No Games No Fun, the second solo album from
Hanin Elias, singer and founding member of
Atari Teenage Riot, is a powerful mix of industrial beats, crunchy, attacking synth lines, and
Elias' alternately sultry and aggressive vocals. On "Catpeople,"
Elias sounds a bit like
Kathleen Hanna, making
Elias' solo work sort of a dark, foreboding, and distinctly European companion to
Hanna's
Le Tigre. It's fitting since Fatal Recordings was founded "to break up the fixed structures of the male-dominated music business." The highlights of
No Games No Fun come in the form of the interesting collaborations, from the new wave-y pop of the C.H.I.F.F.R.E. and
Elias compositions to her noisy, clamorous work with
Einstürzende Neubauten's
Alexander Hacke ("Spirits in the Sky"). The flashy Euro-hip-hop piece with
Alec Empire ("You Suck") is both groovy and kitschy (if a little one-note), but it's the noise collage, "Rockets Against Stones," with
Merzbow that is truly groundbreaking.
J Mascis, arguably the most exciting contributor to the album, helps out on the title track with washes of poppy fuzz punk. In the end,
Elias' work may not be for everyone, but
No Games No Fun is essential listening for fans of
Atari Teenage Riot's post-industrial electro-hardcore.