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Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Party Ends review of TCEP4

From Party Ends:

http://partyends.com/peblog/2008/03/tc_electropunkjohn.html

TC Electropunk

Maybe it is just the Hold Steady’s graceful devotion to the Twin Cities that has been occupying my mind all week, or maybe its just coincidence that I just ran across a great little DIY comp called "Twin Cities Electropunk Volume 4" but I can’t seem to escape music coming from the cold weather filled home of the Twins. The way Craig Finn paints it, Minnesota is full of drugs, horse races, and people talking like characters out of Springsteen songs - but this comp leads me to believe that there are some diamonds in the synthesizer-loving ruff up in Minneapolis and St. Paul. It is not all my cup of tea per se - some of the artists get a little too Ramestein-y for my taste but some of it is fantastic- the Standout acts are Avenpitch, Iron Balls Magente, Zibra Zibra (could easily pass as a TMBG cover band), Unicorn Basement and Gigi Ranchero.

The intentions of the comp series is incredibly noble. The tightly knit electronic music underground prints up 1,000 copies and gives them away for FREE. Don’t live up there- no problemo- they also post the compilations online at www.tcelectropunk.com for free download. Not too shabby.

Here is a taste:
MP3: Iron Balls Magente - Corporate Trance

8:19 PM

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Monday, February 18, 2008

Smother.net review of TCEP4

From Smother.net:

http://www.smother.net/reviews/items/techno/766/Various_Artists-Twin_Cities_Electropunk_Vol._4.php

Various Artists - Twin Cities Electropunk Volume 4

Minnesota's electro and synth-rock scenes have been getting a major boost from the kind folks in Avenpitch and their collaborations with other electro groups via these compilations. Avenpitch starts things off with a punk-y '80's party rocker in "Desperado" complete with fun-filled Zelda-inspired synth choruses. Milkbar's "Stop (Check Me Out)" gets the adrenaline pumping with their female-fronted electro pop anthem. Other notable inclusions are Zibra Zibra, ikki, Amdeide, and Mach FoX. Peep 'em. - J-Sin

3:51 PM

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Thursday, February 14, 2008

Lunch of Champions review of TCEP4

From Lunch of Champions:

http://www.lunchofchampions.com/2008/02/09/tc-electropunk-volume-4/

TC Electropunk Volume 4
By Charlie

I'm not an expert on electropunk, or electro full strength either, but this collection of MPLS Electropunk is something to be proud of! The fact that someone can sit in their basement and write this stuff out of thin air is admirable. I'm just going to tackle what I feel to be the stand out tracks on this most recent collection.

The disc starts off with "Desperado" by Avenpitch. This is definitely one of the top three tracks on this collection. Avenpitch sounds the most like a "band" and something that you could really enjoy seeing live. The track is memorable, exciting and thoughtful. This band could easily move into live band form and still retain the "electropunk" sound that is desired. Next, ikki's "Goodbye Cruel World". This feels almost like a sing-along for adults. The drums are very industrial, hard hitting and full of great American cheesy goodness. The seduction of Milkbar comes in next on the list. The song "Stop (Check Me Out)", starts with a hilarious phone conversation from what sounds like a pimp and a somewhat unsuspecting female. The song moves into a very confident L.A sexpot hook. This to me is pure electro. "Corporate Trance" by Iron Balls Magente is a song written by someone who knows how to write this stuff. It seems focused and the sitars in the background give it a lot of character. It also feels very British, cute and determined. Mach FoX's "Build it Down," is a fun cross between the B52's, New Order and Interpol. The guitar is pure Dream Theater/Billy Idol cheese, but it is totally forgivable and warranted. Great track! For you They Might be Giants fans, there is Zibra Zibra's "Lions on the Astroturf." The vocal tone is so close to TMBG that I had to check and make sure it wasn't. The song is playful and put together to be both funny and listenable to the ear more than once in your lifetime. Another stand out is "Private Apocalypse" by Apox. This track is nearly perfect. The 70's soul rhythms will remind you a lot of what the local MPLS Hip Hop scene has been so good at. It glides smoothly, but the vocal track feels secondary and unimaginative. I just wish that the melody of the vocals could have been as stand out and strong as the rest of the song. Otherwise, it is divine. Last is the track ">Sexy", coincidentally by a band called Unicorn Basement. They are loving what they do and showing that electropunk can be loose and not as serious as you may have thought.

TC Electropunk Volume 4 is a great collection of different styles all packed into this handy compact disc. Who knew that the Twin Cities housed such innovative Electro-songwriters? I know I didn't. Thank you to TC Electropunk for shining light on this local scene for all of us to enjoy, even if it's just a snapshot.

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Friday, February 08, 2008

ReGen Magazine review of TCEP4

From ReGen Magazine:

http://www.regenmag.com/Reviews-1300-Various-Artists-Twin-Cities-Electropunk-Vol-4.html

Various Artists - Twin Cities Electropunk Volume 4
By Dillon Carlyon

A highly eclectic collection of tracks revealing the best offbeat electronic artists in the Twin Cities area.

