As good as Orgy's 1998 debut Candyass was, Vapor Transmission (2000) kicks things up a notch. The Los Angeles-based five-piece goes straight for the jugular this time, abandoning new wave covers and creating a few fresh classics along the way. The result sounds like Depeche Mode after several consecutive viewings of Blade Runner: edgy, moody, and armed to the teeth with enough sonic bombast to jumpstart techno-goth fans everywhere. Vocalist Jay Gordon's hoarse histrionics are perfect for the band's surreal paranoia and lust; imagine a romanticism with room for lyrics such as "Transglobal spectacle with post mortem and fame / Popsicle cannibal, can you hear me?" The production by Skinny Puppy's Dave "Rave" Ogilvie is a bright purple fluid that turns Orgy's blood into a deep murk, dark but dazzling. While Nine Inch Nails and Marilyn Manson may be the most prominent techno-rockers, Orgy's Transmissions are louder and clearer.--Jason Josephes