The Vitals:

Label: Metropolis Records
Genre: Futurepop
Number of Tracks: 11
How you can obtain a copy: Just about anywhere... specifically, Amazon.

Score: 8.5 – Great

This is as close to perfect as you can get in this genre of music. “Futurepop” is a genre created by the group and a term defining their unique style of music. Futurepop is a melding of Industrial edginess, synth-pop melody and deeply philosophical lyrics. I love the fact that there is nothing vulgar or distasteful in what they do regardless of their position on religious matters. I do not find them to be “Christian”, however I do find them to be intelligent, coherent and meaningful in all that they do and I respect their beliefs. I would love to debate them on Christianity and its merits but knowing them, I’d surely fail. VNV Nation is Ronan Harris (lyrics, music) and Mark Jackson (drums). The group was started in 1990 by Ronan in London and has morphed from there into an acclaimed International phenomenon.

VNV has long stood for quality music in the Industrial Dance scene and their remix album “Burning Empires” is a staple for most DJ’s (still played today). You would be interested to know that Humate co-produced a few of the tracks and I believe you will find an almost Progressive quality to them. You could drop “Strata” in a Progressive set and watch the dancefloor stop and wonder aloud in unison”who-the-hell-is-this?” Very solid programming and song writing combined with strong production make for a quality release.

Stand out tracks include: “Chrome” (#2), “Entropy” (#7) and I like the final track “Perpetual”. If you like great music combined with deep, meaningful lyrics this album is for you. If you have no previous contact with the genre this is a great place to start. You may find sound samples on the internet and their webpage (www.vnvnation.com) is a good place to start. Happy hunting!