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Album Review: Caustic – Douche Ex Machina

September 30th, 2011 Filed under: Reviews - Music by Editor in Chief

Album Review – Caustic
Douche Ex Machina
Metropolis Records

There was a time when a project released on Metropolis Records was automatically worth checking out- they were the “defacto electro-industrial’ label for many years. Sadly, they’ve started trodding a slightly similar path pioneered by Cleopatra records, those goth/deathrock pioneers whose descent into tribute compilations and B-List reissues made them a distasteful joke in the eyes of batkids the world over. To say that Metropolis has had a shaky release schedule lately is to be polite to a rather obsequious degree. So its with some surprise that a project comes along that isn’t just the latest from an aging ‘name’ industrial band, nor is it an 80’s punk band with dwindling fans (and royalties). This is new, and perhaps most curious of all it’s fucking good. For the most part.

What we’re talking about here is the latest by a project called Caustic- the release is Douche Ex Machina, and it is a compilation of remixes. Admittedly this is hardly the best way to pick up on a band; each contributing artist will have placed their own spin on the sound, so how does one know where the actual songwriting skill come from? Who cares? Is the album any good? Absolutely. It’s not without its drawbacks, as we’ll see, but it has more hits than misses.

There are 22 tracks on Douche Ex Machina, and they range from classic 90’s era electro industrial to modern club-techno industrial to rhythmic powernoise and beyond. Some tracks are just bizarre.
“Bueno Exellente” as remixed by Null Device is a gloriously tongue in cheek tiki lounge number that ear-worms insidiously, one cannot help but groove while listening to this, and it’s all that much more catchy for its complete and utter lack of electro, or industrial, goth, noise, or alternative overtones. It’s lounge cheese, nothing more and there’s a bent appeal in rivetheads picking up Douche Ex Machina, only to angrily have to skip this track every time. Whoever The Qualia are, they do something not too far off with their mix of “Bad Habits”, warping it with off-key granular synthesis and mellow country acoustic guitar. It’s brilliant.

Several tracks are straight up four-on-the-floor club mixes, energetic if somewhat on the formulaic side. The first track on the album is a good example of this- “Bad Habits” as remixed by the Pull Out Kings is a catchy number that is somewhat reminiscent of truly classic new wave, a’la “Warm Leatherette’ by the Normal. A little “growly-er” perhaps, but the mood is there. Mangadrive kick it up a notch with their mix of “Shrapnel Condition”, shaping the material with a euro-trance structure that drives it beautifully. Function 13 does something similar with their mix of “Saint of Fuck Ups” too. It’s hard not want to hit the dancefloor to these songs.

However, several of these songs have been mixed into the standard irritating repetition that is the hallmark of powernoise. The Terrorfakt mix of “Meat Market Carnivore” stomps along nicely, but is ruined by a shrill discordant note that stutters on loop throughout the track. Similarly, Bret Calder (whoever that is) takes “Piss and Vinegar” and frankly makes it un-listenable. Mind you, Lucidstatic don’t do much more with the same track, neither do Deconbrio, so perhaps it’s just a weak track to begin with? It’s hard to polish a turd.

Still, these are in the minority. For the most part, this is a solid collection of distorted, strange, catchy, and perversely diverse industrial tracks. Well worth picking up if you’re a fan of say, Snog and old Noise Unit.

BUY IT HERE

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By Keith Durocher

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