I recently saw Pendulum at Rock City in Nottingham and as they were promoting their new album, it influenced me to buy this. Despite the fact I didn't think it was the best gig, and they didn't ply the best song from them "Tarantula", I still enjoyed it that much that I felt I should go out and get this.
1. "Showdown"
The opening to the album completely throws you off if you bought this album because you enjoyed the groups past work because it sounds like a pop punk track from someone like The Offspring instead of DnB, not what you should be greeted with, if they wanted to win over fans, they should have eased the fans into this type of music, possibly by putting "9000 Miles" here in the tracklistings.
**One Star**
2. "Different"
The sound of the previous track is basically dragged through into this one. It seems as thoughuo the group have become lazy as the tracks sound so similar with a electronica beat with some rock vocals, which aren't all that good either).
This track acted as their leading single, but it was the second to be relased,
back in April, and surprisingly it managed to climb to #9, despite the fact I hadn't heard any air-play or it. So I would consider this to be successful for them, as they haven't managed to get into the top ten before and #12, is the best they have done in the past.
The track begins with a Latin feel, which is continued with the singing which is done by MC Jakes before Paul Kodish introduces the drums and then the DnB kicks in with a nice breakdown with an electronica bassline, but the track into all that and it seems as though the Drum and Bass element to it is ignored after it.
**Two Stars**
4. "Visions"
By this time in the album, you are forced to accept that the style they are going to explore is going to completely change and be electronica. There isn't much to this, its just a futuristic electronica track with robotic vocals which remind me a lot of the Beastie Boys' "Intergalactic".
**One Stars**
5. "Midnight Runner"
What potentially could be a good Drum and Bass track is ruined by the fact there is a lot of synthesized vocals which prevent you getting into the track, because its the first time you can bust a little skank, but then you hear recycled sounds which they got from "Slam", perhaps their most successful single, and its as if they are just trying to work out what people enjoy, and they themselves aren't into the DnB music.
**Two Star**
6. "The Other Side"
This sounded to be a Prodigy-esque electronica track after a minute long bass and hi-hat rhythm provided by the drummer as it comes with some annoying thumping beats which distance the group from their past as electronic voice altering is used, making them sound too European to be enjoyed by indivduals such as myself
**One Star**
7. "Mutiny"
There isn't much that you can say about this track, it's just plain electronica, it doesn't have any disinct features apart from a sound which you will associate with this particular group.
**One Star**
8. "9000 Miles"
This provided the most promising signs of DnB with its short clips of "Apache", but it quickly fades and singing is injected, leaving me dismayed as it was one of the first imes I felt excited whilst listening to the album. Once the basic DnB beat comes back, you are left unimpressed by this attempt of getting their original fans back as I saw it.
**Two Stars**
9. "Granite"
This was the first single from the album and it was released back in November of last year, only just able to break into the top 30, but this isn't unusual for the Australian band who are just getting to achieve mainstream success.
This begins with a hard beat, which could be used in a Hip Hop track, but then we hear a distinctive Pendulum sounding electronica DnB breakdown with robotic vocals on top. This is marginally better than "Propane Nightmares".
**Two Stars**
10. "The Tempest"
This track goes seems to go on forever, it is painfully long and dargs out. This track is a rock one and just shows you what the band is about now and they have completely lots their roots. I find it hard to believe that everyone in the group could be in favour of such a drastic changover because just before thier first album, they were so into the DnB that it's hard to comprehend that they could all enjoy both styles of elctronica so much that they would promote it because it's so different.
**One Star**
I was rather disappointed that Pendulum seem to have lost their Drum and Bass style, and to be honest, this is the only type of electronica which I enjoy listening to, so without this, they just seem to be a regular rock band playing high-tempo tracks, separating itself from the 2005 album "Hold your Colour". When I expect to hear DnB, I expect it to be gritty and hard and the only sign of DnB here was too clean and commerical, its annoying because I expect to hear too many young people claiming to be Bassheads after hearing this, but it simply isn't DnB, its elctronica, and a very poor strain of it, so bad you can't even dance to it (unless you were on something and you didn't know what it was).
I don't feel as though I'm being harsh on the group because I am very knowledgable in terms of DnB, so seeing the group just leave this genre so abruptly just leaves me bitter, as I expect many others to be as it has just gone far too mainstream and I hope most others feel the same as myself and I doubt they will be able to redeem themselves in th future if they try. The only thing I liked about the album was the cover.
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In Silicomight be the second album from Pendulum, but it's their first as a fully-fledged ... more
rock band. Of course, this Australian dance collective have paddled in these waters before: their debut albumHold Your Colourwas a muscular collection of hard dru...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
In Silico might be the second album from Pendulum, but it's their first as a fully-fledged ... more
rock band. Of course, this Australian dance collective have paddled in these waters before: their debut album Hold Your Colour was a muscular collection of hard ...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Advantages: a clear recording and well mixed, some of the old pendulum is still there! Disadvantages: selling their integrity, the vocals piss you off so much..
brunocrosier 09.06.2008 (10.06.2008)
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Review of In Silico - Pendulum
May 25th, 2008
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