Raymond Watts has been one of the more prolific forces in the electronic/industrial genre, having been an early (and recurring) member of KMFDM and part of many collaborations. But Pig represents his own creative vision. Watts initially started Pig in 1988 and ‘just sort of fell out of it’ at the start of the millennium, … Read more
Like many musicians, Midge Ure has ventured into online performances due to Covid-19 putting traditional concerts on hold. He’s strived to make the quality as high as possible by extensively researching the best possible equipment and techniques to present his music. The result is the “Backstage Lockdown Club,” a subscription-based service that provides access to live performance/Q&A events. Its launch roughly coincided with the 40th-anniversary boxset re-issue of “Vienna,” Ure’s first album with Ultravox.
“Transhuman” is a collaboration between German electronic music pioneers Wolfgang Flür and U96.
Known for her work with such bands as Egrets on Ergot and Prissy Whip, CrowJane has made her solo debut with Mater Dolorosa. Featuring material written over the past 5 years, the album has an experimental, highly percussive sound to it. The mood is dark and often eerie, with unusual arrangements balanced by strong melodic elements and powerful vocals.
The documentary Where Does a Body End? presents an intimate portrait of the band Swans, from their emergence from the NYC no-wave/noise scene in the early ’80s through the various line-up and stylistic shifts. Utilizing recent performance footage and interviews, as well as extensive archival material, it provides a history of the band, and, just as importantly, it illustrates the impact Swans have had on their fans and peers.
After taking two years away from the music business, multi-instrumentalist/producer DJ Olé Koretsky is back with a new solo EP, MMXX. Koretsky had previously been part of the DJ outfit and band Jetlag with Andy Rourke (The Smiths), which evolved into D.A.R.K. when his life partner Dolores O’Riordan (The Cranberries) joined.
With liar, flower, former Daisy Chainsaw frontperson KatieJane Garside builds upon the work of her previous project, Ruby Throat, but re-introduces some of the noise and abrasiveness of her earlier projects. Once again a collaboration with multi-instrumentalist Chris Whittingham, liar, flower recently released an extremely varied debut album, Geiger Counter. While some of the songs maintain … Read more
While Anni Hogan’s last album, Lost in Blue, featured a variety of collaborators, she has returned to minimalist solo experimental music for the recently released Honeysuckle Burials. Released as Ann Margaret Hogan, Honeysuckle Burials features eight atmospheric pieces that bring together piano and nature field recordings. In an email interview, Hogan discussed the inspirations and … Read more
Human Impact grew out of the desire of singer/guitarist Chris Spencer (Unsane) and keyboardist Jim Coleman (Cop Shoot Cop) to work together. Also including bassist Chris Pravdica (Swans, Xiu Xiu) and drummer Phil Puleo (Cop Shoot Cop, Swans), the group released their self-titled debut album in March. Elements of the members’ past projects are evident in Human Impact’s sound, but it all comes together into a cohesive and original sound. It’s dark and abrasive, but also at times melodic. As with Cop Shoot Cop, the electronics blend organically with the more typical rock instrumentation.
The music of dark post-punk band Ötzi juxtaposes haunting melodic and aggressive musical elements, often within the same song. Their highly rhythmic sound twists in unexpected directions, with strongly focused songwriting keeping things together. It’s easy to pick out influences in Ötzi’s music, yet the resulting style is unlike anything else. Hailing from Oakland, CA, the group consists of singer/bassist Akiko Sampson, singer/drummer Gina Marie, guitarist K. Dylan Edrich and multi-instrumentalist Winter Zora. Though their planned spring tour is cancelled due to COVID-19, Ötzi will be releasing a new album, “Storm,” on May 22, 2020