Various Artists - Dependence 2013

A year ago i did a review for the Dependence 2012 compilation, and i though that one to be pretty weak. Will Dependent fare better with the compilation for 2013? And yes, they do. The level is quite higher and we got a bunch of good songs and almost no filler. The tracklisting on the internet is also different then the promo i got. I am not sure whether the tracklisting here is the right one for the release which should come out tomorrow, but i reviewed it for the tracklisting of the promo. So it could be different if you get the CD/Download.

Ghost & Writer open with the secret mix of "Never Take Fire". A very good slow synthpop song with good vocals and nice sounds. Covenant made a pretty good comeback with their latest album "Leaving Babylon" and are present here with a demo version of the track "For our time" Its a bit rougher then the album version and a nice one in general. Old timers Click Click follow with "What do you want". I have some of their older stuff here, and this song is ok, but can't hold up with much of their older work. I am always a bit surprised when old EBM bands return, and by now i think almost all of the old acts i used to listen to at the end of the eighties have returned. But not to much acclaim though.

Pride and Fall are here on this album with the SITD remix of "Hollow". This is also one of the best tracks on their rather mediocre last album. SITD delivers a nice remix, but that's something they are renowned for. SITD remixes are usually worth checking out. Encephalon follows with a heavy and bouncy "Desertropolis" which had a Skinny Puppy influence to it. Also nice is the change of pace in the chorus. Good track. Velvet Acid Christ follows. We had our fun with all the internet drama concerning Bryan Erickson before, and while he does a good job in that regard, his music is not that good. The muddy production and unoriginal sounds do remind me a lot of EBM made in the 90's. He is way behind the competition for years now, and with this track that is not going to change.

Mesh's "Perfect Idea of Beauty" is a weird one. It lasts for less than 2 minutes and has a strong Kraftwerk feel. I wouldn't mind some more material like this from these boys. It is a weird track for a compilation like this, but i like it a lot. To bad it's so short. Acretongue follows with a remix Haujobb made of "These soft machines". The sound is very much like Depeche Mode. I do not know if that's the Haujobb influence, but i like it. The Greg Reely alternative mix of Front Line Assembly's "Ghost" does not much for me. Its ok, but not much more. "Blasphemy" from Decoded Feedback is a nice song. On the last Dependence compilation i was not to content on their use of electric guitar. On this track i am not sure if i hear an electric guitar, so thats a big improvement here for me.

Seabound also does a lot better on this Dependence with "Nothing But Love" which shows the beautiful sounds and atmospheres i am used of them. Very nice track. And where is that new album of these guys? Next up is Skinny Puppy with a live version of "Dead Lines" from the live album they released on Dependent. The original is from "Bites" and that is still one of the best, possibly the best, album Skinny Puppy has ever done. The live version stays close to the original, so nothing can go wrong here. "I (heart) you" from KMFDM follows. This is probably one of the best songs i have heard from them. The guitars do not disturb too much, and the song is quite poppy.

As for Skinny Puppy influenced material: Chrysalide delivers 2010 in a remix by Sonic Area. I saw them live at Summer Darkness and thought it not that interesting. This remix has a kind of bombastic chorus making it come somewhere in between Skinny Puppy and good old Laibach from the 80's. Very nicely done. Clicks follows with the dancable "Clicks on speed" which uses a synthsound much like Straftanz did on "Straftanz Ost/West/Nord/Sud". Its an instrumental track which is a bit strange since Dependent label owner Stefan Herwig is very keen on good vocals. And that is what i do miss on this track.

The last track "Exile City" by Veil Veil Vanish is very weird on this compilation. All other tracks are electronic, and here we have a guitar driven new wave band somewhere between Editors, old U2 and The Cure. But this is a great track, and easily my favorite of the new Dependence compilation. Too bad the track is already three years old.

Dependence 2013 gives us a nice glimpse of the artists on Dependent, and this one is a lot better then the underwhelming version from last year. If you are into getting a good compilation of artists from the EBM/Synthpop scene, this one is on the "to get" list. Aug 29 2013