| Artist |
| Various Artists |
| Title |
| Infaction Vol.1 |
| Format/Cat |
| CD |
| Label: |
| Infacted Recordings |
| Style |
| Electronica |
| Date of review |
| April 2006 |
| Reviewer |
| Carl Jenkinson |
| Rating |
| 7/10 |
|
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Ever since Alfa-Matrix pioneered the 'four singles on one CD' format it's become a very popular marketing tool with Infacted being the latest label to use it. This first "Infaction" release concentrates on their increasing number of synthpop acts, starting with the promising Les Anges De La Nuit, whose soulful "I Still Love You" gets proceedings off on a good footing & while the 'Transformer Mix' of "I Find Myself" should have a wide club appeal (although this fails to translate into a decent listen at home) I'm mystified as to why it was felt that Angels & Agony needed to give "Absolutions" the future-pop once-over when the original has plenty of dancefloor appeal already; not that either of them are a letdown in any way but still.... And Conetik can do much better than the instantly forgettable duo of "Cold Star (Dead Eyes)" or "The Machine (In Me)" might suggest which means that Liquid Divine's surprisingly electronica-styled reworking of "Cold Star" & the atmospheric overtones that mark SWG's dancier version both have more to offer & so, their appearance is unlikely to boost their profile as much as they're doubtless hoping for, in contrast to Sweden's Michigan, whose vibrant & catchy "The Fallen Star" should be enough to convince fans of Iris & Mesh that this is a band they're going to love. "Emotional Silence" shows off their more emotive side with a nice line in thoughtful effects while the remixes are there for no other reason than to increase the band's club appeal with Bastai's remix of "Sad Queen" even having the cheek to steal the backing from Kraftwerk's "Metropolis"-pity it's not as inspired. So, saving the best until last (me, that is, not them) we have State Of The Union with four tracks that, despite being almost dead ringers for Mind. In. A. Box (including that computer voice that MIAB have now pretty much monopolised) all hit the spot without fail. That they can engage the emotions so successfully speaks volumes for their talent with the excellent chordal work of "Fallen Angels" proving a particular highlight. Likewise, add a dash of VNV Nation on "The Sphinx's Answer" & you've got a surefire dancefloor filler & while I'm convinced this band have yet to find their niche it's still more than enough to take the honours here. As ever, this is a good way of discovering a number of acts on one low-risk package although it is limited to 1000 copies so don't hang about |
