Rich

Monster Magnet – 4-Way Diablo

June 22, 2008 by Rich Leave a Comment

Monster Magnet is an American stoner rock band that has been around now since 1989. ‘4-Way Diablo’ is the bands seventh studio album and was released through SPV Records on November 5th 2007. The album features twelve original tracks as well as a cover of the Rolling Stones ‘2000 Light Years From Home’ also; it’s an incredibly trippy, psychedelic album and often the music is greatly powerful here. Not all the tracks on this ‘4-Way Diablo’ album are strong, there are a number that are more than a little disappointing here but on the whole this is a fairly decent album from the band.

Tracks such as ‘Slap in the Face’ and ‘Wall of Fire’ are particularly excellent from this album, both of these come complete with some truly hard hitting guitar work and the drumbeats also are supremely powerful here. The vocals are sung out in a lazy drawled fashion, this is something that suits the bands sound well however and the vocals do I feel compliment the instrumental sound nicely throughout this album. It’s a pretty competent offering of stoner rock, not the most original album you’ll ever hear but definitely there are a number of tracks present here that are really rather impressive.

Some of the tracks on this album definitely fail to ignite, opening track ‘4-Way Diablo’ for instance begins this release a little disappointingly and closing track ‘Little Bag of Gloom’ is also fairly unimpressive. Both tracks bore me a little truth be told, there’s not much going on within the sound and the music quickly becomes tiresome. These are not the only two tracks that disappoint; there are a couple more present on this album that progress in a similar sort of way and I’d say that roughly one third of this album fails to impress. When the music is good the sound really works well for Monster Magnet, it’s never exactly groundbreaking stuff but there are definite moments of brilliance riddled throughout this ‘4-Way Diablo’ album.

If you’re a fan of stoner rock then you may well like what you find here with Monster Magnet’s seventh studio album; don’t expect to hear anything you’ve not heard done before but still prepare to be impressed at times. ‘Slap in the Face’ and ‘Wall of Fire’ are definitely the two strongest tracks from this album, there are a few more that are pretty good too but these are the ones that appealed to me the most from this release. The music is raw and possesses quite a live atmosphere and energy about it; this is by no means a polished offering of music but then again that’s not really what stoner rock is all about. Definitely give this album a listen if you’re a fan of the genre, don’t expect the music to be particularly exceptional however and be prepared that a few of the tracks present here are more than a little disappointingly executed.

Label: SPV Records
Release Date: November 5th 2007

Rating:

Rich

UK based film graduate with a huge passion for music, sports and video games.

Sick City – Nightlife

June 21, 2008 by Rich Leave a Comment

Sick City is a Canadian five-piece band making music in the genre of melodic hardcore. The bands drummer is the brother of Comeback Kid front man Andrew Neufeld; clearly the Neufeld family is incredibly musical as both Sick City and Comeback Kid also are absolutely excellent bands. The music created with this ‘Nightlife’ album always is fresh and uplifting; the vocals are simply magnificent and the instrumental side of things also is supremely strong here. The tracks are well constructed, the music is mightily melodious and never does the sound created here by Sick City fail to make me smile.

This is a band with a keen ear for a good melody, right from the offset with opening track ‘Antoinette’ the melodic nature of music hits you and never do the tracks fail to come complete with an absolutely exceptional chorus. Contained within this album is a grand total of thirteen tracks, all of them are fantastic to sing along to and as you listen to ‘Nightlife’ you can’t help but do so. The music possesses a greatly beauteous quality; the guitars and vocals are most impressively constructed in the sound and the drumbeats also are incredibly well worked and powerfully put across.

As the band progresses its way through this album the music never fails to impress, every track here is incredibly well written and the lyrical content of the tracks always is strong. Tracks such as ‘Killing Ourselves to Feel’ and ‘Moving, Not Moving Forward’ do I feel show the bands music at its very best; the music reminds me a little of Armor For Sleep, the music of Sick City packs more of a punch than that of Armor For Sleep but certainly there are some similarities. It’s melodic hardcore and the vocals are extremely softly spoken, the guitar work is greatly powerful however and the cracking guitar riffs do I feel add energy and excitement to the album. Some melodic hardcore bands can be a little too gentle in instrumental approach, this is certainly not the case with Sick City however and always with this album the band is forthcoming in putting forward its hard hitting instrumental sound.

