In this day and age, electronic music has really taken over. The one thing with so much electronic music is, most people don’t know how to do it right. Enter 20SIX HUNDRED. Darren Jones has taken his love of electronic/synth music and created a soundscape rather than just beats. His ability to create a “score” rather than the same repetitive sounds is impressive and feels natural and not forced. Do you remember the John Carpenter films and the music that accompanied them? That’s what this reminds me of. Among the John Carpenter influence, there is also a bit of a video game sound too, that makes this a bit more cinematic. 20SIX HUNDRED is the perfect soundtrack for today’s electronic crowd. You can also pre-order the new album, The Cold Rise From Sleep, on vinyl by Darren over at Sofa King Vinyl.
We live in a very interesting time for music. Electronic music is more prevalent than ever. There is an element to electronic music that if used properly, can make for some really intriguing music. Which brings me to Antiwave. Formed by singer-guitarist-keyboardists Heather Baker and Rachel Sinfield, Antiwave is bringing something special to the table. Mixing bits of Portishead, The Cure, Garbage and the very underrated Air, Antiwave is a band that brings an element of light to the darkness of the goth-synth genre. Their first single “Holiday Heart” is a great way to introduce the band. The song is quite a reflection of influences and of life. You can tell by listening that Heather and Rachel are making music they really connect with. Antiwave is definitely a band to watch out for.
Way back in 2003/2004 there was a group that consisted of Atticus Ross (Nine Inch Nails), Leopold Ross and Brett Gurewitz (Bad Religion). This group came about when Atticus was messing around in the studio and came up with some very interesting sounds that could become songs. Not long after the inception of the songs, Atticus recruited his brother Leopold to play drums and Bad Religion guitarist to play guitar and bass. On vocals Greg Puciato (The Dillinger Escape Plan) was asked to take on the vocals for the EP.
The end result of this collaboration brought 5 songs of pure electronic hardcore with a healthy dose of industrial. You can tell from listening to this EP, why Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross work so well together. The songs are blistering and uncompromising. After the 5 songs finish, the EP leaves you wanting more but, it also leaves you pumped up and ready for anything.
Sadly though it is unlikely that Error will return anytime in the future as discussed in a 2009 interview. However, in a 2011 interview with Greg Puciato, he discussed the possibility of doing a second EP with Error. I personally would love to hear a new EP. Greg will be done with Dillinger soon, so why not!
Over the last few years electronic music has made a strong impact among many people. There has been a sort of “craze” about it and the scene has become flush with many different groups and genres. I’ve always dug on certain aspects of electronic music like, industrial and trip hop. Recently I saw a band live that has really reinvigorated my love for industrial music. That band is Youth Code. Formed in 2012 by Ryan William George and Sara Taylor, Youth Code has taken the scene by storm. By combining elements of industrial, electronica, and a bit of a dance vibe, Youth Code delivers a relentless and punishing sound that will make you bang your head and dance.
When I saw them a few months back, they absolutely stole the show and left me wanting more. Their live performances are intense and energetic. One thing that they have that their other peers lack are lyrics that really grab you just as the music does. It’s beyond refreshing to hear this style of music done so well. So do yourself a favor and check out Youth Code.
Concept albums are very unique and at times take a long time to fully understand. Listening to select songs doesn’t give you the full effect. And a lot of the time the story that accompanies the album is very convoluted. Though there are many cases when the above statements don’t apply. Pink Floyd, The Who and more recently Mastodon and Nine Inch Nails have been able to create epic concept albums that can stand on their own or as separate entities. In 2007, Nine Inch Nails released Year Zero.
“The Year Zero story takes place in the United States in the year 2022. The United States has suffered several major terrorist attacks, and in response the government has seized absolute control on the country and reverted to a Christian fundamentalist theocracy. The government maintains control of the populace through institutions such as the Bureau Of Morality as well as increased surveillance and the secret drugging of tap water with a mild sedative. In response to the increasing oppression of the government, several corporate, government, and subversive websites were transported back in time to the present by a group of scientists working clandestinely against the authoritarian government. The websites-from-the-future were sent to the year 2007 to warn the American people of the impending dystopian future and to prevent it from ever forming in the first place.”
So with that all mind one would think that this is just a mess, but in fact it’s the complete opposite. Trent never misses a step with creating this apocalyptic epic. This album was also the next step in Trent’s revitalized state of mind and musical odyssey. There are a lot of uses of noise, static, and strange yet amazing distortion. Certain songs stand out amongst the album as a whole such as “The Beginning Of The End,” “Survivalism,” “In This Twilight,” “The Great Destroyer,” and “My Violent Heart.” Furthermore there was something else about this album, was that it opened up the visual aspect even more than before. Since Trent has described Year Zero as a soundtrack to a movie that doesn’t even exist, it’s not hard to let your imagination take you off on quite a little trip.
Year Zero is not The Downward Spiral or The Fragile, but it is one of the most artistic and well thought out releases that Nine Inch Nails have ever released. One other strange thing about this album, was that touring for this album was not very prevalent. The people at Interscope records really dropped the ball on handling the marketing and promotion for this album, hence why it never got the due it deserved. So give yourself some time and delve back into Year Zero and see for yourself what you might have missed.
AUDIOECLECTICA 