Sunday 23 November 2014

Steak Number Eight "All Is Chaos" (2011)


Post Rock/Metal outfit Steak Number Eight are a four piece band from Belgium who released their debut EP in 2008 when the band members age was at an average of 16. Three years later these youngsters released their debut full length "All Is Chaos" in 2011 which I was recently turned onto by a friend. I enjoyed this record with no knowledge of their age, which shows it doesn't really matter when it comes to music.

Steak Number Eight have a big, epic, sludging sound. The group stroll their way through many varying degrees of heavy, melodic and grooving riffs that draw influences from Post-Rock and other styles of Metal that give each track its own flavor. These lengthy songs drone and brood rather than progress as moods and atmospheres intensify into bombastic moments littered with catchy riffs and absorbing climaxes. The album opens with "Dickhead", a catchy bouncy track that doesn't quite set the tone for what follows. Offensive lyrics and upfront riffing, the song climaxes with some almost Deftones-esque screams and guitar grooves that starts this one of with a head banger that the rest of the album doesn't quite follow suit with, offering much more moody atmospheres in the following tracks.

The album sounds decent, nothing spectacular but the guitar tones are the highlight, the production captures the best of the melodic guitars often soaked in blissful reverb. The distorted rhythm guitars texture and tone is sublime, capturing the right balance of distortion and fuzz, giving the guitar room to move in and out of the spotlight when providing the momentums grooves or backing for melodic leads. The drumming and bass is a little underwhelming, I don't recall any moments where the bass came to the forefront or the drum patterns were doing much more than guiding and accommodating the guitar department. Decent album with some great riffs but lacked icing on the cake.

Favorite Tracks: Dickhead, Stargazing
Rating: 5/10

Friday 21 November 2014

Carcass "Surgical Remission / Surplus Steel" (2014)


Hailing from Liverpool, England, Carcass are a pioneering Extreme Metal group who's roots were originally in Grindcore before defining their trademark sound with 93's "Heartwork", an album thats originality and production has had a lasting influence on Metal music and could be considered a very important album and the beginning of Melodic Death Metal, a genre, that as the name suggests, brings tune and melody to the forefront of a brutal and dark aesthetic. Disbanding in 95 the group have reformed in recent years and taken their time to write a spiritual successor to Heartwork, "Surgical Steel", released in 2013. This EP contains 5 tracks from the same recording session that didn't make the final cut.

Despite being left overs from the album, this short listen retains the energy and level of quality Surgical Steel delivered. Any of these songs would sound great on the album, however none of them are stand out tracks with anything notably attention grabbing. These are typical Carcass songs, tightly performed Death Metal with melodic leads, tight grooves and a consistent creativity from the rhythm guitar, decorating these tracks with a diversity that keeps them fresh and appealing. These tracks did feel somewhat "lighter" with a focus on the rockable grooves and vocal hooks over any "all or nothing" heavy moments.

After a few listens I am left with a slight emptiness towards this record, these are fantastic songs that really deserve to be part of a full length and the nature of a short listen leaves me yearning for more. Great songs but the format falls a little short for a band like Carcass. On a final note, Heartwork is a special album, one that we will discuss soon.

Favorite Track: Livestock Marketplace
Rating: 5/10

Thursday 20 November 2014

Job For A Cowboy "Sun Eater" (2014)


Job For A Cowboy are an American Death Metal group who made a lot of noise in the Deathcore scene with their 2005 debut "Doom", an EP that personified some of the scenes best qualitys. It created a buzz around the group that quickly gained them momentous popularity. The release of their first full length "Genesis" in 2007 saw the group break into mainstream charts while simultaneously dropping the entirety of there Deathcore roots for a pure Death Metal sound. Speculation would lead me to believe this was probably the plan from day one, to use a trending scene to gain popularity and then write the music they wanted to. I don't think theres anything wrong with that, and their fan base has certainly not revolted because of the transition, but for me it was a disappointment to see one of the finer Deathcore bands turn into another unremarkable Death Metal act, similar to what happened with Annotations Of An Autopsy.

