Customer Reviews

Supermodified

5 star:		(50)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

first off, i'm 100% behind most [fans] in thinking tobin's a genius and a gift to contemporary music. unlike most artists in the electronic/dj/sampling bucket who are desperate to stay current with a trend or a movement (a perverse need to stay fashionable rather than really let go and express oneself, i'm thinking, although i do enjoy quite a bit of it), tobin's pretty much followed his own muse for several albums now. although he hardly invented the 2 most obvious inspirations for his work - drum & bass and jazz - he's done a stunning job of incorporating them into his sonic environments and making them his own. perhaps this is because he doesn't seem to treat this blend as a bloodless and theoretical exercise in fusion; rather, he stirs in unique symphonic flourishes that pull the compositions together and make the finished tracks much more unabashedly playful, theatrical, and romantic than the vast majority of self-conscious post-modern musicians operating within ANY genre today. and yes, in case you're concerned, his stuff still sounds painfully cool, current, and will definitely impress your trendy friends...

where i'll break with most of the other [fans] is swearing up & down that supermodified is his best album thus far. his most exciting? yep. most experimental? yep. a confirmation that tobin ain't simply a one-trick pony who'll be forgotten in a couple years? absolutely. and i'm glad that he's moving off in new directions rather that regurgitating a tried and true formula. but because supermodified is more experimental and employs a broader palette than his earlier work, i think he's still got a few kinks to work out. i suspect that this cd will be to his next release what bricolage was to permutation - a thrilling sketch for a future finished piece. good enough to give it 5 stars cuz his sketches are more creative, interesting, and repeatedly listenable that even other good artists' most mature offerings. but i suggest those who are new to amon start elsewhere. i'll explain...

his earliest material, under the name cujo, is largely forgettable if you ask me. not bad at all, but not dramatically different from what several of his ninja labelmates were producing at the time (like 9 lazy 9, mad doctor x). and given that the goals weren't that ambitious for any of 'em - to produce atmospheric, funky down-beat stuff - perhaps not even the most engaging of that ilk. if you like straight-forward jazz samples over steady grooves (as i do) or if you wind up an amon completist, then this is for you. but i don't think it's essential.

bricolage is startling by comparison. inspired by the d&b trend, which was really nothing more that an update of early 90's techno, he focused almost solely on the rhythm. but rather that the dry, electronic pulses and patterns of his contemporaries, tobin turned to jazz and latin music both for organic inspiration and source samples. some brassy instrumentation and sequenced keyboard ditties find their way into the mix as well, but because of their simplicity, they seem to only be there as a backdrop to pull the frantic percussive textures together rather than a integral melodic component. many amon tobin diehards will tell you that bricolage is their favorite after supermodified, but i don't feel the same way. although the rhythmic cut-ups are initially awesome, they strike me as a bit wallpapery after a while. there are few times that this cd maintained my attention through one sitting.

not so for permutation. this is the one i'd say is tobin's best to date in that i believe it's his most fully and successfully realized work. confident in his unique percussion skills, he took them to a new level but didn't stop there. he paid a lot more attention to the instrumentation and melody this time out, so the samples are more prominent and thoroughly woven into the rhythms of the tracks. the result is a lot more powerful and moving bona fide music, almost a soundtrack to a nonexistent film (like barry adamson's moss side story with a groove). permutation is jazzy without slavishly emulating jazz for its credibility, mature without being stodgy, and emotional without being sappy. plus its got a healthy dose of insouciance so, in spite of its big ambitions, it never comes across as pretentious. in case you couldn't guess, i think this cd is flawless and i can't heap enough praise on it. i recommend this one as the best place in tobin's discography to start, and work back to bricolage if you enjoy it and want to hear a bit more in the same vein.

