Customer Reviews

Crossroads

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

It takes at least a second look at that sentence for it to register. Mind.In.A.Box is a band that deserves a look from anybody who considers themselves a fan of electronic music.

Their sound is lumped into future pop, but it really isn't. MIAB really has a style unto themselves. It is heartening to see this CD at a higher position in sales rankings than the latest VNV Nation release 3-Oct-2007.

The figure of Black continues his journey.. we meet new "friends" here and can't help but wonder where this journey will lead. I see MIAB as the Pink Floyd of the new generation of electronic artisits. This is music you could either dance to, or sit back and lose yourself to. I am a sucker for a GOOD concept album and Crossroads doesn't just hit the nail on the head, it drives it clear through the wood and shoots it across the room.

This music is refreshing - I love every track for different reasons, but if I were to have to pick a favorite I would have to go with either Redefined or Crossroads.

Maybe it is the way that MIAB can coax emotion out of the silicon at the heart of their instruments.. maybe it is the way that they create a perfect feel in the presentation of their lyrics in combinations of natural and vocoder voices.. maybe it is just because with each release, MIAB keep refining their art and drawing us deeper into their world.

Fasten your seat belts - we are going for another journey into the world of Mind.In.A.Box...

PS - They need to create a 6th star for this release....

Possibly my most favourite band at the moment. Their style is hard to quantify, they have a very dancey edge but also harder edged vocal and sounds.

It's worth buying the album just to get the track Fear, it's a very uplifting track with vocals that never fail to make me feel some emotion.

Probably the most surprising fact is the vocals are all male, the female vocals are all done by processing (that's why they use the robotic effect).

I love the artwork too, buy the CD and you get access to remixes and more artwork (the code is in the booklet).

mind.in.a.box is a band hard to describe, but I can say that their music is really good.

The 3rd studio album, Crossroads allows us to take a short peak at the life of Mr. Black, a very un-orthodox anti-hero, locked in a mental game with some hidden and sinister enemies, a game of finding his own (misplaced or erased) identity.

The songs, even without the engaging story, create a dark, futuristic mood of paranoia, identity loss and soul searching. The music is, overall, excellent and of high quality, ranging from fast dance-ish tracks to slow introspective ones. The vocals are, as can be expected of m.i.a.b, superb, even better than on DreamWeb.

Much like Silverchair, this band seems to be improving each album, and also, much like Silverchair, each new album is impossibly better than the previous one.

My personal favourites:
"Amnesia" - despite the despair in the words, the music is quite up-tempo and this is a definite floor filler.
"Identity" is more dark, reminding me of some good EBM bands.
"The Place" with the dreamy style.
"Redefined" with it's fast style and the repeating of lyrics from Dreamweb's "Machine Run"
"Crossroads" with it's even faster pace.

But my most liked song is definitely "Stalkers". Just that song alone was worth having this album. It has amazing base line, nice alien and bass vocals, deep layers of music and a very catchy chorus that keeps playing in my head even days after listening to the song. Use good head phones when listening to it and you might be hooked too.

Even the songs I didn't mention are really good. I can play this album for hours and not get tired of it. You should get this one.

This album completely took me by surprise (Thanks Amazon Suggestion) When I find lately many EBM/Electronica acts to sound so repetitive with drowned out vocals, MIAB is absolutely incredible. I should say "Crossroads" is incredible. As the last album from MIAB was good but nothing like this.

The music really does make you feel like you're pulled into the story. To me it feels like a Blade Runner Cyperpunk futuresque vibe. The Vocals can both chill and feel like the bringer of hope in the most unique way, which is an incredible contrast to the versatile beats and unique synth sounds that MIAB has incorporated into this album. This is one of those albums that just flows and never feels like it breaks. There are very few weak songs and many strong songs including Amnesia, Identity, Fear, Redefined and Crossroads! Overall though its definitely an amazing experience listening to it front to back with headphones on.

What I loved most about this album was how unique it was from other artists in the genre, MIAB has managed to create a unique identity in a genre filled with groups that can all tend to sound the same. This is what I loved about all the albums of 2007, each group has moved into their own distinctive sound whether you love it or hate it. If this is the direction they're headed I can't wait to hear what they come out with next!

2007 was a VERY GOOD YEAR with a lot of good releases including Judgement from VNV Nation, Aviator from Funker Vogt, In-Transit from Covenant, 1023 from Rotersand, META! from Assemblage 23 and finally Crossroads from MIAB! I HIGHLY Recommend you Listen to ALL of them!

I keep listening to this CD over and over and continue to pick-up new intricacies.

They definitely have their own sound. They do not have the silly repetitive beats you tend to find in electronic "fly-by-night" pretenders. It's very original. They also don't have the overly harsh industrial vocals with that signature satanic quality.

Don't buy this online! The jacket is awesome. It has a short story to prepare you for the songs that follow. The lyrics are great. You can listen to this in the car, the gym or just sitting down on the sofa reading the jacket as you listen (love to try that yet).

The opener (Introspection) will grab you right away.

Enjoy.

Just buy all three MIAB albums, and save yourselves time and frustration. Great stuff, unique, and very worthwhile for anyone willing to get lost in an endlessly creative loop...

one of the best electronic acts on the scene. Ever since dreamweb (forgive me if i dont know any earlier work, i kinda started with dreamweb) this band has been consistently getting better and better. Outstanding vocal treatment. These other ebm/darkwave/whatever bands should take note of this band. they do it right.

Mind.in.a.Box is one of those bands I have always wanted to check out their music but never got around to it. I finally got around this summer to buy one of their cds, CROSSROADS. I had to listen to the album a few times for the music to really sink into my head. As a big fan of futurepop/EBM, CROSSROADS is different from what I have been exposed to over the years. There is a futuristic theme through out the songs on the album. My personal favorite song is "Amnesia" with the female vocals. Very catchy. "Into the Night" is another great song. The vocals reminds me a little of Tom Shear from Assemblage 23. I also like the hypnotic dance beats. I like it when music makes me want to get up and dance. "Into the Night" satisfies that urge to dance for me. I also like how there is some elements of classical music on a couple of short instrumental tracks. The album isn't completely flawless. I thought it could have been slightly shorter. The distinct distorted vocals took some time to grow on me but overall Mind.in.a.Box certainly made a fan out of me.

While Dreamweb sits as my favorite MIAB album, this isn't far behind as second place. There's haunting hooks to be found in this album. There's just some sort of brilliance in beats and vocals that has a hard time being forgotten in my mind. Best example of this: "There USED to be light inside" that vocal delivery just stays in my mind day in and day out.

Almost every track is great. there's a few slow instrumentals... but there's an audience for those sorts of tracks so i don't condemn them entirely. This album has a good mix of sound going for it. It's a definite purchase for any MIAB fan, and maybe a further investigation for anyone remotely interested in this group.

Last comment, which really isn't a part of my review. In the song "amnesia" for the longest time i kept misinterpreted the lyrics as, "I feel like I have a VCR"

alright, I just ruined that song for anyone reading this, sorry.