Given that the attention span of the modern-rock listener is that of a silverfish dining its way through a back issue of Cosmopolitan, the big question is whether or not Orgy can defeat the sophomore doldrums with Vapor Transmission. Well, speaking as a hateful, middle-aged, overweight, carbon-based life form that's focused on the stuff that comes out of the speakers and not the Clinique counter, I'd like to report that Transmission is far more rhythmically urgent, sonically dense, and emotionally charged than their previous work. Come to think of it, in hindsight, Candyass is somewhat appropriately titled.
While Orgy has borrowed the "future-now" vibe of Duran's best years and the technological advancements for which Nine Inch Nails are acclaimed, the human element has risen to meet the energy boost. Throughout the disc, singer Jay Gordon invites losers to get onboard his binary dream world. His priorities include fingering the joy-killers in a post-Columbine world on tracks like "The Odyssey" ("You trade in your high school ring/To get away from the pom-pom boys and the jockstrap girls") and offering empowerment outside accepted norms on "Chasing Sirens" ("Don't you find it strange/How they wear their egos on their sleeves/Until they see your face"). Oh, sure, Gordon might bark like a poodle, but it's the sound of an absolutely rabid poodle.
Producer Josh Abraham has coaxed more full-on rock power from the band in order to further their allegiance to the New Glam Order. Guitarist Ryan Shuck and "g-synth"-ist Amir Derakh offer more crunch-power under the effects than ever before. The rhythm section of Paige Haley and Bobby Hewitt charges the atmospheres with an energetic precision that's half-machine, half-human all the better for you to dream up your own sci-fi fantasy or bang your head accordingly.
As a member of classic alt-rock band Jane's Addiction, Perry Farrell once defined success as being able to bend the status quo to his whims. It doesn't matter that Farrell like Bowie before him failed to turn America's jocks and meatheads into free-thinking cross-dressers. Of course, Orgy won't do it, either, but their rock-heavy riffage, smoldering, futuristic circuitry, and lyrical empowerment have way more resonance in a music scene populated by backwards-ball-cap-wearing culture-thieves. "Mom and Dad think we've lost our minds," sings Gordon on "Opticon." "They're just terrified of all new things." Praise the Lancome and pass the ammunition.