i guess tobin could have tried to milk that style for all its worth, but as further proof that he really comes by the too-frequently used term "artist" honest, he's already moving off in a new direction in supermodified. the crazy cut-up rhythms are still here, but this time the instrumental samplings are the stars and jazz ensembles are just one of many sources now. these tracks are at once more orchestral AND more electronic than anything he's created so far, and he's done an amazing job at bending these disparate elements into a cohesive and original vision. supermodified is also darker, more dissonant, and more sonically hostile than bricolage or permutation although you can hear some prophetically dark atmospheres at times on those releases. he never really leavens the mood here though, and seems determined to maintain the intensity through to the end. golfer vs. boxer, in fact, is a chaotic tour de force of swirling feedback, muffled shouting, and epileptic percussion - in my opinion, completely without precedent outside of tobin's own oeuvre. (nifty trivia: the occasional golf ball sound you hear popping up through the cacophony was probably inspired by tipsy's space golf from '96.) elsewhere, the sound is lusciously sexy (chocolate lovely) or smoky funky (get your snack on) or inspirationally odd (precursor). so what's the problem? well, first of all, i think it MIGHT be a bit too thick and dissonant for tobin newbies, although some aural thrill-seekers might be looking for just that.

but also, although i think amon tobin is brilliant, i don't think he's infallible. the unmitigated clanging of keepin it steel is a joke that wears thin quickly. rhino jockey could have been a charged response to both trance and grindcore, but the muddy production and tobin's aversion to straight-forward four-to-the-floor beats keep it from ever reaching maximum power. and stacking the plodding tempos of four ton mantis, slowly, and marine machines all in row was a really bad idea if you ask me since the album gets off to a draggy start. it's not that i feel shortchanged because of these minor quibbles - i just know that this exploration is only going to increase tobin's skills and make the next album even more mind-blowing (and perhaps, like permutation, even flawless). that having been said, adventurous folks who take my advice and start with permutation should waste no time moving on to supermodified so they can savor what the rest of us have been enjoying for some time now.

two other non-related issues: a couple folks have complained about the production. with the aforementioned exception of rhino jockey, i totally disagree. i DESPISE the surgical clarity and precision of most overproduced electronic junk. amon's albums have a warm, nearly vinyl ambiance to them that i'd absolutely never want to part with.

also, i'm crossing my fingers that he starts experimenting with adding vocals as part of the sound tapestry but not for storytelling value. this isn't part of the review; just a fantasy i have because i'd like to see what his creative noodling can make of them.

Amon Tobin has been an artist to watch for quite some time now, but now he has completely outdone himself on SuperModified. When I first stuck this record on turntable, I think a few minutes into it I completely stopped doing whatever it was in the interim, awestruck by how well put together these sounds were. I tend to be a very critical first time listener of recordings, usually leaning to the "oh well" emotional let down, but wasn't left behind on this one. The textures are so dense, combining orchestral string and brass sounds with his signature jazzy bass and drum elements. It's all electronically interwoven like a fine quilt with no room for error (and there is none..). This album is a graduation effort beyond his Permutation or Bricolage, which both had great music on them. The brazilian percussion influences are well intact, heavy hitting, and so eloquently put together that you hardly notice how immense the syncopations are amidst the sometimes tender melodies that accompany them. A very "acoustic" sounding effort, Supermodified is highly recommended, very groovy, and a sometimes loungy, if you will, album.

There's not much to add to what's already been said about Amon Tobin. The man is a sort of creepy genius and his music truly pushes the limits of what we'd call "progressive" with his unique Latin-flavored mix of lush samples, larger-than-life cinematic orchestration, futuristic jazz-inspired melodic runs, intricate schizo breaks and evolving drum patterns.

After discovering Amon Tobin, I felt as though I had found THE sound I was looking for my entire life and immediately began touting his stuff to everyone I met. Much to my dismay, I soon realized that this really isn't everybody's cup of tea. It's not terribly danceable, the tracks are on the long-ish side and take their time to reach a full boil. I guess when you say "jazzy drum and bass", some people expect you to bust out a pair of glow sticks and start bouncing off walls like a fool.

One critique I heard a few times is "it's repetitive." This made my jaw drop; however, I have to concede that, rarely, a track may seem to dwell upon one melodic theme for a little too long. Of course, the people who said that have unfortunately short attention spans and openly refused to acknowledge the amazing--AMAZING--manipulation of drum patterns. He's no Aphex Twin in that category, of course--but his beats combined with the gorgeous "noirish" melodies make his music more instantly accessible.

This album can be summed up in one word: HEAVY. When the drums aren't hitting with tremendous force, the subsonic bass lines and swooping atmospheric textures Tobin weaves in create a dense blanket of sound that just smothers you.

