Los Angeles-based indie rock band Love Ghost and Swedish musician Tim Skold have an all new single and video out as Love Ghost X Skold: “Nightshade And Cocaine”. The track is the latest result of an ongoing collaboration between both artists and is taken from a self-titled album to be released in late 2024.

“We are very excited to share this first single from our forthcoming album,” states Skold. “It’s not easy picking singles but this one is a favourite of mine because of the dynamics. It’s like a musical roller coaster, the highs and lows take you for a ride. This is also something that is reflected in the lyrics, which almost lightheartedly deal with some very heavy subjects.”

“This is a sonic journey that touches on many topics such as personal introspection, losing and finding your soul, witchcraft, death, the afterlife, and even politics and war,” adds Bell. “Deadly Nightshade [also known as Belladonna] is a flower that is intrinsically linked to witchcraft, particularly for flying, astral projection and as a symbol for death. This song is about altered states of mind and one’s psychology unravelling at the seams. It is dynamic, unconventional and imaginative and is one of my favourites on the album.”

Below is the video for the new Love Ghost X Skold single.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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In the often unpredictable world of music, collaborations can either blend seamlessly or clash in a dissonant display.

With this album, we witness a masterful synergy that captures the essence of summer’s fleeting beauty and endless allure. The album is a journey through soundscapes that feel both familiar and novel, inviting listeners to immerse themselves in an experience that is as evocative as it is technically impressive.

A Fusion of Styles

There have been many amazing musical collaborations over the years, and this is definitely one to note. 

Fanum, known for his meticulous production and genre-bending approach, brings a wealth of experience to the album. His previous works have often danced between the boundaries of electronic, ambient, and experimental music, creating intricate tapestries of sound. In contrast, Ierophania’s contributions are marked by an ethereal quality, often infused with elements of neo-classical and dream pop. The marriage of these distinct styles results in an album that feels expansive yet intimate, a delicate balance that is difficult to achieve but executed flawlessly here.

The opening track, Solstice Reverie, sets the tone for the album with its lush layers of synths and soft, reverberating vocals. It’s a track that feels like the first light of dawn, gentle and full of promise. Fanum’s production is immediately evident, with every sound meticulously placed to create a sense of space and warmth. Ierophania’s voice floats effortlessly above the instrumentation, adding a haunting yet comforting dimension to the track.

Themes of Transience and Nostalgia

As the album progresses, it becomes clear that Escort of Endless Summer is not just a collection of songs but a thematic exploration of time, memory, and the ephemeral nature of summer. Tracks like Ephemeral Rays and Twilight Mirage delve into these ideas with a melancholic undertone. The use of field recordings, such as the distant sound of waves and birdsong, further enhances the album’s connection to nature and the passing of time.

One of the standout tracks, Azure Horizon, perfectly encapsulates the album’s central theme. The song builds gradually, starting with a simple piano motif before expanding into a full-bodied composition that feels both nostalgic and forward-looking. The interplay between Fanum’s rich, textured production and Ierophania’s vocal melodies creates a sense of longing as if reaching for something just out of grasp—a feeling that anyone who has watched the sun set on a summer’s day can relate to.

A Sonic Landscape

The album’s production is nothing short of stunning. Fanum’s attention to detail ensures that each track feels like a carefully constructed world, with layers of sound that reveal themselves upon repeated listens. Ierophania’s contributions, whether through her vocals or her instrumentation, add a human touch to these sonic landscapes, grounding them in emotion.

The closing track, Endless Night, is a fitting conclusion to the album. It feels like the final moments of a long summer day, where the warmth of the sun lingers even as the night begins to take hold. The track is both a farewell and a promise—a reminder that while summer may end, its memories will linger long after.

A Triumphant Collaboration

Escort of Endless Summer is a triumph of collaboration, a testament to what can be achieved when two artists with distinct visions come together. Fanum and Ierophania have created an album that not only captures the essence of summer but also explores deeper themes of time, memory, and the fleeting nature of beauty. It’s an album that demands to be listened to in its entirety, a sonic journey that will resonate with listeners long after the final note fades away.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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LA-based collective Beauty In Chaos has released their fourth album, “Dancing With Angels”, via 33.3 Music Collective. The album, featuring eight tracks, comes hand in hand with the video for “Holy Ground“, featuring Patrik Mata of Kommunity FK.

Formed in 2018 by guitarist Michael Ciravolo and Grammy-nominated producer Michael Rozon, Beauty In Chaos is a revolving collective of artists. The new album features contributions from returning members and new collaborators, including Wayne Hussey (The Mission), Ashton Nyte (The Awakening), Kat Leon (Holy Wars), Cinthya Hussey, William and Sarah Faith (The Bellwether Syndicate), Leo Luganskiy (Strangelove), Julian Shah-Tayler (The Singularity), Cynthia Isabella, and Patrik Mata (Kommunity FK).

Ciravolo describes the album as both a “sonic regression and a sonic progression,” blending elements from their previous works with new influences. The album includes unique interludes, or “Halos”, that connect the tracks.

