Various - Different Faces download free

Northampton's own THE VENUS FLY TRAP open the album with three tracks - a cover version of SUICIDE's "Rocket USA", a faster, less moody track which nevertheless has a full, slightly wild feel to it. "Cloud 9 Lips" keeps up a similar tempo for a thinner song, which manages to blend the fast fury of New Wave, the power of Rock & the colourful sparkle of Pop music in such a way that keeps VFT unique. This sounds more like ALAN VEGA's style than the previous track! "Crocodile" comes next, an even faster thrash of a song, drugged-high in a very night-clubby style which suggests that this group are probably better to experience live than on record (I haven't seen NOVAK since RELIGIOUS OVERDOSE, who themselves were entertaining onstage). Definite Rock'n'Roll leanings unashamedly combine with the Counter Culture spirit. ENDRAUM only contribute one piece, entitled "Schlafendes Tal", but it's the longest thing on the entire album at 7'40" (beating the next track by 10 seconds). It moves from dark & moody Industrial soundtrack to the almost Renaissance magic of harpsicord & harmonic organ while the vocalist speaks in German over the top. Beautiful, bordering classical, it stands among peers like ATARAXIA & AUTOPSIA, yet keeps it's own gentle identity. Midway through it bursts into life, a drum & sequence piece which briefly brings it into the 20th Century without spoiling the mood. LAS ANIMAS come next, with three tracks - "Son Of The Moon" is a strangish thing, a sort of Industrial, tribalistic song with a sustaining vocal riff & lots of cacophonous percussive noises going on in the background - EINSTÜRZENDE NEUBAUTEN reconciling their two extreme stylistic leanings? P. CHILDREN discovering primitive musical ability? Who knows, but it's strangely haunting. Gentle & harsh simultaneously. "The Poetry Soul" comes next, again a strange sounding thing with muffled, suppressed sequencers hiding well beneath violin & piano sounds. A sonorous piano-like bassline appears then disappears amid the complex yet somehow relaxed composition. God knows where these people are coming from - they manage consistently to juxtapose beauty & stark strangeness. "Ceremony" appears with multiple layers of human voice apparently speaking in tongues, a tribal chanting sound which reminds one of various African peoples, yet has a Western feel to it. Back to comparative normality, X-RAY POP bring us two pieces - "Paris Pop's Hardcore Rave" which opens Surrealistically on childish voices & scraps of sound, it soon powers into a light pop music with some very odd sounds (a muffled, almost RESIDENTS-harmonised vocal sound). It has a Rock sensibility, a churning, single-minded sound. "Bedroom Blitz" is a more languid, lazy sounding piece of mellow pop music with a female vocalist singing in velvety French. It reminds me a little of THOMAS LEER once he had found his Pop feet, and even of the famous INDUSTRIAL RECORDS pop song by DOROTHY. I guess they also remind me a little of OPERA MULTI STEEL - whatever, it's am enjoyably warm but brief song. JUSTINE takes the hog's portion of the album with no less than four tracks - "Sang Bleu" which is the kind of thing THESE RECORDS rave about, a languid Jazz with cool sax & feedback guitar which is suddenly usurped by mad vocal anarchy before regaining it's ambient, minimal control. A wasteland music which experiments almost continually, the sax one single finger on the pulse of 'normality'. "Roucoule Roucoule" is a brief song, again with minimalist improvisations, percussive, guitar & unmistakeable sax, while the vocalist sings like ARI UP with sex appeal. "Vie De Famille" is another weird improv thing, keeping an atmosphere of strange tension, spidering creepy keyboards & breadcrumbs of sax all mix with spasms of double bass & shivers of piano. A portrait of pain & madness. "Quen Sabe" starts off sounding initially normal & warmly relaxed before further elements of madness grow through. Noises like air escaping from baloon diaphragm combines with ponderous piano & cool sax to accompany the vocalist through her insane journey. Finally the UK's own PHIL CLARKE, under the guise of PATTERNCLEAR adds a degree of normality with two tracks taken from his "Slowdown" tape album. "Yokohama" follows on well from JUSTINE's mood, gradually evolving from dark elemental storm & sea sounds into a simple but effective instrumental. Memorable, it carries the listener gently along without lulling them into a state of relaxation. "Hammamet" closes the album, moodily dark with rolling bass electronics, it evolves into a film soundtrack ain to CARPENTER's style or the "Terminator" themes, a sort of robotic, Martial sound which becomes a hard-edged dance track topped by a simple chiming sequence.An oddly contrasting album, this is nevertheless worth seeking out, and strangely enough the various blend of styles work by entertaining you throughout (although whether it's clever design or lucky chance is anyone's guess).Originally reviewed for Soft Watch.