Author: Adrian Borgia

Purveryor of black fuzz galore and perfectly acceptable pop ballads. Occassional scribe, full-time cultural critic. Bridesmusic.bandcamp.com

Interview: Plastik Noir

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What do you get if you take one italian, one belgian and mix it with Bergen, Norway?

You get Plastik Noir, a darkwave duo consisting of husband and wife Federica and Kevin.

While Norway may forever be more associated with black metal and burning buildings, there have been rumblings lately in a slightly different but still a darker shade, with club events such as Grottegoth, shows put on by the Dark Dome Collective and Dark Wave Bergen, Plastik Noir is just one of the handful of new offerings for the darkly inclined in the perpetually grey and wet city.

On the precipice of their second ever live appearance with a fresh album out, it seemed a good time to sit down with Plastik Noir and introduce them to the S&S audience,

What, if any, is the story behind the name Plastik Noir?

PN: Plastik Noir comes from the French word ‘Plastique Noir’, which is a black plastic bag. Our ‘mascot’ is a body wrapped in black plastic bags with tape. So, it was not hard to come up with the name. It sounds good in any language and that was also something we absolutely thought about!

How does a song typically start, who`s got the initial seed and what usually brings about the thing that develops into a song?

PN: It varies. Sometimes we start with a synthesizer melody, lay a basic beat and go from there. It can also be that we have lyrics first, and we build the music around it to create the atmosphere.

Have either of you been involved with music previously, if so, anything of note?

PN: We both have been involved in bands before! Federica played guitars in a cover band and and she sang in a Thrash Metal band. I was drumming in a Black Thrash Metal band called Inverted Cross. 

Besides music you`re also a tattoo artist working at Nidhogg Tattoo here in Bergen, do you think there`s anything you can take from that work and apply to the music? Perhaps on the more graphic design end of things?

PN: Absolutely. I do make all the cover art, merchandise, posters, videos, etc myself. I have a deep passion for art in general and i absolutely love to use my skills in other ways than only tattoo designs.

Forhåndsvisning av bilde

You`re about to play your second show and the third is scheduled for later this year, is there any interest in longer touring?

PN: That would be amazing. We are open for everything and we are excited to spread our music. We love to travel, and the idea of going to a new city or country on a daily basis would be awesome!

What do you hope to convey to the listener? Both through the music as well as the words?

PN: Plastik Noir is a very personal project to us. We all have to deal with sadness in a way or another, and it’s a though topic to talk about. With our music we hope the listeners an find themselves into what we do and adapt it to their personal situations. Maybe we can fill some kind of emptiness in their lives.

Alongside your debut album you also published a music video recently, what was that experience like? Any chance of doing more videos?

PN: The experience was very special and we absolutely loved it. Our dear friend Joe came over from The Netherlands to shoot 3 videos in 4 days. So, 2 more videos are coming soon. The plan is to, ofcourse, to keep on doing it in the future!

If someone only heard one song off the album, which one would you want them to hear?

PN: That’s a hard one. We are so proud of all of them but if we really have to pick one, let it be ‘Betrayed’.

Follow Plastik Noir and check out their music via the links below

https://plastiknoir.bandcamp.com

https://www.instagram.com/plastiknoir/#

Mark E Moon – RESIST

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On the Isle of Man there exists a group of individuals who when they come together is known under the moniker Mark E Moon.

These individuals are responseable for one of my favourite and most played releases of the modern age of post-punk/darkwave, that being their phenomenal 2021 album Old Blood.

Since then, the gang has drip-fed us new material in the form of singles and the Lux Vindictae EP (2022)

I recieved an early pre-release copy of the new album and while I would have liked to get this written and published alongside the March 3rd release, life got in the way. Better late than never I tell myself.

Resist comes enveloped in fantastic artwork by a young painter acquanted with the band, it brings to mind a certain sci-fi atmosphere, like a shot from a walk in the future, perhaps through a desert at dawn.

Opening track and lead-single Daemons does exactly what an opening track should do, it immediatly drags you in with a pulsating bass, synth arpeggios before a bombastic chorus with near choral backing vocals.

Beneath the grandiose music however lurks a lamentation of giving in and crumbling under the weight of your past, present and future sins, real or imagined.

