Genre/Influences: Electro-Pop, Cinematic-Pop, Dark-Pop.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: Hungarian duo Emese Arvai-Illes – Krisztian Arvai strike back with a very special opus. The band name has been adapted into BlackNail Cabaret because of the addition of extra-members and friends Tamás Számvéber (guitar), Márton Barják (saxophone) and Péter Laskay (drums). Black Nail Cabaret has been active for fifteen years and previously released five albums. “Woodland Memoirs” is an adaptation of eleven songs taken from these full lengths.

Content: The sound and songs remain recognizable although totally different. The saxophone play injects something unique, creating a dark and sometimes jazzy atmosphere which would perfectly fit to a ‘film noir’. Some songs even become darker and rawer with Emese’s sensual, and commanding, timbre of voice on top. It’s an opportunity to re-discover Black Nail Cabaret ‘classics’ but in a very different style.  

+ + + : This album took me by surprise and it really sounds like a true tour de force but also a challenge to rework your very own songs this way. More original than asking other artists for remixes and definitely more demanding in terms of time this album reveals another side of the band. The saxophone creates a very own spirit which is recovering the work from start till end. It’s a styled production with a very intimate feeling. I like darker passages and especially “Dora” sounds sublime. There’s also something to say about “No Gold” featuring a perfect balance between all instruments. “Sister Sister” appears to be the ultimate cut to get featured for a ‘film noir’. Black Nail Cabaret is doing their very own thing while on top of the creative process there still is this very singular voice of dark-diva Emese.

– – – : I’m sometimes missing the ‘alternative’ touch of the original songs and I definitely prefer the original versions but Black Nail Cabaret has done something special.

Conclusion: Black Nail Cabaret remains a very single formation in a genre which is hardly comparable to established standards; call it ‘free-pop’.

Best songs: “Dora”, “No Gold”, “Sister Sister”, “My Casual God”, “Rhythm X”.

Rate: 8.

Artist: www.blacknailcabaret.com / www.facebook.com/bncband

Label: www.dependent.de / www.facebook.com/dependent.records

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.

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(Photo by LA Solano) Angus Andrew (Liars) has announced details of a new imprint, No Gold, and also offers more details of its first release, “Essential Tremors Sydney 2022”, due out digitally and as a 4-CD box set on 21 October 2022.

Talking about NO GOLD, Angus says: “We’re in the midst of a major cultural shift, not only within the music and arts community, but throughout society. Outdated and unfair systems are finally being uprooted and I’m excited to search for real, equitable and sustainable solutions.”

The “Essential Tremors Sydney 2022” box set collates performances by YL Hooi, Shoeb Ahmad, Chunyin, Del Lumanta, Clare Cooper, ∑GG√E|N, Cindy Chen, Salllvage and Wytchings from the three-day Essential Tremors festival that took place in Phoenix Central Park, Australia, in March 2022, curated by Angus Andrew.

You can listen to a sampler from “Essential Tremors Sydney 2022” right below.

Angus explains his curation: “I felt like I needed to connect with other artists and if at all possible, empower them. I was surprised by how important it felt to help uncover and expose the wealth of talented experimental musicians. And yeah, my mindset hasn’t changed since being back in America – it’s just broadened to a more global one.”

A NY edition of Essential Tremors has also been announced – with performances from Liars, MELT-BANANA, No Age, Armand Hammer, So!YoON!, YL Hooi, Faten Kanaan, Tarquin Manek, Dream_Mega and more. The event, at Knockdown Center in NY, takes place on Friday 21 October with tickets going on sale this Friday 5 August. The imprint is currently in talks to continue the series in other cities, including London, Seoul, Tokyo and Los Angeles.

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 new Black Nail Cabaret video single “Maelstrom”. The track is taken from the Hungarian dark pop duo’s current album “Gods Verging on Sanity”.

“The original idea for this clip was born in 2019 and it’s an ironic coincidence that we have managed to shoot this in the middle of the pandemic”, writes the Hungarian duo.

