Apocalypso = Nu-Industrial?

The Presets are back with New Album Apocalypso! This time around the Australian duo partially responsible for the emergence of the great Australian electro dance music scene of the last few years, along with others like Cut/Copy have now resurrected Industrial Music!?

While Cut/Copy has gone for more of the 80's New Wave/Pop feel The Presets have gone a bit harder and edgier with their latest release. Hard beats and hard synths are in abundance in Apocalypso. In particular it feels like they have resurrected Industrial giants Nitzer Ebb, of which I had quite a few albums. The album opener Kicking and Screaming (which even sounds like a Nitzer Ebb title) sounds eerily like Nitzer Ebb, as well as Track 4 Yippiyo-Ay. The beats and synths are fast, strong and pounding!

This isn't to say it's all heavy. They still retain their pop sensibilities and in tracks like the Single 'This Boy's in Love' you can hear pop influences by other favorites like Depeche Mode. While in other tracks like 'Talk Like That' they remind me of modern contemporaries The Faint.

Music always comes back around and I was wondering when Industrial Music would make a return. We've already kind of experienced a bit of a Goth revival the last few years with bands like Interpol, The Knife, The Editors, She Wants Revenge, etc... It'll be nice to hear some new interesting Industrial stuff as well. I always felt the reason Industrial/Goth music died out (or at least why I stopped listening), was because there weren't enough artists trying out interesting new things. This is just about right.

P.S. If you have a chance to catch The Presets Live, should jump on it! I've seen them perform twice and their great! Better than their recordings. Only two of them on stage, one on drums and one on synths/vocals, but they put on a great show! Highly Entertaining!

MP3: Kicking and Screaming (YSI)
MP3: A New Sky (YSI)

Here's a Classic Nitzer Ebb track 'Murderous'.

MP3: Murderous - Nitzer Ebb (YSI)

Here's the Video for their New Single This Boy's in Love... Be sure to grab the great Lifelike Remix I posted of this track earlier in the week.

She Wants A New Album

Go find your black eyeliner! She Wants Revenge is back. Doing what they do best, dark, brooding, synth pop (I really should not call it pop) let's call it dark wave. After their collaboration with Timbaland on his last release Shock Value (Honestly has everyone done something with this guy this year??), the guys focused on their new album due out on October 9th called This Is Forever.

MP3: Written In Blood

We've Got You Covered: Robert Palmer

Robert Palmer left the world a fantastic catalog of music before he passed away in 2003. This blue-eyed soul singer aged gracefully in the pop world over 3 decades. From his jazz and reggae period (he lived in the Bahamas in the mid 70's) to his synth-friendly nu wave albums in the 80's. He was known for his near-perfect pitch and heartfelt delivery.

His album Clues was produced by Gary Numan and Chris Frantz (drummer for the Talking Heads and Tom Tom Club) and produced the track Johnny and Mary. Radio friendly, this track gave him a newer younger audience and paved the way for his late 80's success on MTV with Addicted to Love and The Power Station.

Along with the original, we have a version from Placebo and a stream from The Notwist.

MP3: Robert Palmer - Johnny and Mary
MP3: Placebo - Johnny and Mary

Stream: The Notwist - Johnny and Mary