Sun Eater seemed intriguing and promising at first, Cowboy deliver a composed and more progressive sound tinged with a touch of Black Metal in the guitar chords. Favoring layered and detailed compositions over pounding brutality, the opening track "Eating The Visions Of God" set the tone for a lush sounding record where anything could happen. The production is outstanding, crisp, dense guitar tones. A balanced drum kit with a bass kick and snare mixed to perfection. The bass was the highlight of this album for me, sounding thick, bold and melodic it continuously came to the forefront, pounding out grooving progressions and high pitched notation that added an exciting dimension to their aural aesthetic.

As the album unfolded, and after several spins, it has become quite clear that this record isn't for me. As much as I enjoy and appreciate the technical aesthetics, the music itself is lacking. With the exception of maybe one track their was very little captivating or arousing. Track after track wandered through purposeless themes that pounded out all sorts of technical riffs, rhythms and solos that failed to spark my imagination, I am left with very little to say about "Sun Eater", my disappointment has left me wondering if this kind of music isn't doing it for me anymore.


Rating: 4/10

Wednesday 19 November 2014

Devin Townsend Project "Dark Matters" (2014)


Its time to talk about the second half of the new Devin Townsend double album "Z²". In the build up to its release I was much more interested in the "Sky Blue" half, while most media outlets were focused on the return of our beloved coffee addicted alien friend Ziltoid! In 2007 Devin released the first Ziltoid record which mixed his unique blend of Metal with a comedic musical about an alien named Ziltoid who visits earth demanding their finest cup of coffee. The cult popularity of the album has set a high grade for this follow up, which I was expecting to be the less enjoyable half of Z², however I have myself pleasantly humbled by this straight forward and entertaining record.

From start to end this album engaged me with its glorious sound and tongue in cheek humor, combining the two effortlessly. Its no surprise this album has a similar production and aesthetic to Sky Blue, with Devin no longer working on his own the Ziltoid franchise benefits from the additional musicians who give this album much warmth and depth that "Ziltoid The Omniscient" lacked. From song to song the album unfolds its story through entertaining tracks that are exciting, integrating the characters and narratives with a touch of class. There wasn't a moment of filler and the story and music both climax together, ending the album on a high with the outstanding "Dimension Z".

In a nutshell, I felt Dark Matters took "Ziltoid The Omniscient" and stepped it up a notch, better production, no drum machine and more cohesion and consistency from song to song. The story and comedic narrative is obviously an important element, but being a silly tale about a coffee loving extra-terrestrial, this squeal didn't need more than some good laughs and humor to justify its relevance, and it did exactly that. Five years in the making, Devin has delivered a rock solid record of which every moment is satisfying. 

Favorite Songs: From Sleep To Awake, Ziltoid Goes Home, Dimension Z
Rating: 7/10

Tuesday 18 November 2014

Machine Head "Bloodstone & Diamonds" (2014)


Machine Head are an American four piece Groove Metal band from California who over the 20 years since their first album "Burn My Eyes" have become one of Metal's most popular and celebrated heavier bands. In 2007 the group released their magnum opus "The Blackening", an album that showcased their musical maturity, ability to write captivating songs and their mastery of heavy, grooving riffs that saw song after song shred through neck snapping head banger after banger. It set the bar high for this band, their 2011 effort "Onto The Locust" underwhelmed me at the time. Thanks to this blog I have learned to be more patient with music, to give it more spins before giving my thoughts and opinions, and in the case of this record I was underwhelmed at first, but stuck at it and after a few listens I started to really enjoy this one.

Production wise this album sounds loud, bold and engaging, a step up from "The Blackening" with time doing providing progression as expected. Its a fantastic modern production that captures the character of the band without over doing the squeaky clean sound some modern Metal records suffer from, ie Slipknot's ".5: The Gray Chapter". With a great sound laid down all Machine Head need to do is deliver those slamming heavy riffs in captivating songs as they so often do. On the first few listens the "money riffs" were there, with no failure to excite, but the songs and themes didn't initially do much for me, feeling a little dull and dry at times. After several listens the familiarity helped me understand and appreciate what Machine Head were up to. For a band who may of passed their creative peak there was no shortage of ideas, song after song progressing with plenty of new ideas and interesting song structures that felt organic and epic, however these ideas would be a little expansive as the album drew on.