Fans of Paramore will appreciate ‘City Lights’ from this album I feel, throughout the track a second vocal tone can be heard on numerous occasions provided by Karly Simon and the secondary vocals here sound incredibly similar to those of Paramore’s Hayley Williams. ‘City Lights’ is another of the finest tracks from this album, the melodious nature of the music is here highly impressive and the chorus to this one is I feel the best that this ‘Nightlife’ album has to offer. Every track on this album has a brilliant chorus, somehow here the band manages to provide one that is better than ever however and this track therefore stands out strongly on this album.

If you like a good bit of melodic hardcore then you’ll love this ‘Nightlife’ album from Sick City; it’s one of the best albums of its genre I’ve heard in a long while and the album is I feel absolutely flawless. I fail to see how the band could possibly improve upon this release; it will certainly be a test of character in attempting to do so. I’d definitely recommend this album to all, the music is truly beautiful and regardless of your personal musical preference you’ll surely find plenty of enjoyment and delight in this ‘Nightlife’ album. The guitar work is powerful, the vocals are beautiful, and the drumbeats also are hugely hard hitting; in every area this album is excellent and never does the music disappoint here in the slightest. Sick City is most definitely a band to watch out for in the future, the bands music truly is incredible and in the next few years I can see Sick City becoming the new favourite band of many.

Label: Trustkill Records
Release Date: November 19th 2007

Rating:

Rich

UK based film graduate with a huge passion for music, sports and video games.

Les Savy Fav – Inches

June 21, 2008 by Rich Leave a Comment

Les Savy Fav is a five-piece indie rock band from New York City; a band which takes a heavy influence from the genres of art rock and post-hardcore also. ‘Inches’ is an eighteen track compilation album of singles from the band; it comprises of the bands material between the years of 1995 and 2004 and originally was released through French Kiss Records in April 2004. It’s an interesting album from the band and one that showcases a number of excellent tracks; it’s not all good but certainly there are some great moments of promise contained within the hour and ten minutes of music that is ‘Inches’.

Before this album was released these tracks were available on vinyl only, for all fans of Les Savy Fav ‘Inches’ is truly essential listening and definitely the music contained within this collection does not disappoint. ‘Meet Me in the Dollar Bin’ begins this release, an amusing little track which looks into the subject of one hit wonders; it’s a great way to start the collection and certainly begins this ‘Inches’ compilation on a high. The music of Les Savy Fav is intelligent and well worked, the sound created here is always strong and although the music will not appeal to all; those that do appreciate it should absolutely love it.

The music of Les Savy Fav is quite out there, it’s hard to pin them down into any one particular genre and instead the band bounces between several. The band wears its art rock influence on its sleeve, it’s indie rock but not in any kind of real conventional sense. It’s hard to describe the music of Les Savy Fav; it’s quite a cacophony of sound, a musical mash-up of a variety of different genres and one that is not always successful. The vocals are often shouted, the drumbeats are simple but effective, and the guitar riffs go all over the place. The bands sound changes from one track to the next, never are you sure in which direction the music will head next and as this is a compilation collection which spans a full decade of music a bit of variation should always be expected. A bands sound does not generally remain static over the course of a decade; it changes and evolves, for that reason this album does not run particularly smoothly but still it is an interesting one to listen to.

There are definite moments of absolute hardcore present here, ‘Blackouts on Thursday’ for instance reminds me of Refused and this is certainly no bad thing. I love Refused, Refused was a great Swedish hardcore band and with this track Les Savy Fav has really captured the energy, enthusiasm, and riotous nature of the bands music. ‘Blackouts on Thursday’ could almost be a Refused cover track; it’s not, but it’s certainly extremely similar in sound.

