Kill The Radio Star

Dancey industrial band The Strand have been around since 2000 and performed on the main stage at Convergence 2005. I’ve had them in my “possible song o’ the week” pile for a while now, but I can’t decide. Thus, we just talk about the band as a whole, and you get (evil)’s essential Strand. They have somehow managed to be an industrial band while not forgetting how to write a melody and, most importantly, they avoid being boring (I’m looking at you, VNV Nation). Ready?

• Shut Your Face (from Diatom): What keeps this from being just another song of distorted yelling? The fake strings, baby. We’re given a festive little string line, which proceeds to be inverted, staggered and changed up all over the place. Besides, who can resist a chorus containing the line, “shut your face/shut your fucking face?”
• Onslaught (from Diatom): Yeah, they’re milking that guitar line for all its worth, but it works somehow. My guesses? The rhythm of the vocals provide the funky rhythm rather than the guitar, and the whole thing is broken up during the chorus.
• Run or Escape (from Diatom): This time, verses are handed off to a female who sounds like the gal from Ayria, but with less glitter. You think you’re home free and know where this is going, but no! The chorus comes in with busy pseudo-strings and yelling, sending the song firmly out of the “you’re starting to bore me” range and into, “oh….yeah.” The Strand aren’t done with you, though. They bring in another drum line that’s oddly in the tradition of a hip-hop breakdown. If you’re not dancing by then, you should go have your groove thang checked.
• Shake Me (from In The Trench): If The Strand did a version of the theme for Halloween, this would be it. The things that make the song? Whispered vocals and drums that stutter so deliciously that Timbaland would be jealous.
• Apparent Disaster (Rivet Mix) (from In The Trench): Just when you think this sond is about to bust out into crazyindustrialWTFBBQ, it doesn’t. It gets broken down into a bass line. That bit of unexpectedness isn’t the best part, though. The best part is the lyric “bouffant debutante” being repeated over and over. It’s bizarrely Devo.
• I Hate My Fucking Job (Imperative Reaction mix) (from Rmx01): The stuff on Rmx01 is more straight industrial than the wtf festivals of In The Trench, but even when The Strand do “hey, we’re gonna yell and do remixes,” it works out. I Hate My Fucking Job may be non-wtf, but it still riles up the aforementioned groove thang.
• Onslaught (Bryon Anderson Mix) (from Rmx01): With the exception of the chorus, this sounds almost exactly like the non-remixed Onslaught, but what the hell. The ingredients that made it good the first time still work.
• Haunted (Massiv in Mensch Mix) (from Rmx01): Don’t start thinking that this is going to be some bullshitty, redundant suckEBM. All of the usual industrial suspects are hear (yelling, distortion, machiney sounds), but they’re broken up enough to keep things interesting. And then there’s the female vocals in the middle…
• Chicks Suck (Forced Mix) (from Rmx01): +10 points for concept and channeling the spirits of Lords of Acid.
• Haunted (Azoic Mix) (from Rmx01): “Did we REALLY need a second remix of this?” Yes, since they hardly sound like the same song. Besides, I can’t NOT tell you about that delicious pitch bend. Aw, man.

Shut Your Face
Onslaught
Run or Escape
Shake Me
Apparent Disaster (rivet mix)
I Hate My Fucking Job (Imperative Reaction mix)
Onslaught (Bryon Anderson)
Haunted (Massiv in Mensch)
Chicks Suck (Forced)
Haunted (Azoic)