This is an album of two halves, from "Now We Die" to "Eyes Of The Dead" Machine Head sound their usual selfs with the exception of "Sail Into The Black", a moody, brooding track that gentle progresses, roars, and then fades back in the darkness. The second half finds each song sounding distinctly different from Machine Heads usual arsenal of sounds, "Beneath The Silt" brings some low sludgy Crowbar like grooves to the fold with Flynn showing the gentler side of his voice with dreamy leads. "In Comes The Flood" is a blatant social political commentary about America and capitalism that delivers all attention to the lyrics. "Damage Inside" has Flynn bringing a folk like solo vocal leads to some reverb soaked ambiance that builds up and dissipates a climatic moment. "Game Over" focuses its attention on a thrashier sounding rhythm than usual and "Imaginal Cells" bring more anti-system commentaries through sampled vocals over a quiet instrumental. The album ends on "Take Me Through The Fire" and like the ones before, something is a little differed. These songs are all decent, its great to hear the band expand their sound, but the track arrangement makes it very noticeable, and maybe with a more mixed line up I would not of noticed. But either way it doesn't change the fact that this album is loaded with good songs, and that Machine Head still know what their doing, the inclusion of the symphonic strings on a couple of tracks worked well and Bloodstone & Diamonds is another solid part of their discography.

Favorite Songs: Ghosts Will Haunt By Bones, Beneath The Silt, Take Me Through The Fire
Rating: 6/10

Sunday 16 November 2014

Fen "Dustwalker" (2013)


English Black Metal band Fen are a group who captivated my interest with their debut "The Malediction Fields" in 2009. Their sound stood them apart from other bands in the genre by incorporating some Post-Rock elements that gave them a range and diversity that was intriguing and progressive. The bands songs could span a range of moods and incorporate many heavy, or light and melodic moments with effortless fluency. Their sound is charactered by a strong theme of nature, the kind of cold unforgiving beauty the natural world can be without the comforts of the modern age. I saw this band live last year and was, to my surprise, rather disappointed, feeling their live show didn't capture what their recordings did.

Dustwalker failed to grab my attention at first. It wasn't until multiple listens later that I became more engaged with this record, what initially disappointed me is still quite apparent, it is fitting for the right mood, but in the wrong environment the music alone doesn't quite have the spark to captivate my attention. Sometimes it is hard to tell the difference between your own enjoyment of art, or the art itself. Maybe there is only the first, but on a long walk in the cold dark of night could this music reveal itself.

Rough around the edges, the albums production is straight forward and unpolished giving it a natural character, not low fidelity, but far from perfection. This plays great in melodic moments that get a hazy distortion from the instruments sharing the space together. The production sets the tone for this record that explores varied themes in long songs that progress through a dynamic range of heavy and melodic moments that are quite awe inspiring in the right mood. The vocals deliver an honest performance with clean leads that bleed the human element into these cold songs. Theres a few golden moments here and there but overall the songs do dull a little as they continually progress through mediocrity. Theres nothing terribly bad happening here, but it just falls short overall.

Favorite Tracks: Spectre, Reflections
Rating: 4/10

Saturday 15 November 2014

My Bloody Valentine "Loveless" (1991)


Scottish group My Bloody Valentine are a Shoegazing band who have been cited a major influence and pioneers of the genre which gets its name from the literal observation of gazing at ones shoes, a characteristic of the guitarists in the genre who would stare at their feet when playing. Having recently enjoyed some Shoegazing influences I felt compelled to check this album out after enjoying the opening and single track "Only Shallow".

The group have a low fidelity aesthetic, grungy guitars muddy there way through a wall of fuzzy distortion that consumes and blurs much of the instrumentation around them. Some strummed clean chords are slightly audible and the drumming is lost and buried under much of this hazy fuzz. The vocals the most captivating element, providing a gentle melody and relation through the noise of the guitars. With all that said the production and mixing is very inconsistent from track to track, with the opening drums having a clear and crisp yet slightly narrow sound to them, then in the next couple of tracks they are buried. The guitars also utilize the tremolo bar, distorting chords and pitch shifting them, giving them a sound like the audio had been recorded to old tape and stretched. Interesting at first, but becoming somewhat dull as the album progressed.

This album was a disappointment. Beyond the promise of the opening track the music failed to evoke much emotional response from me. The ideas and aesthetics from the opening track were quickly dulled as track after track meandered through low fidelity noise that didn't offer much in terms of imagination or progression. I understand and appreciate the influence a record like this can have, the experimentation with fidelity and aesthetics is interesting and captivating, however there was an apparent lack of substance behind these ideas as each song drifted by with no remarkable moments or much to talk about. 

