Makeup and Vanity Set ‘Sentinels’ is out now via Bandcamp and Spotify

Written as the soundtrack to an imaginary feature film, the album follows the story of Jody, a secret government virologist in the eighties, who is on the run to protect the world from the US Army, who are looking to weaponize his latest discovery. Jody forms the covert group known as CODENAME Jody, along with a mercenary driver and two teenage bikers.

Throughout its 9 tracks, BMX Escape’s latest album is an absolute thrill-ride that hits every emotional beat of a classic eighties action flick for kids. Get ready for speed, action, drama and adventure, here’s one ride you’re not ready to soon forget!

BMX Escape ‘CODENAME Jody’ is out now via Bandcamp and Spotify.

The Budapest-based producer also put up a webpage dedicated to the video and the team behind it, complete with a playable Outrun spoof flash game to brush up on your scoreboard-topping skills.

 Play the game

How well did you fare on the Highway Violence Arcade Game? How many references did you find in the video?

 Quixotic’s ‘Highway Violence’ is featured on his album Flamingo Drive-In. Available via Bandcamp, Spotify and NewRetrowave.

Hey Vincenzo, thank you for joining us. What’ve you got to recommend to our readers today?

A peculiar movie I always keep deep inside in my memories is Rain Man starring Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise. I actually saw it for the first time as a very child, so I probably couldn’t catch all of the films’s the details, but when a petrolhead kid sees a movie starting with a couple of Lamborghini Countach’s… then you know it’s going to be good. I must’ve watched it four or five times in total. With that being said, the story is quite simple and I’m not going to spoil anything!

The movie is about the difficult relation about Charlie (Tom Cruise) and his autistic brother Raymond (Dustin Hoffman). There are many touching moments (yeah, I’m a sensitive guy) and everything is beautifully accompanied by a Hans Zimmer score. That was the first time hearing about him and I have to say the Rain Man Theme is one of the best soundtracks I ever heard. It got nominated for Best Soundtrack at the 1988 Oscars. Many scenes are representative of this movie: the casino, the walking on the tree-lined avenue and long travel by car (because Raymond is afraid of planes). It’s very outrun J.

Out Now by Vincenzo Salvia

What’ve you been up to, music-wise? Any projects or news you’d like to share?

Since being featured in Stranger Things, I’ve been slowing down a bit with my compositions, relaxing and enjoying the moment. I recently released an EP called Out Now and a single with my talented friend Mental Exile ‘We are nothing but a game’, and now I’m out searching for new sounds and concepts. I’m probably going to abandon the Italo touches for this release and go down the Nightdrive/Outrun route, simply because I need new music for my Assetto Corsa game soundtracks.

Thumbnail photo by @Onedaystranger

Be sure to Follow Vincenzo Salvia through his social media to keep up with his latest updates and releases:

Website

Bandcamp

Soundcloud

Youtube

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

“Italian Gigolo” is a funky and sexy-smooth tune first featured in “Gonzo Golden Globes” from by Retro Promenade  in 2014 and then on Vincenzo Salvia’s “B-Side” in 2015. We have no idea how Stranger Things got a hold of the track, but we are sure glad they did! Congrats Vincenzo!

But before that – the original “Stranger Things Season 3 Original Score” from Emmy-Award Winning Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein of S U R V I V E is scheduled to release on June 28th!

Dixon and Stein have always pulled from 80’s b horror movies for their original score, but this time around they’ll be piggybacking “the pop sensibilities and melancholic undertones of ’50s doo wop.”

They explained in a press release: “With the season 3 soundtrack, we’ve made an album that doesn’t feel like a “score” necessarily, but one that feels more like a stand-alone record than a collection of brief cues. We’ve incorporated the main narrative elements of the series and stayed true to the original sound while at the same time expanding on our musical palette — we often pushed it to the limit.”

PRE-ORDER THE ORIGINAL SCORE HERE! 

Grab a listen to two of the tracks below as well as a look at the track listing!

