Review by Lord Baphomet 
http://lordbaphomet.tumblr.com/

CodeCracker by CodeCracker (2010)

Bizarre, obscure, classic EBM. Manic, iconoclastic, biblical future pop.  

Of interest to fans of VNV Nation, Front 242, Skinny Puppy, Aesthetic Perfection, Nitzer Ebb, Combichrist, And One, Der Plan, Joy Division, Depeche Mode…  (Vocals like David Gahan or what.)  

The band’s frontman, Icelandic singer/visual artist JJ Brine, now makes a totally different style of music which he calls “ESM” or “Electronic Spirit Music” and has found a broader audience with his 2012 release, President of Mozambique (2012) and even more so now, amazingly, with The LaBiancas, a “Charles Manson concept band.”

I think that this will be more widely appreciation as its odd, disproportionate influence is recognized.  Excellent workout music.

Charles Manson concept band.
THE LABIANCAS = Lena Marquise + JJ Brine
†††New Manson Family††† 

Review by blog-entactogen
http://blog-entactogen.tumblr.com/post/50256361511/the-labiancas-charles-manson-is-jesus-christ

The LaBiancas - Charles Manson is Jesus Christ
Druglord records, 2013

Few figures have taken the U.S. and possibly the world as controversially as Charles Manson. Is Manson an unrecognized genius and philosopher? Is he the embodiment of all wrong in society? Is Manson both of these? Regardless, Manson has left a huge influence on popular culture for the past half-century, being covered and sampled by such bands as Marilyn Manson, Psychic TV, and Crispin Glover. Few artists have hailed him openly, with exception possibly the former Radio Werewolf vocalist Nikolas Schreck, who once proclaimed, whether in out of provocation or genuine thought, that Charles Manson is “One of the greatest philosophers of our time.”

The legacy of Charles Manson’s marking of popular culture is far from gone, and The LaBiancas stand as a testament to that. A Charles Manson concept band based in New York City, they are somewhat of an underground super-duo, composed of JJ-Brine, whose solo album, President of Mozambique, was released to critical acclaim earlier this producer Lena Marquis. The band’s debut album, the well-titled Charles Manson Is Jesus Christ, presents an almost delirious soundscape evolving around the Manson family history and philosophy through a ranging electronic sound palette. 

Sonically, the album jumps in pacing and mood from track to track. The band’s cover of “Helter Skelter”, and”10050 Cielo Drive” give one the feeling of being at a 90s techno-house rave. “Famous For” could pass as an out-take from Brian Eno’s Taking Tiger Mountain, while the album’s title track echoes the electroclash movement of the early 00s.”Family Jam” feels like Portishead on a bad acid trip, while “I’ll Never Say Never” is a lullaby nightmare. Despite the variation in sound, the tracks on Charles Manson all share some unifying qualities: droning and unisoned vocals, and a clashing of haunting negativity with poppy beats.

It is this hauntingness that makes Charles Manson possibly among the ugliest dance albums to be released in recent years, and in the best way possible. This album turns the euphoric intentions of the rave scene on its head, leaving a mark of discomfort and darkness upon the listener. While in terms of instrumentation, this album is far from groundbreaking, it is thematically unlike any other electronic dance album… ever. Whether or not The LaBiancas achieve any sort of popular success is not up to question, but this album will surely live in the minds of many as being one of the strangest albums of our times.

Can we put a rating on this? We can’t. It’s too bold of a statement to be pinned to a number.

∞/10

HELLO WORLD WE ARE MEATBUS 

The Post-Conceptual PopCharting BabyFriendship Band 
Starring 

The Eternally Beautiful BabyFriendship Of JJ Brine & MintSoulja
aka Michael & Jonathan 

<3 <3 <3

NYC-based record label guided by its philosophy:
CRIME IS LORD.

Artist submissions can be sent via SoundCloud or to druglordrecords@gmail.com

From symbioticreviews.com:


	President 0f Mozambique
JJ Brine 

9 out of 10
 

ESM for the uninitiated


by Jericho Cerrona
March 28, 2012
It’s rare for an album to become so all encompassing that even after repeat listens it still manages to offer new and enthralling surprises. Icelandic singer/actor JJ Brine’s latest LP is just one of these rare listening experiences. Dazzling, immersive, disorienting, and evoking a sensation of auditory rapture that’s nearly impossible to describe, President of Mozambique is the first truly great record of 2012.

In all honesty, Brine might be utterly bonkers (his press photos reveal a black-hooded figure obscured by a menacing chrome mask), but either way, there seems to be a deranged kind of brilliance at work here. Though reclusive, he’s nevertheless described his work as “electronic spirit music” (ESM) and claimed to have been possessed by a demon entity during the recording process. Whether or not he actually believes any of this, or is simply acting out some kind of meta-conceptual stunt is unclear, but none of this really matters because the artistic trappings never outweigh the actual music. President of Mozambique has come out of nowhere as a major statement from an artist operating along the fringes, and NY-based indie label Drug Lord Records aren’t exactly smearing the internet with shameless promotional gimmicks, either. This makes Brine’s follow up to 2011’s Code Cracker all the more extraordinary; it has the feeling of a rumbling storm slowly making its way toward the landscape of unsuspecting music listeners. Before long, Brine seems to be implying, the end of all things will be brought on by the sound of churning synthesizers and vocoder-transmitted prophesies.

Though all 11-tracks are structured around the template of gothically moody synthpop, Brine tweaks familiar sounds until they eventually turn into sonic mutations from alien life forms. There are hooks and melodies aplenty, but the music never achieves overt accessibility because everything is so warped and fractured. Take the child molestation lullaby “Candy and Love”, for example. It features a mid-tempo backbeat, swirling keyboards, xylophone, and lush production that might appeal to fans of M83, but it also contains what will probably be the litmus test for most listeners; weirdly androgynous vocals. Brine swathes his voice in all manner of vocoder effects and then layers them to create a neo-futuristic vibe that’s consistently fascinating, but the choice will possibly turn off those that desire something more easily accessible. Make no mistake; this is not auto-tune bullshit. Brine uses digitally manipulated vocals in order to create a darkly brooding atmosphere rather than as a gimmick, or to hide poor vocal abilities. Truthfully, there’s no way to really tell if Brine can sing in the traditional sense, but that doesn’t seem to matter since this isn’t the type of music that would even require such a thing. Though the production is impressively hi-fi and expansive, there’s a DIY aesthetic that means nothing is curtailed for mass consumption or to appease oblivious label execs. Therefore, the album largely follows in line with the auteur theory; namely, it sounds like something only JJ Brine could have made, though there are obvious nods and influences gleaned from other artists such as Joy Division, Depeche Mode, and especially German musician/artist/actress Nico (of whom Brine is a self-professed fan). Yes, the vocal style may alienate and the eccentricity of the songwriting is an acquired taste, but it’s hard to deny the ominous industrial stomp of “Dispossession”, the gorgeously interweaving synths and mantra-like vocals on “We Get Along”, and the epic Joy Division-esque “Innovation”.

President Of Mozambique could very well be a game changer, or it might just pass by completely unnoticed. It’s difficult to predict what kind of immediate impact the album will have and whether a work this decidedly avant-garde can reach a mainstream audience. But perhaps that’s a compliment to JJ Brine’s inventive take on portentous electronic music. Maybe something this good really can’t be fully embraced by everyone. In any case, the end is nigh, and Brine will there ushering in the apocalypse with the ultimate soundtrack.

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