Dependence Vol. 5 - 2012

Dependence 2012 is one of the best samplers I have heard in the last few years, little on the best of 2012. It hosts many of the names you know and some you might have lost contact with but that you still have an inkling for, and some you might not have heard of in the past but that you will want to.

First, there is the song Pieces of Me from Radioaktivists. Portions of the song will be noticeable, the vocals especially, but also the way the lyrics tell a story that truly inspires and moves. There is something tangible there, within the melodic, and it is something I have yet to stop playing since the album dropped.
If they put out a full length LP, i'm all over it.

The preview of KMFDM's upcoming release, Amnesia, was something I was waiting for. a longtime fan, i was a little distraught when some of the former albums did not have the same press I was accustomed to feeling. Amnesia, along with another song called I heart You (which you can listen to on their site) really offer something new - or perhaps old - from them. I'm looking forward to this as well.

I was not really thrilled by Mesh's contribution here, thinking there could have been something like the Legacy release on Septic X instead of the Harder version i already have picked up here, but if you do not know Mesh or have missed this version, it is well worth it. The vocal standout here, the beauty to it, you have to try out.

Pride and Fall's Reborn was a great return from a band that I have always enjoyed. Everything from the beats to the vocals and the message inside have always drawn me in and kept me wanting more. They had me from the initial release's hello and this just shows they are preforming on the same stages.

Informatik's World of Wonder is yet another release from them on the sampler stage of singles, and i love having it. I honestly love the depth of his voice and the way he sounds. The one issue I have is that this is yet another single and I still find myself wondering about another album.
Hello - i WANT to buy it. I miss you, Din.

Seabound's The Escape; what else can you say about Seabound? Frank Spinnath is perhaps the vocalist of the decade, and the band plays on with this track. very band he is in, every one, I buy simply because of how good he is. With the Seabound sound, from lyrics with a storyline to beats that thump from ear to ear, it leaves me wanting more.
LOTS more.

Whole Wide World, from Dismantled, is a great track. i loved the last album's and some of the singles that have followed, enjoying the direction the band has taken. Still, the man who gave me No.not.Never can also bring me slower songs to wrap inside the heavier ones, setting whatever mood he wants.

Acretongue's release within the last year was a pleasant surpise and one I really liked a lot. This track reminds me of something that continues the sound, with an electronic build and beautifully constructed lyrics and vocals that are different and that distinctiveness is great.
i love it.

Ghost and Writer's version of Fraud found here is also great. The album the original trakc came from has not grown stale yet and this track simply shows that changing up the way it plays can make me want to listen to something I've heard hundreds of times before hundreds of times more.
A credit to restructuring.

Velvet Acid Christ's Even Now was an interesting cover i was not expecting. Honestly, since the hiatus has been so long, I had grown weary of rumors and did not know what to expect. now i know this heralds something else to come later this year, and the track has me excited. It says the man with the band is still creating.

Finally, Decoded Feedback's Another Loss is also a great reminder of a band that i have been wanting something new from. I have been a fan for years and their tracks, changing sometimes and constant sometimes, have always kept me happy. Their album drops in the US in June, and this is one of the main tracks off of it.

Other bands have great songs here as well, but i'm out of room. I hate leaving out Encephalon and Skold, considering the first is one of the best releases of the last year and the second has been pretty steady. Still, it speaks volumes on the quality of this release. It isn't a sampler, it is the album some of us dream.
thank you for it.

I have to agree with other reviewers that samplers generally only have a few good tracks. This particular compilation has several. I sought it out primarily for "Pieces of Me," but seeing contributions by Informatik, Seabound, Mesh, Ghost & Writer, among others made it a keeper.

The Birthday Massacre's take on Skold's "Tonight" I thought was superior to the Anomie version (but then I'm also pretty keen on TBM lately with the release of Hide and Seek.) KMFDM's "Amnesia" is pretty standard fare for them, but it brings guitars along with the beats, which is nice. As you might expect the rougher edge of this compilation is found with Front Line Assembly's "Angriff" and Encephalon's "The Transhuman Condition," which is also a danceable tune.

