Covenant Northern Light album

[~rivetbadtz]

Well, yesterday I finally had a chance to get the new album by Covenant 'Northern Light'. I know, I could have imported the import version, but I lazy^_^

Anyways, several hours later Ive probably listened to the whole thing several times. This is without a doubt the best album Ive heard all year(thus I just voted for it as best album of 2002)

Now I realize there is potential for letdowns. Though VNV is my fave band, I felt the live versions of Futureperfect tracks(as heard on the San Francisco 2001 thing) were much stronger than the album versions. I thought Apop's Harmonizer was watered down Detroit house. I liked a good half of the new Funker and A23 respectively, as well as the newerish Icon of Coil(Man this has been a huge year for futurepop releases!)

But I have to say, as a solid album track to track Northern Light I find the most impressive. It has a strong vision, a bold outlook...and has a really neat warm aural ambience to it.

Rather than just being disposable dance floor anthems, Eskil and company have created an album of food for thought...a cursary example of thinking lyrics and interesting melodies with a dash of old school(Heck I found a bit of Jean-Michael JArre and Tangerine Dream in parts)

Even the new Europe radio play 'Bullet' has a very interesting feel to it. Reminds me of when I first heard Cause and Effect's 'ITs Alright(Its over now) I love Covenant's themes on each album. United States Blew Me Away...themes of New York and reliancy on the internet and technology and lost love might seem redundant under ordinary ciurcumstances. But here...
they take it up a notch. I mean the lyrics I think are some of the best Ive seen in awhile. "A fabric of ideals to decorate our homes"-Call the Ships To Port. Brillaint.

It's really hard to pinpoint Covenant. They are definately not your average trance with vocals Futurepop. There is something really unique and bold here.

[NoirTech]

Damn. I still don't have this release. Trying to catch up quickly to a lot of albums I still need to get. I keep hearing a lot of good things about this release. I'm also going for the domestic release. There is no difference...right?

[~Quixote Chapter]

Rivetbadtz,

I agree completely. This is possibly the best all around cd I've heard since DM's Violator. I know this is a bold statement in this company, but ¤¤¤¤ it, "Northern Light" is the cd I've been waiting for. It has brilliant lyrics, beautifully warm synth textures, and wonderfully melodic song writing. A strong, coherent, meaniful peice of musical artisanship.

I lift my beer and toast these guys.

-Kevin

[~rivetbadtz]

Originally posted by NoirTech
Damn. I still don't have this release. Trying to catch up quickly to a lot of albums I still need to get. I keep hearing a lot of good things about this release. I'm also going for the domestic release. There is no difference...right?

Nope, no difference! Im really pulling for it to when artist of the year on here, but I already know Mesh will most likely sweep in nearly every category(Not the biggest Mesh fan, but oh well)

Silly Metropolis...Northern Light has been out in Europe for three months, but only yesterday was released domestically. sad.
Anyways, I am extremely happy with it, and Im usually pretty darn picky^_^

[NoirTech]

Originally posted by rivetbadtz


Nope, no difference! Im really pulling for it to when artist of the year on here, but I already know Mesh will most likely sweep in nearly every category(Not the biggest Mesh fan, but oh well)

Silly Metropolis...Northern Light has been out in Europe for three months, but only yesterday was released domestically. sad.
Anyways, I am extremely happy with it, and Im usually pretty darn picky^_^

Yesterday? Are you sure about that? I saw it at Hot Topic on Saturday. So it must've been releaseed sometime last week...no?

[~goedley]

I think the release date was rather "flexible." I bought it last week in Rasputin's in Berkeley. Either Metro isn't too fussy about when it arrives on shelves (not a bad idea considering the Euro version has been out for so long) or many stores are just putting their releases out when they are shipped.

Whatever it is, it's a great album and I don't think the comparisons to Violator are unwarranted. This is a very interesting album from a band who could have done Sequencer part 2 and pleased most of its fan base. Instead they matured and progressed in a way I really admire.

Hmm, album of the year, Mesh vs Covenant... I dunno, I already voted for Mesh so I'll stick with that...

[~NullDevice]

I know *I* woulda been happy with Sequencer pt2 - I loved Seqeuncer. :)

But I'm glad they didn't. I was terribly worried they'd put out United States of Mind 2, which wouldn't've really been much of a step forward for them. USM was good, but now when so much else out there is cloning that kind of sound ti wouldn't've sounded fresh.