If you’re looking for something a little different then you should certainly consider investing in this ‘Inches’ album from Les Savy Fav; give the bands music a listen before you buy as it may not be of appeal, it certainly offers something a little different to the norm however and Les Savy Fav is a band making music like no other. To listen to this album it’s incredibly obvious that the band has a vast array of different influences, the album heads in many different musical directions and never do you know quite what this ‘Inches’ compilation collection will offer next. The album is unpredictable and it is this that I love so much about it, this band does not play by the rules and never does it restrict itself to the confines of any one genre of music. Les Savy Fav here flits between the genres of indie rock, hardcore, and in fact all things in between. So many different genres are covered here that I’d probably have great trouble in trying to list them all; in naming them all even. Certainly consider giving this album a listen, you may well greatly enjoy what you hear.

Label: French Kiss Records
Release Date: April 20th 2004

Rating:

Rich

UK based film graduate with a huge passion for music, sports and video games.

High On Fire – Death Is This Communion

June 21, 2008 by Rich Leave a Comment

High On Fire is a three-piece metal band from California. The band formed back in 1999 and to date has released a total of four studio albums. ‘Death Is This Communion’ is the fourth studio album from the band, an eleven track release which showcases High On Fire’s special brand of Viking inspired heavy metal. The bands vocalist Matt Pike has an incredibly distinctive voice, a hearty war cry that can be heard present in every track here and never does the vocal tone of the man disappoint. Instrumentally also the music has much to offer and right from the offset with the track ‘Fury Whip’ the music is greatly impressive here.

A quick look down the tracklist of this release and the influence of war upon the bands music soon becomes apparent. Viking imagery is often used in the bands lyrics, this is something that works well and always the music of High On Fire has plenty to offer. Instrumentally the music is incredibly hard hitting and vocally also the bands sound is supremely strong. Music website Drowned In Sound state that ‘This is what heavy music was made for’, newspaper The Independent on the other hand declares that ‘Death Is This Communion’ is ‘One of the year’s most important metal releases’; I have reason to agree with both of these sources and having heard many a metal album in the year 2007 this was definitely one of the better efforts if not the very best. Whereas some bands can get a little too hung up on gimmicks with their music, High On Fire is not a band that relies purely on this factor. The music of High On Fire could well be described as ‘Viking Metal’ if you will in that the lyrics often deal with the subject of the medieval; it’s not just all gimmick and no quality however and High On Fire is in fact an incredibly talented band.

Clocking in at just under the hour mark; ‘Death Is This Communion’ is an absolutely exceptional album and always High On Fire offers up an excellent quality of sound here. The music progresses well and never does the sound created disappoint here. It could be said that the tracks are all fairly similar on this album, I guess this could be seen as a downside of the release in that there’s a lack of variety offered; the plus side of this is however that if you like one track from this album then you can rest assured that you’re going to like them all. It’s easy to draw comparisons to the music of Motorhead here, an incredibly similar sound has been created by High On Fire with this album and particularly in the vocal department these similarities quickly become apparent. High On Fire’s vocalist Matt Pike very much has his own distinctive tone of voice, it’s similarly husky to that of Motorhead’s Lemmy however and in my opinion this is no bad thing at all.

Two purely instrumental tracks can be found on this album; ‘Khanrad’s Wall’ and ‘Headhunter’ also. Both of these tracks work well, the latter being my particular favourite of the pair. ‘Headhunter’ is a drum solo from the bands Des Kensel – a powerful piece of music and one that is put across incredibly well by the man here. I love drum solos and this is certainly a strong one; the other instrumental track ‘Khanrad’s Wall’ features the whole band however and also is greatly impressive. It’s the vocals of High On Fire that makes the music stand out so strongly throughout much of this album, even here however when vocals are not present the music is absolutely excellent. The bands members here show themselves to be incredibly competent musicians, this is a highly talented band and with every track on this album a great talent and supreme level of ability is shown.

