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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An imperfect masterpiece, January 24, 2005
This review is from: Actual Sounds & Voices (Audio CD)
Jack Dangers is definitely a genius. But whether its a genuis of his own design or just by accident is hard to tell but still a genuis none the less. As far as I can tell, no one has made an entire career out of soundcollage and design and make it seem substantial. Yet somehow his fusion of dub, jungle, industrial, hip-hop, dance and rock all seems to come together in his signature mess he calls Meat Beat Manifesto. And I think no album he's made is as sucessful in his self-created sound as Actual Sounds + Voices.
What definitely makes a difference this time around is having a stong list of versital collaberators who not only understand Danger's sound, but can work well within its expansive, limitless sound. Dangers still has a strong influence over his list of players, but they only help strengthen this album. Unlike previous attempts, the album plays out more like an album made by a band rather than an eccentric artist working in his own world(Subliminal Sandwich, while good, was far too expansive and loose for its own good). The work here is tight, detailed, undeniably groovy. Sort of like the jazz band of the future, as depicted by some surreal painter.
The album itself is well paced, moving through Jack's various influences without lagging in one place for too long. You'll hear live jungle workouts(Prime Audio Soup, Let Go, Where Are You), industrial rock(Oblivion, Funny Feeling), big beat(Acid Again) and everything else inbetween. The real highlight comes near the end of the album in the form of this jazz/fusion electronic jam called The Thumb. Its expansive, quirky and above all surreal. It truly shows Jack's ability to imagine a sound and get it to come out through his players(though I'm sure he played bass on it).
But where the true wonder of this album comes in is its complete disregard for melody and hooks, yet somehow manages to remain memorable throughout. Jack's ingenious sound design and masterful ability to evoke tones and atmosphere while remaining balanced in both dancablity and listenablity I would say is his real charm as an artist. His only fault on this album is he sometimes makes his songs just too busy for mental consumption. Otherwise, this is the pinnacle of an artist who's mind knows no bounds for sound and continues to remain relevent for more then a decade. I actually get excited to see what he will put out next.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Looking back on this album, June 5, 2002
This review is from: Actual Sounds & Voices (Audio CD)
I've had this album since 98, and even though I always enjoyed it, I never really liked it compared to the rest of MBM's work. It just seemed too random and chaotic at the time. After not listening to it for a year, I finally played it tonight. Now I'm amazed by all the stuff I took for granted. The first half of the album I always enjoyed, and still do. "Prime Audio Soup" is the most familiar track, and probably the most immediately accessable. Very hectic percussion, which is a constant in this album, and short blasts of sound. "Book of Shadows" is a good, relaxed dubby track. "Let's Have Fun" builds on an atmosphere of menacing atmospherics and bombastic drumming that still gives me chills. It's probably the standout track on the album. I've heard many people say the album falls apart after "Acid Again", and I agreed then. Now, I'd say it's where the album actually gets stronger. "Where Are You?/Enuff" pounds along as the background snarls and growls, a small melody coming up for air and going back down again, then the track just switches gears into pure unbridled lunacy. I think of carnival music from hell. It's great stuff. "Hail To The Bopp" brings down the hectic atmosphere momentarily with a spacy jazz jam. The calm is disrupted by the smothering bleeps and beats of "3 Floors Above You". No electronic artist can match the schizophrenic delusions this song draws out. Truly excellent stuff. "Funny Feeling" feels rather goofy in the beginning, but the acid jazz/dub breakdown at the end of the track saves it from being too kitsch. "The Thumb" is a good jazz jam, turning darker and frothier as it goes. "Wavy Line" is just a short electro number, and feels wasted but is ultimately unoffensive. "Wildlife" is odd. I think of the introduction to the show Peewee Herman had on saturday morning i watched when i was little. It's definitely a style change, but it's pulled off well, and i couldn't think of a better way to end the album. Anyways, to cut it short, there's a LOT to this album. It's packed full of sounds, and is probably daunting to most people. But that works to the album's advantage. I've grown to like it more over time. It still sounds fresher than what's being released today, which is incredibly sad. A lot of people don't understand the impact Jack and crew have had. This album proves that they've been the best in their field all along.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Prime Audio Soup Indeed!, April 10, 2000
This review is from: Actual Sounds & Voices (Audio CD)
Jammin to this album is a great way of feeling GREAT despite the fact that my life is draining away at an exponentially increasing rate while I'm busy reading books for class at night and wasting away as an office drone during the day! Do it with soul Jack!
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