Favorite Tracks: Only Shallow, When You Sleep
Rating: 4/10

Friday 14 November 2014

As Blood Runs Black "Allegiance" (2006)


As Blood Runs Black are an American Deathcore band who formed in the early years of the Deathcore scene and dropped this, their debut album, at the peak of the genres popularity in 2006. After giving this one a spin during a work out today, I felt compelled to talk about it. This is one of the better sounds to emerge from the scene that would become plagued with mimicking bands and a flood of mediocre music.

The groups sound leans much closer to Metalcore and Hardcore than its Death Metal counterpart, what is "Death" about it is rather sonicly visceral and full on than anything remotely Death Metal, this is often true of many Deathcore bands that have an abrasive sound only similar in tone and aggression, not often in mood or substance. The heavy side of their sound comes from the aesthetic and songwriting where these typical Metalcore style songs break away into slamming, pummeling breakdowns with simplistic grooves and machine-like drumming that rattles away with exceptional precision, and lots of use of triggers, the end of "My Fears have Become Phobias" being an example. These slams and breaks are accompanied by a solid vocal presence ranging from snarled screams to forceful guttural rawrs, and the occasional gang shout.

Although they will be more noticeably be defined by these characteristics, the group write decent Metalcore leads, with memorable riffs making use of melodics and pinch harmonics that ads up to create exciting and aggressive music. My problem with this album is its lack of substance, after the first three songs the group change the mood with a gentle instrumental "Pouting Reign", a song that lacks any real progression or musical ideas, and from this point onwards the Metal tracks never really live up to the promise of the first few, recycling the same ideas, or trying things that just don't do it for me. Decent record, great sound, but a lack of depth in the songwriting department.

Favorite Tracks: In Dying Days, My Fears Have Become Phobias, Hester Prynne
Rating: 5/10

Thursday 13 November 2014

Sikth "The Trees Are Dead And Dried Out Wait For Something Wild" (2003)


Sikth are a UK based six piece Progressive Metal outfit who have grown a noteable reputation and audience since there hiatus in 2007 which came after the release of their second album. With the growing Math Metal and Djent scenes Sikth have often been cited as a major influence on these new bands, and thus their reputation has grown despite their inactivity. After capturing the final show of their reunion tour I felt compelled to write about this exceptional debut album where Sikth defined there brilliant and unusual sound and stood apart from everyone else at that time. 

Sikth's sound is a beautiful and creative mess of musical ideas expressed with a wild and excitable energy that can most notably be heard through the sporadic and jolty rhythm guitar, energetic, bouncy rhythms and riffs, organic and sporadic in nature, almost sounding polyrhythmic and mathematic yet being neither. Although the guitar tone isn't full Djent, Sikth bang out tightly performed rhythms, crunching the isolated notes in the low end, It's clear to hear the influence they have had. The guitar leads, at the time, had a refreshing approach with hammered on melodic leads the group would use diversely in frenetic moments and to build captivating atmospheres. In the drumming department Loord Foord ads another creative and detailed layer to Sikth's sound, never settling for anything simple, he consistently decorates these tracks with fantastic rhythms, fills, patterns and provides a solid backbone. Vocalists Mikee and Justin bring more energy to the mix with their charactered and diverse presence, offering some memorable sing along melodic leads on tracks like "Peep Show" as well as playing to the frenetic energy of the guitars with sharp gruff screams sounding like a mad man on the loose. The bass is solid throughout and occasionally comes to the fore front with some bold baselines like on the track "Hold My Finger" as the notes slide up and down behind a hammered on lead.

For all they do different, their end product is not Avant-Guard or Experimental. Despite having an unusual sound, Sikth are a group with a great sense for song writing and Rock sensibility who's unusual and experiment elements are executed to a perfection that allows the group to explore their selfs in these songs that are progressive and well structured. As well as their Metal sound, Sikth also have a great appreciation for ambiance and atmosphere which can be heard in the longer tracks "Tupelo" and "Can't We All Dream", two very different but absorbing songs. The production of this album is solid. So much so I don't think I have ever given it a second thought, which is testament to its quality. Far from a squeaky clean sound, but their is no muddiness or technical issues and at all times it captures everything this band is about. A stunning record, one that has stayed with me over the years and has never lost its charm.

