Customer Reviews

Master View (Bonus Dvd)

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

 

 

Hexstatic do a great job on this one. The album starts out pretty good, but once it hits track five it gets real good. Great variety and great production.

the DVD is friggin' awesome. It comes with a pair of 3d glasses because a lot of the videos are in 3D. They really do it up right on this one.

Watch the 3D version of "That Track" (on the DVD) and you will be seeing the most advanced manifestation of music and visual conceptual animation yet developed. I seriously don't know how these people think this stuff up and then actually create it for us to see. I envy and admire their accomplishment. It's like being a kid and seeing TRON for the first time back in the day. This is a whole new landscape. And the tunes ain't bad either.

First listened to this album and realized that it was an instant favorite at the beginning with Extra life, with it's vintage Atari-esque, game feel to the song> The game cartrige 'ping-pong' If I recall correctly had this sample. The ninja track in the following is probably the most catchy with its appropriate breakbeat simplicity kind of like a hybrid of Tawa Tai's Future Listening meets Asphex Twin on a much more melodic, driving pace level so to speak. A classic from the start. Telemetron is a retro fitting lounge kicker that has a San Francisco early 60's sensibility that is not to be missed. Perfect Bird is certainly evocative of what one would find in an animai soundtrack but from what era, am not sure of but it sure can carry a mysterious charm that can carry you away with a steady melody and a girl(?) singing in Japanese. Salvador sounds real Richard H. Kirk-ish with a nice Brazilian drum and samba beat.
After seven tracks of interesting and talent oriented songs and a DVD that pushed the boundaries at that, the 8th track brought me to a crushing halt and stalled the already, on-going enthusiasm that I was having with the aforesaid tracks. Frankly, this short but concerted effort to have rap on this album does not ring with the current vibe of the album and at most, detracts from it sadly. They could have done without that. Now, one may as well have purchased an album by, let's say, Gorillaz, for just cheap thrills. Realizing too, that their other album has alot more of this effort, this one recycles it. Honestly, it had a 5 going for it but it ends up being a 3, face it, you can't play up to anything and everyone at the same time, as for as DJ's and radio stations are concerned, that's audience tune-out and that is a turn-off. Other than that, the first 7 tracks will chill you out and pump you up.

in my mind Hexstatic are geniuses, pretty much everything they put out is awesome. This certainly doesn't fall short. Track one "extra life" is a standout track. it's a great opener, with a simple, yet captivating beat. It's a got this flowing synth that gives it a sortof spacey feelign that i really like. The song does make me think of video games for some reason (maybe because of the dialogue at the beginning) but if you watch the video it's a game of pong. The next track "chase me" has to be my favorite track on here. It really sounds like david holmes type work actually and i like him alot, but it still sounds original. It has probably the best breaks that i've heard in a while, and the bassline is so good. I'm sure it's synth'ed but the wah-wah-ish guitar effect sounds really cool. It sounds like something that would be out of ocean's eleven, but then again david holmes did do that soundtrack. Telemetron is also really cool. It's also got a pretty simple beat, and that one synth that fades in and back out each measure gives it a sortof amon-tobin quality to it, and he is ridiculously amazing. This song reminds of alot of japanese electro also, kind of like midnight bowlers. I'll skip track 4, not one my favorites but still realy good. Perfect Bird is really good. The original is by guitar vader, who if you don't know you should check out. You might find the voice irritating but the beat is really good and the guitar riff in there goes really well with it. That riff sounds a bit like tortoise actually. Salvador, is definitely one of my favorites. I listen to tons of brazillian music so i knew i'd like this as soon as i heard it. It starts off sounding pretty traditional and then adds in bits of synth and then brings in a prett ycool dance beat. The brazillian music keeps playing behind which really makes the track. Track seven "Living" is also really good. It's got a pretty fast, distorted drum-n-bass-ish beat with a guitar loop, and then the flute. and this song is kindof like a cross between chemical brothers and amon tobin. "distorted minds" is the one hip hop tack on here with juice aleem. It's a pretty good track. track 9 i won't go into, but also very good. Toys are us is probably my least favorite track on here. It just doesn't really seem to develope alot and it's got just too much noise and not enough substance. It's kindof loud and a bit dull. Pulse actually also isn't one of my favorites, it just seems a bit dull, it's somewhat unfortunate to end the cd on not such a good note, but it's still decent. So really, it's just two tracks on here that aren't noteworthy, thes rest though are great, so if you're into REALLY electronic stuff then this is for you. This is really the only cd i have which you could truly put in the B.S. category of electronica. This is electronica, and it uses electronics very very well.