9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
I want it all, June 13, 2002
This review is from: Resist (Audio CD)
Faithless is to trip hop-infused dance/pop as Kosheen is to drum & bass-infused dance/pop. "Resist" isn't a full-blown drum & bass album but instead it is a well-executed album heavily influenced by drum & bass. There are plenty of the familiar skitterish, rapid electronic beats that is known in the drum & bass world yet very radio-friendly with the gorgeous melodies for listeners who don't normally enjoy drum & bass music. Lead singer Sian has a rich warm voice that adds a warmth to the rapid drum beats that isn't usually heard in drum & bass. Her vocals are a bit on the soulful side. One of the reviewers here said it best when he described her as being a bit like Portishead's Beth Gibbons and Moloko's Roisin Murphy. The very second I heard "Hide U" I immediately knew I have heard this particular song somewhere. It is an infectious club song perfect for your typical Saturday night out on the town. Now while this song is one of my favorite tracks on the album, I don't think it totally represents what the band is about. I think tracks such as "Catch", "Empty Skies", and "Resist" really represents the diverse sound of this excellent genre-bending band. "Resist" is definitely one of the best dance albums I have heard this year so far. It will be a tough call to pick a favorite between Dirty Vegas' album and Kosheen's "Resist" since both albums are simply superb in my book.
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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Jungle is " 'F U' Music". Thank God This isn't., April 15, 2002
This review is from: Resist (Audio CD)
Who says Kosheen has to be hardcore? Being a DJ I had heard, owned and spun their tracks "Empty Skies", "Hide U" and "Catch" almost a year before they were ever released in the States. Needless to say, as they charted high in the UK they were a "best kept secret" here. But no more.
WHAT THIS ALBUM ISN'T:
It's definitely not for hardcore 'junglists' or die hard fans of the Diesel Boy sound. Even if you are fans of producers Substance and Decoder, you may be put off by what they do here. So if that's you, look elsewhere.
WHAT IT IS:
This album is definitely a bit more 'mature' than what you might expect from this pairing of artists. It's got that 'Everything But the Girl' pseudo dnb sound for most of the album, but a few tracks are just the original jungle tracks EQ'ed differently (toned down for the masses, if you will). Take for instance "Empty Skies" (possibly one of the best songs ever written). This track ALWAYS killed the crowd when I dropped it on dub. ALWAYS. Granted it was a much harder mix but people were always asking me about the artist and who they were. If any of them picked up this album and were disappointed, then how can they really be mad at Kosheen? That's like being a fan of Thunderpuss Remixes of Britney Spears and not Britney Spears, but not Britney Spears. You can feel that way but don't hate the originators for doing what they do.
Anyways, all in all, the albums hot. I listen to it all the time. I do skip around alot, and my favorite tracks, "Hide U", "Empty Skies", "Resist", "Gone", and "Pride" should please even some of the most hardcore of Drum and Bass fans.
This album is an obvious attempt by Kosheen to 'cross-over' but, hey, not everyone wants to be unknown and poor forever. Get it if you like Ben Watt's production for Everything But the Girl, Nelle Hooper's work on the early Bjork albums or Roni Size's work for Break Beat Era.
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
this album is hard to resist, July 22, 2002
This review is from: Resist (Audio CD)
After downloading about 4 songs from this album I went out and bought it with little hesitation. The funky "Slip & Slide (Suicide)" is what pulled me into Kosheen in the first place, which consists of two producers, Decoder and Substance, along with newcomer Sian Evans who provides all of the powerful vocals which often have a soulful/rockish edge to it. With that Kosheen is able to create amazing drum n' bass songs with interesting poppy-electronica which firmly roots Kosheen at the top of their game. It's hard to even imagine how Kosheen's RESIST can be so underrated for they have such a progressive and creative soundbase. Kosheen has accessible material that manages to remain a well-hidden jewel in the music world but with mainstream elements that almost make this album suitable for radio, with standout songs being "Harder", "Slip & Slide (Suicide)", "Empty Skies", the devilish "Resist" and the new-agey "Face In A Crowd". This album is incredibly addictive and is one of the best drum n' bass albums to come out in a long, long while.
Trust me people... You can try to resist this album but it won't be easy. I don't think it wise of you to resist it anyway for it's a splendorous triumph in this otherwise repetitious genre, and I recommend it to the fullest extent.
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