The lead track, “Diving For Pearls“, features Wayne and Cinthya Hussey, with a single version mixed by Tim Palmer. As of July 24, ‘Dancing With Angels’ is available on limited edition multi-color vinyl and CD from the Beauty In Chaos store, where the ‘Diving For Pearls’ limited edition CD single is also available. Digitally, the album can be found on Bandcamp, Apple Music and Spotify. The first 100 vinyl copies come with two posters signed by the artists. Vinyl and CD purchases also include the full digital version of the album (with Halos and two bonus tracks).

Track List:

1. Present Tense ft. William Faith and Sarah Rose Faith
2. The Devil You Know ft. Kat Leon
3. Diving For Pearls ft. Wayne Hussey and Cinthya Hussey
4. Echoes and The Angels ft. Leo Luganskiy
5. Kiss Me (Goodbye) ft. Julian Shah Tayler
6. Hollow ft. Cynthia Isabella
7. Holy Ground ft. Patrik Mata
8. Made of Rain ft. Ashton Nyte

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

side-line.com

(Photo by Kevin Estrada) Los Angeles-based collective Beauty In Chaos has released the music video for “Holy Ground” featuring Patrik Mata of Kommunity FK. This track is part of their upcoming fourth album, “Dancing With Angels”, set to be released on July 24, 2024. “Holy Ground” showcases a departure from BIC’s usual goth rock/post-punk sound, diving into the darkwave genre.

Here’s the video for “Holy Ground” featuring Patrik Mata of Kommunity FK.

“Dancing With Angels” includes contributions from artists such as Wayne Hussey of The Mission, Kat Leon of Holy Wars, Ashton Nyte of The Awakening, and more. The record follows the release of the single “Diving For Pearls”, which also features Wayne Hussey.

Beauty In Chaos was formed in 2018 by guitarist Michael Ciravolo, known for his work with Human Drama and Gene Loves Jezebel, alongside producer Michael Rozon. The collective has involved various prominent musicians from bands like The Cure, Ministry, and Nine Inch Nails.

Track Listing

1. Present Tense ft. William Faith and Sarah Rose Faith
2. The Devil You Know ft. Kat Leon
3. Diving For Pearls ft. Wayne Hussey and Cinthya Hussey
4. Echoes and The Angels ft. Leo Luganskiy
5. Kiss Me (Goodbye) ft. Julian Shah Tayler
6. Hollow ft. Cynthia Isabella
7. Holy Ground ft. Patrik Mata
8. Made of Rain ft. Ashton Nyte

The album will be available on limited edition multi-color vinyl, CD, and digital formats. The first 100 vinyl copies include two signed posters.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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(Interview by Evan South) For Me The Tiger, the journey from their last album to their new release “Envy” has been anything but smooth. The seven-year gap between albums was shaped by significant life events and the global pandemic. In this interview Jonas, Bella, and Tobias share their personal experiences and how they navigated through becoming parents, dealing with the pandemic, and the resulting silence in the music industry. As they faced delays and uncertainties, the band’s creative spark waned. They emphasize here how live gigs are the lifeblood of their creativity and energy, which was severely disrupted during these years. Now, with renewed vigor and a fresh start with a new label, Progress Productions, Me The Tiger is ready to reconnect with their audience and reignite their passion for live performances. This interview delves into their challenges, the decision to change labels, and their future plans, shedding light on their resilience and dedication to their craft.

SL: Your previous albums were released about 2 years apart. What caused the 7-year gap for the new album Envy?

Jonas: Life happened. We all became parents. We kept on working during the pandemic. Still,
when you have a gig booked that is delayed year after year, it was kind of silent in the music
business back then.

Bella: I have almost the same view. Kids were born, the pandemic came. We told our booker/manager that we wanted a pause in 2020 because I was going to have a baby. So we went on a waiting list for gigs. It was 2022 or 2023 when the waiting was over and we wanted to change labels and release a cd that made it possible for our manager to book us gigs. Because we didn’t want to release songs and waste them if we didn’t have the opportunity to play gigs! And because we played a lot of big festivals in 2016 and 2017, we knew we would need to release something new to get those big festivals again!

Tobias: One kid came before the pandemic, and we knew it was going to be some time that we couldn’t play or record songs. So we were prepared for that, and then the pandemic came! So when we were mentally and physically ready to do band stuff again, the pandemic hit us! We lost a little bit of hope of doing this ever again. I didn’t write any songs for the band for maybe 2 or 3 years. I felt unhappy when I thought about the band. It was some tough years. Even though we live so close to each other we barely saw each other for 2 years. And when the pandemic was over, we weren’t sure if we were going to do this anymore. We didn’t have any leads. Where should we go with this? But then we met and decided to finish up this record and release it! But it took a lot of years to get back on our feet! It wasn’t a decision, it just happened.

Jonas: Somehow we lost the spark!

Bella: We had played together so long now, I realized we get the energy from our live gigs! When we do live gigs we want to record music, we want to do merch, we want to do a lot of stuff! Live gigging is our soul energy, and when we don’t do live gigs, we lose our energy. Years without live gigs sucked a lot of energy out of us! I love live gigs, and it feels like our band needs live gigs to know where we’re going! So I think that was a big problem with the energy, when we don’t do live gigs we don’t know what we’re doing!

Jonas: It’s funny, when the pandemic hit, my first thought was “Oh, we’re going to be SO creative, we’re going to record SO much music, we’re going to have 3 albums ready when the pandemic is over.” But none of that happened.