But I really dig NL. I wouldn't rank it with Violator, because for me Violator is inviolate, but Bullet and Monochrome are excellent tracks. Bullet is especially surprising, since it sounds unlike a lot of what they've done in the past. It's dang cool.

The litmus test will be to see how it ages. If I can still pull it out in six months and say "oh, cool, let's listen to Northern Lights" then it'll qualify as a classic. :)

[~rivetbadtz]

Originally posted by Quixote Chapter
Rivetbadtz,

I agree completely. This is possibly the best all around cd I've heard since DM's Violator. I know this is a bold statement in this company, but ¤¤¤¤ it, "Northern Light" is the cd I've been waiting for. It has brilliant lyrics, beautifully warm synth textures, and wonderfully melodic song writing. A strong, coherent, meaniful peice of musical artisanship. -Kevin

Best since Violator?(Ive argued for days over the years about black celebration vs. violator and I still think violator is dm's best) Now that's bold! But I agree...those lyrics, the passion, the warmth...bravo!

IMNSHO...I think Northern Light is nothing short of visionary.
I havent heard these type of brilliant lyrics...since Sister of Mercy 'Floodland', Leonard Cohen's 'The Future', or Shriekback's 'Oil and Gold'. I'd definately put it up there with those as far as lyrical beauty.

Btw...Rasputins in Berkeley!!! Ive spent many a time in 'the section'(ie: where all the kickass ebm and futurepop is) And I have to say...Rasputins in Berkeley is the best record store I have ever gone to, and very much worth the drive for me.
Where else can I find such a mind boggling import selection?
There finding L'ame, Freezepop, or Echo Image is as easy as finding Britney, Eminem, or N*sync at a regular store!

[~Loomis420]

First of all I'd like to say how much "Northern Lights" kicks arse. I ordered it as an import the day it was released....and havnt stopped listening to it. Actually...I ordered it, A23, Funker Vogt(survivor), and PP(Inferno) all at the same time...I was quite overwhelmed when that package came in.

But....what I noticed right away after my first listen was how much the CD was VNV influenced. I mean it still sounds like Covenant...in a very refined/quality form...but We Stand Alone(my fav track) and Ships to Port have VNV written all over it. I also heard this in my favorite track off Icon of Coil's "Access & Amplify"...another track very VNV influenced.

All this is fine by me since I worship VNV and IMO they cannot be touched since Empires came out...but did anyone else here this or am I nuts?

[~rivetbadtz]

Originally posted by Loomis420
But....what I noticed right away after my first listen was how much the CD was VNV influenced. I mean it still sounds like Covenant...in a very refined/quality form...but We Stand Alone(my fav track) and Ships to Port have VNV written all over it. I also heard this in my favorite track off Icon of Coil's "Access & Amplify"...another track very VNV influenced.

All this is fine by me since I worship VNV and IMO they cannot be touched since Empires came out...but did anyone else here this or am I nuts?

j00 rock my friend! Ever since I heard VNV, my old industrial and goth cds turned into food money at the record store^_^
VNV to me is truly the top pantheon of the genre. Also, Ive been pretty happy with all the cds coming out. I think Funker 'Survivor' is another of my fave releases this year(combat trance in the hizouse!)

Now...as for VNV's influence...well. It's been said Sequencer was one of the most influential cds in the new ebm/futurepop genre.
I think VNV raised the bar on this sound, so if production values and fuller bravado sounds rose then that's awesome. I mean
to me it wasnt til the great United States of Mind that Covenant really kicked it into high gear. Their 1998 album Europa seemed
to still be a bit light and minimalist(as was their previous stuff)
But USoM album really put things into hear gear, production and overall 'fullness sounding' wise.

But hey, if VNV has rubbed back on em then that's great.
Im just sad its almost the end of the year and I havent heard really any buzz about Northern Light in any American magazine, or really anywhere(message forums, user groups, sites, etc)
Unfortunate, but whatd ya gonna do? *sigh*

[NoirTech]

Originally posted by rivetbadtz


Btw...Rasputins in Berkeley!!! Ive spent many a time in 'the section'(ie: where all the kickass ebm and futurepop is) And I have to say...Rasputins in Berkeley is the best record store I have ever gone to, and very much worth the drive for me.
Where else can I find such a mind boggling import selection?
There finding L'ame, Freezepop, or Echo Image is as easy as finding Britney, Eminem, or N*sync at a regular store!

