I love an industrial project that's doesn't forget to add a bit of groove and songwriting. Nine Inch Nails did a great thing for the industrial genre in that it opened up the door for bands of a more experimental caliber to start to reincorporating more traditional song elements into their music. Some people hate it, but I think the vast majority of people who have discovered the better bands of the more melodic and groove oriented industrial side of things appreciate that the door was opened. Jugem's Cloud, a dark electro-industrial project from Chicago, find themselves in the category of bands that walk through the door of influence, but don't get stuck in the revolving nature of monotonous repetition of what has already come. Continually offering something new for the listener with each track, this is not an album you want to miss.
On the surface they find themselves drawing more upon the EBM and electro-industrial influences of nowadays, however underneath when you are listening to the mechanics of the songs you can hear how they separate themselves from many of their modern contemporaries. Keeping their music filled with the perfect balance of consistency and variation, as well as making their sonic creations flow with the project's overall tendency towards both sonic diversity and progressive song structure, this project really stands out from their crowd. Unlike many other EBM influenced bands of today I can definitily hear how they take their inspiration from the wall of sound techniques coined by early producers, in this case manifesting itself in a solid and enveloping sound comprised of thick and crisp drums, atmospheric compressed sound effects all further digitally reFXed to charm, as well as thick groovy analog reminiscent arpeggios, digital sounding sparkling lead synth, and the occasional guitar, with each instrument and sound providing the appropriate well needed rhythms, melody, and atmospheric presence that is needed for their respective moments. Truly a great package, one you which you can find inspiration drawn from Industrial music of all ages!
Interview continues past the music streaming!
Oh, and did I mention the lyrics!? If you are fan of post-apocalyptic dystopian themed music that sort of sticks to the theme and really makes you feel it all the way through, then this is gonna be your trip, because despite the consistency of these guys tone they manage to create enough variation and distinction within each individual track that the whole ride feels like it has both entertainment value as well as meaning.
Distorted and often vocoded vocals convey their harsh and pessimistic themes with a well needed visceral edge, performed in a way that h balances out the hard and digital cyberpunk sound conveyed by the synthesized background music, which often has a sound reminiscent of futuristic computer terminals, or the music you'd hear from an intense combat scene in a sci-fi movie or video game. All of it is presented, arranged and delivered in such a way that it brings the listener to to far off places, one designed through the subjective synthesis of the musicians intent and the listener's imagination.
However despite the attention to detail and melody I have emphasized I don't want it to be thought that this project is all gloss and no substance; a sort of progressive wank. The sonic progression, as well as attention detail and consistency, never detracts from the experience or makes the songs loose any of the intensity and aggression that these artists seem to be trying to convey. If anything the brutality of the album equally matches, if not overbears, the other elements of the music (and I don't mean this in a bad way at all!). Truly this creation is a beast fueled with the black fires of bleak nihilsitic cynicism.
Check out the band's official website to catch all the band's lyrics, as well as artwork for each of the tracks, and full streaming of the songs:
Purchase the band's music on their official Bandcamp: https://jugemscloud.bandcamp.com/album/nature-vs-humans
Follow the latest updates of the band on their official Facebook:
Or on their official Twitter:
Listen to full streaming of the band's song on their official YouTube: