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Rating: If the previous "Hold Your Color" had been a breath of fresh air for the Drum & Bass scene, bringing into the spotlight a genre in slight decline, this "In Silico" highlights the elements of the group's music that the genre purists criticized at their debut. In fact, since the first album, it was evident that the electronic sounds proposed by the sextet were alternated with a punk attitude and rock inserts, making the group's musical offering syncretic and original.
"In Silico", from the very first listen, surprises the listener; those who expected mechanical Drum & Bass or technical and complex Electronics (how can one not remember "Another Planet") from the debut will be disoriented. The guitar plays a decisively more important role compared to the previous album, and the sound is generally more varied.
The first two tracks, "Showdown" and "Different", have a similar structure: melodic vocals, strangely "acoustic" beats, and Techno Punk instrumental tails with vague hints of sound terrorism. It is immediately noticeable that the use of the rhythmic section leans more towards Rock than Electronics; the drums are rarely syncopated, there are many snares, and generally the same pattern is used throughout the flow of the song. Instead, the bass, always distorted, takes on the role of a real instrument, filling gaps and defining the structure and rhythm of the track. The sound is very complex, and many samples alternate almost interchangeably within the relentless melody. It ranges from more easy listening tracks like "Propane Nightmares", where the keyboard dominates, to more intimate tracks, which therefore require more dedication in listening, such as "Visions", characterized by the use of the vocoder and remarkable effects, and "9'000 Miles", where guitar arpeggios and '70s synth accompany a sweet, vaguely psychedelic progression. "Midnight Runner", certainly more ambient in approach and slightly repetitive, showcases a great variety of electronic sounds that vaguely resemble those of video games. The Drum & Bass progressions of the debut are not missing, though confined to just a few moments in almost all tracks. A paradigmatic example of the band's sound syncretism is the excellent "Mutiny", where, following a typically D&B rhythmic structure, comes a Rock-based guitar solo, promptly effected and integrated into the syncopated flow of the track.
The voice is always melodic, especially when using the vocoder, but allows for some angrier moments; the guitar adapts perfectly to the group's sound, and a great example of this is in the opener "Showdown", when a harmonic progression governed by the guitar, with a clear Rock matrix, is supported by a typically electronic rhythmic section.
A couple of uninspired tracks ("The Other Side" and "Granite") and one somewhat tedious, "The Tempest" - a failed attempt to make the group's sound harder - do not, however, compromise an excellent performance by Rob Swire & Co., one of the most original bands of recent years, at least in the electronic field.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 Showdown (05:27)
Well it's been such a long time coming
I thought you'd understand
That I'm so far ahead of the lines
You've be drawing in the sand
Cos' it's simple...
You were wrong
You must have known that we end up alone.
I know you thought I'd sold my soul
But you never told me to my face
I just had to leave you cold
and blow this shit away!
02 Different (05:51)
We see the shadows that are falling from your eyes
Draining your face of everything but the disguise
Don't try baby, let them see your true colours
Don't mind the camera, let them see your black heart tonight
Don't try baby, show them just how deep it goes,
Don't mind the cameras, let them see your black heart baby
You've been perfect from the start
They told me that time has only done you wrong
We are going to a different place
We're taking everything we can
There's no expression left upon our face
'Cause time is running out so fast
We're sinking in the sand
You've been talking from the heart
Saying that I can't be away from life
We are going to a different place
We're taking everything we can
There's no expression left upon our face
'Cause time is running out so fast
We're sinking in the sand
We're sinking in the sand
We're sinking in the sand
03 Propane Nightmares (05:13)
Something�s tearing me down And down Can�t help but feel it�s coming from you She�s a gunshot bride With a trigger cries I just wonder what we�ve gotten our selves into In a trail of fire I know we will be free again In the end we will be one In a trail of fire I�ll burn before you bury me Set your sights for the sun Mind is willing Soul remains This woman cannot be saved From the drawn into the fire Mind is willing Soul remains This woman cannot be saved From the drawn into the fire Any danger Bring it on home (4x) Much to weak to jump yourself Heal the wounds or crack the shell Lift yourself from once below Much to weak to jump yourself Heal the wounds or crack the shell Lift yourself from once below Praise the anger Bring it on home (4x) In a trail of fire I know we will be free again In the end we will be one In a trail of fire Ill burn before you bury me Set your sights for the sun Bring it on home
07 Mutiny (05:09)
1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8
Why are you using a broken mic?
In through the maze through your reflection,
We enter from a terminal connection.
In through the maze through your reflection,
We enter from a terminal connection.
1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8
Why are you using a broken mic?
In through the maze through your reflection,
We enter from a terminal connection.
In through the maze through your reflection,
We enter from a terminal connection.
08 9,000 Miles (06:26)
It's 9,000 miles back to you.
I still feel like home is in your arms.
09 Granite (04:41)
you can hide your eyes
you can dim the lights
but they are watching
this is a new time with a different kind
they are the future
the only one
it's a final call for the setting sun
when they get closer
And with a fall from grace
thy will be done
the show is over
it's a new dawn
just leave this place behind
I'll grill your bloodshot mind
they only wanted you're up on demand
this is a new way
we are standing by
no time to hide
no meeting half way
you were sucking life through the needle's eye
this is a new day
and they have won
we will surrender now
what we have done
left in the open
the cool we know will rise up
they are the future
The Future
when all your fears combined
the Memphis was refined
I know you're really trying to understand
this is a new way
it's a new dawn
and they've won
and they've won
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