Customer Reviews

Dead Silver Sky

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Canadian electro duo Headscan has finally released the first single, "Dead Silver Sky", from their upcoming, oft-delayed and much-anticipated new album "Pattern Recognition", both on ArtOfFact Records. While it's certainly nice to finally have some new Headscan music, the single treads familiar ground and doesn't quite build anticipation for the album (currently scheduled for a March 2005 release).

The various tracks sports Headscan's trademarks: carefully structured energetic programming and minimalistic futuristic lyrics, set firmly in the realm of cyber-EBM. The original mix of the title track is somewhat of a disappointment, as Christian Pomerleau's vocals are blurrily distorted so heavily as to be unrecognizable, and Claude Charnier's programming never quite takes off. It's as if the entire song is in an eternal holding pattern, waiting for the command to strike which never comes.

However, the Biometric remix is by far the best track on the entire EP, and single-handedly makes the single recommendable. The beat is a lot more club-oriented, and Christian's dramatic, chanting vocals are less distorted and higher in the mix, and drive the track much more effectively. Even the programming seems a bit more at home, as the song flows smoothly from start to end without losing an ounce of its lovely momentum. Interesting that this version was not the original, as it sounds much better, and builds and retains its own identity while obviously influenced by similar acts like haujobb, as well as the writing of William Gibson and films like Blade Runner.

The rest of the tracks, which include remixes by Component and Dance Against The Machine, are unremarkable yet competent beat-driven versions which pass by without much notice. One exception is the exclusive "Metadata", which is little more than ambient electronic wooshes and crowded sampling, with no real structure, sequencing, or beats to speak of. While interesting, it's the kind of track that Contagion and Front Line Assembly were doing ten years ago, except without the spooky, adventurous atmosphere.

It's tough to gauge exactly which direction Headscan is, er, "headed" with their new material. If the Biometric mix of "Dead Silver Sky" had been the original, it would be easier to get excited about the new album. One thing worth mentioning is that "Pattern Recognition" will contain the outstanding instrumental "Slipstream" and the excellent song "Dissolution", both previously released on ArtOfFact's Uturn 2, so there's always the possibility that the rest of the album will match the quality of those two tracks. Headscan has maintained a high standard over their brief history, so even though this single is a bit underwhelming, it doesn't totally kill anticipation.....it just makes you scratch your head a little.

However, it's worth mentioning again: buy this for the Biometric mix!