Label: 13th Moon Format: CD
Mr. & Mrs. Fiend sure know how to evolve. First listen to this go ’round of Nocturnal Emissions admittedly made me wonder why they bothered with a pared down version of their sound. Production is nice, artwork is good, and there are the bonus tracks which is a quick mix or two of “Evolution” (the “Hup 2-3-4” mix, the “Back From The Dread Pt1″ mix” are new additions from the various EP releases here), but really what were they on about? Still, this being Alien Sex Fiend, I let it play over about a hundred times and realized just what growing up gracefully is all about.
ASF have moved swiftly through their own incarnations, adapting as they see fit to the ever fickle world of the alternative. Nocturnal Emissions is no exception. Though they still have the most loyal of followings from the Goth/Industrial world, and by their own choice have picked up stragglers out of the Trance/Dance scene, they remain able to throw off the shackling binds of either/or and retain their own pace, their own place as it were and do pretty much as they see fit.
Nick Fiend has definitely put his penchant for fleshy weird vocals to a depreciated minimum of late and takes even perhaps a calm backseat to getting the bizarre across in the beat. With this in mind, alongside rhythmanical Electro synthetics, Nocturnal Emissions turns out to be a dance record that could easily cross genre pollinate with whatever club scene it might happen to get accidentally (or better, intentionally) stuck in the middle of. Here and again, such as on “Room 101” and “Soaking Wet, Mate” there are nice psycho space breaks, as in the space you get stuck in when you take hallucinogenic remedies. “Big Blue Moon” calmly highlights some of the old Fiend depravity which is a personal favourite of mine. Still and all though, this is a dance record from the old pros who know the beat more than most. Who better really? The Fiends will never be accused of being slaves to the trendlines, but rather it would be a good approximation to realize that they are adaptable without compromise.
-Lilly Novak-
