Joe Jack Wagner is a well known electronic instrumentalist band that's known for their covers. Originally from Victoriaville, Quebec, the band has released several albums and EPs since they first came together back in 1997.

Their sound breaks down all bounderies, mixing electronic industrial, french pop, progressive, folk, slacker punk and everything in between. Covering anything they fancy and crossing genres here and there, the band places their own stamp on the music allowing for a new sound to emerge.

Ghosts Revisited is Joe Jack Wagner's take on the Nine Inch Nails sixth studio album, Ghosts I-IV. It's an amazing remix that keeps listeners intrigued throughout.

This is the third full length record you can enjoy from the band. Their previous works include two compilation albums, The Only Non-Classical Album You'll Ever Need (May 2007) and  High On Lo-Fi (November 2007). For the EPs, the band has three titles under their wings: Sonic Leftovers, Les Absents and Migrations.

The original Ghosts I-IV album from NIN was a 36 track instrumental compilation that showcased prolific work from Reznor and company. The first portion of that record was made available as a free download under a Creative Commons License. You can download it here. Joe Jack Wagner's vision remains true to the original, containing both original tracks and remixes of certain songs.

Opening with 10 Ghosts II, the song is a vivid mix of industrial electronic rock. With dark synths and dirty bits and bobs emanating from the core, it's one cut that effectively transports you to another realm. On the other hand, 34 Ghosts IV, is a stealthy, quiet track that creeps up from behind. The song serves as the perfect visual complement to a melancholic dream.

Title track, Ghosts Revisited, accentuates the sonic experience with its eclectic beats and full-blown guitar synths. The single feels like an escape, seamlessly gathering together beauty and ugliness in one track. This is my personal favorite in the record and definitely brings together the full sound without much trouble.

Ghosts Revisited as a 7-track compilation is certainly worth the download. If you love NIN or simply enjoy a gorgeous intricate web of sounds and synths, you'll have fun with this one. Take a listen.

Related Links:
Joe Jack Wagner on BandCamp
Joe Jack Wagner on Last FM
Joe Jack Wagner on Myspace
Joe Jack Wagner on Wikipedia
Ghosts by Nine Inch Nails Official Website

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Eight albums released online, three features here in Frostclick and the French boys from Fresh Body Shop are back with a brand new album. Of course, it's available for free download as well so you ladies and gents can still enjoy great music from this amazing electronic, alternative rock group.

Following the footsteps of their 2010 release, Directors Cut; Bring Me Down is a 9 track compilation that's filled with the resident beats Fresh Body Shop has come to own over the years. There's still that resident Reznor-esque vocals; the pop electronic alternative sound and the super catchy melodies.

Bring Me Down is an upbeat electronic pop record that's certainly worthy of your lovin'. Opening with its title track, listeners are greeted with Pedro's memorable vocals. It's enveloped with poppy electronic beats and a super catchy melody that makes you want to do some awkward, jerky movements every now and then. When checking out the record, make sure to not miss this one.

On the other hand, Spaceship, is a beautiful upbeat cut that mixes a poppy sound with synth samples. Welcome Sinner, is perhaps the track most identified as industrial pop. This one is also a personal favorite and seems like the perfect cut to play on a cool house party.

Out of all the songs in the record,the last two, Mr. Sunday and Next Home, adds a nice change in tempo being both slightly slower than the previous tracks. The nice thing with the group is that they've certainly proven they can churn out catchy pop beats yet effortlessly switch gear as well if they want to.

Overall, if you're a fan of the band since before, then this record would be a perfect addition to your Fresh Body Shop compilation. Production quality is top notch. Lyrics and vocal work is definitely worth checking out as well. Something you shouldn't miss out.

Related Links:
Fresh Body Shop on Facebook
Fresh Body Shop on Last FM
Fresh Body Shop on BandCamp
Fresh Body Shop on Myspace

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I fell in love with the series nearly two years ago during one of my lovely commutes to work for one simple reason - it brings you the most amazing variety of music just in time when you can no longer listen to the same songs you had on your iPod since 2000. Each podcast comes with a theme and a selection of sounds (from nearly every genre imaginable, with a slightly greater love for alternative and indie rock) put together by some of the greatest DJs from Northwest.

KEXP began as a tiny 10-watt public radio station all the way back in 1972. Based in Seattle, its broadcasting license is owned by the University of Washington - the place where the album rock station started to gain its first base of loyal fans from across the university. In 1975, however, the station's signal was boosted and for the first time KEXP was heard outside of the campus. Over the years the station have grown and became an influential cultural force spreading far beyond Seattle's borders.
In 2008, Radio New York (91.5 FM WNYE) announced it's partnership with 90.3 KEXP, which would bring KEXP's independent music programming to New York every day for six hours increasing the number of listeners by additional 14 million.

