The Peoples Republic of Europe- Babylon

ARTIST: The Peoples Republic of Europe

ALBUM: Babylon

LABEL: Vendetta Music

REVIEWER: Matthew J.

DATE: 5-29-10

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The latest album from The Peoples Republic of Europe sees the Dutch project taking its rhythmic noise into more eclectic directions while retaining its futuristic atmospheres and arch, anti-religious humor. Perhaps the most surprising song is "New Babylon," which incorporates reggae flavor, of all things, by pairing a ragga-style toasting sample with clanking breakbeats, but there's also "White Wall of Death," a funky number that combines modern rhythmic noise with classic industrial flavor, and the decidedly ominous "To Prove a Point," which alternates stomping factory rhythms with chilling synthesized ambient. For more straightforward club fare, there's the aggressive, highly focused "Wolfpack" and the high-BPM minimalism of "Wardance." In addition to the transhumanist science fiction attitude that suffuses all of his work, project founder [KRAT] also seems quite fond of anti-religious comedy, as embodied on this album's two final tracks. "Nicolae Carpathia Died for Your Sins," a reference to the antichrist character in the "Left Behind" series of fundamentalist Christian novels, is a slow but thickly distorted construction of clanking loops, while "Bow for Xenu," an ironic reference to Scientology's secret teachings, is even deeper and darker, all ominous crunchy beats to close the album out on an exceptionally sinister note, less evocative of the religion's Hollywood cranks than of the psychological and physical abuse allegedly visited upon its less famous adherents. Altogether, a solid album that ably mixes infectious power noise club beats with serious and ironic themes alike, this release highlights The Peoples Republic of Europe as rising stars of the rhythmic noise scene.

Visit www.tproe.com for more information.