National CD Reviews
Issue 235 / July 2008 More from this Issue
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Abiku
Left & Right
Automation Records
Street Date: 05.27& 06.24, respectively
Abiku = Genghis Tron + Get Hustle + X + Berserk + Coughs
Having enjoyed Abiku’s previous release, Location, I was a bit intimidated by the 96 track Left & Right collection of songs. However, this release shows an artistic advancement that places Abiku at the bleeding edge of innovative and original music. If punk music still exists today, Abiku is it – the bizarre and tortured female vocals show an amazing range and emotion that is unparalleled. Additionally, the combination of sounds (electronic drums, analog keyboards, warbling monotone yelping vocals) results in less of a combination of genres than a new genre altogether, something like Future Punk. Like all new things, this album will not blow up the charts, but fans of no-wave, proto-punk, grindcore, electro, power-violence and metal should take notice – and if you play music in any of these genres, take a lesson and listen to Abiku. --Ryan Powers
Aborted
Strychnine.213
Century Media
Street: 06.19
Aborted = Nile + Suffocation + Skinless
Unless they start harmonizing melodic choruses, Aborted will always remain one of my death metal weaknesses. New additions to the genre tend to generally remain uninteresting to me, these Belgian gentlemen tip-toe the line between brutality and melodic accessibility wonderfully. Hot on the heels of the previous release, Strychnine.213 comes out without slipping a single step, and though there isn’t any growth between the two albums, it still delivers just under 40 minutes of very enjoyable metal with all of the familiar themes, tastefully used samples and adept song structures. Though the album could be their most accessible release to date, it also feels a bit heavier and more aggressive than the previous release. While many old school fans tout the band’s first two albums as their goregrind masterpieces, I do appreciate the direction Aborted has taken, with their ability to include tinges of grinding ferocity in their now slightly more accessible style. More great work as always. –Conor Dow
Alex Moulton
Exodus
Expansion Team Records
Street: 05.27
Alex Moulton = The Whip + Midnight Juggernauts + Daft Punk
Unlike most of the recent electro drenched, nonsensical party albums of the last couple years, Alex Moulton has created something more thematically based, namely romance in outerspace. No robots surrounding this love canon, it is full of prophecies, passions and pounding beats of biblical proportions. The cover art by legendary fantasy artists Boris Vallejo and Julie Bell depicts a couple floating through space, leaving a burning city behind for the comfort of a UFO. The music is masterfully crafted, sounding more like the score to an 80s love story than a dance hall burner. Tack on the peculiarity of Kraftwerk, and a little LCD Soundsystem style and you have the schematic for a sexy time. Is this the first modern post-banger album? –Andrew Glassett
Amaseffer
Slaves for Life
Inside Out
Street: 06.24
Amaseffer = epic all the way
How much more epic can you get than creating a massively orchestrated piece of music built on the concept of Moses leading the Israelites out of Jerusalem? That is exactly what Amaseffer has done with this their first in a trilogy of concept records. The majority of the tunes are long with a few shorter interludes; the record plays out like a movie soundtrack. Most of the music is actually orchestrated/synths though there are mighty and big guitar moments with those great falsetto power metal vocals. With the first listen of the album I thought well this is going to get old fast, but after a few listens the damn thing grew on me. The orchestration is diverse, full of different atmospheres and sounds, including background moments of people screeching and yelling. This is one record you can’t really skip around on the tracks the album is made to be listened too as a whole or honestly the point behind it will be missed. –Bryer Wharton
Antenne
#3
Helmet Room Recordings
Street 7.01.08
Antenne = Portishead + Orinda Fink + Eluvium
Meandering along like Air's Moon Safari, Antenne's #3 (their third full-length album) is sure to be as much of a cult favorite. Antenne is more widely known throughout Europe, as Kim G. Hansen (Denmark) was a founder of the experimental noise-rock band Grind. Grind transitioned into Armstrong, playing trip-hop, which resonates over to this album with Long to Kiss and Blue Light. Electronic keyboards and static programming are quantified by blocks of acoustic guitar. These tracks are two of the few with sultry, harmonious vocals slowly sung by Marie-Louise Munck. The majority of tracks need no vocals over fuzzied tempos gorgeously sequenced among soundscapes of nature walks. I love Ttreaa#7; it’s just as well-crafted and timed as any Kid A song. And I would love this on vinyl, please. –Jennifer Nielsen
