Album a Day (Limited Edition EP Edition): Silversun Pickups - The Tripwire Session: Live In Chicago

Silversun Pickups
Dangerbird Records (2007)

Recorded live in Chicago for rock blog, The Tripwire, Silversun Pickups released this four-track EP somewhat under the radar in a no-frills, black & white, cardboard sleeve and only available in various Independent Record stores. On a general basis I would not consider myself a music collector. I know this sounds counter-intuitive given my library of 1700 CDs and probably at least one hundred more digital albums, but in any kind of collection you have two very different approaches. I'm sure we all have a friend, co-worker, stalker, etc. that collects action figures. Think about that person for a second. Got it? Ok, now I'm guessing that person you are thinking of does not take his/her (let's be honest its a he) toys out of the box. That would "devalue" the toy. I come from the other approach, which is: if you have a toy, it is meant to be played with. Now musicphiles work in a similar way. Collectors of albums will listen to their music, but if you put in front of them a stack of common CDs that they would very much like but are fairly easy to find and a rare one track single then they will almost always pick the latter over the former. The other collector wants to enjoy the music and the rarity does not determine the artistic value (this would be the category I would fall in. However, this EP (which I found used once again at Amoeba for, I believe, seven dollars) makes me begin to understand why perhaps those in the first group and those in the second group can perhaps meet somewhere halfway. What I'm trying to say is that this particular EP is a real gem.

I, much like the rest of America, fell in love last year with Silversun Pickups after hearing "Panic Switch" off of their sophomore album Swoon. I went back and acquired their first album Carnavas (which was an early review I did for this blog). In listening to both of these albums you can hear how well-produced the band is and when a band is well-produced then you do start to wonder how they will fair under live or stripped-down circumstances. Hearing The Tripwire Session: Live In Chicago I can tell you that this a talented band that sometimes I'm actually more crazy about live than in recording (to take absolutely nothing about from the recordings). What I think is so great about the versions here (three of which are taken from Carnavas and the fourth from their debut EP, Pikul) is that there is a very raw quality that gives the songs a bit more of an edge while maintaining a stripped-down quality that pushes the slightly more punk qualities of the band but remaining true to the band's signature sound.

My favorite track on the CD has to be the first one, "Future Foe Scenarios", which really demonstrates what I'm talking about. It's amazing because you still get the well-placed synths but the lack of over-production really pops the guitars and drums. Doug McBride did a yeoman's job taking a live session and giving the recording a lot of space and breathing room that helps create a certain intimacy. What pops the most to me is the vocal work here of Brian Aubert. I love how Aubert pushes himself to the point of really belting out particular moments in the song that is very representative of their live shows. Aubert also just has such a unique voice that its refreshing to hear it actually sounds that way in a more bare bones scenario. The song itself is also just a fantastic song. Silversun Pickups are a very catchy band so its easy to get lost and enchanted in the music and I just hope that the message of the song isn't lost on too many of the listeners. I mean really go back and listen to that song with messages of discontent, revolution, etc.

As well as Aubert's vocal and guitar work is displayed here, so are the talents of all the band members. Chris Guanlao's drumming pushes the energy of the band and this is another live scenario that if you see Guanlao playing (and just even youtube it) you'll see a certain passion that is clearly evident. I mentioned previously Joe Lester's keyboard work but really for a band that is primarily rock driven its great to have an extra layer of something that I think pushes the sound of the band to the next level. And let's not forget the bass Nikki Monninger. Monniger's bass-line on "Well Thought Out Twinkies" is so fucking smooth and really takes center stage on that particular track.

Often with these releases I don't think a lot of thought is given into placement but I'd like to give major props to the arrangement here. The first two songs "Future Foe Scenarios" and "Well Thought Out Twinkies" instantly hook the listener, and just like any good artist the band then reaches towards more of a b-side with "Comeback Kid" that helps move the CD along while keeping steady a certain tempo. It's also nice that not all of the songs are from the same album as that can take away from the specialness of the release and it could feel like just a bonus disc for the album. This is another song that shows off nicely the more aggressive side of the band. I think the smartest move is finishing the EP with the more casual "Dream At Tempo 119" featuring great backing vocals by Monninger.