Closing track ‘Return to NOD’ provides a fantastic finale for the album, one final moment of glory; a six minute display of fine instrumental and vocal sound. It’s by no means the best track on the album, it works well though and once more the supreme ability of High On Fire as a band shines through strongly. This band is an incredibly tight unit, all three members of High On Fire combine together extremely well and the music of this album therefore always sounds excellent. Never does this ‘Death Is This Communion’ album fail to impress, the tracks may all be very similar but the band does enough here to maintain your full interest throughout and hold you under its spell right to the very end of the album. I’m not generally one for the longer track, the band has mostly here concentrated on longer offerings however and I personally absolutely love what the band has done and achieved here.

If you like heavy music then High On Fire’s ‘Death Is This Communion’ is definitely an album to check out. Always the music is excellent here and although variety is not a strong point of High On Fire’s music the band is definitely very good at what it does. The band took three years between the release of third album ‘Blessed Black Wings’ and this, their fourth; it was definitely worth the wait though and certainly the music here does not disappoint. Released through Relapse Records, this is an album that I just cannot recommend highly enough; for fans of heavy metal purchasing this album is a definite must and if you do so I’m sure that you shall surely not be disappointed with what you hear. If you’re not a fan of Motorhead this probably won’t be of appeal; it’s the strongest comparison I can make in terms of sound and if you are a fan of the aforementioned artist then you’ll definitely appreciate ‘Death Is This Communion’.

Label: Relapse Records
Release Date: September 10th 2007

Rating:

Rich

UK based film graduate with a huge passion for music, sports and video games.

Bat For Lashes – Fur and Gold

June 20, 2008 by Rich Leave a Comment

Bat For Lashes is a musical project of Brighton’s singer-songwriter Natasha Khan, a female artist who has here chosen to create music that atmospheric and emotional. Khan has in the past been compared to the likes of Bjork and Kate Bush; I guess that these comparisons are fair but ultimately Natasha Khan is her own woman and with this ‘Fur and Gold’ album the music possesses an extremely original and unique sound. Natasha Khan has an excellent voice, not too many great ideas however and whilst the music is vocally well sung here; you always feel that Khan is here holding something back. This doesn’t feel like the best that Natasha Khan can offer, as atmospheric and interesting as the music is I just get the distinct impression when listening to this album that Natasha Khan has plenty more to give and far more to provide.

The album progresses well, Khan possesses a haunting vocal tone and always her lyrical lines cut deep here. The music is pleasant to listen to, the instrumental sound created here can at times be rather stunning but for the most part the album lacks excitement. I’d say that this album is really rather frustrating to listen to, you always feel that Bat For Lashes has more to give but never does this happen. The tracks often lack direction, the vocals are melodiously sung out and the atmospheric nature of the instrumental side of things sounds strong but without ever leaving much of an impact.

‘Horse and I’ opens this album; ‘I Saw A Light’ closes it and nothing in between really sticks. The music is all very similar; every track is performed in the same sort of fashion and although this is an album that is full of passion it’s also somewhat lacking in terms of the energy of the music’s delivery. Excellent use of piano sound is made throughout this album, the tracks build well but without ever really going anywhere. Every track builds up to what you expect to be a huge finish; the build up merely continues and progresses however and never does the huge build ever seem to amount anything. For the most part what we hear here is the dual sound of Natasha Khan’s vocals and the piano sound also; these two sounds compliment one another well but Bat For Lashes is I feel a musical project where the best is yet to come.

This whole album sounds like an introduction to Bat For Lashes, these eleven tracks prepare you for what’s to come in album number two but without ever revealing much here. A bit like a good movie trailer; ‘Fur and Gold’ has you craving for more, it doesn’t tell you too much but does just enough to capture your interest and have you thinking hard about what you’ve just heard. It’s not a good album as too little happens here, it’s definitely okay though and the fact that I’m now wanting for album number two perhaps suggests that this album has done its trick and served its purpose. The album definitely seems to hold back in what it offers, this Bat For Lashes debut has all the potential to explode and yet it never actually does so. I don’t think I’d really recommend listening to ‘Fur and Gold’, another album is however due in 2008 so perhaps your money would be better spent waiting for the next album to emerge and giving album number two a listen instead.

Label: Echo
Release Date: September 11th 2006

Rating:

Rich

UK based film graduate with a huge passion for music, sports and video games.

