Another month and no new metal for me. This makes me a bit sad but luckily there is lots of other great music out, so let’s start with an old favourite.
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Gary Numan
Intruder
Ever since his industrial reinvention in the 90’s, Gary Numan’s consistency has been staggering. And unfortunately, this can be a problem. When all your albums have been at least good for the last few decades, it can be hard for a new album to stand out, maybe people will just grab a few singles from it for a playlist and carry on.
Yea, that’s not going to happen with this time either. Somehow, Garry has made another great album. It’s not going to change the world, it sounds exactly like what you expect a post ‘94 Garry Numan album to sound like and that’s fine. What it has is the fantastic ear for melody we’ve come to expect, even the heaviest tracks are still filled with plenty of hooks. The production is Immaculate, every drum sound is crisp, the synths hit like hammers but the album never devolves into a fuzzy noise.
The opening track, Betrayed sets up the album perfectly, dark synths and a sense of paranoia hit hard. This is a Numan album after all, and then he just keeps going, great song after great song. From the restrained intensity of I am Screaming to the industrial punch of The Chosen the quality never drops. This is another fantastic album from a man who has been making music for over 40 years.
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Tor
Oasis Sky
There was a time that all I wanted from electronica was bangers. Just four to the floor face metlers. I guess it has a lot to do with getting older and that I don’t go clubbing any more, but I’m really enjoying acts that I would never have had time for and Tor is a great example of this.
Tor is a Vancouver based artist and what he brings is a sense of space and peace with his music. There’s a wonderful sense of calm about the album, the production will draw you in and wrap itself around you, comforting and relaxing you. That feeling of warmth has been very welcome in such a crappy month. The rich bass is offset with some world music flourishes that call back to 90’s chill out music, Kanta being the track that demonstrates this best.
There are Kiasmos and Jon Hopkins comparisons but Tor has enough of their own personality to shine in a genre that can become faceless easy listening music. So sit in the sun, kick back and let Tor take you to places we can only dream of visiting at the moment.
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Rupture//Rapture
Beyond
R//R Has been plugging away for a few years now and while his music has been good, with his last 3 ep’s he has fully found his voice and is making remarkable melodic techno.
The opener, Believe is a perfectly formed bit of dance music, driving beat, but enough melody to keep a dancer smiling as the synths lift them that little bit higher. In fact this track in particular reminds me of some live versions of Orbital’s songs. The propulsion and energy and the chopped up female vocal give me a similar feeling and that’s one of the highest compliments I can pay any act.
And that’s just the first track.
There’s 4 other tracks of really great banging techno on this ep. Beyond has made me very happy. To have some music that actually makes me get up and dance; this really makes me want to be in a dark room, filled with dry ice and a PA that is far too large for the space it’s in. This has been the perfect music for the beginning of summer.
Heads down, hands in the air.
We’re dancing.
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Julia-Sophie
Heartbroken</3
With this ep I’m back in unfamiliar ground. This is experimental pop and it’s not something I’ve really listened to before but this release has really stood out.
Heartbroken</3 is only Julia-Sophie’s second solo ep and has an amazing confidence to it. There is such a gentle but expert control of the mood here. The offset of Julia-Sophie’s sweet voice with some of the claustrophobic electronics, matched with percussion that has an almost industrial feel, builds tension in an incredible way. CCTV is the best example of this style, it grabs you but it gives no release. The track just builds and holds, keeping you on your toes, waiting for a drop that never comes, until it fades out releasing the listener leaving you dazed.
Love let you down is almost ambient but once again Julia-Sophie’s voice anchors the track and brings the kind of loss you’d expect to a song with that name. It feels like I’m always saying that I’m looking forward to seeing what a new act has to show us in the future, but what a problem to have! This is a fantastic ep and is well worth your time.
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Versylen
Radiance
I can’t find much about Versylen online, they have no facebook presence and the only link I can find to them is on their record labels site. Not that this kind of anonymity is unusual in dance music but it does feel a little strange knowing nothing about this act.
I guess all you need to know is that they make early 00’s post dubstep. So we get glitch beats, a fantastic bass sound and almost ghostly female vocals coming in and out of focus in songs. While there may not be anything too original going on, this ep is still really, really good at what it does and as a first ep it is fantastic.
This is the perfect for wandering around London at night, head down and watching the world go by.
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Health X Nine Inch Nails
Isn’t Everyone
It’s not often a collaboration of two acts actually brings out the best of both bands but this is a really wonderful bit of industrial music. Trent is dabbling with his 90’s sound, even mentioning Piggies again and is in fine form, while HEALTH bring the more chilled side for their style, reducing the song’s attack but none of the intensity.
I really want to see this played live.
The ways of exile 