overall, definitive:twisted is a very cool cd. by cool, I mean you're going to want to share this with your friends. you're going to want everyone to know what you've discovered. one day, when these artists are famous, you'll take joy in saying "I liked those bastards before they sold out to so-and-so records... they used to be so cool... what happened to them?"
I didn't like every single song on the disc, but that is true of even my most beloved cd's. in this case the cd represents so many different and unique genres that I would be amazed if someone liked every single track, tastes just don't go this deep.
that said, what a fun learning experience it is, even for the tracks you don't like!
I've discovered that minimal, which I thought would be terrible, is actually pretty damn cool.
I'm still not sure what EBM is, but if I hear it at a party sometime I'll be able to look smart by informing people. :)
for me, the track flowed very well up until the end. that was when we got to a few things that were too anti-mainstream for my taste.
the good more than makes up for the bad here, though. this disc runs from absolutely beautiful tracks, to ones that are frighteningly intense. it will change the way you think of electronic music.
if you decide you want a better description of what you're listening to, no problem, raw42 has set up the definitive music guide to help you on your way.
to buy the cd, just head on over to 42records.com and pick yourself up a copy.
individual track reviews:
- - - Wissing - Beats and Bytes : Sad Dread's Journey : Big Beat
the samples at the begining of this song really caught me off guard. or should I say "they scared me." I was a bit confused, is this BigBeat or Industrial? Or both?
I'm glad these raw42 guys are doing the classifications for me. :)
Wissing's beats are outstanding, and I love the metallic sounds blending together to create a feeling of dread. Things never get repetitive, which is excellent. Very well done.
- - - Okapi : Moments of Hope : Electro
This is an absolutely beautiful track. the subtle notes blend together perfectly, you can tell the composer is experienced. I love the way sounds blend from clear and light to distorted and computerized.
A short piece, but it works very, very well.
- - - Paralysis : Infectious : Acid
As a matter of taste, I did not like this song. Repetition killed it for me entirely. I kept waiting for changes, waiting for changes... they didn't come often enough to suit my short attention span.
I shouldn't let my personal preferences get in the way though. This song is dark and twisted. It does an excellent job of creating and atmosphere of paranoia.
- - - Digital Critters : Winter's Last Breath : Symphonic Electronica
All I can think about how well this would work in a film. Excellent. Sad. Beautiful.
I have been a fan of the Critters (read: extremely jealous) for a while now, and this song reinforces that. Their timing is perfect and the sounds they use are seamless together. This is one of my favorite tracks on the disc.
- - - Edgemere : Exile : EBM
Hmm... this is EBM huh? Does anyone know what that stands for? Electronic Booty Music maybe? Let me know if you figure it out.
Here's a description of Edgemere's take on EMB:
fast, quick short beats, distorted, deep scratchy vocals, almost industrial, evil and pissed off.
The use of synths on exile works very well. None of the song feels empty, even in it's most bare bones moments. I don't have the slightest idea what those vocals are saying, but one of the things I love most about this song is the way Edgemere has integrated sounds into the vocals.
It's a difficult thing to describe. As the vocals scream out at you, it's as if pipes are breaking, modems connecting, steam blowing... all seamlessly interwoven. It gives the impression of power. I like it.
- - - Detrude : Industrial Whore [GITM Mix] : Industrial Dance
When this track gets going around the 1:00 mark, it *really* gets going. I love the high intense parts, but the lows don't do much for me.
It seems a bit too "generic techno" to me, which makes me wonder about the industrial dance classification. Very reminiscent of lords of acid, which is a good thing.
overall, the good parts more than make up for my little gripes, and I found my fingers tapping along after a bit.
- - - mindfluxfuneral : Retribution : Industrial
for a few years, ben and I were a bunch of industrial whores. we loved it. we loved the grinding synths and distorted vocals. we found the most obscure artists possible and revelled in them.
I listen to most of it now, and think "what the hell was I thinking?" (with a few exceptions: Skinny Puppy, for example). The boys running the mindfluxfuneral home are very reminiscent of skinny puppy. the beats are great and intense, the background music is creepy and weird. and that vocal guy sounds like he would seek me out and kick my ass if I gave a bad review. :)
not quite my thing anymore, but I think industrial fans would do well to seek out some mff tracks.
- - - just john : DeChonka : Experimental
clocking in at a mere 2:00, this is short but sweet. seeing the "experimental" label thrown on this, I prepared for the worst.
I guess I have previously heard the worst experimental there is, because this blew the rest of it out of the water. it was cool and melodic. sort of strangely dissonant in a comforting way.
I could definitely see this in film, during a dream sequence...
- - - misterbuster : just enough to be dangerous : electronica
I guess I can't really say much about this track, since it's mine... I could try and give it an honest review, but no one would believe me.
let me just tell you how god damn proud of it I am.
I *love* this song. I forget that it was made by ben and I. I forget to critique it as I listen. I can't wait to play it for people.
As a (misunderstood) artist, this is exactly the type of thing I want to create. having this song included by the A&R staff at raw42 has made me feel like a proud parent. you can download it here and see for yourself.
god damn we kick ass. :)
- - - Vincent Bergeron : Dreamworld : Abstract
Abstract should be renamed to "Fucked up sounding".
I don't have the slightest idea how Mr. Bergeron did this, but wow... it's crazy.
It makes me feel like I'm being held hostage by clowns at some fucked up carnival.
If any of you have ever seen "The city of lost children" and remember the opening scene of a room filled with evil drunken santa clauses, this would have fit in *perfectly* there.
Not something I would want to listen to frequently, since it makes me feel kind of funny inside, but definitely intriguing and interesting.
- - - Mindspawn : Umbras : Soundscapes
Unfortunately, this just wasn't my thing. It was useful in determining that I'm not a fan of the soundscapes genre. It's that same attention span thing I mentioned earlier.
This should not reflect poorly on Mindspawn, though. It does sound neat, and I'm amazed at the patience it must take to make a track that is so subdued. They certainly must have some big balls to make something that is so far from mainstream.
I would suggest anyone making a dark, creepy film look into mindspawn for some great atmosphere. I'm going to keep it in mind for halloween next year as well.
- - - D. Taylor Singletary : Sentating Spiral Galaxies : Experimental
Well... I wish this song had a bit more... structure? I don't think there is a way to review it. As a compilation of strange sounds, it gets the job done quite well. Like I said before, I'm not a fan of experimental music. I can not give a subjective review of how this compares to the rest of the genre.
- - - neurospasm : through the window : minimalism
this track is fun. I was scared by "minimalism" but this turned out to have a lot going for it. I really enjoyed the beats and the melodies. The song has so many interesting noises thrown in, so many different feelings from enlightened to frightened and more...
I'm interested in hearing more from neurospamsm. very well done! credit them for turning me on to minimalism.
- - - Falling You : Inside the whale : Noise
Hmm. Noise. I understand the need to incorporate each genre into the cd, but was this really a good way to end it?
It ends the cd on such a subdued note that it lowered my overall view of the disc.
I suppose that (for noise) it's well done. There was nothing that stood out about it at all for me. There were some interesting parts near the end of the song, but it took so long for me get there that I had lost interest almost entirely by then.
However, this track is one thing: unique. I have never heard anything like it. Falling You definitely has a knack for creating things we have never heard before, and it deserves our respect for that.
so there you have it.
are most of these artists good? yes, they are excellent.
is it worth the money? yes, at 12.99 it's a steal. we bought 3.
are you going to be cool when you introduce your friends to all these bands they have never heard of? yes, you're going to be *really* *fucking* *cool*.
::mike
mike_mfs@misterbuster.com
http://www.misterbuster.com
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