RxGF

Seattle has always had a finger on the pulse of alternative music. From Bing Crosby to Jimi Hendrix to Nirvana (although technically from Aberdeen but more significantly connected to Seattle), the city has played a large part in the evolution of music. Soon to be a part of this history, electro-industrial group RxGF is forging its own dark path through the music world.

Since 2011, producer John Morgan Reilly has spent two albums experimenting with various sounds. Just like the history of many bands, he has had contributions from several different musicians. His first two albums were created with prolific co-producer Jonathan Plum. 2011’s The Art of Splitting consisted of a much heavier, guitar focused sound. In 2012, electronic music began to creep its way into their tracks creating the electro-folk album All Blade No Handle. After auditioning for female vocalists for over a year, in 2013 John Morgan Reilly discovered the singer who was the final wavelength their sound was missing. Angeline Schaaf’s deep, brooding voice painted an image for Reilly that fit fortuitously with his unfolding vision.

After recording a single with Schaaf titled “Belladonna Dream” in 2013, there was no question that it was time to record a new album. Any Other Way is the album recorded with Schaaf, Reilly and Plum that would mark the beginning of their meteoric ascent to aural greatness. Upon first listen, Any Other Way evoked feelings of a post-apocalyptic sci-fi wonderland. Like something out of a Philip K. Dick novel, they are a timeless entity that is a synthesis of the past, present and future. Reminiscent of Siouxsie and the Banshees, Goblin and The Kinfe, RxGF blends elements from dark wave, dark disco, industrial, tekno and trip hop to create their own unique sonic landscape. Vibrating electronic beats paired with Schaaf’s sanguine vocals have been provoking a stimulating response from audiences. When asked about their new record, Any Other Way, Reilly replied:

“Imagine the Superstar Destroyer, a monolithic and dirty old space ship several kilometers long lumbering through space at light speed. That’s the feel and the sound of many of these new songs. You have these dark electronic layers with huge drums and dirtied-up vocals. Nothing is clean. The circuitry still works but the protective coating has melted...the wiring is a bit charred up everywhere and that’s by design. The closest to commercial mainstream we get could be likened to Princess Leia and Han Solo operating the Millennium Falcon. It may not be cosmetically perfect, but it will hit light speed in hyper drive operated by two like-minded pilots with very different artistic backgrounds. I’m proud that this record won’t be too familiar of a sound to anything that’s out there right now, and hopefully it will stretch the listener’s imagination and give them some insight into what’s possible when you blend together diametrically opposing sounds and ideas. I believe that what we’re doing here is innovative and I’m excited to continue our deep space exploration with this sound.”
Any Other Way is a more than just a transcendental, electro-grunge album. It is a record that must be listened to and not just heard. While the dark and looming instrumentals set the tone of the album, the more you listen, the more you realize the true depth of their creations. Like the radicals of the punk generation, their lyrics are a social commentary on the complacent world in which we live. The track “Things That Go Bang” is an example of their serious criticism on the tyranny of government. The track opens with the lyric, “the fate of the American Republic is now sealed.” A very realistic outlook on the lobotomization of the population, RxGF is using their music not just as an expression of creation but as a voice for the downtrodden, the awake and the active. They discuss spiritual warfare, death, demons and the darkness that lies within us all. Their music is not a downer, but an eye-opener. In a world of lies and despotism, finding artists who not only have something to say but an audience that will listen is an equation for evolution. Music that evokes love can soothe the world, but music that evokes awareness can change the world.

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/r_x_g_f/sets/any-other-way-2014
Official: www.radioactivexgirlfriend.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/rxgf1 - Huffington Post

Whether by choice or not, RxGF has been flying under the radar a bit lo these four years they've been together. Their native city Seattle does have a tradition of going against the mainstream when it comes to music and art. The legendary indie label Sub Pop records is based in Seattle, as are many other subversive authors and artists. Even when the grunge scene flowered out of Seattle in the early 90s, many bands didn't do well with their unexpected fame (we won't mention any shotgun incidents in 1994), and only a few groups stayed on the pop radar.

My point? I hope I can be forgiven for coming a little late to the RxGF (the name stands for Radioactive Ex Girlfriend) party, as Any Other Way is their third album since 2011. The band is not without their accolades, however, despite flying under the radar. They were nominated for four AIMAs (Artists in Music Awards) in 2014 (winners still tbd, vote at AIMA.com), so the industry is clearly taking notice, and really that's what counts. Maybe I'm not as much of an 'edgy industry critic' as I'd like to think, but I like that this band tested me.

Style-wise, RxGF has experimented with quite a lot of different bits and bobs, with lots of genre fusion going on in their first two albums. Techno, industrial, dark wave, trip hop and good old fashioned indie rock all featured on their first two albums. Any Other Way seems to have landed more towards the industrial/dark wave end of the indie spectrum, but there is still lots to choose from and plenty of diversity on this album.