While I`d rather avoid the comparison of one album to another it is on some level inevitable, where Old Blood grappled with corruption and bigotry,Resisthas a more introsepctive lyrical quality all around with the narrator of each song displaying their flaws and failures and putting it all to soaring synths and all the atmosphere youd need.

The musical drama perfectly compliments the lyrical.

Blind has our narrator thrown into the all too relatable scenario of heartache, love-gone-hellwards and the racing thought it always brings as you lay in bed staring a hole in the ceiling.

Resist`s use of dual vocals offer a wonderful contrast to the songs and creates an interesting lyrical dynamic you`d otherwise not have as much of if it was all one voice singing each line. Vertigo however, does not suffer whatsoever from its use of a singular siren.

Dark Love saw the light of day back in 2022 when released as a single that at the time Im sure was taken as a stand-alone piece by listeners, and perhaps it was seen as such by the band as well, whos to say?

Its addition on the albums tracklist however is a great choice and a perfect conceptual and thematic fit alongside the rest of the tracks.

It`s simply put, a song tailor-made for your local BDSM club. Make sure your favourite DJ adds it to their playlist next time you find yourselves crawling on your knees.

Closure is exaclty as its opening line states in that it is the Beat of the broken heart, hopeless romantics, please stand for the national anthem. Emphasis on hopeless, of course.

Now, if you were in need of an alternative to the hopeless romantic anthem where the emphasis is not ,for once, on hopeless. Crystal is here and she will surely take great care of you in the back of a limousine of course.

Heart Keeps Bleeding is a musical noir of hollow yet desperate romance, it`s the moment of walking in a lovless desert, depraved enough of any semblance of compassion that you kiss arsenic lips just to feel something.

The Signal And The Noise is that deep-cut song towards the end of any album that you may not always hear but when you do it quickly becomes a favourite.

Daylight is for the vampires, this may not be a compliment so still your blackened hearts children.

It is however full of ambiance and a wonderful closing track, if we were to see the addition of a demo version of `See Me` as just that, an addendum rather than the finale proper.

Mark E Moon does not dissapoint. But they do not merely repeat past successes either, they play around, they explore and they reap a bountiful harvest.

Buy the damn album.

https://markemoon1.bandcamp.com

KLANDESTINE – SACRED SORROW [EP Review]

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While scrolling around various Bandcamp sites and checking out the “If you like X you may also like..” section at the bottom I spotted this four song EP from Indonesian Post-Punk act Klandestine…

I`m not quite sure what drew me to it but I suspect it had something to do with the fact that the majority of the releases Bandcamp suggested were ones I already was aware of and heard, and of course liked, for anyone who may be curious the others included Acts Of Worship from ACTORS and FIERCE by Hante just to name a few.

A crawling serpent through what looks like a white maze-like square on a black backing. A fairly traditional type of cover art as far as our scene is concerned but they, it caught my attention, it did it`s job.

Skepticism, the title of the first track, not my attitude going into this. Lyrically it laments the increasing same-ness of the world, the death of individuality, the ever blurring lines of right and wrong. At least that is my initial interpretation after reading along on my first listen. Musically it feels almost noir like in its introductory notes with mysterious melodies slithering along as the almost staccato like vocals enter the frame. Subdued effected guitars sprawling alongside a steady drum.

Definetly getting Rozz-era Christian Death but without making me think that I could just put on an actual CD album instead as it doesn`t seem to really try to be that, the influence is undeniable but that can surely be said of more than 90% of bands in the scene, some do it better than others of course.

On Suspiriorum the vocals are pulled back but not so far you strain to hear them, what stands out about this is definetly the guitar lines, lyrically it nods to the Dario Argento film Suspiria as the title may suggest, it just so happens to be one of my favourites (the original that is) which could heighten both my enthusiasm and criticism I suppose.

Sin introduces itself slowly, a droning pad, tribal drums and a slow heavily effected guitar enter the stage one by one before all melting together in a deathrock-witch-brew.

Snow Flowers On Eve Mourn is our parting song and it kicks up the pace again ever so slightly after the previous atmospheric affair. The chorus is one of the more upbeat moments of the EP although tempo-wise all four tracks are fairly consistent with minor deviations, not so much a complaint as merely an observation.

