 |
Death
in Vegas
The Contino Sessions
label:
time bomb / concrete
released: 09.14.99
our score: 4.5 out of 5.0
buy it: here
|
Face it.
We live in a world where electronic samples and beats have become
part of our everyday music. This "poptronica" revolution has started
to envelope our mainstream music industry. It seems most everything
released these days is trying to sound "techno."
Behind these
attempts at sounding hip are true electronic acts such as Fatboy
Slim and the Chemical Brothers, whose increased popularity has
made this electronic music chic. But then there is Death in Vegas,
a band whose sound is not so easily referenced.
Electronica?
Alternative rock? Trance? Trip hop? Just what the hell kind of
music is Death in Vegas anyway?
Damn cool
- this would be the simplest description. However, this doesn't
explain much. Perhaps a better description would be "an aural
barrage of psychedelic musings which can induce a trance-like
state where nothing matters but ourselves and the musical world
we are existing within." Or, perhaps you could take a listen to
Death in Vegas's sophomore effort The Contino Sessions
and experience it for yourself.
If you are
at all familiar with DIV's first release Dead
Elvis, your initial response may be one of surprise; the
boys have come a long way since then. The new album, recorded
in The Contino Rooms, London, marks a leap ahead for the band.
Featuring guest vocals by Iggy Pop and Primal Scream's Bobby Gillespie,
DIV have released what may be one of the most innovative albums
of the year.
"Dirge," the
album's opener, greets us with a simple guitar chord progression
coupled with a haunting, repetitive chorus of "la la la." An excellent
choice for an opener, "Dirge" buildes from this simplicity to
an all-out aural extravaganza including a driving bassline and
a freaked out keyboard line. The rest of the album expands upon
this style, each song a musical rollercoaster, building from simplicity
to an intricate beauty.
This album
is a superb example of what is possible through the incorporation
of rock instrumentation and electronic technology - all without
sounding like either. This is music you can just sit back and
appreciate. There is no big deep meaning to it, there is no hidden
message you have to interpret. It's beauty is inherent.
However, while
this album is an artistic expression, it is not meant to be an
overly uplifting one. Holmes and Fearless (DIV) are an interesting
bunch, and their psychoses come through on this album. With lyrics
like "[There are] eggs-bearing insects hatching in my mind" ("Soul
Auctioneer") or the simple exclamation "What am I? I'm a murderer"
(Iggy Pop on the dark rock track "Aisha"), this album's beauty
lies in the complexity of the emotions it exhibits. The instrumentation,
even when it is as simple as a church organ set to a simple melody,
still extends a foreboding mood. This is an album one can get
lost in, and that can be disturbingly wondrous.
If you
liked Dead Elvis...
|
