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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Still wonderfully enjoyable after all these years, January 24, 2004
After knowing a considerable amount of success in the late 1980's with their first eponymous release (which contained such hits as What's on your mind, a classic of the synth-pop era, and Walking Away) techno-pop band Information Society was a lot less lucky with their sophomore effort, Hack. It didn't do as well as the previous one, despite some really good radio-friendly tracks and potential hits. The single "Think", for example, is one of those songs that are so catchy and infectious you can't help but sing along with them; same goes for "How long", "Now that I have you" (which, I'll admit, sounds uncannily like Think)and "Can't slow down" as well as "Mirrorshades". Surprisingly enough, these two are some of the highlights of the album, despite not being sung by frontman Kurt Harland. You can tell by listening to the numerous interludes that Harland and his bandmates had a blast playing with their computers and throwing in all those samples; one may say that it's too much, but I think that it's what made InSoc so original and fun. This being said, however, I can't say that Hack is InSoc's best album. It's a little too messy and it contains too much fillers (Fire tonight is excruciatingly boring, just like If only is)for my taste. But overall, it's still a great album from a band that, unlike so many others from that period, passed the test of time pretty well.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great CD, and it still sounds fresh, April 30, 2006
If you start listening to Hack expecting it to be a continuation of the made-for-radio pop like the self-titled "Information Society" album, you'll probably be disappointed. "A Knife and a Fork" will leave you scratching your head, and you'll hit the stop button. But to do so will cause you to miss out on some excellent music.
"Hack" has several catchy, mainstream-safe tracks, notably "Think", "How Long", "Move Out" and "Slipping Away". But those tracks aren't front-loaded into the first four tracks on the CD... they're scattered between a variety of "experimental" tracks, some of which you'll like, and others you may find dull or annoying.
As an example, the track "Fire Tonight", has a light and happy tune. The lyrics, on the other hand, paint an eerie and dark picture of a city in chaos ("you said that if you couldn't take the car, you'd walk instead; it was the last thing you said before the line went dead; now I'm waiting by the window holding all the things of yours I've found"). The combination is rather unusual, technically interesting, and in my opinion, one of the best tracks on the CD.
The thing about these "experimental" tracks is that as a listener, you might not like them the first time you hear them, especially if you're looking for radio pop. However, they are also much less formulaic, so over the long haul, they still sound new compared to the radio.
If you liked "Think", give this CD a shot. There are enough solid pop tracks to be worthwhile, and if you give the rest of the CD a chance, you may grow to love the entire thing.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
YES! YES! YES!, May 17, 2000
this is MY kinda music! all the sampling, sound-bytes, techno-make-you-wanna-dance music. keep it coming! it's 2000 and this is still one of my most listened to cds. keeps your ears busy - where DO the sound bytes come from? i think i recognize some star trek...
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