Ask any rivethead about Einsturzende Neubauten and you're likely to get a "yeah man, they're great!" response. Likely they will know the name Blixa Bargeld, leader of EN. If they're really a longtime fan of the band, they may even know the name Alexander Hacke (EN's bass player) as well. Hacke is 1/2 of hackedepicciotto, the other half being Danielle de Picciotto, an NYC gal who moved to Berlin in 1987 to become the lead singer of the band Space Cowboys, co-initiator of the Love Parade, a collaborator of the Ocean Club with Gudrun Gut, a member of Crime & The City Solution, and also Alexander's partner in crime. 'The Current' is hackedepicciotto's fourth album, and possibly their most powerful one yet. For this release hackedepicciotto has amped up the percussive aspect of their music to create a powerful rhythmic feel, a wilder and more danceable element. Hacke's background with Einstürzende Neubauten can be felt in the many rhythmic tracks. Danielle's considerable contributions include violin, autoharp, hurdy gurdy, vocals, spoken word and electronics. And there is a fair amount of spoken word, giving the album a somewhat political flavor. Politics aside though, this is excellent experimental music, at times in the vein of Swans, at others Einstürzende Neubauten, with some passages reminiscent of Legendary Pink Dots, the electronic minimalism of Suicide, and others. 'The Current' is by no means a minimal album though; in point of fact, quite the opposite. It often sounds huge, much bigger than a 2-person project. There is not a single concession to "pop" on it, which I find quite refreshing, although the music isn't so esoteric as to be inaccessible. The overall aura is melancholic with a grim determination to leave stagnation in the dust. A good number of tracks have that Swans' improvisational feel, and there is a generous infusion of swirling psychedelia as well. de Picciotto's elfin voice adds an exotic element that saves things from becoming too dark and dour, and is a nice contrast to Hacke's more austere vocals. 'The Current' is where modern industrial music should be heading, not a rehash of KMFDM, FLA, Skinny Puppy or NIN dance music. (Not that there's anything wrong with that.) The album is being released January 31 on Einsturzende Neubauten's label Potomak, and I think they've got some upcoming live shows at venues in Europe. Einstürzende Neubauten has a new album ('Year Of The Rat') coming out soon, and a tour as well that I'm sure Alexander Hacke will be participating in as well, so it looks like 2020 will be a busy year for hackedepicciotto. 'The Current' is a worthy album you should just pick up on my say-so, Neubauten fan or not, you'll thank me later.