Customer Reviews

Gods & Monsters

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I don't want to say that this is a mediocre Juno Reactor album. That might imply that the album as a whole is mediocre, and that wouldn't really be true. Some of the stuff here is great and would fit on the group's more classic works. But some of the tracks here don't do it for me at all and seem out of place. A couple of them are almost unrecognizable as Juno Reactor.

Inca Steppa: I didn't know quite what to think of this track at first, but it grew on me. It's got a good beat, a good riff, some interesting background vocals and even some guitar intermixed. But what threw me off was the vocalist. This isn't vocal sampling but actual singing, which we've heard from the group before, but the vocalist doesn't seem to fit the tone. He sounds more like the vocalist from Maroon 5 than he does someone me might hear on an electronica track. As I said though, the track grew on me. It might not be Guardian Angel or Pistolero, but it's different and it's cool. 7/10

Tokyo Dub: The second track is a total buzz kill after the first one. My hopes that the vocalist from the first track would remain there were shot down. He's back again, conjuring a mood that belongs more in a jazz lounge than on a Juno CD. And the song itself is pretty boring too. It's very low tempo, which can be all right, but there's nothing about it to make it interesting. And at the risk of sounding childish, (but I can't help myself) I think Tokyo Dud would be a more apt title. 3/10

Las Vegas Future Past: Now this is a lot better. This is all instrumental with some cool effects and a nice mid-tempo beat. It actually sounds like something closer to Crystal Method on their Vegas album than a standard Juno Reactor track, but at least it's techno. It's got a nice ambient sound and follows the first track a lot better than the second. Very listenable. 7/10

Mind of the Free: Sigh... yet another buzz killer. We have more slow tempo jazz music with my not so favorite vocalist present once again. I'd provide some better details but I can't seem to retain anything about this song. It's also very boring. 3/10

Immaculate Crucifixion: Man was I glad when I came across this track. I seriously was starting to wonder weather I had really purchased a Juno Reactor CD until I heard this one. It's epic, ominous sounding and just amazing. It reminds me a bit of Navras from Labyrinth, but it's all instrumental and a bit darker. It has a great several-minute buildup and then hits with hard riffs and hard beats. Great stuff. 8/10

City of the Sinful: Crystal Method? Is that you again? This starts out a tad slow, but picks up really quickly and becomes a cool track. It does remind me a lot of Crystal Method, though this time something closer to their Tweekend album with the weird robotic background vocals and even a little light rapping. I dig it. 7/10

Tanta Pena: Wow... I thought that track 5 would be the best of the album but I was wrong. This song is amazing. It might not be as epic, but it's fast, and has what I love about Juno reactor. The beat and riffs are great and the female vocals with the eastern style wind instruments make for a haunting sound. Think Zwara and Wardogs from Labyrinth combined, but better than either one. Immaculate Crucifixion might be the centerpiece of the album, but this is my favorite. 9/10

Pretty Crime: I had hoped after the last 3 tracks that the dull parts of this album were over. Of course I wouldn't be telling you this if the dull parts were over, and they are not. I'm not quite sure what this is, but it's not techno. We have a new vocalist, one who sounds closer to the singer of Depesche Mode or Type-O Negative. The song isn't entirely bad, but I can't distinguish how it's supposed to be Juno Reactor at all. It's more like an indie-rock song. 4/10

Pretty Girl: Huh? So much for a great finale. What the hell is this? The same vocalist from Pretty Crime is back, but the tone of this song sounds closer to a ballad from Collective Soul. Why is this on here? Once again, in a different context this might be an okay song, but it doesn't belong here. 3/10

I give kudos to Juno for wanting to try something different, but some of this is too different to even be considered the same group, let alone techno of any kind. The songs that are good are... well great. But as a whole I'd say this is my least favorite Juno Reactor album. Do I recommend buying this? If you're a die-hard fan, sure. You're going to anyways. If you want to discover how great this group is, check out Beyond the Infinite, Bible of Dreams, Shango and even Labyrinth. Ah well, 5 out of 9 isn't too bad. Juno Reactor is still my favorite electronica outfit around.

First of all, I love the cover.

But I'm afraid that's all I really *love*. There are some standout tracks on "Gods and Monsters" most notably 'Las Vegas Future Past' -- but overall this is a big change of direction for Juno Reactor, and not really a direction I'm all that interested in.

