Ever listened to something you realized you'd skipped over in the past, and now have no idea why; because it's so undeniably what you want? Ever realize you're somewhat easy to please when that kind of thing happens? I bet it's more often than you're willing to admit, but I'll grant that many folks are a lot more jaded than I am.
Had an experience like that today with various S.T.A.B. Electronics material uploaded to YouTube after revisiting the Nyrrki & Kyrpa III compilation and going nuts for the S.T.A.B. track included therein ("Feminist Kneejerk Reaction"). And now I'm pissed off because I can't find my copy of The Non-Alliant I. This stuff is absolutely addictive - excellent synthesizer sounds, always perfectly-balanced frequencies, heavy but not brickwalled as to allow the bass a "sexy" sound, mostly-intelligible and very passionate vocal performances. At times they bring to mind Slogun, once or twice Brighter Death Now, but by and large, he seems to have his own approach, style, and trademark effects settings which pretty much always sound good but also strong and clear.
I think Mikko said something like this project is not really doing anything new, just doing what's expected with total talent and focus of vision. I have to admit, that fits the bill for this project perfectly. There seem to be tracks from each release that I don't own on YouTube, convenient and telling - people like this guy's stuff for a reason.
Oh yeah, and "PE anthems?" The Non-Alliant eponymous track has excellent lyrics that in other, weaker hands might sound nihilistic and whiny; in this case they're just dismissive, like a period at the end of a sentence. That review of some Consumer Electronics album by Steve Underwood is not an "essay" as some have characterized it, but just a review of a record by a project he already really likes. And although he brings up relevant points about lots of PE fitting into roles rather than doing their own thing, I have to say, fuck his attitude and fuck his "now I have the answer to the question of PE" mentality. In that respect, S.T.A.B. Electronics is doing stuff that might irk you if you agree with his point of view, and it should, because although innovation is welcome, I don't think reinventing the wheel and "making a comeback" is always as important as it is made to sound.
Anyway, various tracks from Day of the Male, The Non-Alliants I & II, and some from Temple of Self-Disgust/Born For Righteous Abuse have already repeated themselves this morning. I'm really hoping I can still pick up a few of these on CD or cassette come January.
