OPM: Electro Eclectic

Death Practices – Complicated Organs: Final Mix +

Deeply oddball eclectic art rock with an almost manic vibe and an unbound influence set. THe weirder and more theatrical side of art rock is the main event here, leavened with a blend of circus music, cabaret, noise, musique concrete, electronica and more to keep things spicy. 

Mr. Bungle seems like an obvious influence and point of comparison, but like that act, this charts its own way – comparing it to something can only tell you what it isn’t but might sort of put you in mind of. Because make no mistake: this is its own original and unique thing, which alone makes it worth checking out.

(Listened to the entire album)

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Salimer – Galvanize

Goth-kissed electro pop that harkens back to the heyday of the form. The key ingredients are a lovely female voice, some chirpy/percolating beats, sweet synths and plenty of melodrama. These are forged into a set of inviting, sultry songs with a dark edge and some nice hooks. 

Everything is well produced, with a rich sound and a ton of presence that gives the songs their best possible footing. I can hear influences of everything from Siouxsie Sioux to Kate Bush in the vocals, and the music pulls from EBM, New Wave, electro, and synth pop classics, with a twist of art pop to seal the deal. A nice mix!

(Listened to the entire album)

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Voltage Poetry Project – Further Verses

Sharp, nicely constructed electro pop reminiscent of the Notwist. Much like that act, there’s maybe just a touch of industrial and goth mixed in – definitely caught some Legendary Pink Dots vibes here and there. 

The cool, almost detached vocals, blippy beats and electro timbres mesh nicely to create a fresh take on the classic sound. Some appealing songs help seal the deal. Nice stuff. 

(Listened to the entire album)

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Pseudoseance – Cannon Father

Wild and woolly instrumental electro rock with plenty of rough edges and good vibes. Raw timbres and big sounds dominate the aesthetic here, but the underlying musical ideas are solid – this is raw and rough as a choice, not because no one knew better. 

It reminds me a bit of Ratatat, if that act went into the studio half in the bag one day and said fuck it to all the polish and precision and just let it all hang out turned up to 11. Considering I always hoped Ratatat would do just that, no surprise this put a smile on my face. If you’re gonna electro rock, you gotta do it LOUD and RAW, and this is exactly that.

(Listened to the entire album)

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Gasher – “Mr. TV”

Moody, dramatic chamber pop with an intimate, intense vocal. Almost whispered, quasi spoken and with borderline ASMR vibes, the close-miked vocal is the first attention grabber here. The unusual arrangement of strings and just a touch of acoustic guitar will catch your attention next. It’s an intriguing song that covers some unusual ground. Reminiscent of Nick Cave and Scott Walker without really sounding like either. 

No embed available. Click to hear “Mr. TV” from Gasher here.

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This is the final normal Other People’s Music of 2025! Next week I will look back at some of the entries that stuck with me over the course of the year (don’t call it a “best of,” I hate that terminology) and then I will take the final/Christmas week off. I will need a bunch of submissions for 2026, so if you’re considering it, let’s fucking go!