I'm glad to own this but I think there's a sad quality to the idea that not many people will get to hear these versions, though there's always hope for b-sides/rarities releases down the road for a band that has a bright future and should continue to release more material, and maybe an album that's a little more stripped down like the music found on The Tripwire Session: Live in Chicago.

Favorite Tracks: Future Foe Scenarios and Well Thought Out Twinkies

http://silversunpickups.com/

Album a Day: KMFDM - Naïve

KMFDM
Wax Trax! (1990)

Often times its difficult with a band that has put out so many consistently good to great albums, like KMFDM has, to pick which out which one is the best. However, I think a valid case can be made for Naïve as perhaps being the most important (in addition to one of the best). The year was 1990 and KMFDM had began to reach a modicum of success in Europe with their first three albums, the first of which, Opium, was a big underground club hit in Hamburg Germany, and the second two, What Do You Know, Deutschland? and Don't Blow Your Top both beginning to reach a more international audience, with the former being distributed in the UK and the latter being distributed by now famous underground Chicago-based record label Wax Trax! The band's four album, UAIOE, would be the first without Raymond Watts, who at this time left the band to form PIG (though of course Watts would return later, leave again, return again, and so on). That album would also be distributed by Wax Trax! and the band made their American debut in support of the album opening for Ministry. UAIOE would go on to be a really bizarre, though solid album, but it wouldn't be until the band returned to Europe from the tour to record their fifth album, Naïve, that the would truly solidify their signature sound, a solid blend of metal-infused Industrial and club-friendly EBM (old-school EBM like Front 242, not the VNV Nation sound that we've become accustomed to).

In addition to the factors leading up to this particular release, there are a number of other things that make this album important. This album would be the first in which KMFDM would sign directly to Wax Trax! and would mark the debut of guitarist Svetlana Ambrosius. Name not ringing a bell? Oh that's because Ambrosius would later go under the much more familiar name of Guenter Schulz. This would also be the last album before the band would ultimately move to America.

What I find so particular interesting is that the lineup at the time consisted of Sascha Konietzko (Excessive Force, MDFMK, KGC, Schwein), En Esch (Slick Idiot, Pigface), Guenter Schulz (Slick Idiot, PIG, Schulz), and Rudolph Naomi (Girls Under Glass, Sweet Sister Pain) who are basically four of the most German men you could ever meet, and yet this album (again, recorded in Europe) to my 2010 ears sounds like the epitome of American Industrial. There a great amount of fun to the album with a hard edge to it (though I think you could make an argument for it being the other way around).

Of course the album starts off on just the right note with the track "Welcome" which is a really quick eighteen second introduction that simply states "Welcome to the world of KMFDM. Happy to introduce you to our new album Naïve". I know this probably doesn't seem like much, but those familiar with KMFDM know that a large facet of KMFDM over the years is how self-referential they are (with many lyrics in various songs and in fact entire songs detailing the exploits of KMFDM), so to start off this way and then straight into the title track is very exciting. "Naïve" is absolutely one of the best songs on the album with simple but straightforward lyrics on top of a really solid but hard club beat, backed by slick guitars and a duet vocals between Konietzko and KMFDM-contributor Christine Siewert.

I love how this album has songs like "Naïve" and "Die Now Live Later" that are infused with what we know now as that early 90's dance sound (think C&C Music Factory but then try to forget I mentioned C&C Music Factory and pretend I said KMFDM and that you knew what I was talking about) juxtaposed with more guitar driven borderline metal songs like "Piggybank". I'd actually say "Piggybank" is also one of the more stylistically interesting songs on the album because the guitars feel hard like metal but slightly more repetitious like funk and you also get one of Konietzko's signature chanting-style vocal renditions that has almost a hip-hop element to it. This blend of Industrial, funk, and hip hop would soon pave the way for bands like Die Warzau and Psykosonik while being right in line for My Life with The Thrill Kill Kult, who would also infuse a lot of dirty disco into their own style.

