The daring 80s synth inspired duo from Doncaster, Peak Flow, have released the remix for their single “Running To You.” And in that vein, we invite you to enjoy this new dance mix extravaganza .
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In the early 90s, we were experiencing the second wave of goth, and one band to grab our attention was the French group Corpus Delicti, with the album Sylphes, instantly becoming a classic. After five years Corpus Delicti disbanded, and now, twenty eight years later, they are finally back with the single “Chaos,” which has William Faith (Faith & The Muse, Shadow Project) in the role of producer.
Just the vocals alone make you know that this is Corpus Delicti, as Sebastian’s singing style has not really changed. Serpentine guitar coils around your senses and the bass guitar is truly gorgeous. The chorus sends shivers down my spine with the breath taking soaring quality, that becomes almost attacking in its veracity, and the synths build the underlaying tension.
They are no longer those youngsters, but that has been replaced by a maturity and a conviction to the music. Everything about “Chaos” screams that this is the same band even down to those guitar flourishes, and I am transported back in time to when I picked up a purple covered CD, with a black and white art piece, discovering songs that became a part of who I am today. Oh how I have missed you Corpus Delicti, for now you have released the “Chaos” and we want more…..
Chaos | Corpus Delicti (bandcamp.com)
https://www.facebook.com/cdelicti/
It is always lovely to hear the guitar artistry of Karl Morten Dahl, aka Antipole, and he has joined forces with German based Deus Ex Lumina, the darkwave project of Gonzalo Schwindt, for the single “Destroy.”
Dahl’s guitar is ghostly and ephemeral, a presence in the background and melding into synths which glimmer star like from the murky memories that are uttered on the lips of Schwindt. The vocals weighted, sonorously deep and smooth as liquid black velvet.
It is undeniable that there is an 80s electronic, almost coldwave electronics sound to “Destroy.” There is a gentle fragility within the music though the lyrics more than hint to some sort of violence. “Destroy” is a beautiful act of dancefloor tragedy by Deus Ex Lumina & Antipole.
Destroy | Deus Ex Lumina & Antipole | Deus Ex Lumina (bandcamp.com)
https://www.facebook.com/deusxlumina/
https://www.instagram.com/deusexluminaofficial
Fancy a bit of deathrock bilge? Argh nothing like the accursed sound of those scurvy naves Sea Lungs, whom seem to flotsam and jetsam between Melbourne and Sydney. Those salty dogs, Jarrad Robertson and Andi Lennon, with a little bit of brass ball handling help from Dase Beard, are back with a new single, “Teignmouth Electron.”
Ah yes, you can feel the sea beneath you with the rolling guitars, as the drums crash against your senses. Black Sabbath want their guitar riffs back and it is possible to see in your mind’s eye, young Ozzy shaking his head in glee. Glam and rock collide, though this does not seem to deter Lennon from his demonic wittering, as he imbues the insanity of a captain who is all but lost to the watery deep with the “Teignmouth Electron.” The lads have also resurrected the track “Eel Pie,” giving the eels more teeth, filling it out with delicious ringing guitars, filling it up with the juicy waves of noise.
What is a “Teignmouth Electron,” one might ask, and the answer being, it was a trimaran sailing boat created for a race in 1968, and the one man crew that was David Crowhurst, seems to have completely lost his bottle during said race, and more than likely ended his life, for he was never seen again. The ship still exists, though now is a wreck on a beach, somewhere in the Caribbean Islands. “Teignmouth Electron” is yet again, something different from what the guys have so far presented us with, definitely heavier with that goth/glam seduction and the revamped version of “Eel Pie” is no poor cousin, easily holding its own even as a b-side. Join the crew and get yourself some Sea Lungs.
Teignmouth Electron | Sea Lungs (bandcamp.com)
Mobile phones have become a staple of modern living. We constantly check them and break into a cold sweat when we cannot find them. New Zealand’s Frau Knotz, explores our dependence on social media, though the single “Cellular,” as more and more people live their lives online rather than in the real world, and where popularity is the acknowledgement of others on these platforms.
There is a delicacy about “Cellular,” and maybe it is something to do with the lack of a rhythm section, relying on the piano to carry the music, but it is also in the vocals, a blatant honesty. You can hear the British early 80s, post-punk influence in the track, where there is a purity of simplicity and passion, giving the song a core of undeniable strength.
Mizaan Turner is a fourteen year old dancer from Taranaki, and it was they who choreographed the video for the single, making the video for Frau Knotz, aka Lauren Nottingham, an alluring affair. Mobile phones are a marvel that have definitely changed a lot of things for the better, and yet, as “Cellular” soulfully points out, it has also caused isolation, anxiety and changed the way we see ourselves in relation to the world..
Cellular | Frau Knotz (bandcamp.com)
https://www.facebook.com/Frau-Knotz
ESA (Electronic Substance Abuse) met Moaan Exis while playing a show in Prague in the beginning of 2020, just before Covid-19 shut down the world. Out on Negative Gain Productions, “Spit/Spite” is the end result of the UK’s Jamie Blacker (ESA) and France’s Mathieu Caudron (Moaan Exis), going head to head in a battle of the industrial power noise versus industrial punk. The plague has come and kind of gone, but now we have been hit with a much better outbreak in the form of this split single.
