Customer Reviews

Welcome to the Infant Freebase

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

 

 

The Soundtrack of our Lives formed from the demise of punk band Union Carbide Productions. Released in 1996, `Welcome to the Infant Freebase' was the band's debut album. Unlike most bands that are happy enough to have a 10-12 track album at their first attempt; Soundtrack wanted to release a double album. However the record company disagreed and 20 tracks were crammed onto one CD.

For me, the first album is an opportunity for a band to define themselves and make a statement as to what they are all about. For this Swedish rock act the statement would be that they want to create mind bending psychedelic rock music with lyrics that would take its audience in to a whole new world; The world of The Soundtrack of our Lives.

The album kicks off with hit single and recognisable anthem to this day `Mantra Slider'. Ebott Lundberg's larger than life vocals along with Mattius Barjil and Ian Pearson's guitar work transcend this song into orbit. A great start to an album, but at 6 minutes and 38 seconds long you can already see the problem with the latter tracks on the album as time becomes an issue. However for their first track and especially being the debut album, it is what a new listener is likely to hear first and first impressions count for a lot. On that note, I personally was blown away as it is just a fantastic track which showed more than just a few glimpses of what they are capable of.

Second track `Firmament Vacation' is one of my favourite tracks they have done. One of the main reasons for this is because it has one of the best lyrics I have heard: `There gonna build a new dimension and make a soundtrack of our lives'. This feels like the reason behind their name and to me this is absolutely genius. This is because at the end of the day bands make albums from their personal experiences which means in effect they are making a soundtrack of their lives. Anyway although this lyric is a particular highlight the rest of the track is great as well. It is just a nice chilled out track which works well.

The album continues to deliver great song after great song, with `Underground Indian', the acoustic chestnut `Chromosome layer' and the classic `Instant Repeater 99'. The riff of the latter will go right through you as Ebott turns his vocals up a pitch. `Gran Canaria' and `Confrontation Camp' are some more worthwhile mentions. `Gran Canaria' wouldn't be out of place in a Western as it has a cowboy horse race scene feel about it, while 'Confrontation Camp' is just a great all out stomping rock song.

After this you get the feeling that not having a double CD made them cram the rest if the tracks in sacrificing both quality and quantity of the rest of the album. The average song length for the last 10 songs on the album is about 2 minutes 30 seconds. Compare this to the first 10 tracks which have an average of over 4 minutes. Don't get me wrong although the last 10 songs are not as good as the first, they are still perfectly listenable upbeat tracks mixed with more laid back tracks. But they could do with expansion into proper songs like those on the first half of the album.

Overall though, this is a fine debut. Perhaps it was a little too ambitious doing a 20 track album for their first attempt, when there are at least 10 great tracks on here which would make this an absolute belter of an album. Instead there are tracks on here which haven't had the chance to develop and several weaker tracks have been allowed to slip through the net. However the storming singles `Mantra Slider', `Firmament Vacation' and `Instant Repeater 99', 12 years on are still a mainstay in the T.S.O.O.L. live set which is why this album will be the soundtrack to many people's lives for many years to come.

"Welcome to the Infant Freebase" is a far more acquired taste of music than is the gloriously brilliant "Behind the Music", and I would not reccomend this to be the first Soundtrack of Our Lives album you pick up. The songs here are long and drawn out, although not boring in the least. This type of rock could be called pretentious, and to a certain point, it is, but I also see it as being a bold debut from one of Sweden's premier bands. There is alot of experimentation here, and the influence of Pink Floyd is very apparent. The result is a trancier, trippier album than the later efforts from this band.

This is a very good album, but for potential fans of this great band, I would recommed you pick up "Behind the Music" first, and after you fall in love with that album, then give this one a try, because your mind will be more succeptible to the grand ideas of TSOOL.

Soundtrack of Our Lives is the next best rock group that Sweden have ever produced(Union Carbide Productions i of course the best). This album is their incredible debut that was released in 96 to a largely indifferent world(exept in Sweden) Their influences ranges from Stooges, Love, early Pink Floyd, Rolling Stones and every other good rock group in history. Why not five stars? Well it is a bit to long(about 70 minutes) and some songs are a bit unfocused.

