Customer Reviews

The White Songbook: Legacy, Vol. 1

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Joy Electric's growth as a group has gone through many evolutions and albums, but always sticks to the core pop synth sound. Legacy Vol. 1: The White Songbook is the first of an upcoming "Legacy" series of albums. The new album is an excellent one, with some of the same old sounds and some new ones. The opening track is a melancholy melody, with a narrator telling a story that seems to be a complex fairy tale, but when you look at the lyrics, it makes little sense and is slightly confusing. The tracks vary from the slower, darker tune "And Without Help We Perish" to the "punk without guitar" song "A New Pirate Traditional." I love his darker stuff, and this album has a little more of that than his previous ones. The only one that comes close with the slower, brooding tracks is Robot Rock. Those songs show he's not just a bubblegum pop guy.

The numerous tracks showcase Ronnie Martin's ability and talent for songwriting, music arrangement and composing the tracks. His songs go beyond simple pop melodies, easy to see after hearing the songs a couple times and reading the lyrics. There is a deeper meaning to them, although the exact meaning is rather debatable and lets the listener come up with their own conclusions. One of the best Joy Electric albums, it's a must have for any previous fan and anyone wanting to expand their collection to include an insightful, multi-faceted work.

I have heard many many albums in my time, but never one as complex and diverse as this. In this album Ronnie, the mastermind behind joy electric, goes deep into the heart of synthesizers, it's no longer effects that make the music, it's the music that makes the music. Honestly, the melody, and complexity of this album is amazing, truly awe-inspiring. It is such a great break from the heavy metal and rap out in the business now, with nothing seeming to be original. This is amazing. Please, do yourself a favor and buy this album.

This album is phenomenal. I have been following JE's discography with bemusement for the past several years, but i never really considered myself a fan. My sister has "Robot Rock" and "Christian Songs" and I found the music interesting, but not something I'd ever consider buying; the whole "electronica" thing just really isn't my cup of tea; i'm a fan of acts like ZAO, Simon & Garfunkel, and Marilyn Manson. But there was always something about JE's music that was better than other electronic stuff.

When my roommate got the "Unelectric" album, i found that JE is a whole lot more than just the novelty act I had always tagged them as. Hearing the songs on "real" instruments (albeit synthesized strings and drums...) I realized that the songs themselves were incredibly structured. With my newfound respect for JE's music, I went back and listened to my sister's JE albums and found them to be really good...the whole Nintendo feel of the synthesizers even grew on me.

When this album came out I downloaded two of the songs and was blown away. I figured if those were the only two songs that were any good on the album, then it would still be worth the purchase. There is not a single bum song on the album. Not only that, but every song on here is completely different and is wonderfully done. It's got haunting songs ("Shepherds of the Northern Pastures," "And Without Help We Perish"), it's got nostalgic songs ("Unicornicopia," "Sing Once for Me") and it's got balls-to-the-walls rockers ("We are Rock," "New Pirate Traditional"). An incredible album and the purely synthesized instrumentation only adds to the atmosphere. By far JE's best album and my favorite album of 2001.

Ronnie Martin, one of the most dedicated, hardest working, and talented musicians I have ever come to know. His beats may seem simplistic but if you only knew how hard he works, staying up night after night to create every single bit of music you hear on all of his cd's. Using only his synthesizer, he made ALL the music from just one machine and no real instruments. His deep, emotional, and even depressing lyrics are hidden behind music that may seem simplistic or "For the kiddies" I admit to raising an eyebrow at some of his earlier work, some compare it to "video game music" and at times I won't disagree with it. I was looking forward to this release and was not dissapointed.

Ronnie has taken his music to a whole nother level. Its not only melodically addictive, but is so richly layered with melody upon melody upon sound effects. Gone is the "kiddish" sound for a whole mature world of electronic music. There are so many surprises in this record, from the instrumental "Chapter beginnings" to the uptempo tracks "We are Rock" and "The Good will not be cloned" The way Ronnie stretches his voice and his talent will astonish you. Who knew JE could rock this hard? His melodies are beautiful, his fairy tale like lyrics are soothing. He also hits on more personal feelings of the fear of rejection. This record tells the story of a man who looks back on his life and wonders what good he has done.

Ronnie wants these series of records to be HIS Legacy. I hope that when he looks back on his life, he will see that he left behind wonderful music that DID touch the lives of some. I encourage Ronnie to continue his work and to know that he IS appreciated. This record is truly a masterpiece and should not be missed.

This is an absolutely beautiful album. The lyrics are obscure and the music and vocals are warm and layered. I would very highly recommend it.

I have many JE albums. "Christian Songs" and "Robot Rock" used to be my favorites. This album combines the best elements from both of those albums, yet still has a new sound. Worry not, the electronic pulses, beeps, and beats are there, but this time Ronnie Martin varies his vocal technique a bit, singing lower octaves, and even using vocal distortion! If you're new to the scene of JE, think "Anything Box" or "Erasure." Interesting to note that the album uses no sequencers or drum machines, just live analog devices at Ronnie's fingertips. What a great work! Personal faves: "And Without Help We Parish," "A New Pirate Traditional," and, of course, "We Are Rock!"

This band is AWESOME and the cd is really cool, I just bought the cd this week and have been listening to it nonstop since then. The lyrics on a couple of the songs are really wierd though, its kind of like a fairy tale book was thrown into a blender and pasted on the lyrics booklet, kind of like a word collage, Its a really COOL word collage. My favorite songs are New Pirate Traditional, We are Rock, and The good will not be cloned. They're about the only three that actually make sense. The cd is a work of modern art.

Joy Electric has struck once again.

It's hard to see why JE hasn't caught on with more music buyers. The melodies, harmonies, song structures and instrumentations are all brilliant works of art, driven by concept and talent instead of a desire to sell records. I can't hardly believe I made it through my teen years without becoming a fan of theirs.

If you buy one album, get the White Songbook. If 2, then get Unelectric as well. Both are incredibly inspiring works of art that should not be missed by any true music lover.

Plain and simple: get it. It's some of the best music ever.

I would give this more stars if i could. This cd is one of the best cd's to come out this year it's not at all the ''joy electric'' youv herd before unles you have this cd allready it's the best ever by ''joy electric'' it has 14 tracks
and 4 Chapters Chapter 2 calld ''HUNTER GREEN AND OTHER HISTORIES'' is the best Chapter on the hole cd i think so any way
it has 3 tracks ''A New Pirate Traditional'' ''We Are Rock'' and ''The Good Will Not Be Cloned'' these are the best 3 songs on the cd and each Chapter title is a song too and all the other songs are great this is a asome cd every one should get it it's je's newest cd and you can download ''A New Pirate Traditional'' &
''The Good Will Not Be Cloned'' (...)