Customer Reviews

Shivers

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

So this may not be a usual AVB album. And it does have a few slow and/or weird tracks, that are not his usual work. But, about 70% of the album is actually pretty good. This means that roughly 7 out of 10 tracks are a good trance. Any AVB fan would want to own this one, even if just for the Shivers only, so that his/her library will be complete. Oh by the way, there's a hidden song on the last track ;)

Despite the horrible comments posted here, I really enjoy this CD. I am a huge trance fan, and when I found Armin's CD at a used book store, I thought I'd give him a try. I do have some mixed ratings about the album. I am not too impressed with some of the intros, but love the acidic beats he produces. I found most of these tracks very sultry, though the lyrics aren't the best I've heard. This is a very good addition to any trance/dance collection.

Ugh. Come on Armin. What's this??!!

I agree with Doctor Trance. Armin is SUPER at mixing Vocal, Melodic, Epic and Euphoric trance. Now he is into some Techy, High NRG Trance. I so enjoyed Disc 1 of A State of Trance 2005 that I didn't do much research before buying this one. Big mistake. I think I was lured to the disc as well because in iTunes it's listed with a genre of Dance. So I thought it was staying true to the Dance/Trance of Disc 1 of ASOT 2005. No!

I guess the clue to this rude awakening comes from Armin on his website:

"I think trance is becoming a broader term for a lot of different genres; it's no longer a specific kind of music within the dance scene," says Armin, widely credited with creating the blueprint track for the genre, Blue Fear, at the tender age of 19,. "Trance has elements of all different types of music. I play a lot of tracks that are labelled as progressive, tribal progressive, techno, trance, euphoric trance, vocal trance, melodic progressive... These days it's really hard to label a specific sound. Styles are mutating and evolving into this all-over new sound, which is basically dance music going back to its roots. There's so much good music out there and I don't want to limit myself to just one style."

HELL NO Armin! Trance is Trance. You play different genres so as to maximise your appeal to diverse tastes in clubs, and you don't like being pigeon-holed into one type of Electronic Music. (I've heard you say that in an interview.)

You of all people should know better. For a refresher, go here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trance_music#Musicology_and_styles

That is perhaps good for you (because you don't get bored and can expand into other areas.) But you know what? You let your fans down. Really, I don't know what to expect when seeing Armin live anymore. He sends you this way, then that. One minute you're dancing, next minute you are looking at your watch to see how much more of the next song you have to endure. It makes for a bumpy ride and lacks consistency. People prefer to know what they are paying for. Moreover, we want Armin to deliver a high percentage of Melodic and Euphoric Trance. Not entertain himself with diffent styles of music. Put it on a separate CD and don't label it DANCE or Trance.

Anyway, on to the CD. The worthwhile tracks here are:
7. Who is watching (featuring Nadia Ali of IIO)
10. Serenity (featuring Jan Vayne)
11. Hymne

Armin, many of your fans feel betrayed.

If you are looking for a good Trance fix, check out 'Just Be' by Tiesto, or 'Kingdom: Passport to the Netherlands' by Ferry Corsten.

In the day of progressive trance/house being ushered in by John Digweed, Sander kleinenberg, and Danny Howells, it's so terribly damn refreshing to hear songs like Wall of Sound Zocolo, and Golddigger. Shivers and Serenity are the two tracks that Armin gave the raver children of today. If you want hard-pounding Armin, this is definately not the cd for you. Check out his State of Trance live mixes from the UK radio scene.

This cd is a DJ's dream. Expect to hear remixes of almost all of these tracks in the future.