I may not have mentioned that as far as I can tell this appears to be the quarteds debut release and with that in mind it certanly isnt a bad start. Ill make sure to keep an eye on them and hope for a follow-up be that another EP or a full-length album. As I said, not a bad start though I have no doubt this gang has so much more to offer.

Check it out yourself and give them a follow:

https://www.instagram.com/klandestinepost/

https://klandestine.bandcamp.com/album/sacred-sorrow

VENETIAN VEIL – THE LANDS OF THE LIVING AND THE DEAD

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Released in November of 2022 Venetian Veil `s six song EP The Lands Of The Living And The Dead is a lush, ethereal take on post-punk that drips with melancholy and nostalgic flair.

From the opening notes of intro track Asleep In The Land Of The Living through third track The Lamb we`re given mid-tempo percussion, reverberating guitar melodies that carry a certain sombre twang to them all topped off with an exchange of vocals between the two members throughout the EP. Awake In The Land Of The Dead coming in as track four creates the sense of a real SIde-A, Side-B situation which makes the release come off more conceptual and thematic, a true body of work if you will as opposed to a collection of songs.

This is the perfect soundtrack for night drives, be it solitary ones or in the company of friends, lovers and all that may exist inbetween. I can easily envision myself playing this during the twilight hours and wishing to stay in that state forever, washed to the proverbial sea by the soundwaves of Venetian Veil.

Purchase/Stream the EP : venetianveil.bandcamp.com/album/the-lands-of-the-living-and-the-dead

Hem Netjer – The Song Of Trees

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Described as a dark electronic folk band Hem Netjer recently released their debut album The Song Of Trees

I`m always intrigued by artists who blend spiritual ideas into their art, be it music or otherwise. Hem Netjer spent the lockdowns of the not-too-distant past doing exactly this. With their debut album The Song Of Trees they`ve crafted a journey through the elements in the form of seven songs that could be just as fitting as a soundtrack to guided meditation sessions.

The dark electronic folk music description certainly piqued my interest as often folk music projects rely more on traditional and older, unsual instruments to evoke a certain aura that electronics might seem to contradict but I would argue that this release has a perfect blend and balance that masterfully serves the intended purpose.

Void is the opening track, the state of nothingness from which creation springs forth, a fitting introduction that sets the mood and is continued with Salt & Tears which introduces slightly heavier electronic elements but still manages to keep the mood and ambiance right where it should be. What appears to be throat singing is pumping away throughout the track and I`d be interested to know if this is a sample or something performed by one of the groups members, either way it works wonderfully and is quite fitting.

Note: Upon further inspection the throat singing is performed by Jesse Elyt

Production wise its sleek and clean but not sterile or overpolished. A little snooping on the groups Bandcamp site lets me know the release is recorded at Jacknife Sound operated by none othen than Jason Corbett of ACTORS with production duties handled by iVardensphere`s Scott Fox

Track number 3, Eldur, features soaring, beautiful vocal work fit for riding into battle, in this case of course the battle takes place within as we dive deeper into our Selves and work through each stage of our journey.

Some may say the woods of Norway is the perfect setting for music of this particular style, while I could see the point in such a statement I take a look at what I myself tend to listen to in my daily life, the music I myself create and I find my surroundings have very little influence and therefore I believe there is no such limitatiions on what setting or enviorment best suits this music, it would be just as effective for someone living in a busy city and perhaps have even stronger of an effect in what could be perceived as a contrast of settings.

It appears the album has been truly crafted as one piece, a journey, a continual aural adventure. This is definetly one of those albums that require you to listen from start to end for maximum effect. The way each track blends into the next and the stage it represents going from the opening track all the way to the middle sections with Freedom and Connect leading into the end stages of Elemental Cry and Otherworld I urge any potential listener to give up the just over 30 miinutes of playtime to be able to fully appreciate this as the body of work it clearly was intended to be.

Each element ranging from the synth and strings to percussion and vocals blend perfectly together where nothing feels out of place or as if it doesn`t belong, everything is there for a reason and works in unison to birth a complete and whole picture.

If you wish to explore Hem Netjer further our wonderful overlord, Ken, The Duchess conducted an interview with them a while back which you can view here:

The Song Trees is availble for streaming/purchase here: https://hemnetjer.bandcamp.com/album/the-song-of-trees

Follow future endevours here:

https://www.facebook.com/hemnetjer

https://www.instagram.com/hemnetjerband/