Wow. Wish we had a record store like that here. Must be nice.

[~Loomis420]

Yea...I live and breath synth/Industrial and have gotten to the point I sit back and wait for releases since I prety much own every possible Industrial/Dance cd ever made. But its just sad here in the states(im in Midwest) and nobody knows anything about the quality of this "alternative" music. And whenever I play it for buds of mine they say "cool".... is that Depeche Mode? So I don't have too many people to share my music with...sad...very sad.

Your average folk don't know how much this music has evolved...and how much effort these artists put into their product...with very little reward. I don't know...but you can just hear the effort from the final product.

Ok..nuff ranting.

Get "Northern Lights"...its well worth it from beginning to end.

[NoirTech]

Originally posted by Loomis420
Yea...I live and breath synth/Industrial and have gotten to the point I sit back and wait for releases since I prety much own every possible Industrial/Dance cd ever made. But its just sad here in the states(im in Midwest) and nobody knows anything about the quality of this "alternative" music. And whenever I play it for buds of mine they say "cool".... is that Depeche Mode? So I don't have too many people to share my music with...sad...very sad.


Heh. I get that a lot as well. Guess everyone is Depeche Mode.

[~goedley]

Originally posted by rivetbadtz
.

Btw...Rasputins in Berkeley!!! Ive spent many a time in 'the section'(ie: where all the kickass ebm and futurepop is) And I have to say...Rasputins in Berkeley is the best record store I have ever gone to, and very much worth the drive for me.
Where else can I find such a mind boggling import selection?
There finding L'ame, Freezepop, or Echo Image is as easy as finding Britney, Eminem, or N*sync at a regular store!


Rasputin's in Berkeley has a fantastic selection of electro-synth-gothik-00nztrock (including a certain Madison,WI/Berkeley-California-based band).

To be fully candid, I don't think NL is quite up there with Violator. But it does have a very similar feel as a band coming together to make their best album to date by being original in sound with compelling lyrics and great programming. Oh, and the cover art and especially the inside photos are very cool.

[~rivetbadtz]

Originally posted by NoirTech


Heh. I get that a lot as well. Guess everyone is Depeche Mode.

Such is why I think Metropolis should have: Tried endlessly to get a Metropolis band as a opener for DM on their last tour, failing that selected tour date openers...and failing that having a street team promote Metropolis record bands outside the venues.

But in the end, I think we have to face it. The music we hold dear is pretty much going to be a self contained little vacuum no matter how accessible 'it should be'. Maybe that makes cd hunting more special. I dont know, I need a plane ticket to Germany so I can see VNV and Covenant play in front of thousands not hundreds.

Originally posted by goedley



Rasputin's in Berkeley has a fantastic selection of electro-synth-gothik-00nztrock (including a certain Madison,WI/Berkeley-California-based band).

To be fully candid, I don't think NL is quite up there with Violator. But it does have a very similar feel as band coming together to make their best album to date by being original in sound with compelling lyrics and great programming. Oh, and the cover art and especially the inside photos are very cool.

Aw, so youre the other Null Device guy, cool. I enjoyed that Word and Deed video, as I love scenes from my Berkeley/SF! hehe
Btw, is '00ntz' a native Madison Wisconsin word? Then again Im not a part of the SF rivet scene by any stretch of the imagination...just end up going to the same shows as everyoine else, hehe. Btw, you should get Null Device to play at DNA Lounge! That has to be my fave club of all time.

[~goedley]

Originally posted by rivetbadtz


Aw, so youre the other Null Device guy, cool. I enjoyed that Word and Deed video, as I love scenes from my Berkeley/SF! hehe
Btw, is '00ntz' a native Madison Wisconsin word? Then again Im not a part of the SF rivet scene by any stretch of the imagination...just end up going to the same shows as everyoine else, hehe. Btw, you should get Null Device to play at DNA Lounge! That has to be my fave club of all time.


00ntz is a Canadian word - I mean - a Bogart (Epsilon Minus)word. The other Eric started using it, and I got it from him.

The Word and Deed video was fun. Filmed in an afternoon because, well, we didn't have much else to do on Mr. Oehler's most recent visit to the Bay Area.

