Customer Reviews

Gettin High on Your Own Supply

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

 

 

Apollo 440 have established themselves as a prominent force in danceable trance music with their previous two offerings. But in this album they went over the top in everything, mixing a dozen of styles together to some very credible result! I can understand people who dismiss this album, because it's so very different from what @440 were doing before, but it doesn't make it less worthy of your attention.

It starts out with an instrumental "Are We A Rock Band Or What...?", that, just like its name implies, is an ambient relaxed synth-dominated short intro. But it's quick to burst out in a hard-rocker on a break-beat base, "Stop the Rock". Somehow it reminds me of The Prodigy, or Chemical Brothers' "Block Rocking Beats", only that this one is more straightforward.
Guitar riffing continues on through "Crazee Horse", to "Cold Rock the Mic", and on to "Lost in Space". They all got mostly samey feel to them, the first 3 perhaps are closer to The Prodigy, while "Lost in Space" is a harder number, almost aggro-metallic at its core. Tasteful use of samples and sampled voices provides classy touch.
"For Forty Days" throws some drum-n-bass upon the listener, and it has a strong melody, too.
"Heart Go Boom" is a funny number, that starts out with a cartoonish theme, but later explodes in a techno-rock madness with underlined drums.
"The Machine in the Ghost" is a downtempo ambient piece, which is quite long and demonstrates good development.
"Blackbeat" is a techno-rocker with a touch of hip-hop influence.
"Stadium Parking Lot" is another highlight. With its mighty shouted chorus and pounding drum, this is the song that Beastie Boys would be proud of.
"Yo! Future" again mixes trance with rock.
"High on Your Own Supply" is another bizarre eclectic track. With vocals from a B-class horror movie and spooky melodic lines, it's a great electronica number with plenty of atmosphere. A gem!
The album ends out with "The Perfect Crime", which is a mellower number with latino-touched melodies, that reminded me of any Tarantino movie soundtrack.

All in all, I like this album! Listening to it, you are treated with a dozen of musical styles, most of which are executed and mixed together perfectly. This might be the best eclectic album out there. For those open minded and liking bizarre music, very recommended.

I have heard so many far out reviews that make me wonder if anyone actually listened to the disc. I've listened to my fair share of heavy electronic and/or sampled music, though it is not my main source of music.

I had never heard of this band, and picked up their cd at the local Goodwill store for either 1 or 2 dollars. I had no pre-conceived notions of what they sounded like, I came in with a fresh mind.

These guys are great. Mostly upbeat music, with a surprising amount of rocking for an electronic outfit. All to often, electronic outfits get too repetitive and boring through a cd, but they kept it fresh.

The instrumental choices throught the CD pull from piano, organ, horns, guitar, harmonic, etc. The songs are distinguished from each other without being overdone. There is still a cohesiveness to the CD.

On one tune they seemed to channel Boards of Canada quite well. Many songs had an upbeat rocking guitar, and the Lost in Space has a guitar riff that reminded me slightly of early KMFDM. Stadium Parking Lot does indeed recall early era Beastie Boys.

In short, the CD is awesome. IF you like fresh music that might remind you of other bands while still sounding unique, I'd give em a go.


Stupidity corrected:
"70's southern rock riffs" - are you serious? You don't know what the term means, as they are not present on this cd.

"metal band with a drum machine" - huh? That's a good description of Static-X, but not these guys. (yes I like Static-X, of which these guys sound nothing like).

""Heart Go Boom:" Ridiculous. A screeching turntable combined with a harmonica, an electric guitar, and reggae? Something tells me the guys never took music theory in college." - retarded. You don't need music theory to make good music. And your description of this song? Reminds me of the Gorillaz, and they're doing quite well.


I'll stop, as there are too many moronic comments to counter. Suffice to say that those that didn't like it, attack the tracks that aren't pure techno, which most of the album isn't.

There really isn't anything to NOT-LIKE on this album (aside from, perhaps, how much "Stop The Rock" was over-played at the time, certainly not the fault of the band).
As with their subsequent release "DUDE DESCENDING A STAIRCASE", "G.H.O.Y.O.S." features a wide variety of sounds and elements, all used to perfect measure. The end-result is an album which never allows the listener to become bored or disinterested. Wildly veering from lush ambient backdrops, to riffing guitar-driven techo blasts, to hazy head-nodding throb-rock slow-burners, this album is solid front-to-back.
Highly recommended (as is their follow-up album "DUDE DESCENDING A STAIRCASE").

ApolloFourForty have been listening to "The Rockafeller Skank" and The Lo-Fidelity Allstars.A lot.This CD mixes 70's southern rock riffs,Fatboy Slim-ish beats and a whole lotta of whatever they get high on.The single "Stop The Rock" is so cheesed out that it becomes cool in time.It's hard not to smile at this song which sounds like the members of a Vocational Rehab trying to do techno.It wins you over in its goofy seriousness.The rest isn't all so removed from their previous CD "Electro Glide in Blue" which had the best all time @440 song in "Ain't Talkin''Bout Dub".A lot of these songs try to reach that plateau but the lame overused raps leave A LOT to be desired.They sound like a local metal band playing with a drum machine while sniffing paint thinner.That's not to say its all bad, it IS very listenable.The second best all time @440 song appears at track 12..the title track "High on Your Own Supply"..this really sticks out because it sounds unique and not tied to the glue of the rest of the CD.It actually sounds like DJ Shadow and Portishead covering a Tom Waits song with a drunken village idiot pulled in off the street to provide vocals.It is most cool.All in all..3 stars for sheer stoned audacity.