“As on our previous videos for ‘No Gold’ and ‘Unrequited Love’, we once again collaborated with fabulous director Richard Besenczi. Our common aim was to create an allegory reflecting on human relationships: the meeting of extremes, feminine and masculine, peace and activity. The clip was shot at the Bauxite Geological Park in Gánt as well as in the ghost town of Szentkirályszabadja. The latter is also called the ‘Hungarian Chernobyl’ and although it is not much visible in this video, it was still a good excuse for us to visit and spend some time at this fascinating location after the video recording.”

You can watch 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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Genre/Influences: Electro-pop, dark-pop.

Format: Digital, CD, vinyl.

Background/Info: Hungarian duo Black Nail Cabaret has been active since 2008. Emese Arvai-Illes (vocals) and Krisztian Arvai (music) are now unleashing their fifth full length album, which also is the first one released on Dependent. The work deals with existential themes the band transposed into metaphors. It’s all about ‘the dark side of humanity, which is also one of the main aspects of “Gods Verging On Sanity”.

Content: Black Nail Cabaret will always remain a part of mystery to me. The band’s sound is often linked to electro-pop, but their new work again confirms a very personal approach in electronic music. It can be for sure defined as ‘pop’, but it rather sounds as a styled and melancholic voyage with a dense sensual layer on top. The clip of the previously released single “No Gold” perfectly illustrates the band’s symbiosis between image and music.

The trip Black Nail Cabaret invites us to is maybe more melancholic than previous releases. It also reveals a sensible and subtle production work mixed with the charismatic and sexy vocals of Emese.

+ + + : Black Nail Cabaret simply confirms to compose electro-pop music in the margin of traditional bands in the genre. They have something special and different, which for sure resulted from the fusion between their fascination with BDSM, minimalistic electro and dark-pop. It’s an intelligent exposure the band confirms album after album. I like the balance between the sensual, somewhat commanding vocals and the intelligence plus darkness of the music. “No Gold” remains an essential song characterized by a somewhat technoid lead, but I also have to mention “Maelstrom” revealing great bleeping sequences and “Spheres” plus “My Casual God” for their melancholia.

– – – : My single regret is that this album only features 9 songs. From a very personal point of view I also preferred the previous album “Pseudopop” (2018).

Conclusion: I think the best way to define Black Nail Cabaret is maybe ‘free-pop’; an electro-pop style without compromises or restrictions! Being now signed on Dependent might be seen as a form of consecration for a band, which deserves this recognition.

Best songs: “Maelstrom”, “No Gold”, “Spheres”, “My Casual God”.

Rate: (8).

Artist: www.blacknailcabaret.com / www.facebook.com/bncband

Label: www.dependent.de / www.facebook.com/dependent.records

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

(Photo by Richard Besenczi) The Hungarian dark pop duo Black Nail Cabaret have launched their new song and video on Youtube. “No Gold” is the forerunner song and video from the upcoming album, to be released in the spring of 2020. The 5th album is surrounded with some secrets that will be revealed in the beginning of the New Year.

Here’s what the band says about the new song: “Change is inevitable. Mental or physical, local or global, it’s always happening. Sometimes we have to drop the old skin to give place to the new growing underneath. his song is a daydreamer, but at the same time it is taking action. It is a way of letting go, of people’s expectations, of our own expectations, of our symbols… to enjoy it a little, you know.”

Here’s the video.

Black Nail Cabaret formed in 2008. The band consists of Emese Arvai-Illes (vocals) and Krisztian Arvai (keyboards). They have been playing shows across Europe since their stage debut in 2010. Their 3rd album “Dichromat” was released by the German label Basic Unit Productions. Black Nail Cabaret has since established their own record label Dichronaut Records with fellow Hungarian synth noir band Ultranoire.

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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After the 2017 release of “Sanctuary”, Parade Ground returns with their first full-concert live album. This 11 track recording collects some of their fan-favourites as well as 5 unreleased cuts from their forthcoming new album in live versions.

All tracks have been reworked for the live presentation with the help of Patrick Codenys (Front 242). Besides tracks like “Strange World”, “Gold Rush” and “Moans”, you can already taste the future with “Lady’s Head” and “Tears”.

Tracks:

1. Gold Rush
2. Action Replay
3. Divine Me
4. Moans
5. Lady’s Head
6. Stand
7. Strange World
8. Tears
9. Hollywood
10. No
11. Gold Rush Trains fall

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