After BodyBeats released their first BIMFEST name last month, Swedish Minimal/Wave/Electro revelation AGENT SIDE GRINDER, they announced their second name today. Another Swedish artist but not the least! COVENANT!
Covenant's 9th studio album, 'The Blinding Dark', was released in November 2016 and showed a remarkable development in style, something that Covenant definitely wanted to do with this album and not least because of the subject that they dealt with on this album. With this release, this Swedish / German outfit has probably released their artistically most ambitious album so far. As many music lovers and critics agreed, this album was perhaps also their most obscure and moody album since their first two albums Dreams Of A Cryotank (1994) and Sequencer (1996).
After their successful 'The Blinding Dark Tour’ passage in 2017, it was more than logical BodyBeats asked Covenant if they would be up for the idea of presenting their first two vintage gem albums to the BIMFEST audience. Being great admirers and supporters of BIMFEST frontman, Eskil Simonsson, and his companions immediately agreed and started working on it. Of course, besides these lovely vintage songs, they will also play some of their most famous clubsongs to please their fans!
Nadat BodyBeats vorige maand uitpakte hun eerste naam voor BIMFEST, de Zweedse Minimal/Wave/Electro revelatie AGENT SIDE GRINDER, maakten ze vandaag hun tweede naam bekend. Alweer een Zweedse artiest en zeker niet de minste! COVENANT (SE)!
Covenants 9de studioalbum, 'The Blinding Dark', werd uitgebracht in november 2016 en toonde een opmerkelijke ontwikkeling in stijl, iets dat Covenant beslist wilde doen met dit album - niet in minst omwille van het onderwerp dat ze op deze plaat behandelden. Met deze release heeft de Zweeds / Duitse groep op artistiek gebied misschien wel hun meest ambitieuze album tot nu toe uitgebracht. Menig muziekliefhebber en recensent waren het erover eens dat dit album misschien wel hun meest duistere en stemmingsvolle album is sinds hun eerste twee albums Dreams Of A Cryotank (1994) en Sequencer (1996).
Het was dan ook een logisch gevolg dat BodyBeats, na de succesvolle The Blinding Dark Tour passage in 2017, Covenant vroeg om die vintage pareltjes van hun eerste twee albums eens te komen presenteren aan het BIMFEST publiek. Als grote bewonderaars van BIMFEST gingen frontman Eskil Simonsson en zijn kompanen meteen akkoord en aan het werk. Natuurlijk zullen zij naast deze vintage songs ook hun meest bekende hits spelen voor hun fans.
Canadian solo project Low Factor has just released her new album 'L'Oiseau du Désespoir', consisting of eight killer tracks heavily influenced by 80s experimental Industrial and Minimal Synth.
Available through the band's Bandcamp and on vinyl on Young & Cold Records.
After the single 'Reactions' released in 2017 as a teaser, UK artist New Haunts has just released her first full-length 'Worlds Left Behind'.
The album is a great example of Darkwave that's both emotional and experimental and it can be purchased on CD or digital through her Bandcamp page.
Today it’s exactly 21 years ago Nine Inch Nails released their The Perfect Drug (Versions) EP!
The title song was originally written for the David Lynch cult film Lost Highway (1996) and appeared for the first time early 1997 on the soundtrack with the same name which was produced by Trent Reznor himself. The soundtrack album included original filmscores written by Trent Renzor, Barry Adams and Angelo Badalamenti, as well as songs by amongst others, David Bowie, Marilyn Manson and Rammstein.
Musically the song was very influenced by the late 90s Drum and Bass hype and was most successful in Canada where it peaked at the 2nd position in the regular ‘Single Chart’ as well as in the RPM Rock/Alternative Chart. In the US the single peaked at 17th position on the Billboard Hot Single Sales.
Until today however, the song was never performed live by the band.
Later Trent Reznor would state in an interview on BBC1 radio that The Perfect Drug is one of his least favorite songs he ever produced.
Besides the single, The Perfect Drug - Versions EP featured remixes by Nine Inch Nails, Meat Beat Manifesto, Plug, Spacetime Continuum and The Orb. The original version of The Perfect Drug however was only included on non-US releases.
The music video for this single was directed by Mark Romanek and inspired by the illustrations of 20th century artist Edward Gory. Besides Trent himself, the video also features his bandmates Charlie Clouser, Danny Lohner and Chris Vrenna.
The Perfect Drug (Lyrics)
I got my head but my head is unraveling
Can't keep control can't keep track of where it's traveling
I got my heart but my heart's no good
You're the only one that's understood
I come along but I don't know where you're taking me
I shouldn't go but you're wrenching, dragging, shaking me
Turn off the sun pull the stars from the sky
The more I give to you the more I die
And I want you
You are the perfect drug
You make me hard when I'm all soft inside
I see the truth when I'm all stupid-eyed
The arrow goes straight through my heart
Without you everything just falls apart
My blood just wants to say hello to you
My soul is so afraid to realize
How very little there is left of me
And I want you
You are the perfect drug
(Take me with you)
Without you everything just falls apart
It's not as much fun to pick up the pieces
Songwriters: Charles Clouser / Chris Alan Vrenna / Daniel Patrick Lohner / Trent Reznor
www.discogs.com/Nine-Inch-Nails-The-Perfect-Drug-Versions/master/3848
This month it is 30 years ago that Front Line Assembly released their Disorder EP
Disorder is one of the two EPs released in 1988 on Third Mind/Wax Trax by Canadian electro-industrial band Front Line Assembly. Originally it was available on vinyl only but later Disorder was released together with the other ’88 EP Corrosion as a CD album called Convergence.
At the time of recording Front Line Assembly was Bill Leeb and Michael Balch while Dave Ogilvie was their engineer/producer.
Disorder (Tracklist)
A1. Body Count
A2. Obsession
A3. Aggression
B1. Lurid Sensation
B2. Die-Sect
B3. The Wrack
