Proud goth, ex DJ and music reviewer

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There was a stirring on the winds in New Jersey, and behold, the debut single “April” spang forth from goth rockers, The Antoine Poncelet Band. The band is made up of members, Antoine Poncelet (vocals), Peter Quilla (guitar), Mark McClemens (bass), Santos Menendez (keys), Greg Bullock (keys) and Justin Wright (drums).

There is the wailing and gnashing of teeth in “April“, for there does seem to be a questioning of why one has been left to fend for themselves, when the muses have fled. Is there meaning if you cannot see it? The music is boisterous, and the over all ambiance, reminds me a little of Andy Prieboy. There is also a b-side in the track, “Virginia Plain“, originally released by Roxy Music, back in 1972. They have retained that glam edge with the great keyboard work and lead singer Poncelet, pulls off a rather convincing modern take, of the sneering Bryan Ferry, though this version is more attacking.

Hearing a cover of Roxy Music was rather delightful and a good reminder of what a great songwriter Ferry has been. The single “April” is this interesting dichotomy of 90s goth, grunginess and even honky-tonk blues at times, which is surprisingly enjoyable. It might no longer be “April“, but you can still indulge in The Antoine Poncelet Band.

April | The Antoine Poncelet Band (bandcamp.com)

http://www.facebook.com/theantoineponceletband

http://www.theantoineponceletband.com/

http://www.theantoineponceletband.com/

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Is there a cooler band name out there than Super Dragon Punch!!? I think not! This 8bit/industrial project from Belgium, is the brain child of Jérémie Venganza and there is a new single called “Split“. If this wasn’t enough, he has called on several electronic musicians to help out on the remix duties.

In true 8bit fashion, the track starts out like a computer game, that crosses with far more uplifting synth lines that spin around the punchy lyrics that talk about regret at losing another. As soon as you hear the first remix, you can tell it has Jamie Blacker’s touch all over it. The ESA (Electronic Substance Abuse)remix is a bit funky with thumping beats and static, giving the track a much darker tone. Next is the Dulce Liquido remix. Oscar Mayorga is Dulce Liquido, as well as a member of Hocico, and with that pedigree, the rhythm slams and the industrial-techno strobes your senses, creating an amazing dance version. The fourth version is doused in the electronic splendour that is [SITD], where they use their skill to give the track a depth, using those beautiful tinkling key notes and lowers tones and this leads on perfectly to the Toxxic Project mix. Toxxic Project is another Mexican project, and their remix is this building tide of synthy injected waves, that surges around your ears.

There is also an instrumental mix which is equally as good, but honestly, you should just listen for yourself. It is a chance to immerse yourself in not only a great track, yet also bask in the talent of the guest remixers. There is not one that I could actually say is my favourite due to the fact each has their own, very distinctive, style. All killer and no filler from this single, “Split” by Super Dragon Punch!!.

Split | Super Dragon Punch!! (bandcamp.com)

https://www.facebook.com/superdragonpunch

http://www.superdragonpunch.com/

https://super-dragon-punch.creator-spring.com/

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May the 5th seems to have been a huge day for releases, and what could be better than a single from the British electronic wizard, Simon Carter. “Erase My Mind” features the dulcet tones of Sweden’s Fredrik Keith Croona (Against I/Menschdefekt).

I was not joking when I said Croona’s vocals are dulcet, as he takes you down the electronic rabbit hole where one feels unfulfilled, and it leaves such a hole, it would be better to forget to ease the pain of it all.

Carter’s music as always, is simply scintillating. There is a symmetry between the techno x psytrance and Croona’s vocals, that make this not only a great dance track, but just an enjoyable song in general….. that I won’t be listening to in the car….. speeding is bad. This Simon Cater featuring Fredrik Keith Croona, and they don’t really want to “Erase My Mind” so much as raise my resting heart rate.

▶︎ Erase My Mind | Simon Carter (feat. Fredrik Keith Croona) | Simon Carter (bandcamp.com)

https://www.facebook.com/HumansCantReboot

https://www.instagram.com/simon.carter_official/

http://www.twitch.tv/sy_carter

Music | Twisted Flesh Recordings (bandcamp.com)

https://www.facebook.com/againstIband

https://www.instagram.com/againstiband/

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Never ones to sit on their laurels, the crew of Beauty In Chaos (BIC), with guitarist Michael Ciravolo, firmly at the helm, have been joined by Julian Shah-Taylor (vocals/synths), for a brand new single, “Kiss Me (Goodbye)“. Just adding to the mix is long term BIC collaborator Michael Rozon on bass/piano/drum programming and drummer Pete Parada of Face To Face and The Offspring fame.