This was purchased on the strength of the rolling credits at the end of the 2002 movie "Spun". A Jonas Akerlund film about a traveling meth lab cooker (Mickey Rourke) and the users (Brittany Murphy) who follow his every movement (which would explain the film scores need for the song "Instant Repeater 99"). Aside from that The Soundtrack Of Our Lives' (or TSOOL for the loyalist) 1998 release "Welcome To The Infant Freebase" really didn't capture the mood of the film itself (just in case you thought it would), although the anthematic "99" is certainly worth several repeat performances.

I'm not saying the band was mis-cast by Akerlund, but you get an extreme sense of who their hero's really are on this outing ie; that late 60's pharmaceutical jazz cafe sound of Yes or the acid induced improv of early 70's Pink Floyd. The Peter Gabriel era of Genesis is also an obvious influence on the band and perhaps explains the fairy tale art rock quality you're hearing on this CD. Hardly bikers falling over themselves in a methamphetamine rage, more like hippie wannabe's tip toeing over spilt bong water.

olofpalme63

This is a awsome album from start to finish, okay all the songs are not masterpieaces but many of em are and there is enuf great music here to make it a must have album from Swedens best rock band ever.
If you like old classic rock music, like Pink Floyd, The WHO, Led Zeppelin, Rolling Stones and ather great bands, and whant somting new but with the same greatnes that this old bands hade this album is for you.
Its sound like a mix betwen thos classic rock bands but on the same time it sounds new fresh and original.

A must have for any music lover.

The songs i give 5 stars really kick[in']!

5 Stars to these songs:

2: Firmament Vacation
3: Chromosome layer
4: Instant repeater '99

4 Stars to this one:

8: Grand canaria

The rest of the songs i give about 3 stars to.
Another great swedish gang!

No, they're not the saviors of rock'n'roll but they write amazing riffs that echo the past without repeating it. A bit of history for those who harshly comdemn this fine album; The Beatles and The Stones first couple of albums borrowed left and right from their American predecessors. They managed to beg, steal and borrow what worked for others and eventually create a new sound all their own. The same is true of this Swedish offshoot of Union Carbide Productions.

Although not as focused (or as well written) as either Behind The Music nor the under rated Extended Relevation, Welcome To The Infant Freebase acknowledges the past and moves forward. That's nothing new. Bands like REM, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band, The Stone Roses, Echo and The Bunnymen and Roxy Music have done the same. Here the band's influences are more blatant but later albums manage to incorporate those influences into a unique, sandblasting style.

Infact Freebase runs on a bit too long and has too many ordinary songs mixed in with the band's much richer, denser material. That's O.K. Debut albums aren't meant to be flawless but to give us a taste of what an artist is capable of creating. Infant Freebase does just that. I'd probably start with Behind The Music and, if you like it, work backward album by album.

the song i've given 5 stars really kick ...!

i give 5 stars to these songs:

2:Firmament vacation
5:Instant repeater '99

I give 4 stars to these:

4:Chromosome layer
8:Grand Canaria

The rest of the song get 3 stars.
Yet another Great swedish gang!

its way too long! I dont get this fascination of producing an album thats more than 40 minutes long. I mean, 50 is pushing it..... but 70....no...that is way too long, specially for what they are doing, I wish I could pick out a favorite song, but I just cant cause eventaully it just sounds that same after 50 minutes......

Sad that they not only make this mistake on this album but on all of their albums as well.

Though if you are to buy any of their albums I recommend this one, its my favorite. And to the band members of Soundtrack of our Lives.....you are good, but please, dont make your cds so long..... try for 45-55 minutes for the next album, come on, I know you can do it, just give it a try!

Welcome to the Modern Hype Machine, more like. If you haven't been paying attention, the Soundtrack of Our Lives is currently getting lumped in as one of those "saviors of rock & roll". Reviewers extol their penchant for ripping off every rock band that came before them like it was a virtue. I might've even concurred, if the results were even slightly more interesting than this tepid collection of jams in search of songs. You'll hear a little Stones - okay, a LOT of the Stones - in the "Exile On Main Street"-style riffs, but you'll hear none of the implied danger and sex that made the Stones great. The rockers somehow bleed into the ballads without changing tempo or energy. Seriously, with the exception of "Blow My Cool" (which stands out because it blatantly steals its background vocals from "Let's Spend the Night Together"), I still can't tell one song from the other. Not bad enough to offend, not good enough to inspire, The Soundtrack of Our Lives occupy a nonthreatening middleground where they merely suggest the greatness of past rockers. And for me, that ain't nowhere.