By Keith Walsh
Maybe Germany’s Kraftwerk weren’t the first to combine minimalistic synthpop with social commentary, but certainly their works Autobahn (1974) and Radio-activity (1976) are early examples of topical themes mixed with electronica. In that tradition we have a new work by The Noise Who Runs, in a short film titled Come And Join The Beautiful Army,

The Noise Who Runs is an electronic music duo comprised of Ian Pickering (Sneaker Pimps, Front Line Assembly) and Felipe Goes. In the span of the nearly 19 minute film that’s based on their EP Come And Join The Beautiful Army, sparsely melodic synthpop with analog beats discourses around militarism, belonging, rave culture, sin, evil intentions, war and sports, and finally the hope of space exploration.

There’s elements of EDM, funk, noise music, glitch and disco, all rolled into a minimalistic mix with Pickering’s insinuating vocals leading the way. Guitarist Goes has mused about the lack of guitars audible in the mix, so perhaps there’s a second version in the archives that we might hear someday. As is often the case with rock music, elements removed in the final mix have an impact on the development of the overall sound despite their absence later. Pickering met Goes after he relocated to France from the UK in 2016 and they formed The Noise Who Runs in 2019.

Just when you think the video is all too bleak, you’re reminded that there is hope in the stars as images depicting the vastness of space and the Mars terrain appear. The video is a kind of collage, with images gathered from a variety of sources. The video sounds wonderful on earphones as the five tunes within are mixed smartly so as not to be too shrill or too bass heavy.

The Noise Who Runs released their debut Preteretrospective in 2023 to wide airplay and acclaim. While Come And Join The Beautiful Army is visually attractive in video form, as a long playing set of five singles it makes for a pleasant soundtrack for going about daily, or nightly, business.

(Band photo by Élodie Duhoo)

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