Customer Reviews

Death To Analog (Limited Edition) (2-Disc)

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Its nice to find an album that not only lived up to the hype, but the long wait as well. Death To Analog IS that album. I'm going to keep this short and sweet. If you are a fan of New Wave (early Duran Duran, Depeche Mode) but you also like more of a dancy element to it then this album is a must have. Every song on here is fantastic. To the orgy fans, I'd say you will love it if you don't mind more synth and less riffs. In fact the synth element is probably my favorite part of Death To Analog. All the classic Analog style synthesizer effects can be found on here. The beats are great too and are not just your typical "oomph oomph" that a goth club would play all night. Julien'K has created a retro album with the production quality that older bands only dreamed they could have. Ryan Shuck's vocals are pretty amazing considering he never sang in Orgy. This is very accessible stuff and if it ends up on the radio, its more than deserved. Highlights include the two aggressive tracks "Death To Analog" and "Technical Difficulties", the radio-ready single "Kick The Bass", the sultry "System De Sexe", and the super-charged ballad "Maestro". You will really get your money's worth of quality music with this release, with 14 songs clocking in at an hour.

Death to Analog, to me, represents the future of music. Combining the mainstream qualities to make it in the industry, but not sacrificing song-quality or originality. This is a great slap-in-the-face to the Emo/hardcore scene that has taken over the radio in the last few years. Get this album if you like electronic/new wave/pop but with a much needed modern edge!

I got to see Julien K when they opened for Evanescence a few years back. They really put on a great live show. I was thoroughly disappointed to find out they had NO CD out! After waiting these past few years, to finally get the album was great. If you like rock mixed with electronica and dance, you'll like this album. I have to admit, the remix second cd that came with the limited edition probably is not really worth it. Overall though, great album!

Being a fan of the band Orgy, I wanted to see what Amir and Ryan had been up to lately. I didn't really know what to expect (though I listened to a few of their songs on their myspace), but bought it anyway on vinyl, and I'm very happy. Also, it comes with a download card, so you don't have to go through any hassle to get the album in mp3 form on your computer.

Julien-K may not realize it, but their first album proper is an achievement on several fronts: an album that manages to sound current yet timeless. Then there's the quality of the music. Think The Faint but smarter. And, most importantly, although Death to Analog is an album firmly rooted in electronica it's an album that, upon first listen, comes across first and foremost as a great rock record. Pretty Hate Machine was the last full-length that had that kind of impact on the listener and regardless of whether you're a NIN fan or not it's no easy task to create a "genre" record that also manages to be a great rock record with massive commercial and crossover appeal. But that's exactly the kind of album Julien-K has made. Kick the Bass is pulsating, danceable, and fist-in-the-air anthem-ic. Death to Analog is the Pretty Hate Machine for the Me generation. Crank it up and enjoy.

Combine Covenant, Depeche Mode, and Orgy, and you get Julien-K. The result is a welcome and needed addition to the EBM world. It's really danceable, angry, yet melodic, sort of in the way that Nine Inch Nails manages to pull off beautiful and angry simultaneously. I'll say a bit about my favorites: "Death to Analog" is an awesome, driving, dark EBM song, sort of in the vein of Covenant or VNV Nation. "Kick the Bass" is catchy with pop undertones. "Systeme de Sexe" is a dark, throbbing, sexual club track. "Maestro" invokes a New Wave feel with pretty vocals. "Forever" sounds like it's a Depeche Mode track from "Sounds of the Universe" that was never released.

I have to say, that I am impressed with the work they have released here. It took the band so long to release these tracks, and for a good reason it would seem. I only rate a cd with five stars, if and only if it is a cd that has a high replay value, and no track is not worth a listen (doesn't get skipped!). Here are the reasons..(I'll keep them short and sweet)...The vocals may not blow you away, but they are done well for the music. The guitar melody fits well with the electronic sounds without either overpowering each other, and the electronic sounds don't get repetetive. Moreover, and more importantly, the sounds are catchy and edgy, sometimes with a dance feel. Definitely worth the purchase.

Combines a lot of cool elements, and really stands out from a lot of the electronic genre. I just can't stop playing a lot of the tracks. Absolutle favs: Systeme De Sexe and Maestro.

I picked up this CD after hearing it played in a store I was shopping in. The music was so catchy I actually stopped what I was doing to ask the clerk who the artist was. I received my copy a week ago and haven't stopped playing it since. Don't let the CD cover scare you. This music is industrial at its best.

I've been a fan of Julien-K for a very long time. 5 years to be exact, when Julien-K was nothing more than Ryan Shuck and Amir Derakh's side project with a one page website with a few 30 second sound clips of songs on it. And now, we have Death To Analog... While the wait was frustrating, it was totally worth it!

Julien-K's music is exactly how I picture future music to be, a blending of past styles with a futuristic edge and deep, meaningful lyrics. Songs that you can lose yourself in for hours and days at a time and never be bored. This is exactly what I've been looking for in regards to music for years now. It's a real shake up, something that we need more of in the music industry nowadays, when so many bands sound so much alike it's hard to tell which is which.

Death To Analog is everything I thought it would be, and so much more! Tracks like Disease, Stranded and Futura are the kind that come out of nowhere, smack you in the face and demand that you like them no matter how odd they may seem; I know I do. I wasn't expecting them, but I love them; they are by far my favorite tracks on this album.

Elias Andra's drumming skills are amazing, it's hard to imagine that that's him playing instead of some digitized synthesizer. Brandon Belsky's backing vocals perfectly compliment Shuck's, and as he does a little of everything it's hard to tell where he starts and the others begin, the mark of a truly great musician. Amir Derakh of course does what he does best, with his signature synthesizers and guitar skills it's hard to believe he managed to coax such sounds out of these instruments. And Ryan Shuck... What can be said? His vocal range is surprisingly versatile and transcends easily into different rhythms and octives.

The remix album was actually really good, and I'm a person who absolutely hates remix albums most of the time! My favorite is definitely the remix of Someday Soon, it has a certain something that's hard to define but unable to be denied. With artists like She Wants Revenge, Combichrist, Mike Shinoda and Deadmau5 crafting the songs as they see fit, it would be difficult to be disappointed. I know I wasn't.

All in all, if I could I would give this CD a million stars, as I love it dearly. And I recommend it to anyone who is looking for a change of pace and sound in rock and pop music.

I didn't expect much from this album when I first ordered it off Amazon (had a 25 dollar gift certificate and couldn't find anything else I wanted). What drew me in was the fact that several members were from Orgy, which I was a huge fan of their first album. At first listen this music didn't seem that special and often reminded me of Orgy to the point where I swore it was Jay Gordan doing vocals at times. Several listens later I realised what was drawing me in... Talent. I'm in no shape, way or form any kind of goth or emo.. most people would describe me as preppy so don't think i'm the "industrial punk" type of person. Radio rock sucks and its all about good music no matter what type of auidence they appeal most too. Julien-K's lyrics mean something to me and they have a sound that isn't played out like everything you'll hear on alternative rock stations. Comparable to Orgy, yes, but deserves their own recognition. Listen to the samples and decide for yourself.