August 09, 2007 Music » Sound Advice

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click to enlarge Justice - - - - Vice - - Sounds like: Daft Punk meets Judas Priest - - Short take: Junkyard dance for rockers and - ravers alike - - French grunge-dance duo Justice uses rock music as a - means to the end of dance music. "Waters of Nazareth," - its biggest and brightest song and 2006's best go-to - club staple starts with a guitar riff that's been bent - and flanged out of all identity, a dime-store beat and a - stadium-soaring keyboard pattern, making a glorious, - endorphin-infused muck of a song. And is all - muck. Justice is more than anything about entropy, - where only the crunchiest, most distorted sounds pass - muster. The few vocals sound overheard from a passing - Peugeot. The album's seemingly composed of landfill - finds, and the more manhandled, the better. Justice is - flag-bearing a new new by rejecting any - equipment or sound at all current, instead bending and - welding the detritus of yesteryear into right now's most - banging devil-horn dance music. Matt - Martin
  • Justice

    Vice

    Sounds like: Daft Punk meets Judas Priest

    Short take: Junkyard dance for rockers and ravers alike

    French grunge-dance duo Justice uses rock music as a means to the end of dance music. "Waters of Nazareth," its biggest and brightest song and 2006's best go-to club staple starts with a guitar riff that's been bent and flanged out of all identity, a dime-store beat and a stadium-soaring keyboard pattern, making a glorious, endorphin-infused muck of a song. And is all muck. Justice is more than anything about entropy, where only the crunchiest, most distorted sounds pass muster. The few vocals sound overheard from a passing Peugeot. The album's seemingly composed of landfill finds, and the more manhandled, the better. Justice is flag-bearing a new new by rejecting any equipment or sound at all current, instead bending and welding the detritus of yesteryear into right now's most banging devil-horn dance music. Matt Martin

click to enlarge Korn - Untitled - - - Virgin - - Sounds like: '90s band just isn't so inspiring - anymore - - Short take: Korn klinks again - - The sales pitch behind Korn's latest album, - Untitled, is that it's the alt-metal act's first foray - into more of a goth approach; the band's members have - compared it to sounds of The Cure. Perhaps this - wouldn't be such a bad thing if any of the album's 13 - tracks truly found Jonathan Davis and Co. channeling - Robert Smith's spirit. Instead, the disc is filled with - material that bounces between banality and retread. The - angst-filled "Evolution" and anthemic "Hold On" may - cater to the loyal following, but the band feels as though - it's mining its past for creative ideas. For more than a - decade, Korn's greatest asset was its ability to look - forward with impunity as a bellwether in industrial noise, - falling somewhere between Nine Inch Nails and Slipknot. - The nondescript Untitled is more uninteresting - than anything else. John Benson
  • Korn

    Untitled

    Virgin

    Sounds like: '90s band just isn't so inspiring anymore

    Short take: Korn klinks again

    The sales pitch behind Korn's latest album, Untitled, is that it's the alt-metal act's first foray into more of a goth approach; the band's members have compared it to sounds of The Cure. Perhaps this wouldn't be such a bad thing if any of the album's 13 tracks truly found Jonathan Davis and Co. channeling Robert Smith's spirit. Instead, the disc is filled with material that bounces between banality and retread. The angst-filled "Evolution" and anthemic "Hold On" may cater to the loyal following, but the band feels as though it's mining its past for creative ideas. For more than a decade, Korn's greatest asset was its ability to look forward with impunity as a bellwether in industrial noise, falling somewhere between Nine Inch Nails and Slipknot. The nondescript Untitled is more uninteresting than anything else. John Benson

click to enlarge UNKLE - War Stories - - - Surrender - - Sounds like: A new rock alternative, circa '95 - - Short take: "Future" musician goes back to the - past - - Back in 1998, when James Lavelle paired up with DJ - Shadow as UNKLE for the phenomenal Psyence - Fiction, he was at the top of his game, crafting a - groundbreaking omni-genre mash-up. Since then, - Lavelle, alone, has released three abysmal UNKLE - albums, the first coming off as a clumsy, hapless retread - of PF, and the second as a half-baked - "soundtrack for a future film." Now, with War - Stories, Lavelle has offered up a foolhardy attempt - to revive mid-'90s space rock. To spread the blame, - Lavalle brings in the talents of several lesser-thans - the greatest of which is Queens of the Stone Age's Josh - Homme, who sounds strange at best. Elsewhere, other - guest "stars" wade through Lavelle's muck of orchestral - quicksand, their guitars reverbed past all distinction. - War Stories does its best to sound ethereal, but - instead only registers as forgettable. Matt Martin
  • UNKLE

    War Stories

    Surrender

    Sounds like: A new rock alternative, circa '95

    Short take: "Future" musician goes back to the past

    Back in 1998, when James Lavelle paired up with DJ Shadow as UNKLE for the phenomenal Psyence Fiction, he was at the top of his game, crafting a groundbreaking omni-genre mash-up. Since then, Lavelle, alone, has released three abysmal UNKLE albums, the first coming off as a clumsy, hapless retread of PF, and the second as a half-baked "soundtrack for a future film." Now, with War Stories, Lavelle has offered up a foolhardy attempt to revive mid-'90s space rock. To spread the blame, Lavalle brings in the talents of several lesser-thans the greatest of which is Queens of the Stone Age's Josh Homme, who sounds strange at best. Elsewhere, other guest "stars" wade through Lavelle's muck of orchestral quicksand, their guitars reverbed past all distinction. War Stories does its best to sound ethereal, but instead only registers as forgettable. Matt Martin

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