Favorite Tracks: Scent Of The Obscene, Pussyfoot, Hold My Finger, Emmerson, Peep Show, Tupelo, Can't We All Dream
Rating: 9/10

Tuesday 11 November 2014

Kraftwerk "The Man-Machine" (1978)


The world of Electronic music is one I'm fond of, but not well educated on its history and evolution. From my understanding it is Kraftwerk who are often hailed as the godfathers of all modern Electronic music. I've frequently heard about them in the highest of regards from enthusiasts who point to them as pioneers in the field who's influence is enormous and lasting. After enjoying the song "Robots" and its quirky music video on Youtube I have failed to listen to this record for too long.

It was impossible to listen to this record with out thinking about its context, era and what it would have meant for the music of the future, but this didn't effect my enjoyment of this record, what I found were 6 repetitive and minimalist songs that had a gentle, yet unusual soul about them. Kraftwerk's sound is powerful considering the lack of depth on hand. Songs mostly consisted of three to five layers of synthesizers, an electronic kit and vocoded vocals. The beauty of there music was in the expression, through limited options the four created catchy and memorable tunes with an unusual air about them, probably reflecting the new frontier they were sailing with Electronic music. It was this ingenuity to bring melodic sensibility and catchy notation to the electronic sound that I suspect is what has earned them their reputation. Previously I had heard synthesizers being used as evolving tangents of progressing sound on such a record as "Dark Side Of The Moon" or some Tangerine Dream of the same era.

As a whole the record sounds pristine, so much care was put into the mix and the texture of these synthesizers, at a time when production was not as advanced. With a fantastic sound the group craft absorbing songs that, despite the minimalism, feel rich with atmosphere and character. As the album progress the vocal content develops a little, but always sticking to a simplicity that expresses a non-human characteristic as vocoded vocals repeat words in an alien use of language. As the album sucked me in I felt the repetitive synth leads becoming more memorizing and absorbing, with a fantastic moment on "Neon Lights" as sweeping, glistening synths captivate and dance there way through half the duration of this track. Impressive album, even more so considering the era of time. That being said nothing here feels dated, Kraftwerk didn't just experiment or push boundaries, they created honest music as they did it.

Favorite Tracks: Metropolis, Neon Lights, The Man Machine
Rating: 9/10

Monday 10 November 2014

Run The Jewels "Run The Jewels 2" (2014)


Run The Jewls is a project consisting of Hip Hop rappers Killer Mike & EL-P. The two got together in 2013 and released the first self titled album. After a great reception the two have come back quickly this year with the second album which is also receiving a lot of praise. I picked this album up on the premise of some dark, violent and aggressive Hip Hop. It certainly delivered on this front.

Killer Mike & EL-P are unforgiving on this album, delivering an onslaught of offensive lyrics and violent imagery in a ruthless fashion. Theres little socially conscious or thought provocative content here. The two bang our insult after insult as these songs explore paranoid, misogynist and anti-authority themes. Both rapper's, who I am new too on this record, have fantastic flows. They are creative, engaging and clearly spoken, which is enjoyable but for me the lyrical content lacked a point at times, with much of the offensive material feeling unnecessary or without cause. Despite this the rhyming was creative and at times a little cheesy with lines like "I'm so high your a hobbit" or "You can walk backwards through a field of dicks", however its a humorous flavor cheese.

Instrumentally this album is sharp, production is on form, the beats are grooving and charactered by dark and gritty sampling which can be estranged in places, creating dark and paranoid vibes to accompany the violent overtone of this record. Theres a dynamic relationship between the kits and samples as sturdy, constructed beats give narrative and structure to unusual sounds. On the track "Close Your Eyes" a vocal sample is manipulated to forge a jiving and unusal beat, it also features Zach De La Roach of RATM who delivers an unremarkable verse. I enjoyed this record a lot, the beats were refreshing, however for me the lyrical substance falls short of making it special.