I loathe to say it, but this can create a problem, and this is why I've deducted one star from my rating. When I first listened to Supermodified, it sounded very mildly over-driven on my desktop speakers, car stereo and CD player's headphones. Honestly, not much that you would notice unless you were playing at high volume; however, I did hear it cranked-up on an excellent car audio system and it just blew me away. It's remarkably tight, but it could have been brought down a tad for those of us with cheaper equipment and still not lost any of it's punch. But this is really a minor issue, and the album does sound quite good on all my gear--maybe it's my fault for want of turning it up!

But take note: if you're going to listen to this Amon Tobin album--and... YOU WILL want to listen to this album, oh yes--you should know that it will sound best on halfway decent stereo equipment if you don't already have it. To hear this music played the way it was intended is a real treat.

Very few performers in popular music truly earn the label "artist," and even fewer can ever be said to occupy a genre of their own, but in the case of Amon Tobin the label is more than apt. Electronic music, or at least the more respectable branch of it, is generally associated with the intellectual abstractions of such artists as Aphex Twin and Autechre, but Amon adds his own twists to the genre with his crossbreeding of electronica and the music of his native Brazil. While Amon's most recent album, Out From Out Where, was an excellent release, Supermodified still stands as his best work so far, a brilliant set that should expand minds as easily as it expands boundaries.

Filled with fractured beats and ominous atmospheres, Supermodified is a work of dizzying intricacy and variety that offers something different on every track and every listen. Befitting an imagination so restless, there are plenty of excursions into areas where most composers of this ilk would fear to tread: the jumbled drum beats of the head-spinning opener "Get Your Snack On" would sound right at home on a jazz fusion album, and other tracks provide glimpses at light jazz, hip-hop and even some Middle Eastern sounds. Strings, horns, and crazed percussion all find their way into the mix somewhere, but whatever it happens to be doing at a particular moment, what's perhaps most notable about this album is Tobin's use of subtle shadings to achieve a contrast of light and dark more suited to a classic King Crimson album than a dance floor.

It's really this element that makes Tobin's work so compelling: although it's obviously grounded in the electronic genre, it manages to create the sort of mood and ambience that's hard enough to create with live instruments but almost impossible for a DJ to replicate. Supermodified truly is a work of stunning music, one that all open-minded listeners are urged to pick up immediately.

Do you worry that there is no truly creative music being produced nowadays? I do--or I did, until I bought "Supermodified" and Amon Tobin's previous album, "Permutation." NOBODY sounds like this guy, or even close.

Amon Tobin just floors me everytime I listen to him. Having listened to rock completely burn itself out with more and more repeats of the past (another ska revival, more post-grunge, whatever) and rap fall back into the same old gangsta [stuff] (didn't NWA do this already, and better, 13 years ago?), I have noticed that electronica is the only genre pushing the creative envelope nowadays.

Tobin exemplifies why this is the case. "Deo" starts with a beautiful classical Spanish guitar loop and a humming bass. Some minimalist electric guitar work follows, and the tension builds, followed by Tobin's ever-present hyperfast organic drum breaks. Think Gene Krupa, not Tommy Lee. The whole thing layers and layers and races you at breakneck speed. You can't ignore this stuff and it leaves you spent when it finally stops. "Golfer vs Boxer" sounds like a giant snarling beast is lurking in your subwoofer, balanced with a demented, deeply buried children's chorus and more of those hyperfast drums and drum loops. "4 ton Mantis" is more approachable, with a simple 4-note piano riff holding it all together. If this all sounds intimidating, start with his more jazz-oriented "Permutation" album, but by all means listen to this guy.

Usually I review an album after listening to it two or three times. I've listened to "Supermodified" even more than that, and I'm still having trouble conveying the intricate brilliance of this CD.

This is definitely *not* traditional drum and bass music. In fact, the breakbeats are hidden under layer after layer of ambient sounds and "noise" (for lack of a better term). Some of the tracks feel like you're listening to them from under a swamp. You have to hear it to understand.

What I really like about the CD is that Tobin has a number of "ethnic" samples, and a funky lounge feel to it. But then, some of the tunes (e.g. "Golfer vrs Boxer") are simply dark as hell. That's the beauty -- there's so much variety, but it's pulled in so tightly and expertly that it doesn't sound hashed together.