Photo by Tish Ciravolo

There is an 80s electronic vibe throughout this track, though the guitars most certainly are at the fore, in the rich, surging chorus. Everything will turn out fine, sings Shah-Tayler, even if we are watching the world burn, so with the sweet lyrics and up tempo lilt to the music, you can believe him.

Shah-Taylor might be channelling the Thin White Duke, aka Bowie, especially in conjunction with the video. There is something warm and familiar about “Kiss Me (Goodbye)” that really resonated with me and maybe it is the 80s/goth glam feel. The track is both delicate and stirring, and the vocals are perfection. “So “Kiss Me (Goodbye)” as there is only Beauty In Chaos.

KISS ME (GOODBYE) ft. Julian Shah-Tayler | BEAUTY IN CHAOS (bandcamp.com)

http://www.beautyinchaosmusic.com/

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May 5th saw the latest single for Irish lads, Arctic Lights, made available to the public on Bandcamp and May the 12th for other streaming platforms. Edward Butt and Liam O’Callaghan are Arctic Lights, and “Somebody” is the name of the track.

Do you chance to dance with the Devil when the music stops? Those rich indie tones of the jaunty guitar, combined with a decent paced rhythm, are the backdrop to the succulent vocals. Their logic is, if you release the inner beast, there is a time that the music on the dancefloor will stop and then you are going to have to dance with the Devil. There is always a price to pay. Everything that Arctic Lights has so far released, have been indie pop/rock jewels, and “Somebody” is no different.

Somebody | Arctic Lights (bandcamp.com)

https://www.facebook.com/ArcticLightsCork

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51 Pegasi is the designated name of a Sun that was once called Helvetios and 51 Peg is an industrial rock band from Washington. They released their first album back in 2000 called Strange Appointments and now in 2023, 51 Peg unleash latest album named A/Version.

Kicking off with the mood filled “The Distance Between“, which is a bit like an industrial version of Stone Temple Pilots, where the synths wail more so than the guitars. “Cursory Rhymes” is a swelling and emotional track with imploring vocals, which is at complete odds to “Roots Into Sand“, as the ancient mysteries of the Middle East merge with the industrial, as a beast that can not be stopped, forever invading. The modern era is the age of the “Digital Disease“, where computers mean you can exchange information and thoughts across the globe, yet this hasn’t translated to harmony. There are big vocals and soaring guitars throughout.

The beginning of “In Return” actually made me think of the wonderful Japan but then the rock explodes this reminiscing, searing with vehemence. “Werewolf” could simply be about the shapeshifters, but I think the deeper meaning might allude to the animal that resides inside every human, under the skin, waiting to come out if we let it. It is a slower and more thoughtful number. The last track is a cover of the Billy Idol single, “Eyes Without A Face” where musically and especially vocally, 51 Peg give a very Idol performance, without a need for the female backing singers.

For me, it was odd hearing a cover of the Billy Idol’s “Eyes Without A Face“, which is one of his slower songs, because most bands seem to cover “Rebel Yell” or “White Wedding“, so that is a refreshing change. In a way, this is true of the whole album, as I was not sure of what it would sound like by the description but was delighted how well the different influences meld together. The band cite Nine Inch Nails, Ministry, Depeche Mode and Gary Numan, yet I also hear Stone Temple Pilots, Faith No More and an undercurrent of 80s electronica. A/Version by 51 Peg is a nice slice of hot industrial rock.

A\Version | 51 Peg (bandcamp.com)

http://51peg.com/

https://facebook.com/51peg

https://instagram.com/51_peg

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4000 Records is a label in Brisbane/Meanjin, championing local acts, and one of their latest releases is from fhae. Ellena Ramsay is fhae, and the album sombre thorax, an ambient folk and experimental offering.

Photo by Amber Ramsey

The first track “soul” is hazy and almost a religious experience that floats with the vocals not necessarily the focus but rather an added tone that stirs within your chest. There is the gentle guitar in “body” strumming in a soundscape of echoes or the mellow, yet ghost like “drain” that slowly trickles past your senses.

The track “love you” is simply electrifying with the stringed instruments in the background while Ramsey’s vocals gorgeously ring through, stunning you into submission through the exposed beauty. It leads into the equally sweet “earth” with its multi-layered vocal track, creating a perfect choir . You can feel the building urgency in the instrumental track “emergency” or be immersed in the languidly moving “disappoint“.