Of course what would later launch this album into the spotlight would be one of the band's few primarily German songs, "Liebeslied". Part of the success of this song was its sampling and re-purposing of Carl Orff's "O Fortuna" from his 1930's cantata Carmina Burana. If you're not familiar with this particular song then just Google or Youtube it and you'll quickly go "Ohhhh yeah" or at least pretend to so as not to look like an idiot (or sycophant). Apparently Orff's estate has never been particularly happy with the sampling of this song and (which may I point out is a medieval poem that Orff set to music) and halted production of the entire album because of its use of the recording. To me this is ridiculous in the realm of the fact that "Happy Birthday" is owned and to sing it on radio or television requires paying a gross amount of money. I'm not saying that people don't deserve to be paid for their work, however I am saying that when that person has been dead for quite some time then its time to let it go. My attitude is "if you didn't personally create it then fuck you!", but that's just me. Of course KMFDM wouldn't be the only band to suffer this fate, but rather in an exclusive club alongside Apotheosis (though to be fair their 1991 rendition was basically just a rip-off or Orff's version and probably the reason Orff's estate made an issue of this at all), and Apoptygma Berzerk's "Love Never Dies - Part 1" from their 1996 album 7 (you would think they would have learned from history what happens when you sample this song, but no). It wasn't until 1993 that the fuss was made and the album was pulled off the shelf, but it would result in this version of Naïve gaining rare status with the album at times being sold in the hundreds of dollars (though I constantly see it for 30 bucks at Amoeba Records twenty minutes away from my Glendale, California home in Hollywood. Also I paid fifteen bucks for my copy so suck on that).

Rare and important status aside, this is just a great fucking album that includes some of the great aforementioned songs in addition to a really slick "Achtung!" whose slight repetitious guitar ringing gives the song a Western kind of flavor that makes you want to fire pistols at high noon despite the crazy En Esch German vocals. One of my favorites and stalwart of the album would be "Go To Hell". I love "Go To Hell"s sound because it mixes in elements of punk and rockabilly that works so well with the styles of everyone involved making it a song that really shows off the skills of everyone in that incarnation of KMFDM. I also think what is smart about this album is the smattering of non-traditional album tracks like the remix of "Friede" thrown right into the middle of the album and the three additional tracks at the end with "Virus (Dub)", "Disgust (Live)" and of course one of KMFDM's seminal songs "Godlike (Chicago Trax Version)".

The album would later get edited, rearranged, and repackaged as Naïve/Hell To Go (minus any semblance of "O Fortuna") and then later re-released in 2006 by Metropolis/KMFDM Records (again, still minus "O Fortuna" but back to simply being Naïve but with most of the tracks from Naïve/Hell To Go) but if you can find a copy then I highly recommend it not only for the fan appreciation or collector aspect but also just to simply hear the artists' original intentions from one of the most pivotal albums from one of the most provocative bands of the last thirty years. Also this album has that great signature cover artwork by Aidan Hughes (aka Brute!). This is probably one of my favorite KMFDM covers (of which he's done the vast majority of including both albums and the plethora of singles) for its composition, color, and just that absolute creeper. That dude on the cover is a scumbag and his smile is perfect, only being enhanced by the overpowering sun in the background (daytime creepy!).

Favorite Tracks: Naïve, Die Now Live Later, Friede (Remix), Liebesleid, Go To Hell, and Godlike (Chicago Trax Version)

http://kmfdm.net/

Album a Day: Laibach - Jesus Christ Superstars

Laibach
Mute
(1996)

Given that legendary industrial group Laibach's first album, 1985's self-titled Laibach, featured a damn dying on a cross (or a plus sign given the proportionate horizontal and vertical components) it seems like it was only a matter of time before the band would produce an entirely religiously themed (primarily Christian) album. Though it would take eleven more years to get there, 1996 gave way to Jesus Christ Superstars. This particular album would go down as one of the more raw, guitar-driven albums in the band's discography, more reminiscent of Oomph! than their previous work, which, while always heavy, for a long time tended to lean more on the electronic side.