Adding some atmosphere, we have Seabound's contribution of "The Escape" as does Informatik's "World of Wonder," a touching track in the same vein as their album Beyond. Makes me hungry for both of their next releases! This mix of Ghost & Writer's "Fraud" is fairly pared down at first, but I love the last half compared to the two versions included on their album "Shipwrecks." Stromkern's "Ruin(ed)" adds a dash of hip-hop flavor with their beats and vocals. I'm not really familiar with Dismantled, but I wouldn't mind auditioning other tracks based on what I heard here, despite the auto-tuney vocals.

Overall, the mix of sounds isn't too heavy in any one area. I would definitely recommend giving this sampler a listen.

Dependence 2012 really has some great work on here. In my experience, samplers are a hit and miss affair with usually more "misses" than worthwhile tracks. My only complaint is that here on amazon the previews of the songs are so short, you can't get a good feel for whether or not you'll like what you're hearing. Amazon is a great place to buy music, but if you need to hear more of a particular track to make up your mind, head over to itunes, they provide longer song previews.
A quick rundown of my favorite tracks found here:
"Tonight" (Birthday Massacre remix) :Skold
This one has had non stop play for a few months now. Tim Skold did his best work with KMFDM before joining Marilyn Manson for a while. His new solo work has been outstanding as heard here. The Birthday Massacre is one of my favorite bands, and if you are familiar at all with them you'll hear just how much of their sound they impart to this remix. Tim Skold did a great job remixing Birthday Massacre's song "pins and needles" in 2011, and TBM returns that favor here.

"Whole Wide World" : Dismantled
Gary Zon is the brains behind Dismantled, he gets better with each release and Whole Wide World is one of my favorites from a list of great songs he's written in the last couple years. If you like this, go check out Dismantled's recent "whole wide world" EP, you wont be disappointed.

"The Escape" : Seabound
I'm a relative newcomer to Seabound, but quickly got hooked. Frank Spinnath's vocal work here is just as good as it always is. This isn't my favorite Seabound track (that would be "watching over you" [haujobb remix])but it's in my top 5 from this excellent electronic act. As much as I've enjoyed Spinnath's side projects such as Ghost and Writer or even better, Edge of Dawn, I look forward to some new work from Seabound very much.

"Fraud" (Decay inc.'s forty something remix): Ghost and Writer
Yep. Back to you Mr. Spinnath. Quite a catchy song that gets stuck in my head, I liked this mix better than the album version. I hope Ghost and Writer continues for another album at least, I really like their unusual sound.

"Angriff" (project pitchfork remix) : Front Line Assembly
FLA brings it for sure on Angriff, the preview is waaaay too short here on amazon. Industrial Pioneers Front Line Assembly have put out so much material and so many side projects it's staggering. This is their more guitar-heavy aggressive style, one of those you'll want to crank up to full volume.

"The Transhuman Condition" (singularity) : Encephalon
Very very good work. This song inspired me to look into their full length album and EP. I like the album mix even more than the mix found here, but probably wouldn't have checked it out if I hadn't heard this first. A great sampler introduces you to bands you wouldn't have heard otherwise, Dependence 2012 sure accomplished that with Encephalon. Easily one of my favorite bands I've found this year.

"Amnesia" (kaptain K mix edit): KMFDM
As a long time KMFDM fan I can say there's been times lately they've gotten a bit stale, but not here. The Ultra Heavy Beat makes a welcome return to form reminiscent of their older albums like "Nihl" or WWIII. Good to hear the KMFDM I know and love once again. Thanks Kaptain K!

The tracks not mentioned here are also worth checking out, these were my favorites, overall I wasn't disappointed with any song on Dependence 2012, and will be watching out for a new sampler for 2013.