The DNA Lounge is a great venue. If we can get a good live show together and the equipment out here (hey, i'm just lyricist/visual coordinator/spiritual adviser) that would be the first place I would want us to play.

As for Covenant, I really like all the tracks except for "Silent and Invisble." That's the track (along to a lesser extent with "scared" that I am tempted to skip when listening to Northern Light. Anyone else have tracks to that stand out as not quite as good on this new album?

[~rivetbadtz]

Originally posted by goedley



00ntz is a Canadian word - I mean - a Bogart (Epsilon Minus)word. The other Eric started using it, and I got it from him.

The Word and Deed video was fun. Filmed in an afternoon because, well, we didn't have much else to do on Mr. Oehler's most recent visit to the Bay Area.

The DNA Lounge is a great venue. If we can get a good live show together and the equipment out here (hey, i'm just lyricist/visual coordinator/spiritual adviser) that would be the first place I would want us to play.

As for Covenant, I really like all the tracks except for "Silent and Invisble." That's the track (along to a lesser extent with "scared" that I am tempted to skip when listening to Northern Light. Anyone else have tracks to that stand out as not quite as good on this new album?

Hehe, well I just added '00ntz' to my growing '1337 vocabulary word bank' hehe. (Other words would include r0x0rz, j00, and
various annoying anime emoticons)

Well, I think what I particularly liked about the video, was it reminded me of how I wanna make a indie film(or maybe short film) in SF one of these days. I had plans to shoot one on DV but it never panned out. Btw, how does a cross state band work?
Like flying to Wisconsin for shows or collaborating? As I always wondered how long distance musical collaborations work. Ive heard long distance relationships are a nightmare, so I can imagine this could provide some difficulty.

Aw, so youve been to the almighty cool mecca that is DNA? Right on. My first time there was VNV with Icon of Coil a year ago. I was blown away beyond belief.

Now...having had a chance to listen to Northern Light like a bazillion times in 2 days...I think I have figured out my fave songs. First off, this has to be the first cd in ages that I dont preprogram which tracks I wanna hear. That says something.
As for the flow of the album...

I do think the stronger tracks are on the first half. I mean perhaps it was deliberate to put all the strong ctachy radio/club hits on the first half? So here is my full track by analysis:

Monochrome: wow! A very cool new anthem!

Call the Ships To Port: my new fave Covenant song.

Bullet: awesome, totally reminds me of Cause and Effect's "It's Over Now".

Invisible & Silent: reminds me of Sisters of Mercy cover of 'Comfortably Numb' meets something by U2...

Prometheus: Has some interesting funky beats, and a swirly ambience to it...kind of harkens back to the wailing synthesizers of Jean Michale Jarre, Tangerine Dream, and other bands.

We Stand Alone: Gotta love that low rumbling build up appeggio synth line! What is it about futurepop and lyrics about monuments and architecture? I love it!

Rising Sun: Once again, VERY Jean-Michael Jarre arpeggio sounding. Another kind of subtle ambient track that doesnt really stand out...but it works as a middle part or segweigh.

Winter Comes: Love this one!

We Want Revolution: I can see this as a big fave at the live shows. Not one of the standout tracks, but a fun song nonetheless. Yeah sure, it sounds like aggro disco, and the lyrics sound like Earthling era Bowie...but theyre just having fun.

Scared: Again with the 'Into The Void by NIN' dirty disco beat thing...probably the weakest of the album.

Atlas: VERY TRIP HOP sounding...and is that a fender rhodes I hear?

So yeah, Scared isnt all that, but I like how they mix it up.

As Ive said, this album lyrically has a very Shirekback/Sisters of Mercy feel...those kind of existential thinking lyrics. Sound wise, it has a very nice warm feel to it.

[~goedley]

Originally posted by rivetbadtz


Btw, how does a cross state band work?
Like flying to Wisconsin for shows or collaborating? As I always wondered how long distance musical collaborations work. Ive heard long distance relationships are a nightmare, so I can imagine this could provide some difficulty.

Aw, so youve been to the almighty cool mecca that is DNA? Right on. My first time there was VNV with Icon of Coil a year ago. I was blown away beyond belief.

Our cross-state band works because of the internet. Eric has the home studio. I write lyrics by email and evaluate their incorporation into the music by mp3. We trade ideas further via email and keep working the process until a track we are happy with comes out the other end. This may not work for most bands but because I'm not really a musician in the traditional sense of the word, the contribution I can make remotely is almost as much as I can make when I'm in the studio.

