Holy - The Hecq Destruxxion

Stalwarts of the late-'90s German electrowave scene, In Strict Confidence still operates well within the boundaries of the goth-industrial-electro territory, complete with blippy synthesizer beats, a dark but expansive acoustic, and Teutonic vocals that tend to be growly and are generally chanted or intoned rather than sung. But at the same time there's something more approachable about the chord changes and the band's almost hooky choruses that sets it apart from other groups operating in the same genre. You can actually sing along with "Seven Lives" (and might even be tempted to do so), for example. American listeners might have a harder time doing so with "Babylon" (which is sung in German), but will surely like the complex texture and funky beats; "No Love Will Heal" is more on the old-school industrial tip and harks back explicitly to vintage Front 242; the lovely "Sleepless" features angelic guest vocals by Antje Schultz. The self-consciously blasphemous religious imagery (a topless nun, a bloodied pseudo-Christ figure, moths, yada yada yada) in the liner pamphlet may or may not have any connection to the music, not that it really matters. Recommended.