Tobias: We did nothing!

Jonas: We did absolutely nothing. It was so sad!

Bella: But we got a lot of anxiety that we could use! (laughs)

SL: How much can you say about the label change from Repo to Progress Productions?

Tobias: I think we can say as much as we needed a change! We love the guys behind Repo records who released our first 3 albums. They are super good and nice. We felt during the hiatus when nothing happened that we needed a fresh start, we needed to be Me The Tiger 2.0! And we felt that Repo couldn’t really give us that at the moment. We knew that Torny from Progress was doing a lot of great stuff. We didn’t actually know him, we had met him on tour, but didn’t know him personally. We reached out to him and asked if he was interested in releasing our music and working with us, and he said yes almost on the spot! He can give us something else. He is more progressive thinking like the label name. He thinks more about the digital markets. Loosening the frame around releasing an album with 12 songs. With Torny you can discuss what is best for us, not what the market is asking for!

Bella: For me, when we played in Germany in 2022, we met Torny and a lot of other Swedish bands that had gone there together, and I noticed that they all knew each other, and we were not a part of this family. Because of the pandemic years, I felt that we need to join a music family to get some support. It was obvious they got energy from each other! I got interested in Torny and Progress because of being part of a community of synth bands form Sweden!

Jonas: We are forever grateful for the work Repo has done with us, and believing in us in the beginning!

Tobias: Without them nothing would have been possible!

Jonas: Understanding our background, we don’t know anyone in the synth genre. It’s kind of nice having a family we could not only rely on, but get inspired by! We met a lot of Swedish bands while playing abroad in Germany, Switzerland and Belgium, and they’ve always been such nice people! And like Bella said, being a part of that community, I think it’s going to inject more energy to Me The Tiger in the future!

Bella: We still have scars from this period between our albums and the pandemic, so we need to be a bit cared for. (laughs)

SL: The new album “Envy” is only 8 tracks. How did you settle on this length for the new release?

Tobias: That is one of the main things why we felt we needed a change with the label. I don’t know how other genres are, but in synthpop there are many unwritten rules. You have to follow a line, and to release an album that is short is maybe not the correct way to do it. When we presented the album for our label they said we need 2 or 3 tracks more or we can’t release it. We felt, seriously who listens to all the songs on an album that is 12 or 15 tracks long? No one is. Yeah, maybe if it is really, really good. We 3 talked about it, and none of us are listening to an album that is so long anymore, you lose interest. Many of the songs on those albums have a lot of filler, songs that shouldn’t be released. I don’t say our 8 songs on this album are perfect, but it’s the best we can do. But if we had to squeeze in another couple tracks just because, no, that’s not the way we want to release music. Maybe in the future we’re going to release EP’s
with 4 or 5 songs. Because it keeps the creativity alive. I think 8 tracks is the perfect amount of songs!

Bella: It felt like when we recorded the album, “Now we’re done!” We’re going to release this, and then we want to record more. The cake is baked!

Tobias: When we’re going on tour, we’re never going to play the whole album. We won’t even play all 8 songs in one show. So if we have released 15 songs, some of the songs you’re never going to play live, so why release music that you’re never going to perform live? For me, it loses the whole point of releasing music if you don’t even want to play it live. We put so much energy and time in writing and recording the songs. We see ourselves mainly as a live band. We only record albums to come out and play!

SL: You have made music videos in the past. Are there plans for videos for the new album, besides the lyric videos? What are your thoughts on music videos?

Jonas: I think 10 years ago the official music videos were quite powerful from a marketing standpoint. Nowadays you don’t watch music videos like you did 10 years ago. It is a costly thing to make a video if you want it good. Of course you can record something with your iPhone, and make a video quite easily, but I don’t see the point anymore. On the contrary, I actually love making music videos. I love music videos as an art form, because it tells more about the content of a song than just the audio. I’m super proud of all the videos we’ve done since the start. We had the privilege to work with super talented students at the University to make good videos for us. But nowadays, we don’t have either those connection or the finances needed to make a high-quality video.

SL: You have some notable festival shows coming up, including SubKult, Solitary Experiments 30 th anniversary show, and Progress Productions 20 th anniversary show. What are your thoughts on smaller shows vs large festivals?

Jonas: For me, and I think I speak on behalf of all the band, if it’s 2 people in the audience, or 20, 200, or 2000, it doesn’t matter. It gives us that injection of energy that really is in the DNA of Me The Tiger. We are a live band! Of course, we record music, but we record music to play live. That’s where we really shine. I love how our album sounds, but I love how we sound live even more! And I think what our fans enjoy the most is to watch us play live. Tobias: I agree. For me, what I prefer, I would say playing in a festival is something special. I love festivals myself. My first festival experience was as a teenager, and I had the opportunity to see so many bands in the same weekend! The whole environment, it’s stages, it’s people, it’s parties, it’s happiness for a long time! A concert can be fantastic, but it maybe lasts for 2 hours and it’s over, but the festival experience goes on for days and days! When we play at festivals, I feel the same energy in my body as an artist as I feel when I go there as an audience member! There is so much going on in the same place! A lot of bands to talk to, a lot of people to connect with. When you play on a festival, those who like your music will come and watch your show, but you have the opportunity to reach out to so many new people who had never heard of you, which we have experienced as a pretty unknown band.