Tracklist:

1. Boys and Girls
2. I Like Presents Too
3. Starcourt
4. Blank Makes You Crazy
5. I Need You to Trust Me
6. You’re a Fighter
7. The Ceiling Is Beautiful
8. The First I love You
9. Rats
10. What Did You Do To Him?
11. Find the Source
12. The Silver Cat Feeds
13. Heather’s
14. William
15. Destroying the Castle
16. In the Void
17. Tammy
18. Mirkwood
19. Portal Drill
20. Happy Screams
21. Ruins
22. It’s Just Ice
23. The Door Is Opening
24. Planck’s Constant
25. She’s Gone Home
26. Seven Feet
27. The Week Is Long
28. Sauna Test
29. Six Facts
30. The Trees Are Moving
31. On Their Tracks
32. Not Chinese Food
33. Blueprints
34. Land Deeds
35. Not Kids Anymore
36. Code Red
37. Feel Safe
38. He’s Here
39. Scoops Troop
40. We Don’t Understand Each Other
41. Aftermath

While Buffy the Vampire Slayer plays a little more into 90’s nostalgia than our preferred brand of 80’s nostalgia, there’s no denying the streak of quality that the comic continuation has been on since the Season 11 comics started. If you haven’t been following the comics but loved the series, then Buffy Season 11: Giles Vol. 1 will be a perfect jumping on point for you! Giles is a great character and getting a glimpse of his teenage years is every bit a joy as it sounds.

9. Paradiso Vol. 1: Essential Singularity (Image Comics – Release Date: May 22, 2018)

Paradiso is a post-apocalyptic sci-fi story that owes a lot to 80’s and 90’s anime and manga, drawing influences from Battle Angel Alita and Akira, two titles that we love here at NRW. While Ram V’s writing is definitely an exciting part of the story and gives everything a very grand feel, the art team of Dev Pramanik and Dearbhla Kelly deserves special mention. Every inch of the world in Paradiso is stylishly drawn and feels immersive. 

8. The Way of Tank Girl (Titan Comics – Release Date: April 17, 2018)

If you aren’t familiar with Tank Girl, you might immediately recognize how much the cover of The Way of Tank Girl evokes Gorillaz album artwork. That would be because Tank Girl co-creator and illustrator Jamie Hewlett is responsible for the image of Gorillaz. Tank Girl’s other co-creator, writer Alan Martin, is sometimes not given the credit he deserves.

That’s a shame because Martin is very funny. The comedy in Tank Girl is not only funny on its own merits, but does so while utilizing the medium of comics to the fullest extent. It does to comics as a medium what Watchmen does, but does so without taking itself as obnoxiously seriously as that series, and as comedy it doesn’t garner the kind of acclaim. While The Way of Tank Girl is best suited for fans of the series, the collection of rarities will make a fun introduction and coffee table book for anybody.

7. Bloodshot Salvation Vol. 2: The Book of the Dead (Valiant Entertainment – Release Date: Sept. 25, 2018)

What Valiant does better than perhaps any comic book publisher is making jumping on points for their ongoing characters. Few publishers are as new-reader-friendly, and Valiant stands far above Marvel and DC in that regard. Their comics are consistently high quality. Each year brings at least one title that stands clear above the rest,  like 2017 with Secret Weapons. In 2018, it seems to be Jeff Lemire’s Bloodshot Salvation is primed for that spot. The second arc of the title has only just begun, but it was such a strong opening that it’s hard to not seriously consider pre-ordering The Book of the Dead this far in advance.

6. Cult Classic: Return to Whisper Vol. 1 (Vault Comics – Release Date: TBD 2018)

Vault Comics Cult Classic metaseries has kicked off with a tremendous start on the back of Return to Whisper. It has a kind of Fright Night aesthetic and energy infused with a Stephen King influenced plot that balances its humor and horror in equal measure. It is one of the most fun comics currently running. This is an easy recommendation for most comic fans. Time will tell, but this bodes well for the future of the Cult Classic line.

