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Orgy, Vapor Transmission (Reprise / Elementree): One of
the problems with rock music today isn't so much a lack of quality as
the overall glut of available material, so that not even the most
dedicated rock critic, let alone casual fan, has a hope of sorting
through it. Yours truly, for instance, didn't pick up on this release
from late 2000 until 2001; if I had, it might have made my "best-of"
list. Orgy's second album has drawn comparisons to Marilyn Manson in
his Mechanical Animals period. While no bad thing in itself
(that would be Holy Wood), this is not a totally accurate
representation, either. This is gloriously trashy glam-rock with an
updated cybernetic edge. It certainly evokes Bowie's Spiders From
Mars, but even more strongly resembles Bowie's late-1970s mutant
electronic offspring — e.g. Gary Numan (everybody's fave cult
hero these days) and even John Foxx-era Ultravox, with a touch of
decidedly non-electronican New York Dolls swagger and sass thrown in
for good measure. Cool song titles like "Suckerface" and "Opticon"
tell you what kind of decadent fun you're in for here; the band also
proves capable of writing strong hooks that really sink in on
repeated listenings — just try to get the chorus of "Fiction
(Dreams In Digital)" out of your head! While I'm no great fan of
Korn, for whose boutique label Elementree the Orgy boys labor, I must
at least send them kudos for signing this talented bunch. —
Johnny Walker (Black)
copyright (c) 2001 michael goldberg | design by elephantcloud
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