The best kind of Electro/Industrial music is the kind that acts as a sort or sonic palette cleanser. The sort of music you put on and it washes over you like a wave, clearing out whatever may have come before. Be it Metal or Pop or Hip-Hop or Country. That reason, among others, is why I love this genre so much.
Which brings us to today and, having reviewed a slew of Rawk releases recently, S Y Z Y G Y X’s Fading Bodies which is a sumptuous slab of Electro goodness that’s both a nostalgic nod to the burgeoning scene of the ’80’s as well as a gleaming ray of hope as to where the genre can go.
The intro alone (“Birth”) brims with excitement, pulsating as the duo of Luna Blanc and Josh Clark begin to erect their glorious artificial world. Segueing into “Hold Tight” next and that feeling of excitement only gets more intense with Blanc’s whispered vocals escorting listeners into this synthetic utopia. Catching a theme yet?
“Immerse in Doom” is chaotic and intense with programmed beats starting off like a jackhammer before finding a steady groove with Blanc’s hushed delivery adding to the anxiety as this swirling behemoth of beeps and boops heads for an inevitable monstrous climax. Fading Bodies also has several of your new favorite dancefloor Electro anthems. One of which is “Die Like a Rockstar” shimmying its’ way in as listeners will, no doubt, uncontrollably shake to the sounds with Blanc breathlessly dropping catchy lines like only she could.
“Fragile, Handle with Care” comes at you like some of the greatest Industrial noise of the ’80’s when the scene was just starting to grow and the OG artists were hungry, “Planet X” glistens, and “Lost in Paradise” is ominous with blankets of synthetic bliss from Blanc and Clark being heaped upon listeners and creating a futuristic world not unlike the dystopian visions of Philip K. Dick.
Elsewhere within the magnum opus that is Fading Bodies…or better yet, “massive opus” because at fifteen tracks the album is definitely hefty! But even those with short attention spans will find that the album ebbs and flows with nary a track that doesn’t demand your time. Like “Dangerous Creature” which digs deep and cuts deeper with beats ricocheting off one another creating an Electro vortex of cacophonous delight.
Speaking of cutting, “Endless Daggers” is about as sharp as they come with a vocal line that’s reminiscent of The Soft Moon. Blanc and Clark continue to impress with their programming prowess on “Play with Fire” and this spiraling tower of ersatz sounds leading the way into the thumping “Pins and Needles” before “Fury (Outro)” closes out the album on a fittingly menacing note.
Fading Bodies arrives on October 11th through Negative Gain Productions. Pre-orders are live now and can be purchased by clicking here which gives you access to “Dangerous Creature” and “Ultra Doll” as instant grat tracks. For more on S Y Z Y G Y X, follow them on their socials by clicking here or here.