Belle: I like to play on festivals that have more than us, that are the synthpop band. If it’s a synth festival, it is really fun because we usually have new people that haven’t heard us before. But when we are playing a festival that has a lot of diversity in the type of bands playing, it’s not an equally good experience, because maybe they don’t like the music. My experience is that if people stay and listen to us they will come up after the gig and say “I don’t normally listen to this type of music but you were awesome!” It’s harder on the festival with big artists that are mainstream to get the people to come to us because they don’t know us and they have so much to choose from.

Tobias: When we play festivals in Sweden, there are very mixed genres, from hard rock to radio pop to death metal. But if you go to Germany or other European countries, there are often genre specific festivals, so it’s easier to reach out. If we’re talking about Swedish festivals, it is almost every time a pain (laughs).

SL: How does Sweden continue to produce such a large amount of talented bands and musicians?

Jonas: There is a quite easy answer for this. We have 2 parts in the Swedish music wonder: The first one is the music schools. The second one is the non-formal adult education programs we have here. You can get a rehearsal room for free. You can rehearse with borrowed instruments for free.

Bella: You can play your first live gigs and festivals for free.

Jonas: You can get good gigs all over Sweden for free. And this is the Swedish model that nowadays is being hunted from the right-wing parties. They are into reducing the finances to the non-formal adult education societies that we have in Sweden. And probably the Swedish music wonder won’t be the same in 5 to 10 to 20 years. It is because of those programs that allows people to learn how to play together in a rehearsal room from a very young age. Sweden

has been the best country for doing that for a very, very long time! But that will probably stop due to the right-wing parties.

SL: What are the plans going forward for Me The Tiger?

Jonas: We are going to record a new album soon, that’s my feeling!

Tobias: Hopefully we don’t take another 7 years to put it out! (laughs)

Bella: And also new merch!

Tobias: And new live shows, of course. Probably not more this year than the ones already booked, but hopefully next year we will play a lot more than we will this summer. And hopefully we will come to play in the USA! I’ve been there on other occasions, and there are so many great scenes and cities and people that I would like to see again!

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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(Photo by Lauren Ellis) South Carolina’s ost-punk act Candy Coffins presents “Tangled Up in Teacups” from their self-released album “Once Do It With Feeling”, a track that reminds a lot of Cocteau Twins actually. The accompanying video, which juxtaposes a pensive and inaccessible Jame Lathren with ballet dancers Mira Lathren and Bella Leone in an urban landscape, was produced and directed by The Pierson Collective. Earlier, the band released two singles: “Every Day A Fresh Atrocity” and “Seaside Girls”.

Vocalist, guitarist and songwriter Jame Lathren formed Candy Coffins in 2018 in Columbia, South Carolina after disbanding his previous band Crown The Cake. He formed Candy Coffins with hometown guitar legend Tom Alewine (Bachelors of Art), followed by Alex Mabrey on bass and Justin Purdy on keys, and former Iron & Wine touring drummer Jonathan Bradley.

Here’s the video for “Tangled Up in Teacups”.

Below are some other videos from the band.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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From March 31 until April 2, 2023 included you will be able to attend the US festival, Dark Force Fest, a three-day goth-industrial music festival. The festival takes place in Parsippany, NJ (one hour from NYC), at the massive Sheraton Parsippany, an imposing castle styled hotel that features 44,000 square feet of event space with 370 hotel rooms (which are however already sold out, but there are enough hotels in the neighborhood).

Organized by VampireFreaks, the team that brought you the Triton Festival and Dark Side of the Con, this brand new event features a lineup of international bands from the gothic, industrial, darkwave and post-punk scenes. In the line-up we find such bands as HEALTH, Combichrist, Suicide Commando, ACTORS, Rabbit Junk, Vision Video, Empathy Test, Solar Fake, BILE, Psyclon Nine, Das Ich, Bootblacks, Leathers, Josie Pace, God Module, Bella Morte and many more.

In addition to 30+ bands, Dark Force Fest will also feature over 100 vendors, a costume contest, cosplay guests, sideshow performers, fun activities and informative panels. More info can be found at https://darkforcefest.com and you can order your tickets right here.

Below is the poster for the event.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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The dark synthpop act CARV.R has just revealed details regarding its newest single, “Bloom”. CARV.R is the project of Providence (Rhode Island) based musician Cristian Carver, primarily known as the drummer for Metropolis Record’s Bella. The project debuted in 2020 with the single “Erase Me.”

In a reaction Cristian Carver says this about the single: “You step into a city wrapped in neon. The world opens for the first time as the glares of the cars blind you and your lungs fill with adventure as you breathe it all in. You don’t know what will happen but you’re ready. This is how the track feels for me and as my first instrumental I wanted to capture the grit and the feeling of possibility. It leans heavy with dark-synth influences and it’s a reminder of the moment my project begun to take shape. This song is a blooming celebration of progress and all it takes to make the future attainable.”

You can check out the track below.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Out now is the newest video from the Finnish goth rock band Of Blood and Wine.

“Bella Blue” was actually released yesterday on Valentine’s day and in it “we attempt to bring forth old school goth’n’roll vibes utilizing dark, romantic guitar melodies, a sturdy bass sound and a low, erotic vocal delivery; the song is essentially a serenade for vampires and other creatures of the night,” so the band says.

