After catching samples of their work on Endzeit Bunkertracks volumes and Fxxk The Mainstream, I was excited to get the release of Psy’Aviah’s latest, titled “Eclectric.” After repeated attempts to listen to it, I have a few questions: First, when did the sound engineer for Cleopatra move to Alfa Matrix? The mastering on this disc is like a mid-90s industrial compilation…Like someone dug out a copy of “Industrial Madness” and said, “Just copy this!” (In actuality, it was Geert de Wilde of IC 434 fame.)

And then there’s the question of beats. Is it a Belgium thing? Is it an Alfa Matrix thing? There are whole, half, quarter, eighth, etc. notes, but they seem to be completely ignored in tracks like “!AllAboutYou.” (I’m looking at you, Helalyn Flowers.) Cramming as many syllables into a verse as time will allow? That’s not edgy, folks; that’s simply poor writing. And do we need to discuss the overuse of “wire scan” vocoding? At least it masks the vocalists’ boredom, especially apparent in what would’ve been an otherwise good track called “Something Evil.”

And Jennifer Parkin (who does the guest vocals for “Into The Game”)? Stop. Please. You’re better than this…and your previous full release and the EP and…Okay, maybe you should just give up. However, Kristell Lowagie is a high point, providing vocals for “Kings & Queens” on the bonus disc.

On the scale of Rhianna to 10, this release gets a 3. Once the project decides if it should sound like Neikka RPM, Angelspit, or Psychopomps, it may actually make some decent music. Assuming they ignore any more requests from Geert de Wilde to master anything.

Although many would disagree, I’m a fan of anthologies, particularly tributes. Genre-crossing collections can be especially frustrating, though, since instead of the usual mix of great covers with bland by-the-numbers tracks, there’s also the addition of poorly translated songs. This is surprisingly true for Punk Goes Pop 3. Surprising because the previous collections have had their misses, but they’re usual a solid offering for what they are. But this release features a number of screamo/pseudo-hardcore artists that sometimes blatantly miss the mark.

Breathe Carolina’s cover of Jay Sean f/Lil Wayne’s “Down,” the opening track, is a prime example. No new flavor and the song is a standard dance track, something that’d fit right in with any house mix. Funny, I expected some form of punk. Artist Vs. Poet’s attempt at Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance” is similar but picks up at the end enough to warrant multiple listens.

But the real treat of the album is Woe, Is Me’s version of Katy Perry’s “Hot N Cold.” Adding a large dose of rock with a pinch of humor, the band really make the track their own. “Bulletproof,” originally by La Roux and redone by Family Force 5, is another one to check out.

One last track to note is This Century’s version of M.I.A.’s “Paper Planes.” The good news is that they can actually annunciate, helping you understand the lyrics. The bad news is…well, now you can understand the lyrics. (P.S. Fuck M.I.A.)