Kobold – Blowback EP

reviewed by : Mike Kieffer
released by : Artoffact Records on 24 February 2009
data : 4 tracks . 18:49 run time . www.koboldmedia.com . www.artoffact.com

I’ve just gotten a hold of Kobold’s newest EP release Blowback and it being an EP I wouldn’t normally consider it for review, but the fact is that I really enjoyed it and need to tell someone. The EP features two versions of the title track “Blowback” and two other tracks. The first “Blowback (Untermenschen)” provides a dark feel with good synth work and a solid 4-4 beat. This track is the most club friendly track on the CD, but its definitely not an anthem song that everyone will be requesting. It is more of a track that the DJ plays because he knows its good and he wants to hear it loud! Next up is “Blowback (Asunder)”, this track has droning vocals over unique glitch like sounds and frankly sounds nothing like the first track, which I personally enjoy. I hate when I listen to different mixes of tracks and they both sound exactly the same. Moving on to track three “Dressed Dark States”, it follows up on the glitchy noises presented in the second track but it has more of an IDM/glitch feel to it then industrial feel, perhaps it is because it is an instrumental track. The last track on the EP, “Torn” beings back the vocals and in doing so also brings that industrial feel with it.

Overall the Blowback EP by Kobold left me very happy. I only have one complaint and it’s that there is no release date yet for a full length album.

recommended tracks : all of them
if you like you might like : Skinny Puppy

grade : overall 9 – music 9 – lyrics 9 – recording quality 9

The Damned – So, Who’s Paranoid?

reviewed by : Jennifer Sojka (Lexi Lawsuit)

Jennifer Sojka (a.k.a. Lexi Lawsuit) is the lead singer of the horror rock band The Rabies. She was born and raised by a family of musicians/music teachers and has been playing music since the age of three. Her talents don’t stop at music; she is also the fashion designer and online retailer of Trash Queen Clothing.

released by : English Channel Records on 17 November 2008
data : 10th studio album . 13 tracks . 78:08 run time . www.officialdamned.com

The Damned are back once again with a brilliant display of their dark driving melees of musical madness entitled So, Who’s Paranoid?.  Bathed in a titillating vat of English swagger, big guitar solos, and unique melodies, this album is not to be grouped into any one single genre (in keeping with the trend of previous un-classifiable Damned recordings). It’s definitely their most diverse album to date, with influences pulled from 60s psychedelic garage to catchy pop punk, dark satirical goth, and even fistfuls of Broadway-like theatrics. If you’re a fan of classic 70s Damned punk songs such as “Neat Neat Neat” and “Stab Your Back”, this album is probably not for you. This is a more mature Damned; polished and vibrantly clean. It’s smart, well thought out, refined, and developed. (more…)

What’s black, pink, and iconic all over? None other than MAC Cosmetics’ highly anticipated Hello Kitty collaboration. The collection made its debut in shopping malls all over America on February 12th, 2009 yet unsurprisingly many items are already sold out. Both the mainstream and alternative scenes boast a high number of MAC-aholics and Hello Kitty maniacs, so when the two worlds collided it was like manna from heaven to devotees of little girl glam from all walks of life.

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Wallowing in my insomnia, as I usually am, I came to the delayed realization that it has been quite some time since I saw a decent block of music videos anywhere. I find I am nostalgic for the days of Beavis and Butthead and 120 Minutes, where, commentary and comedy aside, I was introduced to bands I never knew of, and directors I had never heard of. A good music video is the fine film of our ADD generation, when executed well it can be 2 minutes of pure sonic and visual bliss, when executed badly it can be a 2 minutes of great comedy and surrealism, but my goal here is to move away from the mediocre videos, the imagery designed by comity to appeal to the widest audience, and remembered by none a year later. These videos will come from many eras and many genres.

To start I have pulled five videos today. All of which are non-english language videos.

Émilie Simon – Désert

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Corporate Goth : because nice boots are expensive

by Vanity Kills

This work is purely fiction.  All characters portrayed in this work are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.  All events detailed below are intended solely for entertainment purposes only.  So you can laugh and enjoy, it’s not real.  As stated in the last installment, “for goodness sake, it’s just GOTH.”

Dear Diary,
“Corporate Goth: because nice boots are expensive.”  At least that’s what the clichéd bumper sticker prominently displayed  in my cubicle at work proudly states.  I tacked it up to the cork board as a humble reminder to keep on rolling with the punches when mandatory overtime, caused by system crashes somewhere in India, cuts into my coffee shop time with the girls.  Yes, the bi-weekly ritual of caffeine and gossip filled “Harpy Hour” is what kept me from hurling myself from the 40th floor of my corporate high rise many times over.  As for the above mentioned sticker?  Every single time the evil overlords on the 40th floor decided that they wanted to morph into micromanaging monsters and found a new way to torture their 12th floor office peons (that would be us), I needed SOMETHING to remind me that the high cost of latex, platform shoes, and couture corsetry is what keeps me at my job.  NOT the good of the company.

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by Kaci Smith

photo by Kaci Smith

You will not find generic landscape paintings at Potential Life Studios.  This avant-garde arts space is Rochester, New York’s answer to its lack of places to exhibit and view experimental art and music.  When Jeremy Dziedic and Colleen Guthrie returned to Rochester in July 2007, they brought with them Potential Life Studios, a solution to what they saw as an absence in the Rochester arts scene.

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by Rachel Mazurek

Hours can be short and we all lead busy lives. Being able to transition from one look to another in a hurry can be an invaluable skill in life. One of the easiest ways to save some time with your daily makeup routine is some clever planning. With planning and by carrying the right tools with you, five minutes here-or-there can transform your look from day to evening with minimum hassle. Here are some makeup looks and tips that start with a simple base look for the day and transition to a more intense look for night.

TIPS
It’s easy and it only takes a few minutes to change your eye liner or to blend another tone into your current eye shadow. The one rule to remember when doing this is that you can always add to a look but taking away can be trickier. Try to start with a light or neutral base that is versatile and wearable. This way, you can add in small amounts and evolve your look.

LOOK 1

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by Grant Wigmore, B.S. in Urban and Regional Analysis and Planning

In most North American metropolitan areas city living is unfortunately no longer as commonplace as suburban living.  The obvious exceptions to this being New York City, Chicago, and Toronto.  In the decades following WWII, the shift from the urban core to the suburbs and now exurbs has increased dramatically.  People fled the inner city for new single family homes and a plot of land to call their own.  They left due to congestion, pollution, poverty and perceived high crime.  Soon, retail and other employers followed the people causing the core of many urban areas to become a shell of their former selves.

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Fever Ray has done it again!  There is a new music video for “When I Grow Up”, the second track on Fever Ray’s self titled album.  The video is directed by Martin de Thurah.  And it is killer!  Much like the first video released, first track on the album, “If I Had A Heart”.  Lets hope that Fever Ray makes a video for track 3 and 4 and 5…

And be sure to check out the Fever Ray interview in the February Issue.  ;)

- Mike

Happy Valentines Day from Auxiliary Magazine ;)

On Valentines Day we bring you the fun and playful designs of Fashion Whore.  Pink, ribbons, bows, and hearts, what better dresses to highlight on this holiday?  Fashion Whore designs one-of-a-kind and custom made dresses as well as hair accessories and jewelry.  You can find these dresses and more at www.fashion-whore.com and at their Etsy shop.

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