Customer Reviews

Tight Connection

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

 

 

I am so glad that I Am the World Trade Center didn't change its name as I first heard after the attacks on September 11. Originally I read somewhere the duo of Dan Geller and Amy Dykes had briefly called their group "I Am the World". I was quite surprised when I found out they had a new album out that their name was still in its original form. Good. If there is one thing I dislike is this whole political correctness about the tragedy of those awful terrorist attacks. If you don't like the name of this group then don't listen to their music then. It is your choice. I just don't want to hear about it. Even the store clerk where I bought this awesome cd told me he didn't like the name of this group. Tough. Dan and Amy has been around longer than most people would realize and they have the right to perform as "I Am the World Trade Center".

Now that I'm off my soapbox, the music on the group's second album "Tight Connection" is even more impressive than on "Out of the Loop". I am still astounded that this music is all made on a laptop computer. I can hear just how tighter the music is on the album. The music is much more cohesive and less of a mess than on their first [full-length] album. I adore their version of one of my favorite Blondie songs "Call Me". With their blend of techno and retro pop, they gave that song a whole new dimension to it. I really dug "The Postcard". What an awesome way to kick off the album with a full-blown techno song like that. After hearing "Tight Connection", I am look forward to hearing more from I Am the World Trade Center in the future.

This band has always suffered from the name that hardly describes the band. Okay, maybe there is two people in it, like two men standing at the end of Manhattan. There once was two big water tanks in Williamsburg too. And those are destroyed and gone too. Dan Geller is smart enough to get a chick singer to front the band who looks like Nina Persson and sings like Debbie Harry. In fact, they name check Blondie with the song "Pretty Baby" but prefer to cover the song "Call Me" which is a song about prostitution as you may remember. Occasionally they draw from "lowlife" era New Order on songs like "The Postcard." But they really outdo themselves with "Believe in Me" that sounds like a big summer Ibiza anthem.

When you expect some of the easy-going pop that Kindercore is used to, you find that this band has more to do with Layo & Bushwacka and maybe also Moloko (another successful girl/guy duo). Some songs like "California Dreaming Again" sort of make us all want to take Ecstasy and forget all about 9/11. "The Tight Connection" is a great party record. It has surprises. I think that they will be around for a while.

I am reviewing this album not because I hold a strong attachment to it or think it is the greatest thing ever, but I felt that the "negative five stars" that one person gave this album was not justified for an entire perspective or impression of the album. When I saw IATWTC in Tulsa, they were very friendly and the music was as fun as the show. It was refreshing to see two people so spirited and energetic, and the music went perfectly with the show. There are certainly better artists out there, but there are also many worse. Don't dismiss this band.

It really sound like nothing else out there today. I really am not sure what the reviewer below is getting at (in fact I was surprised to read that review when I pulled up this page), this band is completely original with music that sounds familiar but not like its ripping anything off.

Amy Dykes' voice has an other-worldy quality to it that recalls Deborah Harry in a lot of ways (maybe I'm hearing that because of their version of Call Me on the album), but her voice hovers beautifully above the ingenious and catchy laptop creations from her partner in the band, Dan Geller. There is an ominous "dark side of new wave" sound to the whole album, reminscent of very early Ultravox or OMD or "Power, Corruption and Lies" era New Order. You can dance to it, but there's also a darkness to it that draws you in for deeper listenings.

The other amazing thing about this record is that (as mentioned above) it was recorded entirely on a laptop with an inexpensive made for consumers music program. To make an album on a cheap laptop with a low-end music program that sounds this professional is a pretty remarkable achievement in itself

This is an album that struck a chord with me on many different levels. It is an immensley enjoyable album and also a very important album, and not just for the reasons that would immediately come to mind. Highly recommended.

With all of the great releases lately, IATWTC's Tight Connection is of course one of the best! I am a big 80's and new wave fan, as well as the techno/trance, electroclash and indie rock styles. This album fits well in between all of these different sounds.

Whenever I hear "Big Star" by IATWTC, I get that special feeling that only a few songs can do. I love a song that is sweet and simple, and that is what most of the album does. I would compare this group to Postal Service, but that is the only group even remotely similar. Think of 80's new wave style with a bit more modern beat and less sophistication. Remember, less is better. That is why this album has such repitition in my playlist.

This is a really great album. It has a sort of modernized 80's feel to it. It's very refreshing to hear something that, while essentially electronica, has more of soul to it than alot of the garbage you hear coming out these days. IATWTC also puts on a great show, and when I talked with them afterwards, they seemed to be very nice people - they're the kind of band you want to see succeed.

Simple, amazing voice, catchy music.
Raw and precious

The negative 5 stars guy sounds like someone who was kicked out of this band back in high school and is now ticked off that they now have a record deal. This album is great and their music is infectious.

Last night I saw this duo, and let me tell you, if you are a person who is looking for something new...look elsewhere. This group is very cliche. What is even worse is they are totally oblivious to it. They prance around the stage and let machines do all the work(in all fairness, the roland machine they used had a sensor on it so they could wave their hands in front of it and create a VERY annoying sound over and over again). I am an Atlanta native and they are from Athens. This means that I naturally percieve them as arrogant people who think they are way cool just because of their geographic location. I do like some music from Athens, but generally just the ones who don't seem like they are. I am highly into synthesis, so don't think I just don't understand. There comes a time when music loses it's spice when feeling gets lost in all the technical stuff. Anyone can loop a beat over and over again. Also...why all the disco...why are we always having to retro-ize EVERYTHING. NO ORIGINALITY AND THAT IS WHY I WROTE THIS REVIEW. I HATE THAT! NEGATIVE 5 STARS