It's pretty close to the one-year anniversary of the VNV/IoC show at the DNA Lounge in San Fran. I'm sure many of you have heard bits of it as it was widely bootlegged from the DNA lounge webcast. That was an amazing show, and I agree that some of the tracks, Carbon in particular, were better live than on Futureperfect.

As for the Swedes, my favorite tracks on Northern Light are:

Call the ships
Bullet
We Stand Alone
Winter Comes
Atlas

- Eric Goedken, Null Device

[~NullDevice]

Dangit, that was it. I was trying for days to remember what Bullet reminds me of. Cause and Effect!

My brain can rest now.

And yes, every time I'm in the bay area, I make a pilgrimage to Rasputin's and Amoeba. I leave Rasputin with a lots of synth/future/00ntz-pop, I leave Amoeba with weird stuff I can't find anywhere else (I found Fonosandwich there! yay!).

There used to be a fab record store here in madison for that sort of thing, but it closed when the owner moved. Alas! Strangely, I have a lot more free cash since it closed...

[~rivetbadtz]

Originally posted by NullDevice
Dangit, that was it. I was trying for days to remember what Bullet reminds me of. Cause and Effect!

My brain can rest now.

And yes, every time I'm in the bay area, I make a pilgrimage to Rasputin's and Amoeba. I leave Rasputin with a lots of synth/future/00ntz-pop, I leave Amoeba with weird stuff I can't find anywhere else (I found Fonosandwich there! yay!).

There used to be a fab record store here in madison for that sort of thing, but it closed when the owner moved. Alas! Strangely, I have a lot more free cash since it closed...

Oh as soon as I saw the video for Bullet, while it had a distinct Mark Romanek feel...the song itself reminded me when I first saw the video for Cause and Effect's "Its Over Now/Its Alright" Song...especially the chorus/bridge.

And oh yeah, good ol Haight Street and Powel Street!
Personally I think the Berkeley Rasputins r0x the SF one up and down, but thats just me(still cant get over the Berkeley Rasputins selection...my paycheck just goes out the window!)
I actually like, as far as shopping, telegraph better than Haight. Haight is cool for offbeat cyber club gear and strange experimental music at Amoeba...but Telegraph in Bezerkly on one street has anime shops, comic shops, cd shops, indie theatres...and the penultimate: Fat Slice Pizza! *yummers*

Originally posted by goedley


It's pretty close to the one-year anniversary of the VNV/IoC show at the DNA Lounge in San Fran. I'm sure many of you have heard bits of it as it was widely bootlegged from the DNA lounge webcast. That was an amazing show, and I agree that some of the tracks, Carbon in particular, were better live than on Futureperfect.


Oh cool, ya were there? That is hands down my favorite concert of all time...and I mean ALL TIME(as Ive seen an insane amount of related shows) Im so happy there happened to be a digital soundboard of that amazing show...odd to say, but I think that 2 cdr live show of VNV is my fave album of theirs^_^ The intensity is unmatched. And if you lsiten closley I can even be heard shotuing out something to Ronan@(0o0)@

[~binaryzero]

Originally posted by goedley
00ntz is a Canadian word - I mean - a Bogart (Epsilon Minus)word. The other Eric started using it, and I got it from him.


actually i was using it before i ever met Bogart, partially due to the haujobb mailing list.

then again maybe great minds think alike?

the Covenant album i think is going to be a classic. it really shed almost all of the basic trappings of the scene currently.

it has a beautiful production, not stuffed with dancefloor filler, and really lays down something hopefully will rub off on more commercial pop formats.

[~MaxMode]

" NORTHERN LIGHT " is 2002 best electro album
make not mistake about it !
brilliant lyrics and so brilliantly produced
Definitely one of the very best synth albums i've ever heard

COVENANT have delivered a Winner!

[~rivetbadtz]

Good to see there's a lot of fans and supporters on here of the new album! I admit, I am a bit sad by 1) a lack of a Covenant forum online 2) not much hype or buzz that IVe sen about the new album(then again I cant seem to find side-line magazine)
3) Just a general lack of the enthusiasm online I Saw a couple years back for this genre of music.

Anyways, I hope Covenant pulls out ahead of Mesh in the artist and album of the year categories. If it was a vote of which sounds more modern and progressed, I think we'd already have a winner;)