Following the early demos collection Attic Tapes and the live and singles compilation From Dayton Ohio, the
Predator Nominate EP is the third volume of archival releases from
Brainiac -- and, arguably, the most exciting. Offering the broad strokes of what the cult-favorite synth-punk band's fourth full-length might have been if not for frontman
Tim Taylor's tragic death in May 1997,
Predator Nominate is brief, but it's brimming with fascinating sounds and ideas. At times, the connection to
Electro-Shock for President,
Brainiac's final release and the jumping-off point for the sessions for their mooted major-label debut, is clear: The title track's darkly throbbing synth rock is a logical, and eerie, extension of
Electro-Shock's moody post-punk and industrial leanings, which primed listeners for an even bigger departure on the album that never materialized. "Kiss of the Dog," one of
Predator Nominate's most complete-sounding tracks, fuses
Electro-Shock's icy restraint and
Hissing Prigs in Static Couture's outlandish pop in its blobby Moogs and
Taylor's unhinged vocals. More often, though,
Brainiac discover new ways of expressing themselves. The EP's juxtapositions of noise and melody, as well as rock and electronic instrumentation, are some of the band's wildest and widest-ranging. Synths gurgle and writhe on "Pyramid Theme" while prickly guitars lurk around the edges; "The Game"'s neon arpeggios and short-circuiting, downpitched vocals sound like classic
Brainiac mischief, albeit with an ominous undercurrent that carries into the hissing entropy of "Gone Away." Exactly how
Brainiac convey this mood makes for
Predator Nominate's most surprising changes.
Taylor's singing and songwriting are more direct than ever before, peeling away the band's ironic wit to reveal bruised flesh and blood. Murky guitars and synths can't drown out the raw angst in
Taylor's vocals on "Smothered Inside," which rivals the brooding depths of
Nirvana or
Nine Inch Nails (who cited
Brainiac as an influence on 2005's
With Teeth). This nervy vulnerability feels like a new and rich vein of inspiration that loosely holds together songs as different as "Didn't Feel"'s scorched-earth outbursts and "Come with Me," the malfunctioning synth pop ballad that brings the EP to a close. Despite all the musical ground
Predator Nominate covers, most of its tracks don't resolve; they're very much works in progress, and that makes them all the more poignant. Though
Brainiac sounded like little else in 1997, they pointed the way toward the darkwave, new wave, and post-punk trends that took off in the 2000s, and it's easy to imagine them making their mark on that era's electroclash or rock revival scenes -- or heading in another direction entirely -- had things been different. At the time of
Taylor's passing, they were poised to do so much, and hearing the songs they were working on at the time is a fresh reminder of the potential the music world lost. Decades later,
Predator Nominate's bittersweet mix of promise and closure makes this long-missing piece of the
Brainiac puzzle essential listening for fans. ~ Heather Phares
