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8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great follow-up after 4 years absent!, July 12, 2003
Okay first off, I would say this is mu-ziq's second best album by my taste. The songs on this album have more structure than tango and vectif. I do like tango and vectif, however it meanders and it's not quite as composition-like as I would want it to be. Bilious paths is more toward the lunatic harness sound that I like. This albums sounds almost like a cross between squarepusher and mu-ziq maybe with a little aphex twin. The beats are a little more frenetic this time. The songs seem pretty varied too. My fave is song #2 cause it's the most melodic--a great tune with a cool beat. Song 3 is just the same, but a little subpar to #2. Song 6 is very hardcore techno influenced, thus beat-heavy. 7 and 9 are laidback and beautiful while 8 is more rhythm-driven, while still great in itself. 10 meanders, but seems kinda mind-expanding, 11 is pure melody, 12 is a nice wrap up, and 1 is an adaquate starter--not great, but dancefloor-esque and well-enough put together. 4 sounds very orchestral. 5 is okay but doesn't really seem to stand out. Well, there ya have it! If you like lunatic harness, pick this up! You won't be disappointed
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Earsplitting music from one of IDM's innovators, August 9, 2006
One of the great things about an artist that can rise above the glut of one-hit-wonders is that they have enough time to really explore their sound; their musical style can evolve over time and the listeners get to go along for the ride. Since Tango N' Vectif showed up in 1993, u-ziq has been creating some innovative and frequently great music over the course of seven CDs. Now we arrive at Bilious Paths (2003), his first release on his own Planet u label.
This CD is surely different, but it's by no means out of nowhere. Each track is clearly u-ziq through and through. Perhaps due to his release of Bilious Paths on his own independent label, a sense of artistic freedom is exercised. This could possibly explain other reviewers who felt the release was uneven. Many styles are visited with some track featuring near Autechre-level complexity and others showing a clear influence from Venetian Snares.
Bilious Paths isn't easy listening. The little melodies that used to be the focus of u-ziq tracks are, if present at all, buried deep beneath layers of abrasive beats and noise. There is far more dissonance on this release than any of the previous albums, but that's in no way a criticism. I don't think u-ziq ever produced anything that could really be considered "catchy" in the sense of an immediate pop hook. Philosophically, this album follows his tradition perfectly. These songs don't work like that. One listen isn't sufficient enough to discover all of the song's treasures. If u-ziq released material that was so simple that it could be easily understood with only a casual listen, he wouldn't be where he is today.
Bilious Paths is an album that rewards multiple listens. It won't get old fast, as there are always new sounds that weren't heard the previous time. It may not suit your personal taste, but it can't be seen as objectively "bad". The album is full of new and exciting ideas. I would definitely place it in the top ten albums of 2003. Enjoy the cacophony and groove to the jagged beats. This is a guttural album of amazing electronic music.
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4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
This is the disc Mouse on Mars wants to make . . ., December 11, 2003
unfortunately µ-ziq beat them to it! 'grape nut beats part 2' sounds like a remix of MoM's 'actionist respoke' and is 'mouse bums' a slight dig at them? After all it has been two years since their last release of new material. Like MoM's 'idiology', 'bilious paths' is a chock full of static filled drill'n'bass, chopped up vocals and calming melodies. Thankfully, 'bilious paths' is a far cry from the classical string orchestrations of 'royal astronomy'. That's a very good thing because this is absolutely brilliant!!'on/off' is like a messed up take on Prince from its funky drill'n'bass beats to its chopped up r&b vocals with their naughty refrain of 'Take them panties off.' I like the counter parts of 'siege of antioch' and 'fall of antioch'. The former is an exuberant assault of drill'n'bass, the latter a dirge of distortion. 'aec merlin' is a soothing moment to the disc, about as soothing as downtempo drill'n'bass can get and 'meinheld' is an awesome drum'n'bass workout. One of best releases I've bought all year.
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by µ-Zi 
