This album stay in a sub-genre of dark wave, DM-Clone: listening to "Back in Place" is like listen to an outtake of "Violator". That rhythm, that sound, that synths but also, fortunately, that level of production too. It's subjective to say this is a musical value or not, certainly this project plays his match on the production quality and songwriting. This album is thinked, planned, the synth are layered in a clever way. Listening to "something" could well be instructive to all people playing this type of music: a carefully layer of drum machine, synth and a clean line of vocal. That's it, simple but seductive. "Silent Days" is the track that set the line of the album. It's not original at all, but the form is carefully done. While the songs run on the cd, i never stop thinking this could well be a great album if only there's almost one original musical idea, because the songwriting is enviable.
Distance, a cooperation between Avalist who produced some albums of Misantrophe and René (ZERITAS), has openly declared his influence but, with a more personal path, could well stand above many popular acts of dark wave.

Hunter Complex is the project of Lars Meijer, guy already involved with Living Ornaments and Psychon and also one of the people who run the Narrominded label. HUNTER COMPLEX is his debut album under this moniker and contains twelve songs that find their roots into 80s electronic / synthpop music. Lars' songwriting recalled me the electronic wave of the last decade of 70s and the first three years of the 80s when people like John Foxx, Paul Haig and Thomas Leer were producing their hits. If you're questioning yourself if there is a reason why I picked up these three names, well for sure there is one: Lars, in my opinion, is looking for the right blend of electronic analog sounds and personal songwriting and for this reason we have intimate song like "Chinese restaurants" and "Fashion street" (with an upfront piano/organ duet that remind me of some Scritti Politti atmospheres), cold wave tunes like "Here is the night" (the last year Lars issued an E.P. with three mixes of the song, the original and the instrumental versions which is available as free download and as MCD) and "Kerosine". If you love all the kind of 80s wave bands, from Human League to ABC passing from A Flock Of Seagulls, Ultravox, Dalis Car or obscure cold wave bands, I suggest you to check Hunter Complex.

After his recent collaborations with Malato, Circus Joy, Silent Pistols and The Sentinels, the ex Ain Soph's member Claudio Giammarini is back with a 10" recorded under the monicker Claudedi E Nemici (ideally giving in this way his tribute to a record he loves recorded by Boyd Rice And Friends). Produced and recorded by Ain Soph's member Marcello Fraioli and with the collaborations of Ain Soph live members GP Cioni ( P38Punk ) e Steve Stroll (Malato), Claudio split the two sides of the record giving to the lovers of minimal folk'n'roll three original songs "L'inizio di una nuova fine", "Immobile sul freddo marmo" and "Lacrime e santi" (song he composed originally for Ain Soph and released in a limited CD-r given free at one concert they did in Rome back in 2002). Mostly played with acoustic guitars and a bass drum/snare drum set, the three tracks aren't focused on musical virtuosity (deep in his heart Claudio has always been a punk rebel) but are able to talk to the heart. On side B you'll find two covers of Italian music legends: Decibel (band that recorded only two albums of which the first has been one of the first punk records) and Faust'o (Roman songwriter, Fausto Rossi gave life to great songs based on true life lyrics like the ones of "Benvenuti Tra I Rifiuti" or "Suicidio"). "Lsd flash" is a punk song picked up from the debut Decibel album and "Il lungo addio" is a new wave electronic originally recorded in 1979 and played by Claudedi E Nemici keeping true its original arrangement. Nice!

This release is the debut album from a californian goth/glam rock band. Just to be clear: they sounds good, probably they are a good live act, but they lacks songwriting. Goth rock is not a simple matter these days, or there's some original ideas so there's something important or, simply, there's great songs. This album is a collection of rock songs without a production able to emphasize the quality of the band, sometimes it sound like a good demo. It sounds cold, digital while they needed a more warm analog, live sound.
This is a good record only for collectors of the genre.

Presenting themselves like a satanic pop duo, the Brussels' band Keiki are bringing to the attention of our readers their second album titled WALTHAM HOLY CROSS. Dominique Van Cappellen-Waldock (voice and theremin) and Raphael Rastelli (guitar, programming and theremin) packed their album with noisy guitars, drum machine beats, theremin screams and above all, the distinctive Dominique's vocals which will make you recognize Keiki into a bucket full of CDs and not only because for how it sounds but also for what she sings. On WALTHAM HOLY CROSS you'll hear about Andy Warhol's mother ("Andy's Candy"), homosexual love between a mouse and a dragon ("Rainbow Cheese"), an English seaside town for the elderly ("Skegness)", the love of a butcher for a prostitute in an US mining town ("Lottie Johl"), cancer ("Forest Fire"), stalking ("Glue") or dissection ("Vital" ' a tribute to Japanese film-maker Shinya Tsukamoto). Musically Keiki mix 80s punk, 90s noise and alternative pop. If you like early Sonic Youth and early Siouxsie & The Banshees and you aren't afraid of a bit of originality out of control, you can check some tunes at their myspace page.