In the first place, most tracks are vocal pieces. I don't really buy Juno Reactor and expect to hear *songs.* They're ok, I guess, but it's not what I was looking for, and they didn't stand out.

Secondly, this album is pretty mellow. For me, Juno Reactor has always been high energy stuff (protons, maybe). Gods and Monsters doesn't really deliver that, for the most part. Instead the music seems more like something from Dead Can Dance, occasionally rather explicitly so.

So: people tired of the same-old same-old from Juno Reactor may enjoy this change of pace, but to my taste the pace is kind of dragging on this one.

I am a long time fan of Juno Reactor and I strongly feel that this album is their best and worst. Here's the short of it:

If you buy MP3 over CD, GET THESE:

5. Immaculate Crucifixion
6. City Of The Sinful
7. Tanta Pena

You can't go wrong with these three. They pack the punch. These two are also good but different from typical Juno Reactor:

1. Inca Steppa
3. Las Vegas Future Past

Although these next four songs are great musically, they either slow down or don't even fit on the album at all.

SKIP THESE:

2. Tokyo Dub
4. Mind Of The Free
8. Perfect Crime (Superman)
9. Pretty Girl

Both Tokyo Dub and Mind of the Free are somewhat slow and different. They are good songs and would be fine to listen to when you're winding down but I think it was a mistake to put these at the front of the album since it drags the momentum.

Perfect Crime sounds like Dead Can Dance with a Brendon Parry-esque singer. Pretty Girl sounds like Johnny Cash. Both are good songs on their own but have no reason to be on this album. They don't sound like Juno Reactor and have little to no tie to techno.

When I first heard this album I thought it had some good parts to it, but was overall mediocre. However, after waiting a couple weeks to listen to every song all the way through, I have changed my mind.

There are many instances of Juno Reactor's classic sound in this album. Some songs take a while to build up and others are slow and more downtempo, which I feel is what threw many people off. They were expecting a certain style from Ben Watkins and were disappointed when they didn't hear it. While it's by no means his best album, it still offers a good amount. I like that he's attempting to be more versatile and experiment with new sounds (eg: the vocals in the first and second songs, and the 2nd song in general for that matter).

With that said, there are 3 songs that do not belong on this album. Not only are they boring, but they sound nothing like JR. Stay away from Mind of the Free, Perfect Crime, and Pretty Girl and you should enjoy this album. Give the other songs a chance before discarding it as crap because there are some really cool ones.

There are a select few groups out there that, when they release a new album, I'll buy it without hesitation. Won't even listen to a single track before I place my order. Juno Reactor was one of them. Emphasis on "was".

You can't expect a musical group to keep doing the same thing over and over. They grow, mature, and start exploring different sounds. Sometimes you like the new path they've chosen. Sometimes you don't. I don't like the new direction Juno Reactor has decided to follow.

The first thing you may notice with this release is that the overall tempo has slowed down. Like "hit the brakes with both feet" slow. The signature Juno Reactor sounds, instruments, and effects are mostly still there, but instead of quick-moving goa trance-y numbers, there's much more of a lounge / trip-hop influence. Rather than making your pulse race, many of these songs make you feel like nodding off.

And the vocals - my gosh, so many vocals! The prime guest vocalist - a fellow by the name of "Ghetto Priest" - brings a sort of Mezzanine-era Massive Attack vibe to the proceedings. I enjoyed that sort of thing - back in 1998. The most unpleasant surprise, however, were the vocals on the last two tracks. My first thought was: "What, they got Nick Cave to grumble and moan his way through these tracks?" But no, what you're hearing is the voice of Juno Reactor himself, Ben Watkins. And no, he can't really sing.

There are a few bright spots to the album. Yasmin Levy shines on a heart-pounding "Tanta Pena," and the music of "Inca Steppa" is fantastic. "Tokyo Dub" keeps a mellow vibe going, while throwing in the occasional flourish to keep you interested.

But overall, Juno Reactor has gone way off into left field with this one, mining musical territory that has been done better by others. From here on out, I'll be checking every preview and sample I can find before pulling the trigger on another one of their albums.