Music That Matters is a weekly podcast series bringing DJ curated mixes of wonderfully eclectic full length songs, where many of the featured artists come from Pacific Northwest, New York, and around the world. As the series is already on its 237th podcast it makes the the decision of choosing one of them for a sample download here on our website that much more difficult - so lets just listen to its latest release Spring Released curated by DJ John Richards.

Listen to Vol. 237 here [mp3]

Tracklist:
1. A Sunny Day in Glasgow - Drink Drank Drunk
2. Chad Valley - Up & Down
3. Steve Mason - Boys Outside (Keep Shelly in Athens Remix)
4. The New Division - Starfield
5. Voxhaul Broadcast - Leaving on the 5th
6. Tapes 'N Tapes - Badaboom
7. Pains of Being Pure at Heart - Heart in Your Heartbreak
8. Yellow Ostrich - Whale
9. Violens - The Dawn of Your Happiness Is Rising
10. The Cave Singers - Swim Club
11. The Lighthouse and the Whaler - Under Mountain, Under God
12. The Veils - Bloom

If you want to listen to more amazing tracks be sure to check out the archive of the 'Music That Matters', or all the other amazing podcasts offered for free by the station as 'The Song of The Day' (exclusive in-studio performances, unreleased songs, and recordings from independent musicians), 'Live Performances' (From The Arcade Fire to Zero 7, live performances have consistently been an important and unique aspect of KEXP's programming), and 'Video of the Week' (exclusive in-studio performances from independent musicians).

Related Links:
Music That Matters on iTunes
Music That Matters on KEXP
KEXP Official Website

Nikoo is noise. If you love noise pop with verses and choruses sung in chants, then this is the album you've been waiting for. Nikoo is a Dutch band that loves their pop music but only a wee bit louder, okay, much louder.

Infused with dirty guitars, drawling vocals and great pop hooks and melodies; this EP certainly makes a good introduction for the band. Definitely not bad for an EP that was recorded in just three nights. Take a listen.

Nikoo would make great ambassadors for all the things there is to love about noise pop. If you have never heard of noise music before and maybe seriously thinking about giving it a try, go ahead and check out this record.

Cuts like Cow and Do Love Me best display Nikoo's capabilities. Filled with lush, heavily distorted guitars and barnyard madness with poppy/quirky melodies; their style of music showcases what Jesus Mary Chain would have been like if they were into pop.

The group is still relatively new, having met at the club scene and gigs from their respective factions. Nikoo's de facto leader, Joep Van Son is actually, also a member of  indie pop group, The Very Sexuals.

Currently, the band is working on another EP. Fans can also expect them in a couple of live shows like Incubate and VERA Groningen.

Those new to noise rock might find this compilation a bit off putting but if you're one of the few who sweetly smiles while listening to the guitar feedback and E-bow solo in the end part of Pumpkin's Drown, then you'll surely appreciate this.

Related Links:
Nikoo Official Website
Nikoo on Myspace
Nikoo on Last FM
Nikoo on Incubate

In the mood for a little dance-a-thon in your own apartment? MaelStröM's Let's Dance to... could work as your soundtrack. Filled with techno, industrial rock sounding tracks, it's enough to induce some rhythmic body spasms voluntarily or involuntarily.

Let's dance to... features 12 eclectic, industrial rock songs with a touch of pop that's enough to probably make Trent Reznor even listen twice.

If you think that this group sounds uncannily like Nine Inch Nails if Trent Reznor had a French tongue, then it's really no surprise. The group admits to having NIN as one of their major influences. However, they also share that other artists like The Cure and David Bowie have also greatly influenced their sound and the way they create music.

Although majority of their tracks are in their native French, their tracks are still capable of stimulating and getting you to dance like there's no tomorrow. Rock'n'roll Song is one of the few English tracks they have on the compilation (then again they only say the same thing over and over again.) Eclectic Dance is one of my personal favorites on the cut. It's like a mix of 80s dance cuts  and 8 bit arcade sound bits only both are made much (much) cooler. The vocal work on the track isn't as overwhelming and it fits right in with the pop style beat.

Currently, the group has changed their from MaelStröM to MSM63. They are still pretty active and seem to have a lot of stuff brewing for their fans.

Related Links:
MaelStröM Official Website
MaelStröM on Blogspot
MaelStröM on Myspace

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EnoughRecords released a well-received music compilation called “Enough Dubs” in 2008. After two years of waiting, music enthusiasts can now get the sequel, “Enough Dubs 2” still for free. Bass lovers should listen to “Enough Dubs 2” for its bass-focused arrangements from contributing musicians worldwide.

Two years is a long time, but EnoughRecords makes up for the long wait by besting itself on this one. “Enough Dubs 2” was compiled by PS & Dipswitch.

The tracks in “Enough Dubs 2” are brought to us by the following musicians: Auxdub feat. Simba Amlak, Gök, Roots'n'fruits, Desmond Denker, Jean Nine, Bassrael feat. AC Akut, Babysitta, Codex, The Lonely Schizo & Schmove, Cheapshot, Bassrack Wobama, and Trollheadd.

