Roughhausen - The Agony of the Beat
Occasionally, little wonders slip through the cracks and escape the notice of record labels. Roughhausen's "Agony of the Beat" is such a specimen - varied, dynamic, danceable and eminently listenable, all rolled into one, this release is truly a reviewer's joy.
Read more

Fluorescent Grey - Gaseous Opal Orbs
Unlike many bands sheltering under the 'experimental' tag, this guy rarely falls into comfortable predictability, and many of the tracks sound pretty far removed from your intial impressions by the end. The overall result is rather jolly, and reminds you that quirky avant-garde music can be fun, and needn't be listened to on Sennheisers in a darkened room.
Read more

Junkboy - Three
"Three" might well be called vapid or monotonous by impatient critics looking for something less hermitic and more conspicuous than idle, syrup-dipped compositions. However, it is precisely these jejune traits that lend Junkboy its special, engrossing character. When the mood is right, "Three" fits just fine.
Read more

V/A - nucd#02
Numusic Records compiled "nucd#02" to showcase the varied styles of electronic music represented at their music festival. Compiled from a range of international and Norwegian artists, especially those from the immediate Stavanger area of Norway where the label resides, the mix of genres represented is varied and contrasting, representing the diversity of the artists appearing at the event.
Read more

Dissamonix - Disharmonic Universe
This German duo's sound covers a wide range, from lurching beats and swirly guitar to calm spasms and spaced-out ambience. Often off-kilter and detuned, but routinely interesting, "Disharmonic Universe" stays true to its name as Dissamonix dispatches seven tracks of structured slow-motion mayhem, full of bass frequencies and tripped-out beats.
Read more

FT13 - The Great Disaster
A bit heavy on the angst, a bit light on sincerity. Focusing either on a harsher, more stripped-down minimalist sound or opting for depth and technicality, rather than vacillating between the two poles, would improve the end result no end.
Read more

Ebola - Mutant Dubstep Vol.1
Haemorrhagic reactions abound when listening to this four-track teaser EP that merely hints at what may yet be to come. Overall, excitement levels when confronted by this recording did not match the anticipated response - a breakcore/gabba/dubstep crossover works far better in theory than in practice...
Read more

Logoplasm - Testa Piena D'Orche
Logoplasm's realm of feedback and pink noise, voyeurism and mundanity, and comfort and fear challenges listeners to discover significance in the thirty-five minutes of "Testa Piena D'Orche" (meaning "head full of orcas") - a struggle that may well leave some wanting.
Read more

Psycho Shop - My Sweet Holocaust
Although Psycho Shop have an impressive collective experience when it comes to making music, this does not translate that effectively when listening to "My Sweet Holocaust", their first studio album. Although the combination of ethereal female with harsh male vocals has been a successful formula for other darkwave/EBM acts in the past, it doesn't gel quite as well here.
Read more