The song was written by the band’s guitarist, Count Kristoffer, with Marquis Nosferaatu on bass and Lord Crobath serving on lead vocals.

Check out the video below.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Dark electronic duo, MAN1K1N has just unveiled their new single, “Don’t Let Me Try”. MAN1K1N is an electronic alternative band hailing from Boston, MA. founded by singer Johnny Veil and drummer Cristian Carver (Carvr, Bella Morte).

The message of the single and video is a reaction to a personal loss and a year and a half of solitude. “It’s a time capsule of several moments all inside one”, so the band says.

And they add: “The heavy solitude of this past year during quarantine was a poignant influence in the moment this song exists in. Too often, suicidal ideation is regarded as a trope. But the anguish felt in those private moments is threatening and devastatingly lonely. We wanted this song to speak to that without glorifying an end, or without being overly direct. It is a trope mired in heavy familiarity that we wanted to capture. We invite the listener to draw their own conclusions and inspire conversation.”

MAN1K1N has drafted Tom Baker, renowned mastering engineer of iconic albums such as “The Downward Spiral”, “Hellbilly Deluxe”, “Psalm 69”, etc., to tackle their new single.

You can check the release on Spotify.

Here is the video.

In support of the new release, Man1K1N will be headlining this year’s Endless Nights Vampire Ball in Salem, MA on October 16th, hosted by Salem’s own VampFangs. This will be their one and exclusive appearance this October.

More info:

https://man1k1n.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/man1k1n_official
https://www.facebook.com/MAN1K1N

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Gothic-Disco legends My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult will release “Sleazy Action”, a compilation of 12 previously unreleased remixes by TKK’s Buzz McCoy, highlighting the group’s past 12 years on SleazeBox Records. The album also includes tracks from related side-project Bomb Gang Girlzand new songs by Buzz McCoy and Groovie Mann’s Darling Kandie.

Track List:

1. “Bella Piranha (Hot Shot Mix)” – My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult
2. “Studio 21 (Titan Mix)” – My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult
3. “Hell Kat Klub (Klit Klub Mix)” – My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult
4. “Want (Cockadoodledoo Mix)” – Bomb Gang Girlz
5. “Royal Skull (Karmakazi Mix)” – My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult
6. “My Wicked Ways (Babylonia Mix)” – Darling Kandie
7. “Witchpunkrockstar (Heavy Mental Mix)” – My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult
8. “Monti Karlo (Kasino Mix)” – My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult
9. “Prism (Mata Hari Mix)” – Buzz McCoy
10. “All The Way (S.T.R.U.T. Mix)” – Bomb Gang Girlz
11. “Suite 16 (Love To Love Mix)” – Buzz McCoy
12. “Lone Road (Dead End Mix)” – My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult

Here’s the album teaser.

About My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult

Hailing from Chicago’s renowned Wax Trax! Records stable of recording artists, My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult (the brainchild of Franke Nardiello and musician Marston Daley) have been active since 1987. Along with label mates such as Front 242, KMFDM and Ministry, TKK (as often abbreviated), helped develop the industrial music genre.

The band however continued to evolve and today their sound can be described as electronic rock, heavily influenced by both disco and funk. One of their most distinctive characteristics is the use of spoken-word samples lifted from B-movies laced throughout their songs.

Since debuting, they have released 13 studio albums, and their music has been featured in a variety of films, television/cable shows and soundtracks.

The band continues to release new material via their own SleazeBox Records label and tour extensively with a rotating cast of musicians, however the core of the project has always been Nardiello and Daley, both on record and in the live act. The current line-up is Groovie Mann (vocals), Buzz McCoy (keys), Mimi Star (bass), Justin Thyme (drums), Arena Rock (Bomb Gang Girl).

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Out now is “Data Regina [Embodied]” by Olivia Louvel presenting a selection of live tracks taken from “Data Regina”. “Data Regina” was centered around a tale of 16th century British history with Mary Queen of Scots, her poetry and her battles and was released in early 2017.

This new EP – running over 38 minutes – was compiled from 3 recordings in Bexhill (Outland, 13 June 2019), in London (Iklectik, 22 May 2019) and in Leeds (Synth Remix tour, 10 November 2018). To date, this set was last performed at the Chapter Arts Center in Cardiff, 6 March 2020.

About “Data Regina”

On “Data Regina” Louvel assembles a digital narrative through 17 electronic compositions (including a series of instrumentals) capturing different palettes, tones, playing with identity within the ‘duality-duel’ relationship of the two women, two queens and cousins, who were never to meet.

As well as the publication of a CD, the interactive digital work www.dataregina.com provides a further platform to showcase the 3D animations produced by young animator Antoine Kendall as well as curated historical references.

Composed and mixed by Louvel, the album also features Fiona Brice (Bella Union, John Grant….) on violin.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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In honour of the 20th anniversary of the first volume of “The Unquiet Grave”, Cleopatra Records presents “The Unquiet Grave 2019”, a compilation that features 25 international Post-Punk, Goth, Industrial, Darkwave and Experimental artists from across the dark music spectrum.

