Customer Reviews

White Noise

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This CD is a must buy. By far the most catchy CD I have purchased this year. I listened to it twice in a row and couldn't take it out of my CD player. It sucks you in with great beats, great rhythms and leaves you with a smile on your face.

This album takes no getting used to, as the punchy rhythms, clean guitars, and minor-key melodic vocals all come together to hit a striking chord with the ears. Imagine a less arrogant, more straight forward "AIR", and you have Alpinestars "White Noise". I bought this album after hearing just one track, and have not regretted it for a single moment! Buy this disc with a newfound hope for good music in the 21st century.

This is one of the great surprises of 2003. I took a leap of faith and picked up this CD. I was pleasantly surprised. It's a mix of electronic music with some real instruments to keep it a tad rough around the edges. Some might hear influences of New Order or Monaco. Either way it's a great CD.
Enjoy.

This is one of those CDs I picked up in the music store when it came out, after listening to it on the headphones. I thought, neat, it's electronic but it's still rock. A real genre bender.

It turned out to be one of those rare CDs that I can not get tired of. The groove flows brilliantly from beginning to end. The music is simultaneously mellow and energetic, like shoegazer music, but more electronic. The melodies are catchy. Every time the next song starts, you'll say, "Oh, cool, THAT one! I forgot that was on here too!"

It is also highly accessible. Everyone I have played this for has loved it. It makes the perfect music for a road trip, when it's raining, or dark. Definitely a nighttime album.

"Snow Patrol" is a great introduction. It's pretty psychedelic, and a bit apocalyptic. It's followed up by NuSEX City, which evokes the environment of a chic dance club.

Every song is lovely, but "Carbon Kid" is perfect. It's the bounciest, and the singer's voice sounds like an ironic hipster processed through a computer to give it a menacing edge. It bears the incredibly catchy line "You're a carbon kid with a sinister diagram."

"Crystalnight" follows "Carbon Kid", and it's the perfect counterpoint - a slow, gentle ode, I suppose, to that fated evening in Germany during the Holocaust.

"Carbon Kid" is so wonderful that I always enjoy it coming back at the end in the remix.

The videos for "Snow Patrol" and "Carbon Kid" are included as well, in Quicktime.

It's too band this band seems to have disappeared - their web site is no longer active. It's just another one of those perfect albums, that I'll periodically check back and see if they ever come out with a new one, but never do. (Like Lincoln, or Lord Runningclam.) I have yet to check out their first album, B.A.S.I.C. I'm so worried it won't compare. I can't hold it up to this standard.

We've all heard 'Snow Patrol' from the classic game, SSX3. With its catchy synths and cold sound, you would feel like you were in winter even if it was 100 degrees outside. After I beat the game, I felt like listening to some more Alpinestars. After buying and listening to 'White Noise', I felt that techno isn't dead. In fact, it's alive and well.

'Nusex City' reminds me of a trip I took to NYC to see the Blue Man Group. With its disco-esque guitar and drum-machine beats, you can take a trip back to the bell-bottom glory of the late 70s. 'Hotel Parallel' is a trippy little ditty that is reminiscent of the old N64 game, Snowboard Kids. Vintage synths and booming beats make this a sweet little techno song. 'Burning Up' isn't as 'techno' as you would hope, but it's not half bad. 'Brotherhood' is another little techno song, but I like 'Hotel Parallel' better because it's more dance-like. My favorite song,'Bital Love Disciple', would be better if they removed the 'Bital....Love....Disciple' whispers in the beginning, and the middle....and the end. The house feel of this song has 'classic' written all over it. 'Love Craft' is a basic make-out song as far as I can tell, 'Crystalnight' is a moodly little Depeche Mode esque song. Then comes the next chapter of 'Snow Patrol', this time a little colder. Though I prefer part 1 more, I never skip part 2.

The best song on this album, perhaps one of my favorite songs of all time, is 'Carbon Kid'. It's not techno, it's not rock, it's a combination of both. Placebo's frontman takes the vocals by storm. 'Image Image, you do what you want, you're a carbon kid with a sinister diagram...' are my favorite lines on this song. The little sound effects they add into the mix make the song all the more enjoyable.

The rest of the album is a little synth-driven, a little acoustic, a little of everything. It's little short of perfect. The bonus track 'Smash It Up!' is a great song, reminding me of Jane's Addiction for some reason. I't pick it up if I were you, wintery techno goes great with all four seasons.

From start ot End you find Great songs.. A must have in your collection

My Favs are Burning Up, LoveCraft, Snow Patrol.....

I truly recommend it..

The only words that decribe this CD are 'simply beautiful, timeless and energetic in all the right places'. Alpinestars have since disbanded but the music lives on and the band members will be back under new guises. Go ahead and add this to your music collection, you won't regret it!

This is a top release from the Alpinestars. Their first album, B.A.S.I.C set the tone for their career with a couple of strong singles. This album, however, is all killer and no filler! They revert back to the 80s sound that was so successful for bands such as New Order and Depeche Mode, and they back that up with solid vocals. A must have.

The Alpinestars' second album departs a bit from their first; instead of bouncy synth-pop, White Noise injects a bit of iciness and -- believe it or not -- rock into the proceedings. The results are decidedly mixed. While "Snow Patrol" and "Burning Up" fall on the good side of the spectrum, many of the other songs don't have the sparkle that was ample on B.A.S.I.C.. The rock vocals on "Carbon Kid" take time to get used to, but the Bobby Peru mix of that track makes up for it.

Often techno albums are too polished and refined to have any soul. While this album is that, it also delivers strong emotional content that ranks among the very best music ever produced (in my uneducated opinion). In this record, you'll find sentimentality, joyful playfulness, passion, much humor, and a genuine respect for the craft of making music. Get ready for a roller coaster of emotions as you listen to it. In a way, it kind of reminds me of early Enigma if you're familiar with that music. I'm very disappointed that the band has broken up. If you, the band, are reading this, PLEASE settle your differences and MAKE MORE MUSIC.