5. Long Lost Vol. 1 (Scout Comics – Release Date: June 27, 2018)

Long Lost has been promoted as Stranger Things meets Ghost World, but that doesn’t really do the series justice. It has been one of the most visually and narratively unique comics of 2017/2018. The series is the perfect example of the kinds of stories that indie publishers tell when at their best. It’s strange, it’s heartfelt, and it’s often haunting. Writer Matthew Erman and artist Lisa Sterle compliment one another perfectly. This story of two sisters reconciling the mysteries about their mother and their own childhood damage make for a stand out Southern gothic tale. 

4. Deathbed (Vertigo [[DC Comics]] – Release Date: TBD 2018)

This might seem premature, but the relaunch of the Vertigo line warrants deserved hype. Vertigo in decades past was like Young Animal is today, but somehow more unexpected and more trailblazing. Some of the best stories told in comic form came from the imprint, and Deathbed seems poised to vie for similar acclaim. Some of the violence so far has been over-the-top, but in a way that makes sense for the story being told.

3. The Ballad of Sang (Oni Press – Release Date TBD 2018)

The Ballad of Sang is, in no uncertain terms, awesome. It’s bombastic, hyperviolent, highly stylized storytelling. The first issue was one of the best comics of 2018 and the series should be on your radar. This is an easy recommendation for comic fans and non-comic fans alike. If you like 70’s yakuza films or Kill Bill then this is a kitana-sliced no-brainer, and a quick flip through the pages would let you know instantly if it is the kind of thing for you.

2. The Power of the Dark Crystal Vol. 2 (Archaia [BOOM! Comics] – April 24, 2018)

Surprising nobody, the conclusion to The Power of the Dark Crystal is an easy pick for a graphic novel to keep on your radar. The art and storytelling in this series is some of the best in all of comics during its year-long run.  The conclusion has been every bit as satisfying as the set-up, but you can read all about that in our review here!

1. DC/Young Animal: Milk Wars (Young Animal [DC Comics] – June 19, 2018)

Young Animal is the best thing happening in comics for two years running. Most of the titles that the Gerard Way-led imprint produces will be the comics that create comic fans for years to come. Comic book events are, almost as a rule, the worst. There are exceptions, as Hickman’s Secret Wars was an example of a straightforward event done right, as was DC’s Rebirth. That said, the endless tie-ins and events set to coincide with film releases leave readers drained. It doesn’t help the industry, and short-term rewards betray long-term reader investment.

Milk Wars is different. For starters, the event only really requires a knowledge of two or three of the involved titles, but also sets the stage for Young Animal’s 2018, which proves to be stranger and more isolated from the DC Universe. There’s a lot that could be written about Milk Wars, but it is probably best experienced blind. The quality and strangeness of its pages can’t be denied, and it earns the top recommendation from NRW.

Darksynth has been in vogue through much of 2016 and 2017 as many synthheads’ sub-sub-genre of choice. In a lot of ways that makes sense. After an exhausting 2016, I doubt many of us were as prepared for how emotionally taxing 2017 has been, and I think it’s safe to say that sentiment is on a global scale. Dark synth started feeling a lot less like the soundtrack to a sci-fi dystopia and more like the soundtrack to our own collective societal nervous breakdown. The caveat that plagues dark synth is that it can veer towards redundancy. A lot of the sounds and song structures can get recycled, and some of the lesser dark synth producers wind up feeling like part of a crowd.

But that’s not Nightcrawler.

The Spanish producer’s latest album, Beware of the Humans, delivers ten tracks gunning to set a standard in the scene, with each track having a wealth of strange and hypnotic sounds supplemented by generally punchy and danceable beats. Opening track “Arrival” is a great introduction to the atmospheres Nightcrawler creates through his songs, and despite the lack of a driving beat, effectively builds tension for the release of follow-up “Hell-On Earth”, which has the kind of groove and menace of a DyE song, but with a more analog aesthetic.

Mid-album highlight “Secret Society” shows Nightcrawler at his most cinematic. The first half of the track is eerie and beautiful, but very dreamy. There’s a lightness to the sounds as higher frequencies are explored and densities of reverb are varied. Midway through the track the pulsing bass and kick start up and what was dreamy and soft becomes darker and dancier. The titular track, featuring Celine from Dead Astronauts and Italy’s strangest synthwave producer Vincenzo Salvia, is an easy contender for the best of the album, with the pulsing musical track emphasizing the desperation in Celine’s voice.

