This is our second S & S Darkscene chart chosen completely by the Djs, Bands, Reviewers, Artists, and Super Fans, of the international group Sounds and Shadows. This features singles from any country and any genre within the loose darkscene category (Goth/Industrial/Darkwave/Postpunk/EDM/EBM/Electronica).
- The Joy Thieves (feat. I Ya Toyah) – Money Is Not Our God (Killing Joke Cover) by Coitus Interruptus Productions – Chicago, IL
- daddybear (feat grabyourface) – Hypnotic – Madison WI
- Aesthetic Perfection (feat. Isaac Howlett) – Save Myself – Austria
- Stabbing Westward – I Am Nothing – Los Angeles, CA
- Helix – Run (Hallowed Hearts Remix) – Providence, Rhode Island
- S Y Z Y G Y X – Light You On Fire – Washington, DC
- grabyourface – Rob the Bank – France
- PALAIS IDEAL – The Voice Of Reason – Netherlands
- Sapphira Vee (Feat Cat Hall) – Breath of You – Rochester, New York
- ULTRA SUNN – Young Foxes – Belgium
Special Mentions:
Machines With Human Skin – Invisible – Chicago IL
Echoberyl – Mother Solitude – Paris France
MALE TEARS – Model Citizen – California
The Joy Thieves (feat. I Ya Toyah) – Money Is Not Our God (Killing Joke Cover) by Coitus Interruptus Productions – Chicago superband The Joy Thieves return to this chart with a blistering cover of the Killing Joke classic. This entire compilation is full of banger tributes to one of the great names of the scene. Ania (I Ya Toyah) unleashes a terrifying and powerful rendition full of punk rock snarl and sky splitting technicolor. Milligan puts on a loving masterclass in syncopation on drums.
daddybear (feat grabyourface) – Hypnotic – Madison WI – I love this team up more every time it happens. Matt Fanale (Caustic/Klack) dropped this immediate dance floor classic with frequent contributor Marie (Grabyourface) on vocals. It’s a buzzing electronic zapper you can’t help buzz towards your destruction on. Whispy sensual, destruction core vibes. A must own banger.
https://daddybear.bandcamp.com/album/hypnotic-feat-grabyourface
Aesthetic Perfection (feat. Isaac Howlett) – Save Myself – Austria – The king of pop industrial teams up with glorious songsmith Isaac Howlett (Empathy Test) to create this perfect style blend duet. It cooks and yanks the hell out of your heart strings as two of the great voices of the modern scene push and pull a furious cyclone of exploding energy.
https://aestheticperfection.bandcamp.com/
Stabbing Westward – I Am Nothing – From COP International LA Progdustrial sensation continues to prove they are a force of challenge and artistic expression in 2021. It’s fierce guitars and laser burn vocals from Chris Hall, who remains one of the best in the business.
https://stabbingwestward.bandcamp.com/album/i-am-nothing
Helix – Run (Hallowed Hearts Remix) – The husband/wife team up of Tom Shear (Assemblage 23) & vocalist Mari Kattman are one of those things I am embarrassed I waited so long to get on board with. It is sledge hammer dance beats smashing ice castles of precision and fractal light beam beauty. Spinning motion I never want to put down.
https://helix.bandcamp.com/album/bad-dream
S Y Z Y G Y X – Light You On Fire – I have been so excited to hear where Luna and Cold Transmission Music would go next with this project. This scorching sensual growl of death disco minimalist glory. I don’t even know how to categorize it. Only that I can’t get enough eagerly await the full album release this Friday .
https://syzygy-x.bandcamp.com/album/im-mortal
grabyourface – Rob the Bank – The French Negative Gain artist makes their second appearance on the chart. This coldwave slow stomp single of revolutionary nihilism and burning intelligence is a smoldering exhibition on a post capitalism world.
https://grabyourfacengp.bandcamp.com/
PALAIS IDEAL – The Voice Of Reason – Cold Transmission progressive post punk artists have again produced a higher concept thinking dystopian sound for the modern age. Overlapping waves of technical excellence and poetic intent. Everyone in the genre wants to make the next Star Wars while John and Richard are creating Issac Asmov.
https://palaisideal.bandcamp.com/album/negative-space
Sapphira Vee (Feat Cat Hall) – Breath of You – Distortion Records artists teams up with peer vocal power Cat Hall to belt this powerful single about the strength and perseverance of cancer survivors. The weight and emotion of this personal track is a crackling orb of enormous movement and resilience.
https://sapphiravee.bandcamp.com/
ULTRA SUNN – Young Foxes – Saucy Belgian cold wave trance from Cold Transmission. Sam Huge has a resonating voice that fills a room and stalks with intent. Pete Burns adds an elegant mastering to create cavernous echos.
https://ultrasunn.bandcamp.com/album/body-electric
Special mentions:
https://machineswithhumanskin.bandcamp.com/album/transience
https://echoberyl.bandcamp.com/album/mother-solitude-and-other-dark-tales
https://maletears.bandcamp.com/track/model-citizen-2