If you're looking for something mind blowing, buy this album immediately.

I've been absolutely overhyped about this release from Amon Tobin. If you've seen my reviews for his previous discs, you know what I'm talking about. Now to the point..."Supermodified" is Tobin at his most fudged up. If you're expecting another "Permutation" or "Bricolage," you ain't gonna get it here. However, Tobin does build upon the foundations of those two masterpieces. The jazz still informs a few tracks, but this is a completely different beast. "Get Your Snack On" bucks tradition (i.e. slow tune first) and sets it off with a fiery mid-tempo groove, and then Tobin hits us with "Four Ton Mantis," his best track since "People Like Frank." That is one heck of a stereophonic rush you're gonna get. I also like the absolutely THREATENING bass of "Golfer vrs Boxer" (I think he used a motorbike to produce that) and the redefinition of "jungle" music that is "Precursor" (which features Canadian beatboxer Quadraceptor). Also, "Slowly" ranks right up there with "Nova" as a signature Tobin slow tune. Those are highlights - but EVERY track on this will take you away, particularly "Keepin' It Steel (The Anvil Track)" and "Marine Machines." Not many people might know it, but Amon Tobin is one of the best - if not THE BEST - in this music arena. Do yourself a favour and pick up this album of the year (sorry, Kid Koala - but I still love ya).

This has to be one of the best electronic albums I've ever listened to. Amon Tobin's first 2 albums were pretty good, although a bit inconsistent. But Supermodified is his crowning achievement. The sounds are deep and rich, and the way he layers them together makes for a fantastic eargasm. This album has soul. Unlike other electronic stuff, Amon Tobin is jazzy. You can definately tell he's from Brazil.

The first 3 tracks are so good they'll make your head spin. "Slowly" is a masterpiece - in the same vein as "Nova" from Permutation. I get so excited listening to this album I'm afraid I'll hurt myself. Exercise caution when driving cus you're liable to get a speeding ticket.

But seriously this album is excellent. It restores my faith in humanity that there are people like Amon Tobin out there making music like this.

Oh yeah, look for the import version, or the Slowly single with "Bad Sex" on it. that's a good track too. It has a guy going "Ay, chihuahua". ha.

I believe there are very few true artist in this day and age and Amon Tobin is one of them. Original, chic, innovative, unique, beautiful... absolutely beautiful.

I am a fool for not getting hip to "Amon Tobin" sooner! Honestly, I thought the guy was one of those DJs whose music is monotonous and can be heard in video games and cheerleader competitions! I shamefully stand corrected! Tobin is much more complex than that! And "Supermodified" is a true testiment! This has been herald as Tobin's best CD and I must agree. "Supermodified" is a bit dark and obscure at times, but the production value is excellent! Tobin is the MASTER--I dare you to disagree. The acid-jazz opener, "Get Your Snack On" sets the stage for what's to come. The ominous "4 Ton Mantis" keeps the jazz-effect going with a killer beat to boot! "Slowly" is as haunting as a Portishead cut, while "Marine Machines" with its orchestral embellishments have you wondering if there's an army of cyborgs coming to take us over!! Next, is the equally apocolyptic, "Golfer Vrs Boxer" that still scares the $#!^ outta me when I listen to it!! "Deo" is what all down-tempo music should sound like! "Precursor" has a stong jazzy bass line with some weird-other-wordly-scatting from Quadraceptor (???)--although it leaves one to wonder if this is a sample, or an actual person that Tobin has manipulated to sound like that! INCREDIBLE!! "Saboteur" keeps with the dark tone of this album, as does the gorgeuosly ominous, "Chocolate Lovely." However, "Rhino Jockey" loses me and sounds like filler garbage (it could've been left off, really), but I'm sure rave-heads everywhere will dig it! Bringing it down a few notches is "Keepin' It Steel" and the beautiful closer, "Natureland." Very impressive CD from a man who defies all conventional rules of D&B, Techno, Jazz, Trip-hop and Ambient music. In fact, with "Supermodified"--and let's not forget the equally amazing debut, "Bricolage" and the current, "Out From Out Where"-- Tobin has--what's the saying?--reinvented the wheel all together!