WL//WH Premiere NEXUS
NEXUS ‘Ninouki’ Artwork by Panos Skordas (The Art Asylum)
Remember last December when WL//WH Premiered the new song/video “The Words That Got Away” feat. Mark Gemini Thwaite (MGT) from the upcoming new album ‘Ninouki’ by Athens-based act Nexus? The album is officially out since last night, February 27, 2022, through Cyberdelia records Athens. ‘Ninouki’ is armed with 7 brand new songs all in the likes of post-punk, industrial music, on the dark electronic wings, and with an eye over the eternal new wave cult.
The record features a lot of important guests and collaborators such as MGT (guitar player with names like The Mission, Peter Murphy, Tricky, Gary Numan, PJ Harvey, and more…) John Fryer (4AD, This Mortal Coil, Black Needle Noise, and producer in a string of albums by names like Depeche Mode, Cocteau Twins, Nine Inch Nails, Clan Of Xymox, and so many more), Steve Whitfield (KLAMMER, also sound engineer of The Cure, The Mission, producer of Terrorvision, etc), really shining gentlemen all, and with another group of guests from the heroic old-school new wave scene of Athens GR; Giannis Drenogiannis, guitar (from Anti Troppeau Council, Libido Blume, YEAH!, Cpt Nefos, Sigmatropic, etc), Michael Galaios, guitar, (from EREVOS, Lost Bodies, etc), Luis Kontoulis, trumpet (from punk legends STRESS, and Afro-Beat Ska act De Traces), and the long time collaborators of Nexus mastermind Mike Pougounas; Michael Semertzoglou, bass, (New Zero God, GAD, Atria) and John Psimopoulos who handled the mastering of the album, the drummer of New Zero God. Artwork by Panos Skordas (The Art Asylum), Webmaster and Grand Voodoo Curse Remover: Anna Psarreas and here we go…check again the video for ‘The Words That Got Away” feat. MGT and I’ll be back for more.
Mike Pougounas was the founder and frontman of legendary Greek post-punk/gothic band Flowers Of Romance (1981-1998), now the frontman of Athenian post-punks New Zero God (2006), and solo as Nexus (1999-2005), all good. Due to COVID, NZG couldn’t play live or record anything, so he decided to bring NEXUS back to life, an act with which he released four full-length albums from 2000-2005, and recorded under that name the new album ‘Ninouki’, look; All music and lyrics by Mike Pougounas (*lyrics by Mike Pougounas and Anna Psarreas) who handled all vocals, bass, keyboards, and guitars, he is Nexus, but how can that be a solo project or one-man-band with so many important guests?
The whole album sounding and structure diffuses from the live feed of some solid band nevermind he endlessly worked for hours alone on it, exchanging audio files and folders with his friends, the album sounds simply great in all terms. Usually, I don’t present albums track by track but now I think it is necessary as not all songs are similar to each other, I will only leave out the song we heard before featuring MGT for obvious reasons (and because I gave you the link to that premiere above), let’s go:
‘Do You Remember?’ – “All you remember is time-And time is all you do” sings MP in a song of psychedelic electronica featuring some cinematic guitar fillers by Michael Galaios in a track that is quite close to the “Lynchian” mood in all.
‘Star Thief’ has an official video too, MP vocals, loops, keyboards, the song was mixed by Steve Whitfield and the video was created by Panos Skordas-Takis (The Art Asylum) – a very beautiful video with a lot of work in it. The song is describing a “nightmare” on electronic beats in the likes of that genre found in the 90s mostly with a fairly free approach, of course, the output must be credited to MP for his theatrical chanting, I thought sometimes of similar ways by Brendan Perry…
‘Voyager‘ – Vocals, keyboards: MP – Bass, Michalis Semertzoglou. “I introduce myself to the vastness of space…”, this is the album’s space electronica tune, one astral love song of great passion through these tubes that can separate or connect beings for a long time. It is experimental, the bass player shows skills and alternative ways on how…to bass the whole thing.
‘You and Me (MGT remix)’ – Vocals, guitar, bass, and keyboards by MP, here again, the name of MGT but in the remix now. With hints from industrial electronic music in the American way, the tune is utterly danceable and dark enough to keep you on the dancefloor for good…and it talks about love too.
‘Rhythm of Life (John Fryer remix)’ – Vocals and Keyboards: MP, all the rest by John Fryer. Here we have an amazing effect by Mr. Fryer who made it all sound like Black Needle Noise, and I mean that thing we love in his works for BNN; electronic industrial alternative pop music for the ages. What an honor for my friend MP!
‘Turn Me On / Turn Me Off‘ – the album closes as it started with a flash of sheer post-punk brilliance with two old friends (MP and G.Drenogiannis) jamming along the edge like almost no tomorrow, a groovy tune with the perfect match between them.
The album is absolutely great as I told you before but I didn’t mention its color I think…this is a dark album mostly in all shades of dark smooth colors but in the end also quite radio-wise too as it is groovy, and a ‘fast’ record. Her it is, listen loud!!!
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Written by Loud Cities’ Mike