There was a bit of irony there given that the first track on the album is a cover of Juno Reactor's "God is God". Though with Laibach nothing is accidental, and what would be even odder than the slight change in musical direction is that first song. Laibach had been and continues to be long-known for their various covers, often re-purposing songs for their own agenda, and this CD contains three covers (again, not unusual for the band) with the Juno Reactor song, "Jesus Christ Superstar" from Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's rock opera of the same name, and a cover of Prince's "The Cross" from his first solo album Sign O' The Times. What would be so strange about the inclusion of "God is God" is that the song hadn't been released by Juno Reactor yet and wouldn't see a release until the single released a year later in 1997 and on the full-length Bible of Dreams (also released in 1997). However, if you check the liner notes of the Jesus Christ Superstars (again, a great reason for having physical over digital) you'll see the musical writing credit given to Ben Watkins and Nick Burton of Juno Reactor and on the last page of the booklet there is a note that says, "The original version of "God is God" is taken from the forthcoming Juno Reactor album and single on Blue Room Released." I personally just find that pretty amazing and I'm surprised that I think that that particular tidbit has been somewhat forgotten by time and I've even seen credit given first to Laibach in various places.

The song "God is God" itself is a fantastic cover that takes a primarily electronic/tribal piece and makes it into a typically-Laibach epic. What works so well for this and many of the songs on the album is a mix of the sweepingly dramatic performances of Laibach and booming/commanding vocals. Its a really great contrast to the original even though both resonate for different reasons. I'd even go so far so say the Juno Reactor version has a sort of removed, passive quality that allows the listener to float around in the ether and transcend to another state of reality or plane of existence. Laibach's version is much more engaging, fear-mongering, and earthly.

The second cover on the album is perhaps just as fantastic, a re-imagining of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's "Jesus Christ Superstar". Of course this song is sort of a centerpiece for the album, with only the addition of an "s" standing between the name of the song and the name of the album. Laibach has a great piece written up on their website about the album and in referencing their choice to cover this song they mention how the original (a mirroring of John's Lennon's quote about The Beatles being bigger than Jesus) "...cast a clean-cut Jim Morrison type as Christ and played out his story against the peace concerns the Vietnam war period. That its social impact outweighed its musical value could be ascribed to its meeting the religious needs of an audience unsatisfied by conventional religions. Laibach use it today as a vehicle to explore the way rock had absorbed Hollywood's idea of Christian values."

I won't detail every song but the rest of the album and every one of the original tracks are equally as good as the covers. Even for an industrial album there's still plenty of diversity on this album with more traditionally Laibach songs like "Kingdom of God" and "Abuse and Confession" which, like many of the songs on the album, features these really solid orchestral parts that only enhances their already epic nature, to heavier songs like "Declaration of Freedom" and "Message From The Black Star" that are much more in the style of Neue Deutsche Härte (new German hardness) that was typical at the time of bands like Oomph!, Hanzel und Gretyl (though an American band), Umbra et Imago, and the emerging Rammstein.

Personally one of my favorite tracks on the CD is a much more minimalist song towards the end of the album named "To The Night Light" which feels much more in-line with early Laibach. I think this song (certainly amongst others in their discography) shows a more artistically-driven side of Laibach where they are truly one of the more masterful bands in Industrial at controlling atmosphere and mood, driving it towards a very dark place.

The roots of Industrial music generally centered around the challenging of ideas, musical forms, convention, etc. By 1996 there had been a boom in Industrial and while some bands such as KMFDM, Pigface, and the disintegrating Skinny Puppy were still behind that there were a number of bands emerging that simply just wanted to make angry pop music. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with that, however, I just thinks its refreshing that Laibach was and continues to be a band that subverts, questions, and thinks during its process, even though they could rest on their laurels of simply being a fantastic, aggressive band. Here Laibach takes on the major theme of religion. The Goth/Industrial scene is not one that is typically associated with deep religious belief so the emergence of such an album is not necessarily controversial, nor do I think it intends to be. The band has stated that with this album they hoped to raise more questions than give answers. Though of course doing an album like this, one does have to wonder Laibach's stance on religion. Is this a question of all religion, Christianity, organized-religion, D. none of the above? The aforementioned article has a quote from the band that I think perhaps sums up the whole thing, "Yes, we believe in God, but unlike Americans we do not trust him."

