Future-Pop-icon Angels & Agony returns after a prolonged hiatus of almost 8 years. The new album „Monument“ combines gigantic melodies with massive beats on the Dutch band's most mature and best output, so far. Angels & Agony have always been masters of the art of fusing catchy melodies, grand-scale anthemic moments and a foundation of highly club-compatible electronic rhythms with thudding bass and moving beats.
The new album, which is aptly titled “Monument”, has the band elevating their captivating Future-Pop-sound to literally monumental heights. Every note has its place, while the band masterfully creates emotional arcs between club-sounds, Pop-sensibility, cleverly dosed bursts of pathos and honest feelings, with compositions that feel more mature and thought-out than ever before. It almost feels like the group deliberately took a long time in creating this record in order to create nothing short of a genre-milestone. When listening to the final result, which has been graced by a tight and full sound mix from renowned producer John Fryer (Nine Inch Nails, HIM, Die Krupps and many more), the only thing that one can say is: mission accomplished! Pretty much no other genre veteran has been able to dish up an electronic feast of this overall quality that is so filled to the brim with hit-potential in the past few years. A monument of Future-Pop!
Watch the new video for "Deep Six" here, directed by prominent photographer/animator and designer Bart Hess. "Deep Six" is the latest single off of the upcoming album THE PALE EMPEROR, available 1/20/15. Pre-order THE PALE EMPEROR at MarilynManson.com or iTunes and download "Deep Six" and "Third Day of a Seven Day Binge" instantly.
After an extensive European tour during the months of August and September 2014 and after having shared the stage with significant artists of the current musical scene such as Sixth June and The Klinik, just to mention some, the Argentinian minimal-wave duo, Vólkova, re-releases its third album in CD format. “Trauma and Dreams” had been previously released in cassette format by Cintas Triangulares label in July 2014 and had been critically acclaimed worldwide as the best work of the band. This is an album that lays out a game of contrasts, which are reflected on six compositions of highly emotional content and sound experimentation.
Besides offering a new format for the audience, this release includes remixes by bands such as Sixth June, Yus Yus, Minuit Machine and Dan Söderqvist from TWICE A MAN. This production has been the joint work of the following labels: Kompuphonik Musik (DE) and Tacuara Records Argentina.
iVardenspehere, the tribal trance electro outfit headed by Scott Fox, presents Fable. On the new album, Fox, and his cohorts, Jamie Blacker (Electronics/Drums/Vocals) Yann Faussurier (Electronics) Sean Malley (Drums) Chuck Murphy (Drums/Vocals) explore all aspects of percussive tribalism, be it in the middle-eastern tinged Messiah, the electronic twitches of Tribes Of Moth, or the progressive trance influence of Terra Sapian. In addition, the droning, seething Girl Without Hands and the minimalist Disir, being constructed entirely of voices, bring stunningly beautiful new depths to the music of iVardensphere.
Luise Rainer, the first Hollywood star to win back-to-back acting Oscars, has died of pneumonia at the age of 104, Variety reports.
Rainer won her first Academy Award in 1936 for playing the wife of Florenz Ziegfeld in the film The Great Ziegfeld. The next year, she'd hold another shiny statue for playing the lead in The Good Earth. The only other actors to win Oscars in consecutive years are Spencer Tracy (1938, 1939), Katharine Hepburn (1968, 1969), Jason Robards (1976, 1977), and Tom Hanks (1993, 1994).
Following her Oscar wins, Rainer only starred in one more Hollywood film, Hostages. She appeared in various television movies and series in the 1940s and 1950s before walking away from her acting career altogether.
Rainer is survived by her daughter, Francsca Knittel-Bowyer.
