TranscendNoise

51. Youth Code – Commitment To Complications  This is the best album I missed in 2016. I read something about Youth Code, but never checked them out and that was a mistake. Industrial works best when it knows how to interlock tension with release, the hard-hitting with silence and glimpses of space between the pressure. Don´t get me wrong, in contrast to their previous work Youth Code haven´t gone soft here, but you immediately get the refinement of their sound. The programming is richer and tends to include elements that could be straight up synth pop. In many instrumentals, I´m reminded of something you´d hear in a Prurient release, only in a stronger song structure and shaped up to fit the gruff vocals by Sara Taylor. The peak of this style and my favorite track on this is the closer “Lost At Sea”. This one shifts from synth ritual to broken musing only to arrive at the tortured screamed ending. After hard-hitting tracks like "Avengement" and more straightforward s...

90. Failure – Snow Angel ( The Heart Is A Monster ) I´m still fighting with myself if the return of Failure is a good thing or not. After disbanding in 1996, their work, especially the last album, Fantastic Planet grew to be one of the most beloved albums in term of alternative and space rock. Many bands I admire, admire Failure with good reason and the band members have had their hand in many great other projects. The Heart Is A Monster , with the whole build up (for example reissuing Fantastic Planet with a heavy price tag) can only be considered a fan service for those who wanted to see their favorite band live and experience new-ish songs from them, too. They could have done much more and much better and instead did a still good rehash of Fantastic Planet . On consequence Snow Angel will click instantly for everyone digging the band already, the apathetic and still emotional singing by Andrews, the zither like guitar picks and the star bursting chorus are played to perfe...