Favorite Tracks: God is God, Jesus Christ Superstar, Kingdom of God, Abuse and Confession, Message From The Black Star, and To The New Light

http://www.laibach.nsk.si/

Album a Day: And One - Nordhausen

And One
Virgin Records
(1997)

Germany's And One has long been one of the oddest bands. Don't get me wrong, they are also one of my favorite bands but there's always been something a bit off-kilter about this band and I think its that they have the ability to range from quirky (bordering on crazy) to dramatic, and that quirky side can get down right odd (see their most recent video of a lounge version of "Military Fashion Show"). In a sense And One is like a great comedic actor that crosses over to drama and excels at both, and is almost always entertaining. And One's junior effort Nordhausen is a perfect display of the band's dynamic abilities.

I don't want to dwell too much on the odd side of And One because I don't think its the only thing that defines the band but you can help but notice songs on this album like "Sweety Sweety" which is essentially a proposal for an undefined lady to marry the first person subject of the song, bare children, and basically have the whole white picket fence scenario. The song is actually very sweet, and leans much more on And One's synthpop side, but remains sort of a curiously odd song. The other song on the album I would say is in the same vein is And One's cover of Swedish musician Harpo's 1970's song "Movie Star". I love the cheesy sound effects and bubbly synthpop aided by And One collaborator Anja Krenz's guest vocals.

I guess at this point I've turned an about-face because I think odd is the wrong choice of words. Realistically And One is just charming and its songs like these that make for very light (but nonetheless heartfelt) moments that contrast really nicely with the more somber moments on the album like "Sometimes". "Sometimes" is one of those songs that I think helps endear And One to the Goth/Industrial crowd because there's a great fun-EBM club sound to this song but you also have the more downer lyrics about wanting to be alone but not really knowing what you want at all. I know this can come off as a real debby-downer but its honest and its how so many feel whether they want to admit it or not. This more somber side comes out perhaps even more intensely in the last two tracks on the album "Mirror In Your Heart" and the title track "Nordhausen", which remove a little bit of that club friendliness (although "Mirror In Your Heart" still has great synth work reminiscent of Ultra-era Depeche Mode (interestingly both that album and this one were both released in 1997).

One of my favorite aspects about And One has always been that while you get most of their songs sung in English that there always sprinklings of those German songs that compliment the band well and evoke thoughts of Kraftwerk, the Autobahn, and The Bauhaus (the school, not the band). On this album we get songs like "Uns Gehts Gut" which is just a really cool minimalist song that shows a different side of And One. Certainly And One is a band that isn't afraid to experiment and the album actually starts off with "Und Dafür", which has that signature And One sound but is missing the band's trademark vocal work by Steve Naghavi. Now I love Naghavi's vocals but I actually find it refreshing to have a song that can stand on its own for the rest of the composition.

Nordhausen does not have any of the signature songs that you associate with And One ("Panzermensch", "Goodbye Germany", "Techno Man", "Military Fashion Show", "Wasted", etc.) and its possible that it passed you by the first time so I highly recommend adding it to your collection as it is really one of their most top to bottom solid albums with really no bad tracks in the entire thing and a few songs that really should be in your top ten list of And One classics. The album is well-produced Steve Naghavi and band-mate/drummer/back-up vocalist Joke Jay (now an ex-member of the band but a long-time creative force in And One), solid keyboards by Rich Schah with great guest work by the aforementioned vocalist Anja Krenz and pianist Piano Reeves.