Twin Cities Electropunk Volume 4 encompasses the wide variety of genres and styles working their way into the creative mix of alternative electronic music. These run the gamut from '80s revival, electronic, punk, hip-hop, mainstream rock, and everything in between. The result is appeal for a wide audience, but it also means that the average listener will be turned off by about half of the tracks.

A significant number of the tracks sound like material straight out of the mainstream. "Goodbye Cruel World" sounds like something by Good Charlotte and "Pulled the Plug" features a lot of heavy-sounding guitar and vocals that sound like they were inspired by System of a Down. Other tracks like "Corporate Trance" and "Stop (Check Me Out)" are decidedly electroclash while "The Host," applying a vocal effect very similar to that of Snog, is largely synthpop in style. The same can be said of "Condition Humaine," a great song that corresponds much more closely to standard electronic music than most of the other tracks, possessing the driving beat and bleepy synths that have made more than one dance floor hit. "Divine Delusion" pushes the compilation to a darker note, combining quieter, subtle vocals that emerge from the background with a low bass effect. "Meet Me in the Digital Afterlife" reminds of Stromkern, only a few degrees lighter and more playful. ">Sexy" is the final track, ending the collection on a mediocre note with silly lyrics and clubby beats. For all of the simulated energy of this track, it's too one dimensional and flat to lend much of anything new to the songs preceding it.

On the whole, this is a respectable collection of songs. The lyrics are above average all the way through the comp, but the overall tone is a little too light and playful to lend the lyrics any real weight or impact. In any case, the main goal of this series of compilations is to showcase the wide range of artists and styles that are based in the Twin Cities-area, and Twin Cities Electropunk Volume 4 certainly accomplishes this.

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Monday, February 04, 2008

Free Albums Galore review of TCEP4

From Free Albums Galore:

http://freealbums.blogsome.com/2008/02/04/various-artists-tc-electropunk-series/

Various Artists - TC Electropunk series
By Marvin

Electropunk is basically a catch-all phrase for a genre of music that combines electronic music with punk rock. Like original punk it has the feel of a do-it-yourself music spawned out of someone's garage. (As a long time observer of grass roots rock from the Kingsmen to the Ramones, I can assure you that the best of all rock music was probably born in a garage) While no one area can claim to be the birthplace of electropunk, some people in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul states their hometown musicians are at the cutting edge of this hybrid genre. I don't know about that, but the ongoing album series titled TC Electropunk certainly makes a convincing case.

The Twin Cities Electropunk organization appears to be a collective of Twin Cities bands loosely headed by Todd Millenacker of Avenpitch. Each volume was printed up and distributed freely at the participating bands' gigs. They are also available for free downloading at the TC Electropunk web site. So far there are four albums with weird and wild music by very talented and enthusiastic bands. Some are clearly punk with just a little electronic influence. Others veer closer to the electro-pop side but usually with a more boisterous and rebellious edge. Overall I find this music to be exciting and more innovative than any thing you're going to find on the tired commercial end of either rock or electronica.

Some of the artists show up several times on the four albums so you get a good sense of what these musicians can do. The ones that I thought were consistently interesting were Avenpitch, Zibra Zibra, Mach Fox, and Tim Rally Gold. Best single tracks? Here's my tentative at-the-moment faves…

Volume 4: Avenpitch's "Desperado", Ikki's "Goodbye Cruel World" (Chumbawamba meets The Cure?), Milkbar's "Stop (Check Me Out)" (The Spice Girls of electropunk?), Zibra Zibra's "Lions on The Astroturf", and Iron Balls Magente's "Corporate Trance" (The Devo of Electropunk?).

Volume 3: Tim Rally Gold's well crafted "Break-up at The Waffle House", Mach Fox's "Axion/FriXion" which could be called House Punk, Hondo's all punk "H.A.T.S", and Unicorn Basement's way over the top "Necrophilia".

Volume 2: Uber Cool Kung Fu's "Stand Together", Envy is Blind's "Sea of Flames", OBCT's weird and hardcore "Consume Until Rupture".

Volume 1: More cool tracks by Avenpitch, Mach Fox and Uber Cool Kung Fu, paranoid industrial punk rap in "Two Face" by Neo Void aka Audio Victim, and Endless Blue's gorgeous "Ninety-nine" which is so trip-hop it sounds a bit out of place.

Overall, I was amazed by the consistently high quality of this overview of local talent in Minneapolis/St. Paul. Prince and Paul Westerberg better take cover. The second wave of the Twin Cities rock invasion is here.

