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The VSS

Nervous Circuits

(Hydrahead; US: 20 May 2008; UK: 2 Jun 2008)

Long before bands like the Faint and Death From Above 1979 made the fusion of punk and electronics all the vogue, the Boulder, Colorado-based VSS were breaking that very same ground while all you hipsters were still reeling from your grunge rock hangover. Their fusion of hardcore punk and skittering laptop breaks sounded like unlike anything else back when their sole full-length classic, Nervous Circuits, first appeared in 1997. And while everyone and their mother seem to be aping their sound in the 21st Century, this beautifully remastered reissue, complete with a bonus DVD of rare live footage that includes three complete concert sets from the group’s heyday, still takes the competition to task over a decade later.

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Ron Hart is currently enjoying his 11th year as a professional music journalist. In addition to PopMatters, he has also written for such publications as CMJ, Billboard.com, SPIN.com, The Village Voice, Gear, Paper, SHOUT NY, Paperthinwalls.com, Blender, Yellow Rat Bastard, Good Times, Paste, and Barnesandnoble.com among others. He is also the editor and publisher of the Interboro Rock Tribune, a free NYC music zine now in its 6th year in print. Please give us traffic on our website at http://www.irtmag.com.


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