Shine on [Single, Import]

Apoptygma Berzerk | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 27, 2006)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Single, Import
• Label: Gun
• ASIN: B000BKFFXQ
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,012,647 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Shine On

2. Tunning To The Frequency Of Your Soul (Drugwar Remix)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very Strong Single from a Weak Album, June 8, 2006

By 

SandmanVI (Glen Allen, VA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Shine on (Audio CD)

This is a very good single. And yes, it is somewhat unfortunate that the best track on APB's latest album is a cover. However, as in the past, Stefan is great at picking the songs to add his touches. In the past he's made other excellent choices whether as singles, album tracks, b-sides or live: The Cure's "A Strange Day", Metallica's "Fade To Black", DM's "Enjoy The Silence", and the list goes on.

With "Shine On" Stefan has chosen a House of Love masterpiece. "Shine On" not only was a great song, I believe it to be one of the great lesser known alternative pop singles ever written; see also The Bolshoi's "A Way". HOL is also a very underappreciated band - very cool of APB to pluck this diamond that is not nearly as widely known as it deserves. Just to add, HOL had 1 other unrecognized gem with "Christine" off of their brilliant debut which I think is out of print... anyway, it's very had to find their albums since their were all just self-titled (wacky, ain't it?). APB has chosen to remake "SO" as a melodic industrial metal track as opposed to shimmering alt-rock. The result is very good falling slightly short of excellent. The original is better but this is a great twist.

Given the lameness of the album from which this single is culled, I was very surprised by the quality of these b-sides. "Black Pawn" is a soothing minimalistic dance track with a catchy, trademark Stefan vocals; sounds like it could have been a single from his side-project Fairlight Children. "Freindly Fire" is also good but the background melody sounds almost exactly like the what he used behind his "Fade To Black" cover - take a listen. The "According To Phillip Remix" od "You Keep Me From Breaking Apart" is somewhat similar to "Black Pawn" with its alluring minimal approach... it's basically a simple, slow arpeggiated synth bass backing some very nice vox. The final trcak is my least favorite reminding a bit of "OK Amp..." with a big beat but little else.

Anyway, a very good single worth owning. I enjoy it far more than the actual album.

Note: this review applies to the version with 5 tracks not 2.

4.0 out of 5 stars "Shining On" in a new direction for Apoptygma Berzerk, April 9, 2006

By 

D. Meyer "MeisterTek" (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Shine on (Audio CD)

It seems that Apoptygma Berzerk seems to be "shining on" in a new direction with a new pop rock sound. Many reviewers are talking about how this is the best song on Apoptygma Berzerk's new album "You and Me Against the World", well I agree it does sound excellent. However, this song was composed by Guy Chadwick lead singer of the band "The House of Love", the best version being on the self titled album "The House of Love" 1990. Give the original a listen, in my opinion it is one of the best rock songs ever produced. It is very cool that Apoptygma Berzerk is paying tribute to this song by redoing it. The problem is that Apoptygma Berzerk's most powerful song on this new album is not composed by them, which is too bad because in the past Apoptygma Berzerk was able to produce their best tracks on their own. I really hope that the new sound (and look) of Apoptygma Berzerk does steer the band too far away from the great music they have produced in the past.