Favorite Tracks: Oh My, All My Life, All Due Respect, Angel Duster
Rating: 7/10

Sunday 9 November 2014

Revocation "Deathless" (2014)


Revocation are a four piece (once three) Thrash Metal band from Boston USA. I had the pleasure of being one of their first international listeners. After building a small presence in the local Boston scene, Revocation unleashed their debut full length "Empire Of The Obscene" onto the Blogspots which I caught immediately. The album cover grabbed my attention, the name "Revocation" and its logo gave me a vibe, that this was a special Metal band, one that would stand apart from others. You can't judge a book by its cover, but I was right, I fell in love with this band immediately, disillusioned by the trending Deathcore scene they were everything I wanted to hear at the time, I've since supported them by attending shows, buying merch and CDs etc. I've watched them grow slowly, almost too slow, each album earning critical acclaim, yet not pushing them into the Metal Elite where they belong.

David Davidson's style is unique and refreshing. As the main songwriter, lead guitar and vocal presence he is the force behind this band. His style is energetic, passionate and creative, giving Revocation an edge to come up with new ideas within the confines of a well explored Metal genre. On their first three albums there was a constant onslaught of creativity that felt fresh and exciting. Riff after riff would deliver new ideas and techniques that stood this band apart. On their self titled and more so "Deathless" Revocation have become more defined by their previous efforts and sound like a well matured band thats sticking to their guns. This is fine, but for me it took the edge of the album, too much familiarity left me wanting more from a band I always expect to surprise me, however what I found was a very enjoyable record.

For a modern and cleanly produced album "Deathless" sounds gorgeous. The record has character and the guitar tones are powerful, yet soft and textured. The drums are captured and mixed well considering the frenetic nature of Phil's technical blasting, which on this record did feel a little tame and less spontaneous than previous records. Behind the sound is substance, the songwriting is class, more focused on the overall themes and progression than the more sporadic style of past, giving this album a solid feel with songs that are structured and mature. The overall theme is a little darker and slower with Revocation trading in many of the faster chaotic moments for progression and brooding moods. Its another great chapter in Revocation's discography, and an interesting one. I'm not sure if they moved one step closer, or away from achieving their Magnum Opus, a peak in their potential that hasn't been reached yet.

Favorite Tracks: A Debt Owed To The Grave, Madness Opus, Scorched Earth Policy, Witch Trails.
Rating: 5/10 

Friday 7 November 2014

Devin Townsend Project "Sky Blue" (2014)


Canadian musician and producer Devin Townsend, once of Strapping Young Lad, has been in the game for over 20 years, during that time he has developed a cult following and favorable reputation for his unique style of Metal music thats been supported by his die hard fan base which I am proud to be part of. In recent years Devin has hit a musical niche after rediscovering his talent in a drug-free environment. Under the moniker "Devin Townsend Project" he scheduled 4 albums of material which he has continued onwards with. This is the sixth album, and is released as one half of Z², the other half being the second Ziltoid album.

Sky Blue is a lush sounding record, Devin's influential "wall of sound" production is warm and rounded here, the instruments have room to breath yet sound loud and powerful together. The drums are punchy, crisp and mixed to perfection, the guitars have a fantastic, distorted yet soft tone that gels so well with the synthetic keys. Their chemistry is key, giving Sky Blue its gorgeous and immersible overtone. The synths are diverse in there subtlety, sometimes letting the guitars take focus, and often oozing awe inspiring ethereal noise through the mix, filling in the gaps, acting as the glue for a beautiful lush sound. Devin & Anneke's voices are epic, powerful and soaring, ringing out some glorious and captivating leads, which are captured perfectly on these tracks. Devin knows exactly what he's doing when it comes to production and gives this album a gorgeous sound thats unfortunately not met by substance.

This album kicks off with Rejoice, a bouncy, colorful metalic track with pop sensibility and bold symphonic stabs that sets an upbeat tone for this album, its followed by some tracks that shift the focus to the more drawn out, epic synth driven sound that focus on melody and awe. There's a couple more energetic, metalic songs and some great poppy choruses and hooks that will get in your head, then comes Rain City, a lengthy track shifts the mood and looses the upbeat energy, from this point the last few tracks draw out a dull end to Sky Blue, a great sounding album which has some fantastic songs, but falls short of something special.

