| |
|
|
|
I don't suppose you've ever asked yourself the question: 'What would happen if Dean Garcia, from Curve, got together with kaRIN and Statik from Collide?' But if you have been pondering that question then The Silver Meeting's Ultrashiver will give you the answers you need. Collide's sound, all synths and female vocals, was never a million miles away from Curve.
"Am I Here?" features a spiralling guitar and a sensuous vocal. There's a nice line in quiet/loud dynamics. It's all very good, but I'm still undecided whether I need any more Curve or Collide in my life. What I need is something essential. Songs like "Touch" and "Every Little Thing" are expertly produced, but I find their perfection makes them harder to connect to. There is some discordant guitar near the end of song that threatens to break the surface, but it's too little too late. However there are better things to come. Take "Beautiful Noise Machine" which breaks the status quo. There are guitars that rock. There's a palpable tension in the air, that complements the song's more languid sections. "Blacker Than Blue" also features loud guitars. It could just be that I like synths and guitars working together. There's an excellent echo-laden guitar on this song, before a spoken word section, which builds tension before the chorus returns. This song nears the seven-minute mark and doesn't get boring despite its length. "Soulcreeper" hammers the final nail in the coffin for this album being perceived as something to put on in the background while polite company make polite conversation. It's not exactly Motorhead, but there's a sense of danger and urgency that would put most off their vol-au-vents. "Shooting Laser Beams" wins points for originality, as it ponders the question: 'If you could be a superhero, what super powers would you choose?' The early 80s disco zapping noises seem unavoidable in the context. After the smoothness of this song the harsh textures of "Forwards and Sideways" are shocking. Luckily kaRIN's voice remains the human aspect to which we can associate. "Shiver X" has the sound and - perhaps more importantly – the magic of early Curve. Ultimately it is unlikely that this album will change your life. It is technically talented artists making quality music. It would also be a mistake to label it as 'trip-hop' or background music, despite a couple of songs that suggest this. I'd like to see The Secret Meeting play live, as I suspect that is where these songs will really come alive – the human aspect will be in ascendancy over the machine. |
