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Connexion Bizarre: Very occasionally I hear something which really takes me by surprise. The name Solar Skeletons had me expecting some kind of psychedelic electronica, optimistically with some Coil influence, pessimistically veering off into dubious hippy territory. When the six song EP “Necroethyl” kicked off, I was very pleasantly surprised to hear something which definitely seemed original. I came up with an immediate description, which I was later quite satisfied to discover matched that of a certain Arlequin of Brussels quoted in the press info: early Cabaret Voltaire gone blues! And to then find out that the two skeletons involved in this band are normally occupied in the breakcore projects Tzii and Ripit was even more remarkable. Not being a massive fan of breakcore I am highly impressed at the slowed down, late night drunken dirges on offer here. We have a creeping synthetic beat sounding like it slithered out of an early drum machine, a thick, dirty bass guitar with a lot of reverb, some unusual guitar atmospherics and two mysterious voices incanting their alcoholic poetry over the top. It really is rather special and unique! The only criticisms I can think of are that there isn't a massive variation between some tracks, and the affected American accent appearing at certain times is rather unconvincing. But the overall result is delivered with a black humour and off-beat charm that these minor failings can be easily forgiven. While the two opening tracks follow the darker pattern described above, third track, “Mr Saler”, takes the blues influence further and lightens the mood slightly, albeit still with an intimidating edge. “Low Inside Electric Sun” then takes us firmly back to the industrial field, with low electronic pulses and bizarre harmonics, bringing to mind some of the sicker moments of Throbbing Gristle, but without the need for any disgusting lyrics. “Candy In A Jar” has a quirky rhythm akin to a Casio keyboard setting, but clever guitar work gives the sense that the candy in question is seriously hazardous to ones health, emphasised unpleasantly by a crying baby in the background as a grizzled Mexican recounts a tale of depravity and filth. Finally, the title track is another dense industrial piece, the drones contrasting nicely with lightweight percussion, then made a little awkward by a loping bass guitar and a wonky trumpet, evoking a difficult stumble home from a hard night on hard liqueur. So if you like really old industrial music and you like blues, or if you just want to hear something unusual the likes of which you never heard before, give Solar Skeletons a try. Now I feel I want to drink myself into a stupor! [8/10]
Judas Kiss Magazine: This is the first full release from Solar Skeletons, who describe their music as ' minimal industrial hypnotic doom blues-waves'. Two French musicians, TZII and RIPIT are the creative team behind this venture. The vision of the world encapsulated by 'Necroethyl' is of a dystopian Wild West - more 'Doom'wood than 'Dead'...but, no doubt, still with room for a few necrophilia encounters. Indeed, the music would not be out of place in some Lynchian project like 'Blue Bob'. The opener, 'Candy in a jar' sets the agenda with Kamilsky (better known as KOONDA HOLAA) cautioning prospective clients on the pleasure of whores; bring them back as you find them, or as near as. As we get deeper into the music the smoke begins to clear revealing a dusty wreck of a saloon wherein sits Coil keeping their distance from Sun O))) while Boyd Rice acts as bartender, watching all the 'people'. The agenda put down by Solar Skeletons is evident as tracks such as 'Bottle Licker' grins with drunken, doomy riffs which glide past through a mist of alcohol to the intoxicating crunch of the title track, 'Necroethyl' that harnesses low keys marching ponderously through showers of intermittent noise. A trumpet lazily drifts in and out like some kind of carrion call for a whiskey-sodden corpse. Thankfully, the industrial / noise waves never engulf the music, instead they play as a deep reverberating reminder of some promised hangover as psyche rock melodies are deconstructed. ' Waiting for the next chapter' serves up thick slices of open channel frequency as rhetorical vocal loops keep filling the glass as it spills over into 'Low Inside Electric Sun' (LIES?) that purrs noisily while discordant strings are tapped into life - this track, the last, drops you on your head with punishing loops as your dimes run out and you find yourself discarded amongst the mud and the waste. Necroethyl promises only bad peyote and maggots in your tequila but stay for the band who prove themselves proficient throughout the six tracks in as much as the doom here is dirt-cowboy in essence and disturbingly good in execution. Michael Cunningham
Dark Life With a label line-up far fattier than the tracklist, Solar Skeletons are a bit of an enigma. Two French musicians hellbent on weirdness, they offer a peculiar, and surely unheard of before, twist of industrial and blues. Slow and intoxicating rhythms drag themselves through hazy basic electronic tones, supported by fuzzy hanging basslines with sketchy distorted guitar work creeping up from beneath. A sleazy narration takes place, shaped by more unconventional fx ventures, and I must confess I have made no effort whatsoever to follow the lyric content, sure in the belief there's not much I am missing from a number of point of views. Best of all, I am not sure the outfit is out there purely to appeal, or to shock for that matter. The project name alone is a hint to some kind of black humor that probably permeates the whole venture. Far from being humorless, and looking from a certain angle, there are several pieces of serious experimentations that are worth the while of the listening effort. I must admit that tracks like the opener Bottleneck Licker are far more appealing for their veiled crossing over of genres than the more explicit attempts at mental fuzzy blues such as Mr Saler. Call me "conventional", but the pulsing, ritual hypnotism of Low Inside Electric Sun are far more of interest, while being a long way from conventional anyway. So if you thought that Solar Skeletons was a name that put you off, give them a second chance, as you might either be seduced by the venture or at least pick out one or two pieces of interest in this haze inducing work. Unfortunately, due to the global cash-shrink, we are destined to never see the (apparently) marvelous marble-vinyl original, weighing at 180 gr, and had to make do with a much lighter multi-megabyte zip-ball. Gianfri
Regen Mag This album sets the blueprint for modern experimental electronic music; it is almost by definition the ultimate in musical experimentation. This multi-national group confuses the senses right from the off. "Candy in a Jar" features soothing beats and a bass that's akin to something Thom Yorke might have tried on his solo work; the vocals, however, recall a hyper and twisted Al Jourgensen. Meanwhile, "Bottleneck Licker" is a haunting, progressive trip into dark and harsh industrial music for the album's standout. The title track is a well-constructed coldwave/blues ode to the likes of Throbbing Gristle and Tom Waits; low guitars rub against steady drums to create a difficult but strangely affecting result. "Mr Saler," meanwhile, has the same tuned-down structure as previous tracks, which at the opening makes one think that this band lacks diversity, but fortunately the unnerving voices that are incorporated serve to keep the listener on edge throughout this near-six minute beast of a tune. "Waiting for the Next Chapter" is the kind of music that you don't want to listen to on your own; this stuff will probably give you nightmares while you're still awake. The droning pace and simple beats, littered with storyteller-style vocals, will make you feel paranoid, a little confused, and – as with the previous track – slightly intrigued. The tone of the material really changes for "Low Inside Electric Sun"; it's much heavier on the ears, but it features the eerily hypnotic quality (note the constant buzzing) that serves to create an element of cohesion and structure for the other more dismantled elements embodied within the acoustic instrumentation. In its entirety, Necroethyl is all very confusing, but this is industrial rock noise confusion at its very best. Dom
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