Favorite Tracks: A New Reign, Warrior, Sky Blue
Rating: 6/10

Thursday 6 November 2014

Depeche Mode "Black Celebration" (1986)


It feels a little strange to talk about music you know is hugely influential, yet know so little about. Over the years I've heard nothing but good things about Depeche Mode, their influence and legacy. Finally I have got around to giving them a listen. It took me a while to fully grasp this album and adjust to their sound, which is strange considering how clean and approachable they are. My memory of the first listen feels almost alien to how it sounds now, maybe this is the power of familiarity.

Depeche Mode compose powerful, intelligent music with a strong emotional narrative and direction thats guided by energetic, bold arrangements of synth notation and quirky noises layering these songs with detail. This absorbing sound is beautifully composed giving bright, colorful melodic leads room to shine and chime with Martin Gore's loving voice and swooning lyrics. The combination is powerful, creating a lasting impression as the two dance around each other and drive home moments you can't get out of your head.

Their genius is subtle, there is a brilliance to these compositions, the group build up suspense and narrative with detailed instrumentals that are ever so slightly contrasting to Gore's powerful soothing voice. Then at the perfect moment they shift the gears to let the melodic lead unfold and meld with the vocals to create those goosebump moments that last. Fantastic sounding album that has grown on me tremendously with each listen, now i understand what the fuss is about.

Favorite Songs: Fly On The Windscreen, A Question Of Time, Stripped, Here Is The House
Rating: 9/10

Wednesday 5 November 2014

Techno Animal "Ghosts" (1991)


As an avid music fan, I consider music to be an experience, one that can go to many noisy extremes. Techno Animal is a project that many may turn their noses up, you might say its "noise" or not music, but to do so would miss the point. Music is sound that purposely provokes an emotional response, and that response is not always warm or positive. Music like this explores the dark side of life, through depraved torturous sounds and noises fit for the darkest of scenarios. It takes a certain mindset to embrace this exploration, and the enjoyment one can get from it is unusual and fascinating. On my map of dark and experimental music, this seems like a potentially progressive record given the pre-internet times, however its over a decade since Throbbing Gristle, an extremely important English group born out of the Punk movement who could be considered an early origin for Industiral music, and inspiring darker depraved styles. Techno Animal is a project composed of Justin Broadrick of Godflesh and Kevin Martin and "Ghosts" is their first release which notably is on Virgin Records who at the time may have been taking chances signing experimental and unconventional artists.

Ghosts is a hit and miss record for me, for this we are going to go through the track one by one. The album opens with "Burn", an ugly abrasive song with a snarling scream accompanied by a punchy drum kit and strange hits that builds an atmosphere I felt the drums were cutting through and spoiling what it had to offer. With "Walk Then Crawl" what sounds like a Godflesh outtake on an odd time signature is repeated over and over, as eerie, ghostly haunting screams and moans building up in a twisted progression that leads to an unusual climax. "White Dog" is another noisy exploration with another industrial kit punching through the songs atmosphere, for me the drum kits were too comfortable and familiar for the twisted experience the sampling bring. "Freak Fucker" is a gem, What sounds like a quote from a Nazi rally is repeated over and over. Distorted and twisted as horrid, slimy, scissoring sounds snake around in the background, it feels rather poetic, as if the twisted noise is the dark underbelly of Nazism. "The Dream Forger" is a pleasant break from the devilish onslaught, an unidentifiable wind like instrument hums a gentle, yet unsettling melody that eerily drifts into a warm haze of sound. "Tough Cop / Soft Cop" Gets dark and heavy, this time i left the drums nailed it. An uncompromising rhythm guides you through a wall of hateful screams and screeching saxophones and distant voices that feels like you're being dragged to hell, a grabbing listen. "God VS Flesh" brings 23 minutes of gentle spooky ambiance, building a immersible soundscape that is chilling and dangerous. It progress with craft, never feeling safe, but always moving towards a dramatic conclusion towards the end. "Spineless" is my favorite track, layers of distant screams, groans and whispers build a distressing intensity that broods menacingly, theres an occasional heart beat dropped into the track, creating an air of human fear, ending this one with a lasting impression.

Overall an immersible, unsettling listening experience that explores dark and depraved places. Only spoiled by a couple of tracks where the drums just ruined it for me, this is a great record for anyone looking to be confronted by what they don't want to hear.

 Favorite Tracks: Freak Fucker, The Dream Forger, God Vs Flesh, Spineless
Rating: 7/10