There are probably a lot of people who are unaware of this album. I bought it because I heard "Shivers" on Dance Dance Revolution SuperNOVA and I loved the song, and I can't have a song unless it's the original full version, so I bought this CD. I don't usually like male vocals, and this album features a few of them. The lyrics for "Golddigger" are pretty good, but "Gypsy" is a little creepy, maybe it's just because I'm a girl. I absolutely love "Who is Watching", Nadia Ali is great. It's not too slow and the lyrics are just deep enough to convey more meaning. It took me awhile to realize Justine Suissa was on the intro track, I love her on "Sirens of the Sea" with Above & Beyond (they form OceanLab). This is a decent album; however, the last four tracks seem to drag on and on, I find myself skipping over them more often than not. After "Serenity" though, there is a bonus track called "Hymne" that is sans-vocals. Worth a listen if you need some in-between tracks to spice up your playlist.

For the most part, my love for trance has diminished in the past few years with hard dance taking over, a genre that I absolutely cannot handle. Of course, as we all know, electronic music, regardless of genre, is forever morphing, and trance is no exception. The big euphoric breakdowns and swirling and sparkling synths (examples of what drew me to trance in the early 2ks) are all but gone, but every once in a while, an artist comes out with a release that holds true to what made people fall in love with trance to begin with.
Now, I'm not saying that this is an instant classic or that this is AVB's best work, but there are trax here that have classic elements. The first 3, Wall of Sound, Empty State and Shivers are all true trance trax, showcasing energy, nice beats, groovy bass lines and nice vocals. Being that this is an artist release and not a mix, there a couple of songs that just don't fall into the trance category. Golddigger, for example, sounds more like Enigma, just with filler vocals and an uninspired beat. But then, you'll find the real gems...Zocalo is by far my favorite on the album - a great melody throughout, with guitars a la ATB. It definitely has that classic early 2000 trance sound. The other is Serenity, a non-vocal number with driving, bass heavy beats and a great acidy, melodic breakdown. The only furrowed brow moment is the closing track, which is considered a "bonus". It's an all synth string, orchestral instrumental that IMO takes away from the album and sounds completely out of place. AVB could have closed the album with Serenity and called it a night.
Regardless, this album has something for everyone: vocals, trax without, some with a Balearic feel, and others with a lot of energy. It's a really good cd and still shows Armin van Buuren is a trance king.

I just heard the famous song "Shivers" on videos, I thought just a reqular thing with no innovation but the song never left my imagination and now I know why Armin Van Buuren is truly an innovator in the dance genre. So MR Van Buuren Keep it up.

I am a huge fan of Armin's State of Trance series and when I got this I expected it to be more of the same. I was taken by suprise. This cd shows Armin branching out a little and exploring some different sounds than those heard on typical trance albums. While it does contain my personal favorite of his written tracks, Shivers, this cd also has some downtime to it. Not all of the tracks have a blasting bass line and fast tempo. It has more in commom with the beach disks of ASOT rather than the club ones. Overall, I like that Armin is exploring his music a little more and trying to escape the trappings of being pigeon-holed, but you have to realize that this is not another State of Trance year mix. This is exploration.

I don't understand all the bashing. This is a great album ... a bit different from the mainstream vocal trance.

There are so many things that Armin is and dull is not one to be considered. Having never heard of Armin before the release of the title track 'Shivers' I went and got the album and haven't looked back.

The opening track 'Wall of Sounds' made me worry that I'd broken my CD player when it started. I was drawn in by the accessible beats and easy going sounds. Mixed with Suissa's dynamic vocals, this track is awesome.

'Empty State' doesn't strike me too hard as anything special but still easy listening with plenty of bounce and give. 'Shivers' ... the track is why I bought the album - enough said.

'Golddigger' will appeal to some and disappoint others. It's very much a track that not everyone will like, but certainly worth it.

The album coasts along with dynamic tracks with Armin working with the likes of Gabriel and Dresden and Ray Wilson. The song 'Who is Watching' featuring Nadia Ali I was a little disappointed with. With her past hits 'Rapture', 'At The End', 'Smooth' and 'Runaway' and the previous bounce-a-licious beats of the 'Shivers' album I was expecting a lot. It took a few repeat listens before the song really started to become enjoyable for me.

All in all, Armin gave it all he had and hell, it worked. This album might be getting a bit of a beating, but it's to the listeners taste and it was much tasty for me.