Ascii.Disko – Stay Gold Forever Gold

Deftones – Diamond Eyes

Edge of Dawn – Anything That Gets You Through The Night

Ellen Allien – Dust

Flying Lotus – Cosmogramma

LCD Soundsystem – This Is Happening

Front Line Assembly – Improvised Electronic Device

The Lovecrave – Soul Saliva

Mothboy – Bunny

Nice Nice – Extra Wow

SE – L36

Shiv-r – Hold My Hand

The Sight Below – It Falls Apart

read the reviews in the June/July 2010 Issue

A Kiss Could Be Deadly – Farwell EP

release date : June 22, 2010
released by : Metropolis
info : 6 tracks . akisscouldbedeadly.com
genre : fusion, punk, new wave, electro
reviewed by : Mike Kieffer

Two years ago A Kiss Could Be Deadly released their self-titled debut album an upbeat fusion of punk, electro, and new wave with a female singer, it was a recipe that dared me not to love it. Fast forward two years and their name pops back onto my radar with a six song EP with two original tracks, a cover, and three remixes, titled Farwell. The original songs “I’ll Be Your Anti-Hero, Baby” and “Only In Darkness” are more punk in flavor then the 2006 release. The two songs are both good, full of great hooks, and really make me wish there was more. The three remixes of “Acoustic Romance”, “Damage Control”, and “I Guess You Didn’t Mean It” are all strong as well and make you immediately dig through your old files (or CDs) and find the original release.

Inside the booklet you will find, what I will assume, a sign that there will be no more material from them. Underneath the copyright 2010 hidden into the background of the artwork is the phrase, “it is finished.” The band lineup is listed as “is/was”. The title of the album is Farwell. This all points to the fact that the band did break up in the end of 2008 and they are now in separate bands.

I hope I am wrong and some resurgence of popularity will pull them back together…  like Futurarama (new series starts June 24^th).

recommended tracks : all of them
if you like you may like : The Birthday Massacre, Helalyn Flowers
overall 8 . music 7 . lyrics 8 . recording quality 7

How To Destroy Angels – S/T EP

release date : June 1, 2010
released by : self released
info : 1st album . 6 tracks . 28:47 run time
genre : electronic / industrial
reviewed by : Jason Draper

It’s been less than nine months since Trent Reznor announced the indefinite hiatus of Nine Inch Nails. While this EP didn’t come out under his former moniker, it’s hard to deny the similarities in the musical content. Working with his wife Mariqueen Maandig (former West Indian Girl) and Atticus Ross, Reznor has created a concise EP that feels like natural progression from 2008s The Slip.

In a genre in which bands continue to release unmemorable albums, it is Maandig’s vocal hooks that make How to Destroy Angels stand out amongst their peers. They have a similar effect as a spring-cleaning on an old country home. The music still has the abrasive tones that you come to expect, yet the vocals even it out, and at times make the songs pleasantly hypnotic. It’s strange to walk around humming the melody from an industrial song, as if it were a radio pop song, but that is exactly what the album has done to this listener.

recommended tracks : 3.6
if you like you may like : Nine Inch Nails, West Indian Girl, Sneaker Pimps
overall 9 . music 10 . lyrics 8 . recording quality 10

get this EP for free at www.howtodestroyangels.com

reviewed by : Mike Kieffer

released by : Metropolis Records on 03 February 2009
data : 6th full length . 11 tracks . 47:51 run time . www.babyland.info
genre : electronic junk punk

The Los Angeles based band Babyland’s latest electronic junk punk release, Cavecraft, comes along after a long five year wait from when The Finger came out in 2004.  All I can say is that it was well worth the wait.  The album starts with the slamming track “Last Ave”.  Here, you will find all the classic Babyland sounds, from rhythmic percussions with bangs, clicks, scrapes, and clangs to killer synth lines, all of which are backed up by passionate vocals wailing out deep lyrics.  The second and third tracks “You Will Never Have It” and “Rimer Drive Tiger” offer up no relief.  These three tracks all have catchy lyrics and melodies that will stick in your head for days.  Cavecraft is a well-blended album where each track is part of a whole and less of  individual tracks on a single album.  Speaking from personal experience, this can lead the listener to overlook tracks upon first listen but then find gems months later.  After many listens to this album I found a new favorite in “Lifestyle”. (more…)