Collapsing New People- Concrete View

Concrete View, the 2002 full-length debut from Collapsing New People, is a foray into danceable electro-goth with a retro vibe. The trio's sound is a blend of classic slightly off key gothic male vocals, watery lead guitar, and crunchy rhythm guitar inside an industrial/synthpop electronic frame. The album's mix, like that of most home-recorded albums, is a bit muddy and unbalanced, although the disc is fairly well written, produced, and performed.

"Riot at Random" opens the album with plenty of energy and a nice delay-enhanced chorus. "Modern Jesus", a simple club-friendly dance number anchored by a steady synth bass pulse, is arguably the disc's most accessible standout, while the following "Straightforward" starts out deliciously moody before evolving into an atmospheric, down-tempo electronic goth rock number with a great semi-ethereal chorus. The verse of the more upbeat "Consume Conform Obey Resist" is almost New Order-esque, while "Good Morning Tristesse" is a mellower, moody offering with a memorable chorus.

"Scabs & Scars" perhaps gives off shades of Depeche Mode's darker work from the 80s and throws in some Clan of Xymox and old-school goth rock for good measure. "Summer Sunshine Suicide" pulls a breakbeat out of nowhere for an interestingly sinister retro dance rock track. "Der Absturz", on the other hand, is a bass-driven number with watery guitar and a continuous, repetitive electronic loop that walks a fine line between cool and annoying. "Metastasis" is a nice electronic-centered track with crunchy electric guitar and female vocals, while the plodding "City-Dweller" is something of a synthpop ballad. "Mr. Hate", the apparent single, is a killer retro industrial number followed by the short carnival-like closing instrumental "Baiser D' Adieux".

The album also includes a bonus multimedia section featuring the video for "Mr. Hate" and a photo gallery. The band unfortunately went with the old method of including the multimedia section on the disc's first track, meaning you'll have to remember to hit the skip button to avoid about 6 minutes of nothing followed by an ear-piercing digital squeal (a nice surprise if you throw the disc in without looking at the tracklisting first). Still, its inclusion is certainly worthwhile. The black and white video far exceeds general low-budget indie video expectations. Its semi-psychedelic play on double images, negatives, and 3 dimensional space is exceptionally well assembled and extremely visually interesting.

Overall, Collapsing New People's Concrete View is a fairly strong and interesting package, albeit one that is certainly rough around the edges. While the recordings are slightly lo-fi, the band's material is definitely worthwhile, as are the multimedia bonus materials. Fans of 80s industrial and electro-goth rock will likely find themselves right at home here.