New White Rose Movement – ‘Helsinki’

There are two bands/musicians I miss the most from the 2005/2006 era, and they are Tom Vek and White Rose Movement. Sadly, I found out a year or so ago that Tom is out of music for good, more or less, so I find myself clinging to White Rose Movement with even greater affection. I checked Hype Machine, and one of the last times anyone blogged about them, it was an entry on this very blog! And another one was from when I wrote for Rock Sellout! That’s frustrating because they are one of the few of the Class of ‘05 outfits that still deserves admiration for keeping at something interesting. I want them to be massive!

Speaking of Rock Sellout, they’ve really, really changed things over there. I don’t even think any of the original folks are involved at this point. Now they’re reviewing stuff like Pantera, Faith No More and Pearl Jam. That’s not a criticism of any kind, I wish them all well and lord knows we need greater diversity ’round the blogosphere, it’s just a bit odd when you were involved in something for a long time but break away, then come back after a period of separation and everything is different. Sort of like seeing an ex dating someone new or finding out your favorite indie band has gone ska. The tone/style is quite different, so it was a bit jarring.

Getting back on point: When I last checked in with White Rose Movement they had been subjected to some remix treatments on their new single, ‘Small and the Witches Revenge’. That was way back in June, if you can believe it, so we’re well overdue for a follow-up.

As I’ve mentioned elsewhere, the band have gone through several changes since I was first turned onto them, including some lineup adjustments and a move toward a more industrial sound. That’s not to say all the new material has gone noise or something, but they’re definitely embracing The Killing Joke a bit more. There’s a bit more experimentation with distortion and discordant sounds, without chucking melody out the window. New single ‘Helsinki’ is a gloriously noisy, menacing dance track, more IDM than Synthpop. Though I was happy to hear that signature WRM bass lead things off. Head over to their Myspace for a free stream.

They’ve also put out some free downloads in the last few months, including new track ‘Red’ and an acoustic version of my favorite WRM song, ‘Deborah Carne’.

White Rose Movement – Red

White Rose Movement – Deborah Carne (Acoustic)

Tags: white rose movement