Sun | ExPress

'Praise the Fallen.' VNV Nation. Wax/Trax/TVT. Grade: B

There's a world of electronica beyond the general consciousness of mainstream America, far apart from the numbing, minimalist loops of ambient music as well as the fanciful, high-gloss technology used by the likes of everyone from the Chemical Brothers to Cher. VNV Nation is entrenched in Europe's "hardcore dance" genre, a style that basically gives an electronic-beat overhaul to '80s industrial music. It's cold and mechanical, yet oddly alive.

- Chuck Campbell, Scripps Howard News Service

Thinking of dropping out?

High school dropouts are 72 percent more likely to be unemployed and earn 27 percent less than high school graduates.

- U.S. Department of Labor