There is a couple of forgettable tunes in “Enough Dubs 2,” but most of the tunes sound good. I managed to find my groove in Auxdub feat. Simba Amlak’s “Confrontation.” Reggae marries electronic and pop in this danceable track. Roots ‘n’ Fruits’ “I Don’t Know,” makes for a good ambient theme for chillout nights, except the first few beats don’t really work out right. But it gets better as percussions dominate the melody and the digitized vocals enhance its chillout effects. It’s a shame that only some parts of this track really, really sound good while the rest sounds so ordinary and even boring.

The compilation is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported. Feel free to copy, distribute and share the tracks with your friends.

Related Links:
Enough Dubs 2 on ClearBits
Enough Dubs 2 on Enough Records

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License.

A touch of dark, industrial, melancholic and straight up rock music with a French twist. Pull My Daisy rose up from the remains of French band Lillian Gish and came to create a soundscape filled with rockish guitars, a 90s flair and easily likable tunes.

Yellow Cake & Velvet Crash is filled with dark noise rock, instrumental beats that makes you to listen from one track to the next without putting up much of a fight. It's easily likable especially if you still dream of the days when great angry 90s rock music filled the radio.

This 9 track album was originally released under Lillian Gish, but after disbanding the remaining members decided to release it under their new name Pull My Daisy.  The entire album is an eclectic mix of style from noise rock, to hints of electronic and alternative; each track is capable of standing by itself yet blends harmoniously with the others creating a cohesive full album.

The most notable electronica influenced tracks are tense: dirty and tense:tense, of which the former features a sample of a woman that sounds like she's being helplessly chased. It showcases that haunting and creepy feeling of a dark alley in the dead of the night.

On the other hand, of grace and favour#1 features Soundgarden era Chris Cornell- esque vocals with a tad more gruff. Norman Mailer (two things among an infinity of others) opens with a recording of a speech on Imperialism and tackles the 1492 cry against Imperialist society.

Unfortunately, suffering the same fate as their previous band, Pull My Daisy called it quits last December 2009, but you can enjoy their music by downloading it for free under a creative commons license.

Related Links:
Artist Info on Jamendo (French)
Pull My Daisy on Myspace
Pull My Daisy on Facebook

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Heavy guitar trip-hop all to the sound of Silence. Native Belgian, Vincent Gires, dubs himself as a Silence and creates music infused with trip-hop, industrial and ambient.

Although some might argue about labeling his music as trip-hop when its leaning more towards straightforward industrial sound, there is no doubt that certain tracks on this album centers on thought provocation which is the core of trip-hop.  Stop!, for instance, features a woman on the verge of being a victim to a crime.

L'autre endroit compiles  heavy guitars and synthetic beats that takes you for a ride into the unknown.  

So far, Silence has released two albums, L'autre endroit and Encre. Both are pretty much in the same vein, although the latter is dubbed as being "lighter" in sound. Both of his albums are available as a free download and registered under a creative common license.

Only very little information is found online for this band. Although they do have a website, it's only good if you speak their language, which unfortunately didn't come equipped with my tongue. It was great eye candy though.  Personally, I like the album, particularly cuts number 4 & 8 (Stop! and Particule) respectively.

It may not be the cream of the crop when it comes to experimental trip-hop sound, but Silence certainly brings a lot to the table. It's a great listen if you're a fan of the genre.

Related Links:
Silence Website (Non-English)
Silence on Last FM
Silence on Jamendo
L'autre endroit Review on Sputnikmusic

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Electro pop, new wave, glam with a touch of the 80s. Initiated as a simple project in 2001, The Tresspass is the brainchild of twin brothers Vincent C. (aka Blackell) and Benjamin C. (aka Kruwll).

Their sound is a mixture of pop, rock, glam and new wave with long synth backgrounds and almost robotic vocals. They eerily sound like Inxs meets Nine Inch Nails along with an 80s tinge, which is unsurprising since the band cites them as among their primary influences.

Mirror Moon is perfect for those who long to listen to an updated, electronic version of some unforgotten track from the 80s. It's not for everyone, but the band fills a niche that so far has gone unfilled.

Taking their 70 and 80s post punk, new wave and glam rock love to new heights, the band pretty much carved their own niche in the alternative French music scene. The band initially recorded several singles as well as EPs and distributed it by themselves. Doing what they can to spread their music among the local scene. Because of all that hard work, not only local music lovers took notice of the band, but they have also gained a sizable following in the international goth community.

Although the songs might not be ideal for every music lover out there, it is a great listen if you love the goth, post punk 80s feel in songs. Like anything new, it takes a while for you to get used to the style and sound especially the vocals, however, the rhythm and beats are instantly alluring. Personally, I would have liked it more if the vocals were muted out, leaving the rest of the instruments to dominate, but that's just me. Have a go at downloading this one. It's available under a creative commons license and won't cost you a single cent.

Related Links:
The Trespass on Zorch Factory Records
The Trespass on Last FM
The Trespass on Myspace

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License.