I'm not a big fan of techno/beat. I mostly appreciate the likes of artists like fatboy slim, moby, and chemical brothers. This is by far my favorite from this genre. There's just so much...energy, but yet lower key beats that rock just the same. This is easily the most diverse techno music I have ever heard. Get it-it's good for partying at the very least.

Peaceout-Monty5

I'm not the worlds biggest techno-music fan. But I like rock-techno music. Apollo 440 does it very well on about half of the tracks. If you like "Stop The Rock" you'll like the half that I like. If you like traditional techno music you'll like the others. Other tracks I like include "Stadium Parking Lot", "Lost In Space (Theme)", and "Heart Go Boom". The rest are just boring. Overall rating 6-6.

The Cd is all over the electronica map but each track is tasteful and some are down right brilliant. If you like massive attack, bjork, andy wallace, tricky, hip hop and/or the ibiza series than this puppy is for you. Just dont expect consistency- its triphop to drumandbass to light raggified house.

I first heard (saw) "Stop the Rock" on MTV's "120 Minutes" (back when the show existed), and I liked it. Rarely do rock and techno mix in such an engaging combination. Based on this track alone, I purchased "Getting High" soon after. Since it has been a while since then, why not try to recap on some of the highlights?

Well, as it sometimes happens, there aren't many highlights to speak of....

Let's look at the songs:

Ignoring "Are We a Rock Band..." (not a song in reality), we move on to the second track. As already mentioned, "Stop the Rock" is a very good song. The driving guitar and drums are riveting. The vocals, unlike the rest of the album, are integral and are surprisingly well executed. The electric organ also enlivens and completes a very worthy song.

And then the album falters from here. "Crazee Horse" is ridiculous and obnoxious. "Hey man!" followed by a cheesy, flirtatious whistling isn't exactly Grammy material. A vocal monstrosity.

"Cold Rock...:" is overdone and instantly forgettable. The rapping vocals in the middle of the track are horrid. "Park it in the pool / Yeah!"? Please...

"Lost in Space:" Again overdone. Who thinks of having a driving electric guitar with trumpets? Honestly....

"For Forty Days:" Obviously the group attempts some kind of seductive and calm piece and--of course--fails horribly. The ending saves the song--kind of.

"Heart Go Boom:" Ridiculous. A screeching turntable combined with a harmonica, an electric guitar, and reggae? Something tells me the guys never took music theory in college.

"The Machine in the Ghost:" Surprisingly, an excellent track in the middle of a wasteland. A driving bass and a sprinkling of piano enlivens this treasure.. An actual attempt at making music!

"Blackbeat:" Just when the album begins to save itself, the listener is treated with more unfathomable refuse.

I think you get the point. More tracks do follow, but why keep talking? What jumps out most on this album is the overuse and misuse of vocal samples from movies and pop culture. You will probably like the album initially, but you'll find you won't be pulling it out of your CD shelf for a while.

Stop the rock is a good song. mixing van halen with techno was a good idea. It take a lot of guts and ingenuity to try something different. The rest of the cd is not as strong. Apollo 440 is very hit and miss.

Like Fatboy Slim in his most poptacular moments, Apollo 440 aren't interested in the experimental possibilities inherent in electronic music. Breakbeats, jungle, and any other beats currently in vogue (back in 1999, that is) are just there to graft onto their hook-and-obvious-sample-filled party music. Every one of their songs is aimed squarely at the twin targets of Radio Smash and Guilty Dancefloor Pleasure, and more often than not they hit their mark.

After a brief keyboard intro titled "Are We a Rock Band or What?" that opens the record, Apollo 440 plow right into their main agenda with "Stop the Rock", a dance rocker that's showed up in more movie soundtracks, commercials and radio promos than I can remember at this point, and it was well chosen because it's one of the catchiest songs that western civilation has ever produced, and it sets the tone for much of the rest of the album with its surf rock guitars, big beat and even bigger chorus. Alarmingly, it's not even the catchiest song on the album. "Cold Rock the Mic" has a main riff that's so addictive, the DJ probably could have gotten away with playing the entire song twice in a row, and no one in the club would have complained. The group turns the "Lost in Space" theme into another dancefloor stunner, and mixes rock and dub expertly for "Heart Go Boom" in a way that would appeal to clubgoers and 10-year-olds alike. Just about every song here could have been a radio and club smash if they'd bothered to release it as a single, but in particular the group saves the album's main crowd-pleaser for late in the track listing. I'm listening to "Stadium Parking Lot" right now as I type this, and I admit it, I'm dancing a little bit. That said, my actual favorite track is the slightly off-character "High on Your Own Supply", a Ween-like dirge near the end of the album that doesn't quite fit the mood of the rest of the songs, but is just as unforgettable in its own way.

None of these songs are works of genius, at least in the way we normally think genius is supposed to work in music. The songs aren't insightful in the slightest, and their construction is limited largely to "catchy riff + catchy chorus, repeat several times". But really, when you're 60 years old and sitting around the fireplace with your grandkids, trying to explain what recorded music was like back when we still had electricity before society collapsed, do you think you'll be humming Aphex Twin tunes to them? Hell no. You'll be reminiscing about Apollo 440, specifically this album.