Customer Reviews

Sonic Diary (Bonus CD)

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

 

 

The remixes on the bonus cd are:

Mourn - Mesh Remix

Back On Track - Northern Lite Remix

Until the End of the World - Ladytron De-Shape Remix

Deep Red - Blackmail Version

Maze - Zombie Girl Remix

Love To Blame - Sono Remix

Pikachu - Darkdream Mix by Sonic Code

Love To Blame - Pelton Thrashy Remix

Tuning In to the Frequency of Your Soul - Cyberpunk Remix

Most of the songs on the main cd are also on other APB cds, except for Bend & Break, Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses, Damned Don't Cry, Bizarre Love Triangle, All Tomorrow's Parties (Nico vs. APB), and A Strange Day & Coma White, which also appeared on compilations. However, some of these are my favourite tracks. I believe Ohm Sweet Ohm is a b-side of some single, I know I have it somewhere else.

Bend & Break, Wild Horses, & Bizarre Love Triangle are ballads without much of a beat. U2's version of Wild Horses is better, for some reason Stephan Groth's voice doesn't seem to carry it, but I'm not a big fan of that song anyway. I love the other two ballads. I don't care if APB tries new directions, they're usually good at it. Coma White is a fun, danceable version of a Marilyn Manson song. Electricity, Fade to Black, and Ohm Sweet Ohm are old APB favourites, at least for me. Synthesizers! Cambodia and Shine On are both from the newest album. A Strange Day is nice, but it isn't the best Cure song.

I don't care for the remixes that much, except for the Ladytron De-Shape Remix (also a b-side) and the Cyberpunk Remix. The others aren't melodic enough for my taste. [...]

Apoptygma Berzerk is one of those bands that I really can't get enough of. I like a lot of electronic/synth acts, ApB has something about them that takes them to that next level. Perhaps it is the powerhouse music I heard when I listened to songs like Unicorn, or perhaps it is the more subtle way things like 7 sat in my brain and banged out the sounds to anthems like "Love never dies." Whatever the reason, finding Sonic diary was a triumph because, at the end of the day, it was something I didn't expect. Simply looking on any sight that sells music by the song will show you that, and these rare albums breed beautiful hits.

Take, for instance, Bizarre Love Triangle. It sounds more like the Frente cover than the original did, but the ballad-like way the song plays out gives me chills and makes me happy. I also like to listen to Who's Gonna ride Your Wild Horses, not really favoring the original but loving the cover, and I enjoy Bend and Break a lot. I've heard people argue over The Damned don't Cry, not liking what was done with visage's song, but I like it. It has a rough sound that makes me feel good as well. All Tomorrow's Parties, the Velvet Underground song, also made me happy to see - and this combined into something I had to buy. Then there was Coma White, off of Tribute to Manson or Graver's Paradise, Electricity, a song I have gotten accustomed to because it has been featured by ApB before, and Kraftwerk's Ohm Sweet Ohm - a song that has been on ApB before.

Other songs listed here - as well as a few i named - have been o the Black EP and on Until the End of the World. The remix album also has some good stuff to add despite the songs being featured here and there, with a few of the songs doing some nice work. I have heard Ladytron plan with ApB songs before and, like this time, I found them happily suited for my intake.

So, should you buy? Well, if you are a fan, you should at least try to get everything here. I was going to try and I did, but finally broke down and got the album because, well, it is good stuff. I personally find the need to support the people I like and Groth is a name that gets my money. Listen to the Bizarre Love mix and you might be won over quickly as well.

Recommended.

More like 3 and 1/4 stars but rounded up since this album has 1 star and it certainly doesn't deserve that. Not as good as their earlier efforts, but worth a listen for fans. I agree that their last few albums are not as good as previous ones though...

This is yet another step in the consistent decline of a fantastic band. They peaked with "Welcome To Earth" but have yet to recover from it. After the atrocious efforts "Harmonizer" and "You And Me Against The World" (no Stephan, it's just YOU), I thought there might be some promise in an album full of covers. Surely they couldn't take a collection of good or great songs and ruin them, could they?

Sadly, yes. The only standouts on this record are "Coma White" and "Fade To Black," both of which were recorded years ago when they were still a relevant and interesting band. Save the money and spend it on something more enjoyable, like a root canal. This is terrible.