Favorite Tracks: Und Dafür, Sometimes, Movie Star, Sweety Sweety, Sitata Tiralala, and Mirror In Your Heart

http://www.andone.de/

Album a Day (Film Score Edition): Hans Zimmer - Inception

Hans Zimmer
Reprise
(2010)

Regardless of how you may or may not feel about Christopher Nolan's Inception, there is absolutely no denying the brilliance of Hans Zimmer's score. Now, I personally loved Inception as I happen to think that if this is the (at least immediate) future of big-budget action films then we are on the right track, but to me a great score not only helps enhance the film but can also function as its own separate entity, as if the two were companion pieces (though I can't imagine watching this film without the score). This is the type of film that has very large grand ideas and then very small intimate moments. I mean consider the fact that the vast majority of the film takes place inside of the human mind. There is an incredible depth to the brain, and especially dreams that we have only begun to understand but have been constantly fascinated with since as far back as possible. Dreams are our safe havens and yet they can be dangerous at the same time. Its where we have adventures, love affairs, self-loathing, self-aggrandizing, etc. In other words, this soundtrack isn't just for a film that has to deal with all of that but also a soundtrack that must have its own psychology to it.

One of the great things about the CD copy of the album is a story in the liner notes where Director Christopher Nolan details the process of working with Zimmer on a film that he described as being so intrinsically interwoven with its score. Of course Zimmer has worked on over 100 soundtracks and if you run down the list its a veritable "who's who" of major American Motion Pictures. Few reach that upper tier of film composers and so obviously takes a certain something. This especially holds true when you are working with a master of scale like Christopher Nolan, though this is not the first collaboration between the two with Zimmer being the creative force behind Nolan's acclaimed Batman series (Batman Begins and The Dark Knight). The end result is that Zimmer (who has every right at this point to basically phone it in) continues to challenge himself, do research, and perfect his musical cues.

Of course the most noticeable cue on soundtrack is the very industrial mechanical droning horn. This almost always serves as a reminder that something wrong is happening in the dream world, whether it be the Projections becoming aware of intruders or the world itself collapsing. But beyond that there are also great small moments. Although this is a very electronic soundtrack its difficult to put all of the music into one genre. To me this has to be another call back to the film and its own concept of playing with genre. When I first walked out of Inception I said, "This is Ocean's Eleven meets The Matrix", which I still stand by, however as time has gone on I can see that beyond heist film and sci-fi there are also strong elements of classic action, espionage, and film noir that are often represented by different characters and each of those characters stronger moments are easily displayed all over Zimmer's soundtrack. I think the most significant one has to be Leonardo DiCaprio's character Dominic Cobb who displays all the traits of a classic noir character reminiscent of Fred MacMurray's Walter Neff in Double Indemnity and so many of Cobb's scene involving his lost lady love, Mallorie (played so perfectly by Marion Cotillard), you get very heavily noir music, like in her first appearance with the track "Dream Is Collapsing". A good counter example of that would be somebody like Tom Hardy's character Eames (the Forger) who is much more of an espionage guy and we get music like "Dream With a Dream".

What continues to impress me about Zimmer is how open he is to the collaborative process, which I'm sure working with a collaborative director like Nolan only encourages, and one of the really happy results of that is that on this soundtrack Zimmer brought in musician Johnny Marr (The Smiths, Modest Mouse, The Cribs) to play guitar. Typically film composers of Zimmer's caliber tend to use more classically trained musicians and so even though Marr was already an accomplished musician, I still find it refreshing for Zimmer to have the taste-level to bring in someone like Marr that in addition to being an excellent musician, also isn't going to be afraid to speak his mind which again lends to the collaborative process.

In addition to the regular soundtrack available in stores you can download two free tracks ("Projections" and "Don't Think About Elephants") from the film's website and on itunes you can purchase a Junkie XL remix of a song titled "Inception" that obviously takes from various parts of the score (and is probably an indication that there will be more remixes in the future as was the case with the Dark Knight Soundtrack). I think the Junkie XL remix is a really solid track that probably isn't as good as Zimmer's score but adds for a cool twist that has club appeal to it and I think the crossover, much like enlisting Johnny Marr, can only pull in more of an audience for one of my favorite soundtracks of the year (and perhaps period).