The label’s original concept behind “The Unquiet Grave” varied from other Cleopatra compilations they completed such as “The Goth Box” (1996) as well as “The Black Bible” (1998), that included legacy acts such as Bauhaus, Virgin Prunes and Legendary Pink Dots along with a variety of up-and-coming bands. On the other hand, “The Unquiet Grave” (1999) exclusively featured new artists that deserved the opportunity for exposure to a larger audience. That original 1999 edition would include such bands as Bella Morte, Diary of Dreams, Android Lust and Rhea’s Obsession, to name a few.

“The Unquiet Grave 2019” applies the same formula as that original volume by showcasing 25 artists that equally deserve your attention. “The Unquiet Grave 2019” will be available on June 14th via all digital and streaming outlets.

The Unquiet Grave 2019 features: The Ink Bats, Social Station, The Sedona Effect, Antidote for Annie, Silver Walks, New Zero God, The Long Losts, Schedule IV, Hypofixx, Lorelei Dreaming, Fear Incorporated, Metamorph, Angel Metro, Abbey Death, The Drowning Season, May May Graves, Red Lokust, Acclimate, Traumabond, ENGRAM, Tragic Impulse, Spider Lilies, RCH IV, Dreamchild, Moss Garten.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Peter Turns Pirate (aka Neal Reed from Grendel) has released a brand new music video: “Jaw Drop”. It’s the 3rd music video for the project from Toronto (Canada) and the track itself is taken from his latest EP “View as strange”.

This video focuses entirely on the hard-hitiing drums of the track and features some of the electro scene’s most respected drummers: Galen Waling (Lords of acid, Julien K, PIG), Cristian Carver (Bella Morte, Panic Lift, Man1k1n) and Ben Tourkantonis (Grendel, Panic Lift).

You can watch the video right here.

Peter Turns Pirate was formed in 2004. In 2015 the project opened The AfterMath Festival in Toronto, and in 2016 Peter Turns Pirate supported PIG and En Esch on their 5 week North American Tour.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Synthpop/Synthwave artists The Rain Within announce they will be touring with VNV Nation on their upcoming North America Noire tour. The Rain Within will be replacing De/Vision on the tour. The Noire tour begins November 16th in Austin,TX and ends December 15th in Las Vegas,NV and also features German Post-Punk/Shoegaze act Holygram.

Founded by Andy Deane, the vocalist of the Alternative Goth Rock band Bella Morte, The Rain Within released their second studio album “Atomic Eyes” released on Negative Gain on Valentine’s Day, 2018. The album merges synthwave and sythpop building a bridge between the 80s and today’s audience.

In related news, do also check out this VNV Nation interview.

Tour Dates

• Friday November 16 2018 Austin, TX Barracuda
• Saturday November 17 2018 Houston, TX White Oak Music Hall
• Monday November 19 2018 Atlanta, GA Masquerade
• Tuesday November 20 2018 Ft. Lauderdale, FL Culture Room
• Wednesday November 21 2018 St. Petersburg, FL Jannus Live
• Friday November 23 2018 Philadelphia, PA Union Transfer
• Saturday November 24 2018 New York, NY Irving Plaza
• Sunday November 25 2018 Boston, MA Royale
• Tuesday November 27 2018 Montreal, QC Corona Theater
• Wednesday November 28 2018 Toronto, ON Danforth Music Hall
• Friday November 30 2018 Detroit, MI St. Andrews
• Saturday December 1 2018 Chicago, IL The Metro
• Sunday December 2 2018 Minneapolis, MN Skyway Theater
• Tuesday December 4 2018 Denver, CO The Oriental Theater
• Wednesday December 5 2018 Salt Lake City, UT The Metro
• Friday December 7 2018 Seattle, WA Neptune
• Saturday December 8 2018 Portland, OR Roseland Theater
• Sunday December 9 2018 Vancouver, BC Imperial Theatre
• Wednesday December 12 2018 San Francisco, CA The Regency Ballroom
• Thursday December 13 2018 Los Angeles, CA The Wiltern
• Friday December 14 2018 Phoenix, AZ Marquee
• Saturday December 15 2018 Las Vegas, NV Backstage Bar

Andy Deane has toured the US extensively and found his way to Europe and the UK on several occasions with both The Rain Within and his gothic rock band Bella Morte.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Due for Release 1 September via Rabid Records is The Knife’s “Shaking the Habitual: Live at Terminal 5” film, album & photobook. After a 7-year hiatus from playing live, the resulting musical saw The Knife expand from Karin and Olof to a 11-piece dance troupe.

The band employed designer Bella Rune to create bespoke instruments for the show, aiming to give the audience something more interesting to look at than a figure turning knobs and pressing buttons behind a laptop. On the last leg of the tour, in the autumn of 2014, photographer Alexa Vachon joined The Knife to document their journey. These photos have been collected in a limited-edition photobook.

The Knife was a Swedish electronic music duo from Gothenburg formed in 1999. The group consisted of siblings Karin Dreijer Andersson and Olof Dreijer, who together also run their own record company, Rabid Records. The group gained a large international following in response to their 2003 album “Deep Cuts”. The Knife disbanded in November 2014 after releasing their 2013 album Shaking the “Habitual” and completing its attendant tour.

The Knife played their final show, entitled “Post-Colonial Gender Politics Come First, Music Comes Second”, on November 8, 2014 at the Iceland Airwaves Festival in Reykjavik, Iceland.