One of the best bands of all time do this,,, why? I think we all waited so long for a great Juno Reactor mind altering experience and we got this. They really went way too mainstream and truly there is nothing on this cd that even compares to Bible of Dreams or Shango or any of the others. I just hope they get back in the studio again quickly since I was such a huge fan and save face. I never ever thought I would be giving a bad review on a J Reactor ..God is God - High energy protons,,Razorback where have you all gone. Maybe they just did it as a joke. When you raise the standards why not stick to them is my humble opinion. BT

I'm all for musicians surprising me with new approaches in their work, but I have to admit that sometimes these "experiments" work for me, and sometimes they don't. This is one case where the experiment didn't work for me.

I'm a long-time fan of Juno Reactor's music, and except for the single "Pistolero", I had never met a Juno Reactor single I didn't like. Until now. In short, I can only recommend four of the nine tracks included in this album: #3, 5, 6, and 7. The rest I can't even listen to more than once, and if you are a fan, beware. You will be better off buying only those four in MP3 file format, since on top of that the album itself in CD format is over-priced, in my opinion.

I've been listening to Juno Reactor since Beyond the Infinite. It's really hard to accept such a major change from a spectacular techno group that had it right from the start. There are a couple songs on this album that are pretty cool, but far from revolutionary as were song from Bible of Dreams and Beyond the Infinite. I can understand why they wanted to step into another musical direction, but I think it was way, way the wrong direction. Most of these songs don't even sound like the Juno Reactor I have lived with all these years. I am not even sure how to percieve most of it. A lot of these songs just make me feel uncomfortable and agitated. Unfortunately, most fans of Juno Reactor will probably feel let down, save for a couple songs; unfortunately, those couple songs will be quickly forgotten. I can only give this album 2 1/2 stars, which I will rate as the odd number 3 on Amazon.

I have always respected Juno Reactor (and Ben Watkins) as innovative musicians that pushed the envelope just far enough to move electronica forwards without trying to be all pretentious about it and out-weird everyone. It may sound a bit silly but I often describe Juno Reactor as the "J.S. Bach of electronica". When I heard that they had a new album out I was pretty excited. Not since Queen's "Flash Gordon" have I been as disappointed in an album.

The tone of this album is so different to anything else by Juno Reactor I actually checked the CD to make sure it had not been mislabeled. I was so disappointed in this that I thought perhaps my tastes had just changed, and that I needed to give it a chance. I have listened to it about 15 times now, trying really hard to "get it" but I just can not.

There are two tracks that are what I would expect from a Juno Reactor offering: "City of the Sinful" has a good beat, a good mixture of electronic music and orchestration, even some very slow mild rap that actually works (I wouldn't usually think that anything approaching rap would fit in with JR but it really does work on this track). The female voice really does not do it for me and spoiled the track a little but not so much that I don't enjoy the song enough to have in my playlist. "Tanta Pena" is the redeeming song of the whole album. Once again a good mix of synth and orchestra, a good foot-tapping beat and a female vocalist that actually compliments the song.

"Inca Steppa" isn't the worst thing I've ever heard JR do and if I had to pick 3 songs from the album this would be the only other one I'd pick, but once again the female vocals are rather insipid and just feel out of place.

All the other tracks are boring, insipid and not worthy of being under the JR banner. Sorry to harp on the poor woman but whoever the female vocalist is, I suggest she give up on JR and stick to singing in cheesy Las Vegas bars. What is even more disappointing to me is that Ben Watkins even chose her to be on a JR album. He usually picks very good talent but he sure dropped the ball this time.

Summary: two very good Juno Reactor tracks, nestled in between very insipid rubbish. Not worth buying the whole CD, better to buy just those two songs.

If you're looking for an open hi-hat on every off-beat or a thwomping bass line intertwined with slamming drums and back beats in a colorful assortment of aggressive synths, you're going to leave empty-handed from this album.

JR has definitely stretched their global range significantly with this release. A greater influence from Trip Hop and Lounge Jazz is apparent here - the wah-wah plucky bass in City Of The Sinful which resonates of Massive Attack, the almost art-exhibit-sounding 50's and 60's piano and vocal in Mind Of The Free, to the lulling emotional soothe of Pretty Girl.

If you've grown strongly attached to the lighter, softer, slower side of JR in their earlier releases and are open-minded to a very strong change in direction, this album might actually be music to your ears. If you frequently throw up Conquistador, Masters Of The Universe, Zwara, Laughing Gas, or High Energy Protons, for example, to engage in energetic excitement, grooving, or starting rain dances, then you might want to really consider skipping this one.