S.I.N.A. - Snapshot
For an instant, as a woman's angry scream tears through your speaker system during "Lapalie," you wonder just what you've unleashed. German noise 'n' bass label, Hands, known for introducing the unsuspecting world to the tumultuous torment of Winterkälte, offers up a more club-friendly sound with S.I.N.A.'s Snapshot. Not that you would know that from the first two minutes; the disc begins like someone is being fed feet-first into a meat grinder. Fortunately (a relative term), the beats and distorted vocals, which propel the second track, "Machine," are less terrifying in their sonic fury. It's an adventurous club that would spin these tracks, but these twelve tracks are well suited for the dance floor if you don't mind a static overlay to your beats and your vocals.
The first rhythmic noise act to add female vocals to the mix, S.I.N.A. certainly harkens back to the sound of a neglected industrial guitar act of the late '90s for which I have a certain soft spot: Coptic Rain. Which, I have to admit, I have a certain soft spot for. "How Long" powers along with all the characteristics that made Coptic Rain enjoyable: heavy distorted percussion, squealing lurching guitar melodies (though in S.I.N.A.'s case, the melodies are more electronic-based), and the heavily augmented voice of the singer. Sina has more than one setting on her microphone, moving from the bruised sex kitten growl of "How Long" to the static-spitting snarl of "Scream" and the bored radio announcer of "Axiom."
Rhythmic noise is a genre that has a narrow range of appeal--the artist must walk a fine line between generating just noise and actual music (another relative term). Winterkälte set the standard a while ago and Hands clearly recognizes that as a label, in order to grow, they just can't sign the twentieth million Winterkälte clone. They need diversity; they need to make the genre grow. S.I.N.A.'s Snapshot is a much more friendly approach to the rhythmic noise sound, one that will undoubtedly be pummeling you from the hidden speakers in your favorite S & M dungeon in no time.
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