The album ends on a strange note, as “Sixth Extinction” might be the weirdest track on the album. Nightcrawler eschews something sprawling or bombastic in favor of something thematically relevant to the dystopia that he sets out to paint. For fans of individual tracks or throwing all of their synth tracks on shuffle, it might be disarming, but for those that prefer the full album experience or who read the brief narrative blurbs on Bandcamp as a mental context in which they can listen to the album, the track is a natural conclusion. The constantly changing sounds and deliberate pace remind us that dystopias don’t usually get better all at once. They get worse or they fall apart.

COMMUNITY RATINGS

Scandroid – MonochromeDetroit based Scandroid is back with his much anticipated sophomore album, “Monochrome.” This album follows close (less than a year) on the heels of his lauded breakout self-titled album, “Scandroid.”

Scandroid is the brainchild of the multi-genre multi-instrumentalist Klayton. Outside of Scandroid, he has produced under a wide variety of names, the most successful of which has been the unique genre bending industrial-electronic-alt-metal “Celldweller.”

“Monochrome” shares many similarities with Klayton’s debut album – relentless, chugging synth basslines mix well with major to minor melodies, friendly, sometimes fiendish guitar riffs and vivaciously vocoded vocals.

However, “Monochrome” does not rehash the original album. Klayton has managed to update this particular sound with more layered synths, a touch better production and an overall darker cyberpunk-not-quite-darkwave feel that suits the Scandroid sound well. He also merges Newwave and synth into a fantastic blend that somehow works well with the cyberpunk feel.

The intro and hooks to “Afterglow” and “Rendezvous” are insanely catchy and the interlude and bassline in “On the Face of The Deep” (Biblical reference, anyone? Genesis 1:2) makes for some fantastically dark synth. Because it was produced primarily on vintage gear, each track on “Monochrome” is intricately layered and definitely worth a few listens – as each listen will uncover previously unheard synthesizer intonations – it truly a brilliant work.

However, the album’s composition and flow does seem to have suffered a bit from the quick turnaround. Although the sound is on-point, this album comes in at a short thirteen tracks – especially when you realize two of them are remakes (one released all the way back in May) and one fantastic remix from Pylot. That makes the number of original tracks under ten!

In addition, although the remakes of “Thriller” and “The Force Theme” are solid tracks on their own – they seem to really break up the feel of “Monochrome,” jarring the album out of the cyberpunk soundscape just as it was beginning to really get into a flow. This tends to make the album feel more like a collection of singles than a cohesive whole.

The vocals also present another problem. In the synthwave genre many fans despise vocals and I often count myself among them – the “Woah oh oh oh” on “A Thousand Years” is just comically campy….Many fans who enjoy vocals might not like the particular alt-metal 00’s style either.

BUT – just as with his last album, Klayton well aware of this genre’s purist tendencies and has released an instrumental version alongside the main album – bravo Klayton! I’m happy to report the instrumental doesn’t lose any of the appeal of the original, and makes for a wholly unique listening experience.

All in all, the production and mastering on “Monochrome” is better than his debut. The Scandroid sound is updated, darker, deeper – but this success is short-lived and leaves us wanting more.  Top Tracks: “Monochrome,” “On The Face of The Deep,” “The Veil,” “Afterglow.”

COMMUNITY RATINGS

Witness what will be an amazing second series!!!

Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein – one half of the dark synth sensation S U R V I V E – have received an Emmy Award for their work on the fantastic and immensely popular synth soundtrack to “Stranger Things.”

They were awarded the Emmy for Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music on September 10th, ahead of the televised award show set for September 17th. The much beloved “Stranger Things” has received 18 nominations over all for this year’s Emmy Awards.

The new season of “Stranger Things” is set to premiere on Netflix October 27th, and will likely be even darker than the first season. Executive Producer Shawn Levy said during an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, “Season two makes the Demogorgon look quaint.”

In an interview with The Vinyl Factory, Dixon explained the music will likely be darker as well. “I’m sure it will be weirder,” he said. “…because I think they are going to spend a little more time in the Upside Down this season.”