Customer Reviews

Blood Spills Not Far From the Wound

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Daniel Graves, of Aesthetic Perfection, has created quite an intriguing listening experience for fans of the electronic/industrial music genre with his debut album Blood Spills Not Far from the Wound. While the melodies are relatively simple, they are rather infectious. One simply can't help but move to the beats and get sucked into a trance by Graves' hypnotic vocals and dark lyrics. In contrast to so many of the aggressive vocals of several industrial bands today, Graves sings in an almost spoken-word, subdued, matter-of-fact tone that is reminiscent of several bands from the 80's. Graves keeps things from getting monotonous, however, by mixing it up with synth lines and vox that deliver an aggressive electronic feel without being overdone.

The introduction pulls the listener in with haunting piano blended with synth strings. Following this is the thumping "Spilling Blood," which is screaming to become an instant dance-floor classic. "Dying in the Worst Way" tones it down a bit, but still manages to be addictive, melodic, and memorable. "For All the Lost" is an anthem for anyone who has ever felt out of place, which also seems to be a running theme throughout the course of the album.

This is not to say, however, that the album is without flaws. Some songs are just a tad too repetitive for my liking, and some of the melancholic lyrics could use a bit of improvement, hence the four stars instead of five. Nonetheless, I anxiously await a second album from Graves and Necessary Response. Very highly recommended for fans of Skinny Puppy, VNV Nation, Apoptygma Berzerk, and Assemblage 23.

Up until now I had never heard of Daniel Graves. I saw Daniel open up for De/Vision last month as Necessary Response and absolutely became hooked on his brand of addictively melodic synthpop. BLOOD SPILLS NOT FAR FROM THE WOUND is Necessary Response's first album. The music is addictive. The songs are candy for my ears. As a synthpop fan, I am reminded of two of my favorite synthpop bands De/Vision and Depeche Mode (although a bit more fast-paced). Granted the sound on BLOOD SPILLS... doesn't capture the essence of NR's live performance when I saw by Daniel, overall I love the cd. Songs like "Spilling Bl**d" and "Forever" will make listeners want to dance. There are some lovely ballads too. The album closes with the haunting "Devotion". There isn't a single song on the album that I didn't like. I have to say that you can find a cheaper copy on Metropolis Records' website. It is half of what it costs here on Amazon.com. If you like the sounds of De/Vision, And One, and Depeche Mode, I would definitely recommend checking out Necessary Response.

Good album if you like similar things like VNV nation. It was pretty cheap too. My favorite song was "Forever".

I Love electronica/ebm and all of those electro acts such as de/vision ,apoptygma berzerk .IRIS etc.
i cant believe after years of collecting albums and listening to very good artist i never came across Necessary response,
and im VERY glad i did, this album is so catchy , melancholic and fresh , i can't even describe what it is but i can't
put it down,hopefully they release another one soon.

Vapor and spilling blood are 2 fav tracks but honestly overall i just love the whole thing.
the first time i gave it a listen i was singing along for weeks , even while trying to sleep, yes its that catchy.

If I could plant a chip in my brain to play this album 24/7, I would. When I'm not listening to it, I'm thinking about it. At night, I dream it. It's a parasite that will latch on to your soul, and you will love it.

The worst part about it? There aren't more Necessary Response albums.

Daniel Graves needs to do something about that.

I've checked out Aesthetic Perfection. The music is beautiful, but I'm not into the harsher vocals.

To me, Necessary Response is almost up there with Assemblage 23. And we all know Tom Shear is a god.

Not all their songs agree with me, but the song Vapor is one I absolutely love. I can never get tired of listening to it. Overall, interesting music. Keep it up NR!

The short and sweet review.

Very clever album. Great beats, lyrics and sound. I buy a lot of music, and this is surprisingly one of the best albums I've heard in a while. I look forward to hearing what's next.

Wow...thought I was listening to good Covenant when I first heard Spilling Blood. Very hard not to dance to, and very easy to listen to. I'm not a huge synthpop/electronica fan, but this album is really good. I was expecting a one hit album, but the whole thing is pretty good from beginning to end.