Favorite Tracks: Half Remembered Dream, Dream Is Collapsing, 528491, Mombasa, Paradox, Time, Don't Think About Elephants, and Inception (Junkie XL Remix)

Album a Day: Lycia - Empty Space

I won't watch horror films during the day. Its not that you can't enjoy horror during the day (at least not on a sunny California day like I've been used to for the past several years) but come on, the light is shining, people are stirring about, worse comes to worse I can just leave my house and all will somehow be less creepy. The night is the perfect time for high-contrast lighting, things that look like other things, and more things popping out of nowhere. I don't often feel this way about music because I just don't find most music creepy, even music that somehow sets out to be as such (though it seems like there isn't as much of that as there used to be). However, if you want creepy, nighttime-enhanced music then look no further than Arizona's veteran-Darkwavers Lycia (probably a creepier place to live than you may realize), and also when rifling through the discography make sure to make a stop at 2003's Empty Space.

For certain moods I have specific albums I like to listen to because when you're feeling a certain way you just don't have the time to start sampling things and this album fulfills that dark need in me. This isn't even to say brooding (for that I have other albums) but rather much like how I described that creepy nighttime feeling. To me this album brings about feelings that zombies are going to start coming out of the woodwork or the infected will begin running at me ala 28 Days Later. I always think the last track of this album, "The End" (how fitting) is reminiscent of the song playing in the film when Jim is enacting his plan against the military guys (or I'm not sure if it'd be the other way around as this album was released in 2003 but recorded in 1999 and the film came out in 2002 but I'm not sure when that song was recorded, so let's just leave that tidbit ambiguous).

What I think appreciate the most about this album, and perhaps Lycia in general is that their process seems closer to the way fine artists would work in that you get the appropriate tools for the particular song. At times you may get guitarist/found Mike VanPortfleet's vocals that are really subtle and intimate while others are more appropriate for the distinctly haunting Tara Vanflower (be sure to check out her solo work by the way) and some songs don't need any vocals at all. More traditional bands work much more similar to narrative filmmaking, which is to say that if you have a vocalist then you use it (though it certainly is common to have songs that only feature the vocalist and maybe a synth or guitars...poor bassists and drummers of the world). I think this way of working allows Lycia to maximize potential for songs because nothing feels forced and everything is unexpected. Though I do miss the vocals when they aren't present as Vanflower's voice really brings the work to another level and very much in the same vein as Siouxsie Sioux. VanPortfleet's vocals are a little more sporadic but they add a great texture to the album, particularly on the aforementioned "The End".

Part of what really solidifies the whole package to me are the little moments such VanPortfleet's vocals on "Not Here, Not Anywhere" or the popping effect (perhaps a woodblock or castanets, unless I'm way off) on "Violent Violet", or just that constant guitar riff throughout the album that sounds just off enough to put the listener in a state of unease (in a positive way). Each member of the band has great moments on the album with an attention to detail. In that sense its like you have four separate artists all working together like an well-oiled machine from the aforementioned work by VanPortfleet and Vanflower to John Fair's off-kilter percussion work, David Galas' post-punk bass.

Lycia has done a great job of continuing to transform over the years while maintaining a signature sound that has helped sustain fanbase (including Trent Reznor) while growing as artists and as a collective. This was the last album until the band recently released on online exclusive EP so I hope this is a sign that their work will continue until those that make the music feel its time to hang it up, and in that case they all have great side/solo-projects that are worth checking out. But to me this may stay for a long time as my favorite Lycia album.

Favorite Tracks: Not Here Not Anywhere, Persephone, Violent Violet, The Long Drive, and The End

Album a Day (EP Edition): Leæther Strip - Suicide Bombers

I'm glad we're all in agreement that George W. Bush was one of our worst Presidents in history (though let's not forget how much of an asshole James Buchanan was). However, to every yin there is a yang (or is it the opposite here?) and there was a silver lining to eight years of political misery: eight years of really angry Industrial laden with Bush vocal samples that you would think must have come from a Charlton Heston movie or something. Some of the music became redundant but a vast majority of it just had so much material to work from including Bush, Bush's cabinet, war, Bin Laden, Sadam Hussein, Al-Qaeda, terrorism, etc. And the great thing was that you could pick and choose so that way you can mock terrorism while also mocking Bush at the same time, and this was one of the clear factors that helped bring one of the greatest Industrial minds out of his funk.