Some things are constant in the group, such as Angeline Schaff's deeply satisfying and Souixsie Sioux-like vocals and the electronic loops produced by Jonathan Plum and Matthew Burgess. With the evolution of RxGF's sound, however, it seems some of the trip hop elements on previous albums have been squeezed out of Any Other Way. This makes room for even more masterful drums and percussion by Burgess and John Morgan Reilly. Morgan Riley and Jonathan Plum's guitars feature more heavily in the band's current incarnation as well. Plum, who has produced for the likes of Pearl Jam and Alice in Chains, also did most of the production on this album and RxGF's other albums.

The first single off of Any Other Way, entitled 'How to Make It' was released with its corresponding video in June of 2014, well in advance of the album. This single is a perfect example of the new direction the band is taking with the new album, which released in November 2014. A 50/50 industrial/dark wave split, Schaff's echoing low alto creaks through the song as Morgan Reilly's heavy, almost metal drums support her. Though sparse, the electronic backing track and the guitar add an extra layer to fill in the gaps between vocals and drums. The group has come up with a very different and interesting way to compose a song here, and it definitely works. The lyrics in 'How to Make It' are a cynical look at the darker side of the music industry. They paint a grim picture of the corporate music world, once again showing the group's ultra-indie Seattle sensibilities when it comes to such subjects.

Other highlights abound on Any Other Way, beginning with the title track. If you like Siouxsie Sioux, this is your jam. Schaaf's vocals are lilting and transcendent on this track as an industrial-style drum track once again holds up her melody. The electronic element mostly comes in the form of a bass loop on this track, but there is also a pretty, semi-gothic sample loop throughout. The combined elements of Schaaf's vocals, the minor key in which the track is composed and the marriage of heavy drums and uplifting synths creates a familiar sound with a modern and uniquely RxGF twist.

The album stays on the industrial track as it moves on with 'We Will Not Be Denied' and the almost ravey 'Flesh and Bone' and 'Antidote.' 'Tombstone Soiree' is a fun, jazzy interlude in the middle of the album; it still has industrial and dark wave bones, but both the vocals and synths take a kind of lounge jazz angle which is unexpected and almost jocular. Lyrically a bit like Oingo Boingo's classic 'Dead Man's Party' and musically sounding a bit like the Yeah Yeah Yeah's 'Heads Will Roll,' 'Tombstone Soiree' is another definite download from Any Other Way.

'Never Felt So Good' is another break in the industrial tone of the album, as the band looks back at its trip hop roots for about seven minutes. In 'The Dying Grace of the Machines,' 'The Hit,' 'Things that Go Bang' and 'Kontrollier Die Kontrollierenden' John Morgan Rilley takes over the vocals to create an even more sinister sound. If Morgan Rilley's intent was to "Imagine the Superstar Destroyer, a monolithic and dirty old space ship several kilometers long lumbering through space at light speed. That's the feel and the sound of many of these new songs. You have these dark electronic layers with huge drums and dirtied-up vocals,' he's more than achieved it in these four songs.

This epic 17-song album closes with some more experimental sounds such as in the new-wave tinged 'Flow,' the trip hop-laced 'Belladonna Dream' Four b-sides from 2012 are tacked on to the Bandcamp offering: 'Jim Jones Death Tape,' 'Sweet Control,' 'D'aimer Et D'etre Aim`e' give new fans a good insight into the roots of RxGF's sound, and the trip hop/dark wave/indie sound is a reminder of how they came to arrive on their current tones.

Reilly and Schaaf appear confident that in Any Other Way, RxGF have found their sound. While I agree that the band might be over any growing pains they felt they had, I think this band is too diverse and creative to simply stick to two or three genres. With the melding of live drums, industrial electro and Schaaf's lounge singer voice, RxGF have definitely created something unique in this album. They've added many elements to their already solid musical base, but I wouldn't be surprised if there were even more interesting twists and tangents to come on future albums. - Brutal Resonance (Sweden)

Seattle darkwave band breaks out with alluring new female vocalist

From the Northwest corner something wicked this way comes. In this case it’s the third album from RxGF, a darkwave band that dabbles in electro, industrial and trip-hop. The group’s dark and brooding vibe isn’t for everyone, but ringleader John Morgan Reilly and vocalist Angeline Schaaf have crafted a compelling sound that stands out from the fray.

