a harder-edged Godspeed You! Black Emperor. Skinlike (Soft) is just one of those amazing I, Parasite tracks that mixes really delicate synths with extremely heavy drums that creates this beautiful yin-yang as the back-drop for Christopher Jon's pained and introspective vocals. The next two tracks are both listed as demos. Guiltmask seems like sort of throwaway Wumpscut-esque industrial track (not bad but nothing exciting) but Glass Shards is a really touching piano track that may not really fit in with most of I, Parasite's other material but is a really nice change of pace. The three live tracks all sound great and surprisingly crisply-recorded given that they are from the early 2000's. The live tracks give a really great feel for I, Parasite's live show. I first saw IP live back around this time probably about 2003. They were gearing up for a bigger show and so they were booked at this really bizarre all-day festival of terrible local Connecticut bands at this backwoods venue that I think was a campground dining hall or Elks Lodge or something. I was doing interviews for my Ithaca College/106-VIC radio show The Last Exit and so I got a lot of time to talk to Christopher Jon and his live band (including my now good buddy and I, Parasite bassist Bret Calder). The festival was an all day thing and this group of mostly teenagers kept leaving after the bands they came to see and while I, Parasite was the headlining band, all that was left by the time they went on were me, my friend Caitlin, the band, the "promoters" and maybe one or two other people. In spite of this I, Parasite played an amazing show for the few of us. What I'm saying between the weird side-story and the live tracks on this release are that if you ever get the chance to see I, Parasite live then fucking do so because they will not disappoint. The final track on the album is the aforementioned Urine/Heaven Stench/Filth/Hope To Fall which to me could be an industrial opera. This track is so epic and amazing. This is the type of thing I would love to see the band get back into as perhaps some sort of large opera similar to The Knife's Tomorrow, In a Year. I also just absolutely love the artwork by Paul Komoda. I, Parasite album artwork is always interesting and this is no exception. Assorted Debris (1996-2001) is available for download at http://music.iparasite.net/album/assorted-debris-i-1996-2001 for free but with Bandcamp you can contribute and please do as the band is great, Christopher Jon is a super nice guy (bought me a post-show meal at a diner once), and this collection of music/love is well worth it. Favorite Tracks: Sn.6x8, Chained Exit (Dis.organ.eyes demo), Gun (Dis.organ.eyes demo), Ascension, Skinlike (Soft), Piety (Live @ Club Laga, Pittsburgh), No Question (Live @ QXT, Newark), and Urine/Heaven Stench/Filth/Hope To Fall