Take three incredibly talented musicians from Norway, sign them to a very successful label for their chosen genre, have a random DJ spin one of their tunes at a club, and what do you get? A love affair unlike any other. This third release from Icon of Coil only amplifies my love for the industrial genre. Dubbed “electro pop” by Metropolis, Machines Are Us takes the listener into a world of SciFi possibilities and threatens lovingly to leave them there. Your mind opens up and you accept the successfully daring melodies, which are so different, yet the same in nature, and true to their unique sound. This album is, heaven forbid, almost melodic! Don’t get me wrong when I say that, although it is softer overall, they have gotten away with it beautifully. They use, as usual, the right amount of synths, downright haunting vocals, and the hard, thumping beats they are famous for, making this album a compliment to the industrial community. In short, if you like the electro-future-pop sounds of VNV Nation and Covenant, be sure to check out Icon of Coil. This release is ideal for virgin ears. They’ll have you dancing around carefree in no time!

potty-mouth tracks: none detected

(note: rating numbers are out of 10 and following each track description)
1. Comment v2.0: computer/robot vox; 32 second track (7). 2. Remove/Replace: quiet build up into fast, hard, danceable beat (10). 3. Consumer: speaking intro over synths; moves into catchy danceable beat; trancey sound (8). 4. Shelter: softer sound; nice melody (9). 5. Mono Overload?: medium, danceable beat; great melody (9). 6. Existence in Progress: awesome quiet intro; smooth continuous beat; definite club hit (10). 7. Faith Not Important: slower, melodic song; no heavy beats (8). 8. Transfer Complete: nice solid beat; darker, haunting sound (8). 9. Dead Enough For Life: immediate beat; nice and dancey club song (9). 10. Wiretrip: funky beat; danceable; some female vox (8). 11. Android: fast, bouncy beat; angry chorus; another club hit (9). 12. Sleep:less: slow and melodic; refreshing after heavier songs (8). 13. Pursuit: fast beat; easily danceable; angry vox (9). 14. Release the Frequency/Afterwords: quiet intro; soft with echoing vox; repeat lyrics over and over (6).

review courtesy of LadyDev