The Durango Riot – Telemission

June 18, 2008 by Rich Leave a Comment

The Durango Riot is a four-piece rock band from Sweden, the band combines straight up rock with elements of punk and psychedelic also in order to provide for an extremely full and well rounded sound. ‘Telemission’ is the bands debut album and was released through Fuzzorama Records on October 8th 2007. For a debut record this truly is excellent, few bands manage to attain such excellence with a first album but always here ‘Telemission’ is greatly impressive.

What I like most about this album is the energy with which the band progresses through the eleven tracks on display here, never is there a dull moment and always in fact the music has much to offer. There is a terrific level of power contained within the guitar riffs, the drumbeats also are strong and the bass lines come pounding at all points of this release. The vocal tone of The Durango Riot also is strong, the vocals are sung with a distinct Swedish accent and always they seem to come howling out of the mouth of the bands singer Fred.

From the opening static sound of first track ‘Dirty Needs’ right through to the closing static sound of title track ‘Telemission’ always the album has much to offer the listener. The energy levels always are kept high and every track on this album is incredibly catchy and absolutely excellent to sing and dance along to. Instrumentally the music is pretty much perfect and the same can be said of the vocal performance also. The album is packed full of powerful excitement and every element of the sound here is supremely strong and never in the slightest bit disappointing. Throughout this album there are a number of excellent guitar solos, frequent use is also made of a harmonica and whatever the band throws into the mix you always know that the sound created is going to be very much a successful one.

There are many changes of pace here, the tempo is constantly changing; you have slower tracks such as ‘(Rama Lama) Midnight Haze’, the terrific speed of ‘Dirty Needs’ and every pace in between also. You never know quite what is coming next and this therefore adds to the overall excitement of the album, the pace goes up and down all the time and never can you know exactly what to expect next. With this debut album The Durango Riot more than proves that it is a band that is more than capable of doing things fast, slow, or mid-paced also; this album contains every tempo going and never does the band sound to be at all out of its depth.

If you’re looking for an energetic album of rock then look no further than this ‘Telemission’ release from The Durango Riot. This album truly is excellent, and the fact that it’s a debut album makes it all the better. I believe that with time this band will actually grow, flourish, and become even greater; already the bands music has much to offer but I just feel that when album number two arrives it will somehow be even greater than this one. The psychedelic elements thrown into the mix here really do work well, this adds energy and depth to the sound and always the music created on this ‘Telemission’ album is incredibly fun and exciting also. Definitely give this album a listen at some point and prepare to be impressed.

Label: Fuzzorama Records
Release Date: October 8th 2007

Rating:

Rich

UK based film graduate with a huge passion for music, sports and video games.

Pitchblend – The Lines Of Unreason

June 18, 2008 by Rich Leave a Comment

‘The Lines Of Unreason’ is the debut album release from Reading four-piece Pitchblend, an album that seemingly took an eternity to complete. This album was a good few years in the making; the reason for this is that the band went through a number of line-up changes during this period and the album therefore never got finished (until now that is). The album finally arrived through Sugar Shack Records on February 18th 2008, a thirteen track offering of progressive metal and one that wasn’t really entirely worth the wait. ‘The Lines Of Unreason’ is not a bad album, it’s just not so strong as it could have been and the music is at times a little too weak I feel.

Throughout this ‘The Lines Of Unreason’ album some beautiful use of guitar sound is made, the album is pleasant to listen to but you could easily leave this album running and completely forget that it was playing. The music does not cause much of an impact, as I listen to this album I find that many of the sounds created by the band here wash right over me without ever leaving any real lasting impact. Instrumentally the music is pleasant, vocally also the tone taken here is well put across by the band but without ever being particularly impressive. ‘The Lines Of Unreason’ is I feel the absolute epitome of musical mediocrity, the music is okay but never do you get even the slightest feeling that what you’re listening to is anything particularly special.

