Gegen Den Strom

Originally formed in 1992 as an intended one-off project for a compilation track, Lights of Euphoria is now on its eighth full-length album. Gegen den Strom ("Against the Current" or "Against the Stream") finds the group settling for the first time into something like a permanent lineup, centered on multi-instrumentalist Torben Schmidt and singer Jimmy Machon. The pair's sound isn't quite as unique as they seem to be claiming with the album title, but it is unusual enough to be worth noting. There is a subtlety to their approach that is unusual among German electro and EBM bands, and although Machon's singing style is as harsh and guttural as you might expect, it's refreshingly free of overweening distortion effects. The beats are generally held to a standard-issue industrial 4/4, but there are moments when elements of funk and techno intrude — such as on the stutter-step groove of "Moment of Past" and the surprisingly quiet Hecq remix of "Feel the Pain." The remixes are worth noting: five bonus club remixes by the likes of Rotersand and Glis are included on the American release of Gegen den Strom, and most are excellent. Recommended.