In all, there are twelve tracks, with a few instrumentals in the mix. I can see why there are comparisons to the legendary Cocteau Twins due to Ramsey’s dreamy and honeyed singing, very much in the vein of Elizabeth Frazer. The music of sombre thorax feels as delicate as spiderwebs and entwined with fhae’s vocals of such elegance…. enough to invoke goosebumps in an angelic folk driven extasy.

sombre thorax | fhae | 4000 Records (bandcamp.com)

http://www.4000records.com/

https://www.facebook.com/fourthousand?mibextid=ZbWKwL

https://www.instagram.com/4000records

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Mike Smith is also known by his project named Fiction 8 and he has produced the new EP, Life Is Fiction by Bow Ever Down. The EP contains five original synth inspired tracks that walk on the dark side of life.

“Life Is Fiction” is the jaunty start to the EP and there is a subtle 80s vibe to this track. A sweetness tempered by memories and the delicate ideal that life is not real. Oooh, the guitar in “Seasons Change” struck me being very much in the vein of Wall Of Voodoo, while the electronics dance through with Kimberley’s vocals.

Next we are “Somewhere In The Nightfall” and the beautiful synths flow forth. A tale of being more than the people that try to control us and when we do escape, they are nothing but a spectre. “Ready To Die” is a meatier track, even with the music swirling, there is a seriousness lurking beneath and speaking of serious, the last track is the “How I Wish You Were Dead“. That title basically speaks for itself. The lament of being involved with the wrong person comes through in the vocals, while the synths soar like they have been given wings of freedom.

Church. Photo by Kimberley Bow Ever Down

Often, things that happen to us don’t seem real, or we create a narrative to escape the sadness, poverty, or crushing expectations of life. So, Life Is Fiction and the production is spot on by Smith, so clean and magical. The title track and “How I Wish You Were Dead” are probably my favourites and for those who are wondering about the cat on the cover, created by Ange Battiste… that is Church, and she is there to give a bit more joy with Bow Ever Down.

Life is Fiction (produced by Michael Smith of Fiction8) | Bow Ever Down (bandcamp.com)

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100034743804349&mibextid=ZbWKwL

Music | Fiction8 (bandcamp.com)

https://www.facebook.com/Fiction8sound?mibextid=ZbWKwL

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Norwegian, Erlend Eilertsen of Essence Of Mind, is about to release the second album under the project name Lights A.M., on the Alfa Matrix label, called Stories Without Words Vol. 2, on June the 23rd. However, we get our first listen through the single “Not Ready For This“.

An element of foreboding and lament is in the electronics, as they waver and chime through the instrumental track. Ancients drum whilst the low murmur of the droning electronics is in stark comparison to the gentle synths, that hold the lilting melody of what has passed. Subtle, beautiful and memorable is “Not Ready For This“, which you are utterly ready for by Lights A.M.

Stories Without Words Vol. 2 | LIGHTS A.M | Alfa Matrix (bandcamp.com)

https://www.facebook.com/lightsaftermidnight?mibextid=ZbWKwL

http://alfa-matrix-store.com/

https://www.facebook.com/Alfa.Matrix?mibextid=ZbWKwL

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There is some really brilliant darkwave music coming out currently, and the Antipole & Paris Alexander album, Crystalline, out on Young & Cold Records, on May 12th, is most certainly one of them. However, for now, sate your cravings with the latest single, “Bleached“, out on the 27th of April.

“Bleached is about a lost soul battling darkness and light. They still have an optimism and so strive for a more positive future. It is also set against a backdrop of Brexit and current social and economic struggles in the UK.” – Paris Alexander (Brighton, UK)

“We wanted to combine nasty-sounding moody synthesizers with ethereal guitars.” – Karl Morten (Antipole) (Trondheim, Norway)

From those first smooth synth lines, you just know who this is. The guitar strikes true and clear, and when you hear Alexander whisper,’take me‘….well, just damn. You can hear the murkiness Morten mentions that creeps under your skin, while the rhythm carries you ever forward into the crumbling city, beneath darkening skies, hoping for something to change. “Bleached” is the darkwave dance noir, and it is a thing melancholic beauty from these bards of shadows, Antipole & Paris Alexander.

Crystalline | Antipole & Paris Alexander | Antipole (bandcamp.com)

https://www.facebook.com/antipoleband?mibextid=ZbWKwL

https://www.facebook.com/parisalexandermusic?mibextid=ZbWKwL

https://www.facebook.com/youngandcoldrecords?mibextid=ZbWKwL