Celeste Noir - Shadowland (Demo)

"Shadowland" is the latest demo release of the German newcomer "Celeste Noir". Celeste Noir are setting a course for dark and melodic SynthPoP music. The instrumental compositions are consistently melodic and sometimes include some catchy tunes (e.g. Electrified, Fading Colours, Shadow 3). Unfortunately I do not really agree with the singing. In my opinion the singing is too monotonous and halting and does not express the lyrical content. So "Shadowland" was not really able to seduce me into the world of dark and melancholy emotions.

"Shadowland" does not include any demonstrative ideas and on the whole it only results in an attempt of making dark SynthPoP. I hope that the band will immediately improve their vocal approach to reach their aim in producing dark electronic music. Well, at the moment I am very interested in following the future development of Celeste Noir. I hope they follow up!

The Nine - Invasion

After two full-length albums (Native Anger, 1999 and Dreamland, 2001), The Nine are back with a collection of rare and new versions of previous album and single tracks. I am very happy about the fact that the song "My Fallacy (delusion mix)" is also available on this release. It is one of my favourite songs by The Nine which was only available on different SynthPoP compilations and as the "b-side" of the maxi CD "I Won't". As some of the maxi CDs are out-of print or rare to order, this release gives you the chance to catch up with what you missed during the band's history from 1997 until 2001.
Why only until 2001? Well, in 2001 Geoff Pinckney focused on other musical endeavours and side projects, so The Nine took a bit of a hiatus during 2002 and 2003, but according to The Nine they plan a strong come back in the near future. Therefore "Invasion" is a means to an end to bridge the musical break of this English band. Unfortunately I am really wondering why they did not use the maximum capacity of the disc. "Invasion" only runs approx. 58 minutes, enough space left for more excellent remixes of their single releases (e.g. "Etarnal Insance", I Won't, Our Tomorrow, Control, ...).

On the whole "Invasion" is an amazing collection of some of their songs and represents an excellent view of the Nine's work in past.

Twin Machine - Generator

The duo Twin Machine from Berlin/Germany have been active since 1996. Some of their previous released demos ("Colours" and "Intro") and their debut-album "Neo" in 2001 could already convince the press of their talent.

Now they are back with their second full-length album "Generator". The music by Twin Machine is embossed by hard rhythms based on simple but effective fundamentals and combined with some aggressive singing. Twin Machine is heavily affected by the music of Front 242 and Nitzer Ebb. But they are cleverly keeping the balance between synthpop, industrial and ebm elements and are inherently able to create their individual style. In my opinion the music by Twin Machine sounds too technical and very sterile. I am missing melancholic melodies and catchy refrains that could have turned the songs into a more complaisant and lithesome robe.

On the whole this album is a well-done alternative to releases by Front 242 and Nitzer Ebb and should be able to attract attention to those fans.

The 2 men newcomer Pandique (Torsten Kreissl and Thorsten Berschuck) pre-existed under the name Morgentau. After some legal difficulties caused by the existence of another band with the same name they renamed Morgentau to Pandique. Weltenklang is there debut album that represents electronic trance pop or to make a long story short Future pop that is supported by German lyrics for the most part. The music by Pandique convinces with propellant beats attended by melodies that are spiced with trance and techno elements. The singing is based on sociocritical lyrics and kept monotonous, which is classified between aggressive and soft articulation. For some songs, the guys from Thuringen/Germany were supported by SpacyGirl76 who did the guest vocals on "Light Of Justice", "Corrosion" and "Bright Future". Her soft and clear voice fit perfectly with the cold and technical synth-melodies and is able to reduce sterility of the male vocals.

On the whole Weltenklang is a pleasant alternative to the music by And One, Melotron, APB and Colony 5 that also represents a different view on modern electronic music.