“Spit” does not let up with the energy, pushing you higher and further with an intoxicating mixture of scintillating synths, techno styled rhythms that max out the bass and duelling vocals. Even in all of this, I hear hints of a Middle Eastern flavour to the music creeping through.
Yeah, from the beginning of “Spite,” you are already left a veritable shell of a human, drooling over the abrasive rhythms that pound into your chest. The two vocalists taking turns in eviscerating your ears to the pounding beats and off kilter electronics, setting your teeth on edge. Magic.
Who was the winner in this battle royale? The answer is easy…us the listeners. Both tracks are fucking awesome. Crunchy textures, beats to rupture organs, and enough angst to wet the panties of any self-respecting industrial noise purveyor. ESA Vs Moaan Exis have me just me wanting more.
https://linktr.ee/moaanexis?fbclid=IwAR2kVRZui-H0xrfnMEtpv3TOvfkv-f3DR0LMhdXF1BPc6xQsWuRLG2cDjbg
Spit & Spite | ESA vs Moaan Exis | ESA (bandcamp.com)
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We live in a world full of amazing things. Germany’s Neon Insect is pretty amazing and Nils Sinatsch has released the latest single “LOVE SEX + ROBOTS,” which features the vocal and lyrical talents of KVMILLA.
Slow and metered is the rhythm, a heavy mechanical sexuality, brought to life, and offset by KVMILLA. Her vocals expressing base human desires for connection, even if hurts. There is a guitar that is gently plucked away, as the music tantalizes your senses.
The track feeds into the New Moscow storyline, that Sinatsch has been carefully crafting, about a reality much more different to ours, due the fact that the USSR won the Cold War, invading the US. The populace have found the only way to survive is through cybernetics, and with procreation controlled by the powers that be, they now go underground for their sexual desires to be fulfilled by mechanical means. This is much more subdued than what we are used to from Neon Insect, and it shows a changing style with the changing storyline. “LOVE SEX + ROBOTS” is delicate with a undercurrent of a sexually harder edge. This begs the question….what comes next? Watch this space…..
LOVE SEX + ROBOTS | Neon Insect (bandcamp.com)
https://www.instagram.com/neoninsect/
https://www.instagram.com/kvmilla/
Who do you believe and what can you trust? Wars popping up around the world and now the revamped hostilities in the Gaza Strip…. you have to ask, when does the killing stop? Dystopiarch is the new project for Matthew McIntosh, whom you might know from A Cloud Of Ravens, and the debut single is “Like Hell.” The proceeds of the single will be donated to civilian victims of the Middle East conflict through International Rescue Committee.
From the opening speeding rhythm, combined with the pulsating synths, are simply attention grabbing. McIntosh’s vocals are strained and at times breathy, compelling you you to listen to the lyrics, which are about modern living, where we have lost contact with the natural world, preferring so see perfection on a screen, and just let the Earth burn. A literal hell.
There is a wonderful juxtaposition between bright and dark synths, the driving rhythm that thumps along and those rather Imperative vocals, that make up “Like Hell.” The style of music invokes thoughts of cyber-industrial with post-punk leanings, due to the electronics that play against each other, creating both feelings of claustrophobia and euphoria. It is catchy, thought provoking and proceeds are for a great cause. Those alone are great reasons for people to get behind this Dystopiarch track, for life is not meant to be “Like Hell.”
French band, Divine Shade, recently toured with Gary Numan, and are now back with a new single, “Oublier,” which features Steve Fox-Harris, who also happens to be the guitarist for one Mr Numan.
The electronics whirr and drone, dark and brooding, setting the mood for the spine tingling vocals in French. The synths build us, inevitably, towards the growling guitar, that breaks out and fills the corners with sound.
What is the premise of tout oublier? It means to forget everything, and this case to let go of all the pain and hurt in order to heal. This is seductive darkwave, beautifully packaged, with the deft hand of Fox-Harris driving the track home. Divine Shade is entrancing you let go with “Oublier.”
Oublier (ft’ Steve Fox-Harris) | Divine Shade (bandcamp.com)
https://www.facebook.com/DIVINESHADEofficial/
https://www.instagram.com/divineshade/
Need a little extra spooky in your life since the aftermath of Halloween? Then we can offer you an extra bit of stalky stalker in the form of Ian James’s new single, “Come A Little Closer,” out on Blue FX Records.
Ah, the dulcet tones of James’s vocals creep up on you like a sexy time Jason Vorhees, with his favourite knife. The music conveys an electronic and consistently funky, going to get you honey buns attitude, rather than the old fashioned plinky plonky norm. So, “Come A Little Closer” darling, and let Ian James croon sweet icy nothing’s into your ears. Lovely!
Ian James – Come A Little Closer | Blue Fx Recording Artists (bandcamp.com)
https://www.facebook.com/IanJamesMusicUSA
https://www.facebook.com/bluefxrecords
Onyx Music Reviews 