Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A Problematic Release with Some Moments of Gold..., August 14, 2002
Fans of Deep Forest tend to chart the release of their albums in an almost bell curve like shape. Their first release, "Deep Forest", was incredibly well received. "Boheme" is viewed as their artistic peak. "Comparsa" split the audience, but was generally felt to be of lower quality then "Boheme." And then comes, "Music.Detected_." This fifth album (if you count the international-only release "Pacifique") represents an admitted new direction from the French duo, and will not necessarily appeal to everybody.The core of Deep Forest has been electronic instrumentation, combined with looped rhythm samples and vocal samples from a variety of cultures. These core elements have been fundamentally reworked in "Music.Detected_". Deep Forest relies on live vocal performances, and live instrumentation much more heavily. The result is a very different, much less "techno" oriented sound. Indeed, this album feels less like a cross-cultural experience, and more like an album that simply features international artists. While the opening track, India, features sitar and the distinctive vocal stylings of Indian classical music, the rest of the album has less specific musical roots. English lyrics -- unheard of in previous Deep Forest releases -- abound. And the inclusion of dance remix of the first single ("Endangered Species") seems more of an afterthought, and throwback to the past, than a logical extension of the album. Overall, the effort comes off as muddy. The first half of the album has some shining moments. "India" has a strong cultural influence, and some good rock guitar that nicely juxtaposes with the main Indian components. "Endangered Species" is a throwback to the more dance-oriented, techno feel of Deep Forest, but showcases some weaknesses in lyrical content (including a strange rhyme including 'flamingo'). "Yuki's Song," which features Beverly Jo Scott in full force, is actually a very powerful vocal indulgence. Perhaps the overall problem with the album is that it doesn't hang together very well. Without a single unifying cultural experience or theme, the songs simply seem like a compilation, instead of an album. The second half of the album seems particularly spotty, in a way that can't be easily explained. In creating this fusion, I don't think Deep Forest felt as comfortable integrating the components parts into a whole. While the new direction is laudable, it might take another album for them to really hone into this style. Perhaps their next release in this vein will be a second "Boheme" (or a "Comparsa," which is my personal favorite in their catalogue).
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Before there was chill.....there was Deep Forest!, July 30, 2002
Before ethno-lounge was even a musical genre, the producers behind Deep Forest were already adding spicy, ethnic flavors to their brand of ambient electronica (going Latin with Comparsa and exploring the Far East in Made In Japan). "Music Detected" can aptly be described as a passage to the Indies, but not the one of traditional lore, rather it is the brash, electronic-age, rock and rollin' Orient as can be experienced in Richard Branson's Virgin megastore and through movies such as "The Pillow Book" or "Chinese Box." The CD opens with the assault of an air guitar as "India" with its South Indian female vocal, courtesy of Mahalakshmi Iyer, evokes images of that silicon valley of the subcontinent. "Endangered Species" follows, with the debut of the vocoder, soon to be evident as one of the distinguishing characteristics that separate this collection from other Deep Forest releases. A nod to fellow-electronic mavericks, Daft Punk, other than that, one can't help feel that Deep Forest posse must be Lufthansa Senator cardholders, since their musical journey to the Near and Far East seem to include layovers in Germany ("Soul Elevator" sounds like Jam & Spoon enraptured by Turkish Sufism, "Computer Machine" with its overt Kraftwerkian references, and "Will You Be Ready" with its Enigma-esque rock beats). The CD does have some standouts: "Deep Blue Sea," featuring the inimitable Anggun, prima ethno-rock diva (Shakira's Asian contemporary), whose haunting vocals in Sundanese-inflected poetic Bahasa Indonesia and English soar over a Joy Division-like beat, but with Balinese gamelan percussion. "Beauty In Your Eyes" represents the best combination of a vocodered vocal and a melodic beat while "Dignity" is perhaps the (acid) jazziest cut featuring Deep Forest vocaliste d'album Beverly Jo Scott and yet another Indian female vocal. The CD ends with the Galleon remix radio edit of "Endangered Species," a 4/4 stomper that brings the collection to a climax. While the CD has more rock-electronica as opposed to dance nuances, it is this surprising flavor that is pleasing to the ear. A throwback to the early 90s in the sea of all the French vocodered and filtered stuff of the millenium, if you will. 4 stars to these guys for having the gall(ois?) to show their age.
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14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
They don't know where their samples belong to!, September 24, 2003
Before I begin to criticize the 'Music' that has been detected, I must tell you a very important point on this album which has not been 'Detected' by the previous reviewers and also by Deep Forest:
The most of the lyrical samples here are in "Turkish", one is in the song titled "Beauty in your eyes": a poem of Turkish poet Yunus Emre sang by a Turkish classical women choir saying : "Mal Sahibi Mulk Sahibi, Hani Bunun Ilk Sahibi?" which means in English "Owner of wealth and propert, who is the initial possessor?" : indicating that all things once, belonged to God ; an Anotolian philoshopy. But hey in this song what does the British vocal say??? "Will you laugh, will you cry, beauty in your eyes.." :)) NONSENSE :). I was a very deep admirer of this band before listening this record, but I immediately realized, they just throw the samples without even knowing what they mean. Big shame.
In another song; a rap like vocal says stupid things, while in the main verse a Turkish classical singer says "Allahu ekber Allahu ekber, Asigin olmak, dunyada senin, asigin olmak.." : which means in English : "Great God, Great God, To be your lover, in this life (world), to be your lover"..what is the relationship between these religious lyrics and the Rapper???
Another great surprize! They think these vocals are INDIAN!!! Even in their website I couldn't reach the slightest clue of their awareness of using Turkish religious samples. They don't know what samples they use..So what?.
Let's come to music:
I liked the 'Boheme', 'Comparsa', 'Pacifique' and even the odd live record 'Made in Japan'. All these albums share one good thing: Synthesizer (sometimes piano and acordeon) virtuosity combined with lush chordal pad backing and smart usage of Ethnic samples. They were all electronic..
In 'Music Detected', they use live drums and I must say, the noise level of snares and cymbals are very high without neccesity. Also there are distortion guitars which are used just like a Rock group should use them ; there is no sign of Electronic usage. Also as I mentioned there are very nonsense British vocals, "vocodered everywhere".
The overall sound of this record is not that bad, it's pretty listenable but when you're making World music, using samples as you wish, to claim producing 'original' songs; you must also take care what those words mean, where and how they should be used.
Noisy, not bad sounding, but a very unconscious record.
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