As the album unfolds there are no real stand-out tracks to speak of, every one of these thirteen tracks present is just as average as the next and always the music is kept on the same oomph lacking level. This would be a great album to listen to whilst you did the housework; a perfect background sound whilst doing any other activity but not a great album just to sit down and solely listen to. There’s just not enough going on here, not enough excellence shown on behalf of the band and always the music is just a little lacking. All thirteen of these tracks have been well put together by Pitchblend, the music is just rather unspectacular I feel.

I was expecting a little more from this album, much of this ‘The Lines Of Unreason’ album however just sounds to be Pitchblend giving their best impersonation of the sound of Placebo. Pitchblend’s vocalist Rich Savage certainly has the Brian Molko vocal approach down to a tee, I’d rather hear the band being a little more experimental with their sound however and providing a little extra in the way of originality. The album is quite pleasant, it’s definitely lacking in something however and the album seems to be trapped in a land of mediocrity; constantly the music is fighting to provide more but never is the sound created anything greater than average. If you liked Placebo’s ‘Without You I’m Nothing’ album then you’ll probably like Pitchblend’s debut release also; it’s certainly extremely similar.

Label: Sugar Shack Records
Release Date: February 18th 2008

Rating:

Rich

UK based film graduate with a huge passion for music, sports and video games.

Truckfighters – Phi

June 17, 2008 by Rich Leave a Comment

‘Phi’ is the 2007 album release from Truckfighters; a stoner rock band from Sweden. This is a ten track album of hard hitting rock and from start to finish here the guitar riffs are heavy and the drumbeats also are mightily impressive. This is not the most original album ever released, it does however provide for quite an entertaining hour of music. The tracks progress well here and the vocals also are well put across in the sound albeit rather unspectacularly.

If you’re a fan of stoner rock then you’ll find very little that is new here, the sound created is quite contrived and yet the album is still rather interesting. The music has been intelligently put together, the band is not short of a strong idea or two and always the intricate guitar work of Truckfighters is absolutely excellent. This is not the best rock album you’ll ever hear, it is however one that is still well worth listening to. Opening track ‘Atomic’ is particularly strong here, ‘Slacken’ also is an excellent piece of music and closing track ‘The Game’ most definitely ends the album on a high. This album is absolutely jam packed full of quality, never is there a dull moment and always the instrumental work is highly impressive.

There are a number of excellent guitar solos scattered throughout this album, almost every track contains one in fact and this always gives the band an excellent chance to showcase their strongest element; the guitar sound. Vocally there are a few weaknesses here, for the most part the vocals come across well but there are a few occasions when definite vocal weakness is shown. Even when the band is not showing itself to be vocally impressive the guitar solos are still there to keep you entertained, the guitar work always is greatly impressive and this I feel is the bands main forte. The drums provide an excellent backbeat to the sound, full credit to Truckfighters on the instrumental side of things here; the bands members most certainly possess a lot of talent and always the band is out to impress here.

If you like a good bit of hard hitting rock or have a strong appreciation for fine guitar work then ‘Phi’ is an album that I’d definitely recommend listening to. This is not the most original stoner rock album you’ll ever come across, it is however quite an impressive ten track offering of music and throughout this release Truckfighters show off a fine talent for creating an excellent rock sound. The guitar is extremely central to the excellence of the music of Truckfighters, there is great talent to be found in this area of the bands work and never does the instrumental side of Truckfighters music disappoint. Despite a few vocal weaknesses and a fairly unoriginal overall approach; ‘Phi’ is still a pretty decent album and the production values also are supremely strong here.

Label: Fuzzorama Records
Release Date: October 8th 2007

Rating:

Rich

UK based film graduate with a huge passion for music, sports and video games.

iNsoFar – Medicine For The Melancholic

June 17, 2008 by Rich Leave a Comment

‘Medicine For The Melancholic’ is an eight track EP from the great British rock band that is iNsoFar. The band has an extremely energetic rock sound, the music created here by iNsoFar always is strong and never is there a dull moment as the band smashes its way powerfully through this release. The production of the EP is not great, this I feel detracts a little from the overall quality of the release but still this ‘Medicine For The Melancholic’ EP provides for an entertaining twenty six minutes of music.

