Customer Reviews

Unlearn

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Remember when you were young and the world looked like an open book, waiting for you to jump into its pages and write your own epic? Well, back in 1995, the World Wide Web was that book and a lot of bands hopped onto the cyber-everything bandwagon. The only problem is, as many bands and TV shows find out, references tend to date a song or CD and reduce the long-term listenability of it. Things dated lose relvance quickly...only universal concepts last and stay fresh.

With its earlier release, Psykosonik kind of dated itself as a simple rave-thrash/anthem techno group and that album sounds really corny today...but Unlearn is completely different in that it relies solely on the power of lush, organic synths coupled with steady beats and soaring vocals that don't date the songs with references, but rather develop more complex and diaphanous themes like mental expansion and higher consciousness. It taps into a very primitive root, yet also inspires and blossoms into the conscious mind. Some of the music is almost like aural meditation, yet there are songs with a driving beat that are great for the car.

I love all of the songs on this CD, with "Dreaming Real" being the sort of anthem of the entire work, I think. I've had this CD for the better part of 10 years and it has endured hundreds, if not thousands of listenings. I HIGHLY recommend this CD as the foundation of any electronica collection...or even if you're just looking for an album that will make you dream while wakened.

A million soundtrack albums with impossibly fast songs. That was my introduction to Psykosonik. One of those bands that are good enough to churn out generic songs with bleeps and sundry other effects but are forgotten at the end of the day. Shopping impulse and who knows what other compulsion made me purchase Unlearn. And I still ask: is this the same band? Instead of force feeding us with crazy beats, they have opted for subtler sonic textures and melodies. First and foremost come the melodies, the beats are left far behind. WHat is left is an album of tremendous, dreamy beauty that I hope is just the beginning in a series.

As many people have said, this album is very different than their first, self-titled release. It sounds much more mature, which is surprising considering it was released a mere two years later. Paul Sebastien sings instead of rapping on this album, which is better, because he has a really great singing voice (and the rapping on the first cd got real cheesy.) This is especially obvious on "The Breathing Room," which is almost an instrumental, only you can hear Paul singing in the background (no lyrics). With that said, every song is really good. Don't be turned off by the sort of mainstream sound of the record, though. This recomendation is coming from someone who likes experimental stuff like Coil, Skinny Puppy and Download, so give it a chance even if you're into more "underground" kinds of music.

Oh, and, by the way, as of October 14, 2003, Psykosonik is back. Check out www.psykosonik.com . Judging from the sample that used to be on the site, (which sounds awesome) their new cd sounds like it will be in a similar vein as this one.

Psykosonik is not a typical techno group like Venga Boys or Ace OF Base. Unlearn has a good beat, some are dance-able and some are just imaginative fantacy trance-ish stuff. One reviewer called it organic like and I think that is a good term for the feel of the music. The lyrics are all possitive messages. (The perfect opposite CD to my deppressive Stabbing Westward album: Whither Blister Burn + Peel) I think their songs are good to check out so here is where you can find the lyrics ->

I am never in a negative state of mind when i am listenning to this and if I am, then this ablum helps to brighten things up. Like a maditative good pat on the back "things are not bad in life" deal. That is only if your ear can absorb in the electronic sounds. They are not too complex but then everyone has a different ear. For reasearch purposes I recomend checking up on "Unlearn", "Secret Life", "Need To Die" (in the song they sing 'you don't need to die'), "Within", "Ride", "Breathing Room", and "PGP". I love every song but those should be good ones to see what this album is about.

Psykosonik is hands-down the best techno I've ever seen. It's annoying that they tend to be unrecognized in most of the music community because they have such a great sound.

this has to be one of my all time favorite albums. the first techno cd i bought was the original psykosonik cd, and that album blew me away. its good to see that artist can change the way they make and produce albums. their first cd was all about industrial, which lead that cd to be the soundtrack to a video game, excaliber 2049, for the snes. then they paved the way onto the mortal combat scene with tracks that sounded just like the industrial from their self-titled album. i bought this album because it was another psykosonik cd, expecting to listen to another great industrial run, but to my suprise, i heard paul sebastian and very very good ambient. it took me awile to get used to their change, but this is an awsome cd. worth buying by a longshot...run, run to a computer or cd store and buy this, you really won't be dissapointed.

This cd is my mom's, and I listen to it more than her! I'm even listening to it right now! This is one of the cds I listen to and like the most. Every single song is good! I absolutely *love* the songs "Secret Life" and "Need to Die." A lot of the songs on this cd have really good messages, such as the lyrics in "Unlearn" and "Need to Die" (or at least that's how I interpret them). All of the songs are really catchy. Other rock fans like me might find at least a little something in this electronica album, since the songs "Eye of the Mind," "Ride," and "PGP" all have some electric guitar in them, even though none of the songs are really heavy. But I probably like this cd more than any other rock fan, because you won't believe the actual range of musical taste I have! I recommend you, no matter what music you like, to give this cd a try.

Sincerely,

Music fan.

Psykosonik's second release, Unlearn, shows their ability to grow as a group.

Where their first album, Psykosonik, was dominated by sometimes overbearing rave, industrial beats, their second album has a more mellow sound for a more refined feel--the second album is lush, more ambient and less dance-oriented, but preserves Psykosonik's ability to create utterly cool songs with nice beats, melodies, and lyrics.

Their second release does not feature the same references to high technology and cyberpunk themes as their first album, but their lyrics are classy and still retain a similar flavor--where the first CD features songs like "Teknojihad" and "Down to the Ground" encouraging listeners to resist authoritarianism, the song Unlearn similarly communicates a message of resisting and questioning what we sometimes take for granted on a more abstract, less cyber-pumped level.

Psykosonik have outdone themselves!

These guys are great. I can't wait for their 3rd release. This second one is an excellent follow up to their 1st release. Again, they aren't like most techno, the lyrics have meaning and flow with a constant variety. Nothing bores you as with ordinary techno. I played this one so much in my car that I wore it out. Time to buy the everlasting CD version.

Psykosonik, which is Paul Sebastien and Daniel Lenz, is easily the most amazing songwriting duo of all-time. Yes, that's a huge statement, but...it's just true. Unlearn is a masterpiece modern album that blends 'electronica' with early 80's BritPop, Roxy Music, Techno, Ambient, and good songwriting together into something that sounds so markedly different (and better) than anything you'll ever hope to hear nowadays that...well, you just have to hear it. I'm absolutely dying for Paul Sebastien and Daniel Lenz to release some new material (apparently they are working on plenty of new stuff), but until then, Unlearn is my all-time favorite cd...with a depth and originality (and dare I say sincerity?) that just cannot be matched. I cannot recommend this cd enough, buy it immediately before it goes out of print. TVT has NO IDEA what kind of talent it has on its hands here, they should bring Psykosonik to the forefront of their marketing efforts as this is where the real potential lies! WAKE UP TVT!

- Brian D.