PS: The new album won’t be available to buy or stream in the following territories UK/Eire, USA/Canada, Asia & South/Latin America. This is due to a long running dispute between the band and its label partner in those territories, Brille Records.

Here’s the trailer for the release:

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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To be released 3rd November on Bella Union is the debut album “Ojalá” by Lost Horizons. Lost Horizons is the project by Simon Raymonde (Cocteau Twins, Bella Union label) and drummer Richie Thomas (Dif Juz, The Jesus And Mary Chain, Moose, Felt). “Ojalá” incorporates a well known cast of guest singers: Marissa Nadler, former Midlake frontman Tim Smith, Cameron Neal (Horse Thief), Leila Moss of The Duke Spirit and Ghostpoet, Beth Cannon, Ed Riman, Gemma Dunleavy, Phil McDonnell and Karen Peris of The Innocence Mission.

As usual with Raymonde also this project hosts a varied mix of influences including of course dreamy pop. You can listen to the project’s first tracks from the album below. The tracks are “The Places We’ve Been”, featuring Karen Peris on vocals, and “Frenzy Fear”, featuring Hilang Child on vocals.

Many will know Richie Thomas from his work with Raymonde in the eighties, the songs unfortunately remained in the demo stage. One collaboration survived, namely “Ivy And Neet”, found on This Mortal Coil’s second album “Filigree & Shadow” (1986), with Thomas adding saxophone to Raymonde’s improvised piano. After that Thomas toured with The Jesus And Mary Chain, Moose, Felt and, in the nineties with Cocteau Twins.

The songs for “Ojalá” find their origin in a four-days improvisation session the pair booked in an east London studio, with Raymonde on piano and Thomas on drums. Raymonde then added bass, guitar and occasional electronics at his home studio in Brighton, turning improvisation into songs, and a second four-day session was booked – the day that David Bowie suddenly died. As the songs took shape, Raymonde approached the singers. The result is a 15-track album.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Annadyne is the brand new project by Jon and Fuchsia (who has been regularly featured on Side-Line in the past with her other projects Bella Lune and Dreamgaze). The project has just released a brand new single this week via Bandcamp (which you can listen to below), the lovely “The Last Time”, which will surely appeal to all those fond of the 4AD bands Cocteau Twins or yet Dead Can Dance.

The project offers lush, dreamy guitars, angelic vocals and analog synths and “The Last Time” is the second single for the project which released a first track (“The Fallen One”) in October already, you can listen to it below. Both songs are available on a “name your price” basis with no minimum on the group’s Bandcamp page.

The duo behind this project met in rather funny way in late 2000 when Fuchsia bid on (and won) Jon’s collectible records by The Cure on Ebay. The duo talked and decided to form Annadyne in 2001 already. They recorded 6 songs by 2004 but then parted ways without releasing any of the early material. After a decade-long hiatus, the duo regrouped in 2014 and began recording covers by The Cocteau Twins. In October of 2016, they remastered and released one of their first songs ever recorded, “The Fallen One”.

Annadyne is currently working on new original material and has plans to release the Cocteau Twins covers in the near future as well. Fuchsia is in the bands Bella Lune and Dreamgaze and Jon was in the hardcore band The Juniper Strain.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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French born electronic chansonnière Olivia Louvel has a new concept album: “Data Regina”. The project is inspired by the reign of Mary Queen Of Scots and Elizabeth I. You can order the album right now as a CD digipak via Bandcamp, it will be released February 8. A first track can be previewed below.

On “Data Regina” Louvel assembles a digital narrative through 17 electronic compositions (including a series of instrumentals) capturing different palettes, tones, playing with identity within the ‘duality-duel’ relationship of the two women, two queens and cousins, who were never to meet.

As well as the publication of a CD, the interactive digital work www.dataregina.com will provide a further platform to showcase the 3D animations produced by young animator Antoine Kendall as well as curated historical references.

Composed and mixed by Louvel, the album also features Fiona Brice (Bella Union, John Grant….) on violin. “Data Regina” was mastered by AGF (aka Antye Greie-Ripatti). The project has been brought to fruition with the financial support of the Arts Council, England (Grant for the Arts).

Over the last decade, Olivia Louvel has released 5 solo albums. Her debut album “Luna Parc Hotel” was released on Angelika Koehlermann (Austria), “Lulu In Suspension” inspired by silent-movie star Louise Brooks was released on Optical Sound (France). Since 2011, she has been releasing her music on Cat Werk Imprint, her own label.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Genre/Influences: Electro-rock, rock-pop, hard-rock, synth-pop, punk, experimental.

Background/Info: Fast forward 30 years.  Industrial music scene promoter, cancer survivor and musician, Jim Semonik (label owner of Distortion Productions and active in multiple bands) has brought his fundraiser “Electronic Saviors: Industrial Music To Cure Cancer” to the aid of many a cancer victim.

It is with this intent that his label, Distortion Productions, LLC and Electronic Saviors offer up a tribute to the robots in disguise with “Respect The Prime: 1986 Revisited”. For the first time ever, the classic soundtrack from 1986’s “Transformers”-movie has been rebuilt from the ground up.