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Sunday, February 03, 2008

Aiding & Abetting review of TCEP4

From Aiding & Abetting:

http://www.aidabet.com/issues/293/293reviews.html

Various Artists - Twin Cities Electropunk Volume 4 (self-released)

Fifteen tracks from some of the coolest bands in Minnesota. And, you know, that's pretty good. If you have any interest in the sound (the name does speak for itself), this is worth checking out.

http://www.tcelectropunk.com

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Friday, February 01, 2008

LocalM.com review & interview on TCEP4

From LocalM.com:

http://localm.com/music/tc4.html

TC Electropunk Review and Interview
By Craig Rhode

I don't know why I love Electropunk, but I just do. It pretty much began when I was at Kmart store, and I picked out an Information Society CD out of a Kmart bargain bin. I know that Information Society wasn't quite Electropunk, but it was the first album I heard that was pure Electro. It was that CD that opened my eyes to such bands like Lords of Acid, Gravity Kills, Nine Inch Nails, Chemical Brothers, Ministry and other bands that showed the mainstream that Electro/industrial/punk is a real music genre.

That same domino effect happened when I came upon Mach Fox. Mach Fox was the first band that showed me that anybody can do Electro/Industrial. I'm not saying that in a negative way; I'm saying that the technology to make Electro type music has been dropping in price and evolving so that the normal musician on a tight budget can afford Drum Machines, Keyboards, Synths, and other devices that allow bands to perform Electro live.

TC Electropunk Volume 4 is the greatest example of the continuing evolution of music production and performance. It would be very hard to find a band like OBCT ten years ago, but due to the fact that the technology is widely open to the masses, it is now possible to see them play live.

Now it's time to actually review this album, and the verdict is f-ing awesome. I know that's the most unprofessional phrase to use, but it's the very first thing I said when I got to listen to the album. I haven't been able to stop listening to this album. I have added all the tracks to my normal play list on my computer and my Archos 504. (Yeah, I don't own an Ipod). Your favorites like Avenpitch, Mach Fox, OBCT, and Thosquanta provide examples of how much they have improved from the previous releases of TC Electropunk. It's the new bands on this release that really gives the notion that the Electropunk scene really rocks in the Twin Cities. New comers like Zibra Zibra, Milkbar, SMB, and Unicorn Basement are a welcomed addition to the myth and magic known as Electropunk.

Did I mention that this album is free for download? It's true! You can download the complete album at TC Electropunk Web site. You can also find a compact disc version of this album at the local Twin Cities show. Check out the interview with Todd Millenacker from Avenpitch who is also the creator of the TC Electropunk collection. The photos are courtesy of TC Electropunk.

Listen to an interview with Todd and view photos here.

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Thursday, January 31, 2008

Mainstream Isn’t So Bad review of TCEP4

From Mainstream Isn't So Bad... Is It?:

http://mainstreamisntsobad.blogspot.com/2008/01/twin-cities-mayhem.html

Twin Cities Mayhem
By Sean

"Nobody invented this electropunk thing. No city can claim it (though New York certainly tries). It's simply what happens when you take a generation of bored teens and twentysomethings - raised on hardcore punk, British techno, Nintendo, and Doritos - and place cheap digital recording technology within their grasp."
-TC Electropunk.com

Bring together fifteen bands from the Twin Cities area. To begin with, think Devo on some 'roids. Get a little dirty here and there (think Peaches), a sprinkle of some vintage techno-industrial (think Nitzer Ebb or KMFDM), some light-hearted silliness (They Might Be Giants or Gravy Train!!! anyone?), and just a whole lack of inhibition. End result: Twin Cities Electropunk Volume 4, available for FREE at TC Electropunk.com. Try two of the tracks below, then head over and download the rest for your listening pleasure. To top it off, you can download Volumes one through three while you're at it!

Milkbar - "Stop (Check Me Out)"
Unicorn Basement - ">Sexy"

2:00 PM

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Wednesday, January 30, 2008

City Pages review of TCEP4

From City Pages:

http://articles.citypages.com/2008-01-30/music/twin-cities-electropunk/

Twin Cities Electropunk Volume 4
By Christopher Matthew Jensen

At best, electropunk, as a genre, is an acquired taste. At worst, it's easily dismissed on the grounds that most of the people in this town who listen to it are either personal friends with or members of a band on this compilation. But perhaps that's not a bad thing after all. The most obvious benefit of being an electropunk fan is that you instantly belong to a community. The bands included on this all-local compilation truly do represent the best the Twin Cities has to offer in the genre, yet while there are a few bands here capable of filling a small all-ages venue, there is no marquee name. Thus, to be a fan is to belong, but what's the use in preaching to the choir?

For those who belong, electropunk's musical tenets, notably the garish pervasiveness of synthesizers, become rallying points. Screaming Mechanical Brain, for instance, are only the second musical act I've ever seen with a frontman on keytar (the first being John Tesh). Elsewhere, a snotty, mid-'90s, pop-punk vocal intonation on par with NOFX or New Found Glory pervades in the music of Avenpitch, Ikki, and MSRP. But for those who don't already identify with the tight-knit camp of electropunk faithful, these defining characteristics come across as annoying inside jokes. Even highlights like the über-campy neon fun of Zibra Zibra and the industrial-leaning Audio Victim can't save the record on the whole from being entirely discardable.

2:40 PM

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