RxGF apparently stands for “Radioactive X Girlfriend” and Schaaf owns the role with an ominous and urgent tone that makes it sound like Reilly plucked her out of a scene from a Philip K. Dick film or The Matrix. “Imagine the Superstar Destroyer, a monolithic and dirty old space ship several kilometers long lumbering through space at light speed. That’s the feel and the sound of many of these new songs. You have these dark electronic layers with huge drums and dirtied-up vocals. Nothing is clean. The circuitry still works but the protective coating has melted…the wiring is a bit charred up everywhere and that’s by design”, says Reilly in a press release. He adds, “I believe that what we’re doing here is innovative, and I’m excited to continue our deep space exploration with this sound.”

There is indeed an innovative sound happening here, with many tracks sounding like they came from the soundtrack of some dystopian sci-fi world or even just the dark Orwellian future that’s currently on Earth’s horizon right here in 2015. Reilly teams with co-producer Jonathan Plum (Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains, Blind Melon, Candlebox) to create a grungey sonic ambiance that permeates the album.

“Any Other Way” kicks it off with a mid-tempo track featuring cinematic synths and pounding rhythms as Schaaf establishes herself as a dark angel we want to know more of. She sounds sort of like a cross between Siouxsie Sioux and Alison Mosshart of the Dead Weather, an alluring yet troubled siren from another realm. She sings critically about the recording industry on “How to Make It”, making it clear she has no illusions about sunshine and swimming pools in LA.

The album shifts into hyper drive with “We Will Not Be Denied”, which features a faster beat and extra psychedelic guitar and synth lines. It sounds sort of like a darker, twisted version of Pat Benatar’s “Invincible” as Schaaf delivers a mesmerizing performance. “Flesh and Bone” continues in this vein, but with a less aggressive sound that perhaps recalls Depeche Mode. The energy level rises again with the swaggering synths of “Antidote”, where Schaaf delivers a more melodic tone. The song has more groove and feels like it could easily get the dance floor moving in a scene from the upcoming Bladerunner sequel.

“Tombstone Soiree” is another gem with an upbeat danceable groove, but still with the darker tone that RxGF is all about. Schaaf shines with a subtler light on the sultry “Never Felt So Good”, a downtempo tune with a hypnotic groove. But then the album downshifts, with Schaaf disappearing down the stretch in favor of more industrial tracks with male vocals and soundbites that can’t quite compare.

There’s some interesting radical content in tracks like “Things That Go Bang (False Flag Mix)”, the best of the tracks without Schaaf, which features political soundbites critical of America’s descent toward the Orwellian nightmare. But the second half of the album falls a bit flat without Schaaf’s enigmatic presence. She reappears for a moody ballad on the album’s last track, “Belladonna Dream (Verax Mix)”, sounding more like Tori Amos or Jessica Lea Mayfield.

It’s clear that Schaaf has wide range both vocally and creatively, so the sky’s the limit for her artistic future. Whether RxGF will be the best outlet for her remains to be seen, but the initial results are promising. - Pop Matters

Key reviews of the latest release include:

UNITED STATES
» PopMatters (Chicago, IL)
» The Huffington Post (New York, NY)
» The DJ List (Orlando, FL)
» Big Takeover (Brooklyn, NY)
» Guardian Liberty Voice (Las Vegas, NV)
» ObscureSound (NYC)
» Music Existence (Boston, MA)
» NeuFutur (Akron, Ohio)
» New Noise Magazine (Berkeley, CA)
» Skope Mag (Boston, MA)
» Hot Indie News (Brooklyn, NY)
» Rebel Noise (Los Angeles)
» WordkraPht (Simpsonville, SC)
» It's Only Rock N Roll To Me
» Ripple Music (San Ramon, CA)
» Ellenwood (Los Angeles)
» Indie Music (Fort Collins, CO)
» DAEP New York City Magazine (NYC)
» Empty Lighthouse Magazine
» CrossRadar
» We Do It For The Love Of Music
» Examiner
» Hiplanta (Atlanta, GA)
» I Am Entertainment
» Abysmal Hymns
» Beach Sloth
» antiMusic
» Boom Boom Chick (Brooklyn, NY)
» MP3 Medication
» On This I Stand
» Short And Sweet NYC (NYC & LA)

SWEDEN
» Brutal Resonance (Göteborg, SE)
» Ung Tro
» Zero Magazine (Göteborg, SE)

UNITED KINGDOM
» All What's Rock (Birmingham, UK)
» RingMaster Review (London, UK)
» The360 Magazine (London, GB)

CANADA
» Abort Magazine (Vancouver)
» Lithium Magazine (Toronto)
» Art Stars (Toronto)
» BTB (Edmonton)

GERMANY
» NBT Music Radio (Berlin)
» Local Suicide (Berlin)
» DOA [Delusions of Adequacy] (Berlin)

BELGIUM
» Keys And Chords (Antwerp)

SLOVENIA
» Terra Relicta (Ljubljana)

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
» Vents Magazine (Santo Domingo) - National and International Press