Bands: Xenturion Prime feat Trulos Haugen, Ghostfeeder, Bella Morte, Victor Love, Caustic, Everything Goes Cold, Latexxx Teens, am.psych ao.

Content: This sampler features 17 formations dealing with a rather diversified inspiration. No doubt about it, the original songs probably influenced the bands to experiment in sound and style. This album reveals several hard-rock minded pieces, which is a total surprise.

Other cuts move into electro-rock and vague electro-pop. But you also will hear some elements of metal music and even punk. Several songs are instrumentals, which accentuate the soundtrack feeling. Only one band (cf. am.psych) has been featured with two songs. One of them is the theme of “The Transformers”.

+ + + : The idea to release a music compilation as a way to bring some aid to cancer victims is not new, but still a great mark of solidarity and commitment. This is a record you’ll buy because of its initial concept while the content will for sure deliver a few nice surprises. am.psych is not exactly a newcomer although not exactly a familiar name and their electro-rock music reminding me a bit of The Swamp Terrorists.

– – – : Sound-wise this sampler is really versatile and simply mixes the most different and sometimes opposites genres together. There’s not much cohesion between some songs.

Conclusion: I’m definitely into the goal and concept of “Electronic Saviors” although the content of this edition can’t totally convince me!

Best bands: am.psych, Everything Goes Cold, Thoughtform, Ghostfeeder.

Rate: (7).

Label: www.distortionprod.com / www.facebook.com/distortionproductions

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

In RobCast, a weekly podcast by Rob Bella, Depeche Mode’s Martin Gore has announced that Depeche Mode will ‘probably’ start recording a new album in April. According to the podcast, which you can listen below, Depeche Mode are planning to have a meeting within the next few weeks to schedule the future plans. The new album , their 14th studio album, would again be holding songs penned by both Martin Gore and frontman Dave Gahan.

Listen to the podcast below (past minute 57):

For the band it will be their first new album since the March 2013 released “Delta Machine” which only had one moderately successful single, “Heaven” (none of the 3 singles from the album reached the UK Top 40 for instance). The album itself was quite poorly received by the press, with both NME and Pitchfork Media giving it an all-time low 5/10 (also Side-Line was not impressed and gave it a 4/10); The Independent rated it 2/5 just like The Observer did.

In short, the band will have to prove that they are able to deliver a good album after a few not so brilliant releases. It’s unclear whether the new album will again be released via by Columbia Records and Mute Records. And it’s also unclear who will be in the production seat (Ben Hillier? Flood? …).

To be continued. In the meantime read what fellow fans expect from the new Depeche Mode album.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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No doubt about it, The Neon Judgement has been one of the absolute pioneers and leading formations in history of electronic underground music. After 35 years of commitment Dirk Da Davo and TB Frank decided to leave their sonic brainchild to the collective memory of their numerous fans and electro lovers. They can look back at an impressive career and multiple hits. Enough reasons after the ‘TNJ Farewell Tour – Time Capsule Concerts’ for a ‘farewell interview’.

By Stéphane Froidcoeur (picture taken by Chris Stessens)

Part 2 can be read here.

SL: The Neon Judgement got a symbolic funeral during the very last live show at the ‘AB’ in Brussels on September, the 26th. What did you feel during the show?

Dirk Da Davo: The AB is the ultimate place to do this. We were comfortable on stage, we’ve enjoyed it very much!

SL: Where’s The Neon Judgement now: in heaven or in hell?

Dirk Da Davo: TNJ is in between both…

SL: If you’ve to choose an epitaph for The Neon Judgement, what should we read on it?

Dirkl Da Davo: They played LOUD MUSIC!

SL: Does the famous quote ‘death is only the beginning’ make sense to you and if yes what do you expect?

Dirk Da Davo: That the beginning is always very near.

SL: Robbespierre is probably not a ‘pacific’ reference, but he made this remarkable quote ‘death is the beginning of immortality’! Do you think The Neon Judgement will be immortal and how would you like to be reminded as band and musician?

Dirk Da Davo: Let’s hope that the message stays immortal. Hard to tell how I would like to be reminded as a musician because I still am a musician…

SL: I guess you prefer a quote by George Orwell; I’ve found this one: ‘each generation imagines itself to be more intelligent than the one that went before it, and wiser than the one that comes after it’. What do you think?

Dirk Da Davo: The quote means ‘the end at the end’. It seems that society evolves like this :(( War is peace, freedom is slavery, ignorance is strength!

SL: THE George Orwell quote remains for sure ‘Big brother is watching you’! How the hell could he know one day it simply would become reality?

Dirk Da Davo: Maybe he listened to “TV Treated” first ? :))(

SL: A few other writers, which I think might have caught your interest are Anthony Burgess for “Clockwork Orange” and Aldous Huxley for “Brave New World”. Or do you have other references?

Dirk Da Davo: Haldous Huxley’s “Brave New World” was in my package! Recently I was reading Dave Eggers “The Circle” , a brilliant ‘Orwelian’ book.

SL: Now that The Neon Judgement is death and buried, you’ll maybe get the opportunity to meet George Orwell in afterlife! What would you like to ask him?

Dirk Da Davo: Hi Georges, can I offer you a drink?

SL: Who are the other personalities you would like to meet in hell or in heaven?

Dirk Da Davo: Bella Lugosi.

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com