Throughout this EP the vocal performance always is excellent, instrumentally the music of iNsoFar also has plenty to offer and ever element of the bands sound comes together strongly here. As I’ve already mentioned before; the production of this EP is not great and the sound levels at times sound a little off, the bands great enthusiasm does however always comes shining through in the music. All the tracks on this EP are quite similar, variation is not a strong point of the iNsoFar sound but certainly the guitar riffs always are powerful and the vocal performance is at all times extremely impressive.

Opening track ‘Reach Out’ is my personal favourite from this EP, it has a fantastic sing along quality and the chorus is hugely hard hitting. This track is belted out by iNsoFar, the backing vocals are extremely quiet in the mix but the music does still come across well here. Were the production greater here then this one would have great potential as a chart busting commercial rock classic I feel; the production of the track most definitely holds the music back here but the supreme quality of the sound can still be heard.

With this EP iNsoFar shows great potential as a band, there’s a lot of passion in the performance and the energy levels also are always kept incredibly high. The vocals do I feel suffer most heavily from the poor production values, improvements in production are required for the bands next release I feel and this will without doubt improve upon the overall quality and effectiveness of the music. iNsoFar have something great going here, this is energetic rock at its finest and every element of the bands sound already sounds extremely strong. iNsoFar has only been active as a band now since the end of 2004, already the band has built up a terrific togetherness however and with this ‘Medicine For The Melancholic’ EP iNsoFar has put together a powerful eight tracks of music. I see iNsoFar going from strength to strength as a band over the next few years and with heightened production values this band is surely capable of creating something really rather special.

Label: Not On Your Radio
Release Date: November 19th 2007

Rating:

Rich

UK based film graduate with a huge passion for music, sports and video games.

IAMX – The Alternative

June 17, 2008 by Rich Leave a Comment

‘The Alternative’ is the 2007 release from IAMX, an album written and produced by Chris Corner. IAMX is in fact a solo project of Chris Corner, a name he has been using now since 2003. This is the second album from IAMX, a minimalist approach has been taken with this record and the music created here possesses an electronic synth sound. I think it’s safe to say that I wasn’t very impressed with what I heard from this twelve track album, the songs all seem to lack direction and the overall musical creation here is really rather bland.

Every track on this album is extremely repetitive, this is something that is always to be expected really with electronic music but this sound just doesn’t work here. The album has quite an industrial edge, there is some strong and powerful use of guitar in the sound but not enough use is made of the guitar here for my liking. Almost every track on this album surpasses the four minute mark, the tracks drag and there is little here to really ever keep you entertained. The vocal tone of Chris Corner is pleasant, not hugely hard hitting however and this album therefore leaves very little impact whatsoever.

If I were to pick a highlight or two from this album then I would have to concede that the industrial edge of ‘Nightlife’ is quite impressive and also that an excellent driving guitar sound is utilised in the track ‘The Negative Sex’. Neither of these tracks is entirely excellent however and every track on this album possesses moments of absolute blandness. The music lacks power here, the vocal tone of Chris Corner is not bad but it does often come across as a little too weak to ever be particularly effective. The thing about this album is that the electronic sound created here has all been done before and done a lot better too. The lyrics are dreadful; the instrumental element is weak, and very rarely does the vocal performance actually impress. The vocals are not bad, they’re just a bit soft and this coupled with the dreadful nature of the lyrics provides for really quite a painful overall listening experience.

If you like the music of Depeche Mode then you’ll possibly like IAMX also; the music is nowhere near as good but it’s all done in a similar sort of fashion anyway. ‘The Alternative’ is an incredibly bland album, the lyrics are poorly constructed in the sound and the vocals also lack passion and power. I would definitely not recommend listening to this album, if you like the electronic synth-pop sort of sound then there are a lot of better artists out there than this; that’s for sure. It’s probably best to avoid this one; it’s not really worth wasting your time listening to the so-called ‘Alternative’.

Label: NoCarbon Records
Release Date: November 2nd 2007

Rating:

Rich

UK based film graduate with a huge passion for music, sports and video games.