The year was 2005 and we hadn't seen any new material from Claus Larsen (A.K.A. Leæther Strip) since 2000's Carry Me, but realistically there hadn't been any significant release of music from the Leæther Strip project since the release of his 8th album, 1997's Self-Inflicted. Now for some bands time off isn't all that unusual, but Larsen started Leæther Strip in 1988, released his first single in 1989 (Japanese Bodies), first album in 1990 (The Pleasure of Penetration) with a second album that year (Science For The Satanic Citizen) and subsequently released an album every year (and a number of EPs and singles) until his hiatus. Ignoring the one single from 2000 and some compilations of earlier work, Larsen basically took off for eight years in contrast to the previous eights years of consistent material.

So a lot of buzz surrounded Larsen in 2005 upon rumblings of new material. An album would come but first was this EP, Suicide Bombers: Who Told You To Die That Way? Situations like that can tend to build a lot of hype and the last time we had heard new Leæther Strip Larsen had been changing around the sound in such a way that created mixed reactions amongst his fan base. However, this EP absolutely delivered if nothing else but for the title track. "Suicide Bombers" became an instant club hit but its also just such a great perspective on the war in Iraq (is that over yet?). In the song you have a great clip of W. repeating the phrase "suicide bombers" and Larsen simultaneously dissecting why these "martyrs" do what they do and chastising them for it. Larsen has a long history of speaking his mind and deconstructing villainous acts, but what I particularly love here is that Larsen is older, perhaps wiser, more introspective, clearly had a lot of time to think about all of this, and while he still rips the suicide bombers apart there are also questions of how they got where they are, why do they do what they do, etc. while I think taking Bush to task and almost pleading with these men and women not to do what they do while showing empathy (though some of it is very condescending and in the end Larsen does wish harm on those that would perpetrate such acts).

Musically the title track is also just a solid track that's very danceable, very catchy, with a great mix Larsen's normal trademark vocal style and perhaps something slightly more aggressive. In addition the EP contains an alternate "12 Inch Version" (remember when every band on Wax Trax! had a 12 inch version of a song?) that isn't all that different but certainly interesting as you get a longer Bush sample where W. states that "suicide bombers are targeting innocent men, women, and children" plus a slightly different, perhaps more consistent club-style beat. This alternate version isn't really better or worse than the original version but just different, which is kind of cool in itself.

Whats interesting about this EP is that it basically is a mini-album because the whole thing is just under 40 minutes (many albums are as short at 48 minutes) and with the exception of the 12 inch version of the title track, all the rest of the songs are originals. One of my favorites besides the title track is "The Shame of a Nation (Part I & II)". Certain elements are very indicative of its place in the mid-2000's but the overall sound is very reminiscent of more classic Industrial/EBM. There's a very steady pace that probably isn't as much of an automatic dance-floor hit now but you would definitely see an old-school crowd being very into this. I also love the line in this song with the supposed female computer vocalist stating "Leæther Strip is back" during Part II of the song (with two minutes left in the song the same voice informs the audience "And now EBM people I would like to welcome you to 'The Shame of a Nation Part II'. Please enter with caution or stay the fuck out".

The rest of the songs on the EP are all good, though I think "This Is Where I Wanna Be" is probably the best of the bunch as it feels like the first three tracks have an "I'm back" feel, while this song is sort of the "Now let's resume where we left off". Larsen has a great ability to retain that old school sound while adding transformative elements that given the feeling of something progressive rather than nostalgic. I'm sure some of this must have been credited to Larsen's extended hiatus, which seems to have reinvigorated the artist and allowed Larsen to introduce Leæther Strip to an entire new audience.

Favorite Tracks: Suicide Bombers, Suicide Bombers (12 Inch Version), The Shame of a Nation (Part I & II), and This Is Where I Wanna Be