Left & Right
Automation Records
Street Date: 05.27& 06.24, respectively
Abiku = Genghis Tron + Get Hustle + X + Berserk + Coughs
Having enjoyed Abiku’s previous release, Location, I was a bit intimidated by the 96 track Left & Right collection of songs. However, this release shows an artistic advancement that places Abiku at the bleeding edge of innovative and original music. If punk music still exists today, Abiku is it – the bizarre and tortured female vocals show an amazing range and emotion that is unparalleled. Additionally, the combination of sounds (electronic drums, analog keyboards, warbling monotone yelping vocals) results in less of a combination of genres than a new genre altogether, something like Future Punk. Like all new things, this album will not blow up the charts, but fans of no-wave, proto-punk, grindcore, electro, power-violence and metal should take notice – and if you play music in any of these genres, take a lesson and listen to Abiku. --Ryan Powers
Aborted
Strychnine.213
Century Media
Street: 06.19
Aborted = Nile + Suffocation + Skinless
Unless they start harmonizing melodic choruses, Aborted will always remain one of my death metal weaknesses. New additions to the genre tend to generally remain uninteresting to me, these Belgian gentlemen tip-toe the line between brutality and melodic accessibility wonderfully. Hot on the heels of the previous release, Strychnine.213 comes out without slipping a single step, and though there isn’t any growth between the two albums, it still delivers just under 40 minutes of very enjoyable metal with all of the familiar themes, tastefully used samples and adept song structures. Though the album could be their most accessible release to date, it also feels a bit heavier and more aggressive than the previous release. While many old school fans tout the band’s first two albums as their goregrind masterpieces, I do appreciate the direction Aborted has taken, with their ability to include tinges of grinding ferocity in their now slightly more accessible style. More great work as always. –Conor Dow
Alex Moulton
Exodus
Expansion Team Records
Street: 05.27
Alex Moulton = The Whip + Midnight Juggernauts + Daft Punk
Unlike most of the recent electro drenched, nonsensical party albums of the last couple years, Alex Moulton has created something more thematically based, namely romance in outerspace. No robots surrounding this love canon, it is full of prophecies, passions and pounding beats of biblical proportions. The cover art by legendary fantasy artists Boris Vallejo and Julie Bell depicts a couple floating through space, leaving a burning city behind for the comfort of a UFO. The music is masterfully crafted, sounding more like the score to an 80s love story than a dance hall burner. Tack on the peculiarity of Kraftwerk, and a little LCD Soundsystem style and you have the schematic for a sexy time. Is this the first modern post-banger album? –Andrew Glassett
Amaseffer
Slaves for Life
Inside Out
Street: 06.24
Amaseffer = epic all the way
How much more epic can you get than creating a massively orchestrated piece of music built on the concept of Moses leading the Israelites out of Jerusalem? That is exactly what Amaseffer has done with this their first in a trilogy of concept records. The majority of the tunes are long with a few shorter interludes; the record plays out like a movie soundtrack. Most of the music is actually orchestrated/synths though there are mighty and big guitar moments with those great falsetto power metal vocals. With the first listen of the album I thought well this is going to get old fast, but after a few listens the damn thing grew on me. The orchestration is diverse, full of different atmospheres and sounds, including background moments of people screeching and yelling. This is one record you can’t really skip around on the tracks the album is made to be listened too as a whole or honestly the point behind it will be missed. –Bryer Wharton
Antenne
#3
Helmet Room Recordings
Street 7.01.08
Antenne = Portishead + Orinda Fink + Eluvium
Meandering along like Air's Moon Safari, Antenne's #3 (their third full-length album) is sure to be as much of a cult favorite. Antenne is more widely known throughout Europe, as Kim G. Hansen (Denmark) was a founder of the experimental noise-rock band Grind. Grind transitioned into Armstrong, playing trip-hop, which resonates over to this album with Long to Kiss and Blue Light. Electronic keyboards and static programming are quantified by blocks of acoustic guitar. These tracks are two of the few with sultry, harmonious vocals slowly sung by Marie-Louise Munck. The majority of tracks need no vocals over fuzzied tempos gorgeously sequenced among soundscapes of nature walks. I love Ttreaa#7; it’s just as well-crafted and timed as any Kid A song. And I would love this on vinyl, please. –Jennifer Nielsen
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