Blacklite Assembly is a tasty Whitman’s Sampler of
Darkwave, Industrial, Techno and other lighthearted offerings, without the
filler coconut crap no one wants. On most various artist compilations, either
all the song sounds the same or it contains one named band in front of 12
tracks that sound like a cheap Casio Demo. Blacklite Assembly
contains more variety than strolling South Street in Philly, playing
‘guess the gender.’
EGVOIDL’s Abandon Sounds, featuring Keli of AfterChain, kicks off the album. A subtle offering. Using non-clichéd spoken word over a nice bass line and understated rhythms it is an excellent opening. With Slogans for Consumer Youth by Eye, we drift into a nice neo-industrial piece that is strong on legacy sounds. Rife with guitar stabs and chanted choruses punk enough for Brockton. This progresses to a thick dance/techno offering by Propulsion. Dark Saver is far from being out of place, creating a fat musical environment with a driving beat. This progresses excellently to Genowen’s Afraid of Gods. All the eeriness and yearning of the Cure’s pre-sucking era with nice trance motifs.
Following is Hopeless by DminusK. A guitar-driven noise-industrial tune with excellent syncopation right out of Manson’s Beautiful People. More punch than a date with Tyson. There is a reason woofers were invented and why the volume knob goes to 10. Crank this bass-thumper the next time a tricked-out Hyundai pulls up shaking the paint off your car by blasting Christina Aguilara through a WalMart kicker.
Volt Remote’s Forgive Me takes it down a notch from the all-out musical punch of Hopeless, without losing the angst. This tune captures the sweet scab-picking quality uttering those two words evokes. Its No Addiction by Still Warm bridges with a drum sequence that holds out against being mechanical or predictable. Serious Black’s(1) Discipline is one of the more complex songs for its shifting of modes. A danceable version of a Mydnight Syndicate journey, replete with whips cracks and moans. Dirty and Used by CeoxiMe(2) is a crusty little bit of musical heaven, breaking away from conventional sounds and arrangement.
System 81 works along a similar-sounding musical theme, but slower and fatter, with One More Ticket. One of the more ethereal of the selections, it is a nice breather beyond being pleasing to the ear. Even Amber Spyglass(3) makes an appearance with their Catalyst Groove. Spyglass’s trademark use of complex organic rhythms and middle-eastern motifs fits in nicely with Blacklite Assembly’s overall progression even though their inclusion made me do a double-take when I first looked at the track listing. An airy song with sharp teeth and a good bite.
Flesheating Foundation’s Drifter V1.0 fattens out the overall sound. An awesome thick tone with strong off-pop legacy elements reminiscent of the Communards. Stalker Song by Flat Atom is a stroll down memory lane. That is, if you’re a deranged stalker recalling that last stroll to your ex’s house before you got 20-to-life. Simple and sinister. It is a hard-driving near-instrumental with guitars thicker than John Popper’s belt buckle.
The Waking is definitely what the Skinny Puppy buried in the back yard. Fat industrial vocals and guitars with more rip than a hand in a blender. Edges of Reality has it down. Political Assasinz’s Ode to President Bush is a nice sub-tonal string of vocal clips ranging from Ferris Bueller to Full Metal Jacket. Hard to hear, but, its sub-tonal!
This compilation is more than the sum of its parts. Dekonstruction Records has assembled great songs, and has arranged them to create a strong progression of musical sounds and emotions. It plays from beginning to end as a single entity.
Contact
Information:
Post: Dekonstruction Records, 124 Hibiscus St Apt 2,
Tarpon Springs, FL, 34689-3453, USA
Phone: (727) 934-2952
E-Mail:
dekonrec@lycos.com
Web:
http://dekonrec.tripod.com
(1) Serious Black’s
Barbican album was reviewed
in Legends #134.
(2) We
reviewed a demo CD from CeoxiMe way back in
Legends #98.
(3) Check Legends
#119 for words on Amber
Spyglass’ self-titled release.
