| The good thing about Hypnofugue is that
whether you are well versed in techno or not, their melodic and creative blend of genres -
from funky to aggro-rock - will give you plenty to grab onto. If you do happen to be a
diehard Ministry fan or a Primus or Red Hot Chili Pepper aficionado, all the better.
Grinding, funky, and club-smoky, the title track boasts a combination of influences that
gets things started with the bands multi-stylistic cards on the table. Track two,
"Asian Girl," is a pulsating blues/reggae acid house affair (these guys need to
think about what stereotypes they're perpetuating on this one -- me, I tried to keep my
sense of humor...). By track three, you'll be raving out at home -- with sinister vox and
feedback against a pulsating heavy guitar riff, "Love" is a highlight. On
"Space," the group's DJ, Eddie Vasquez, who's spent ten years as a local house
fixture, gets a chance to shine, and no doubt due to bassist/guitarist/vocalist Roger
Dexter's blues pedigree, an old-world-meets-new-school juxtaposition flourishes throughout
the disc. Their single, the piano-spiced, soft-then-loud "Bug" is anthemic and
music video-ready, with it's crushing chorus of "Maybe I'm a bug!" coming across
as dropdead serious rather than goofy, thanks to the guitar. One caveat for any guitar
freaks out there: theirs is a processed, compressed crunchy guitar sound found in club
music -- not the untouched chime and grit of an unencumbered rock axe. Still, for
combining so many disparate elements in an electronic forum, All Over You's
production wins points for seamlessness and the organic nature of the songs themselves
keeps the CD from sounding plastic. Vocals are all over the map - from eerie whispers to
John Lydonesque snippets, and on "Quimby Trim," the vocal pattern relies heavily
on a sample from Public Enemy's "Bring the Noise" ("Bass! How low can you
go?") with Hypnofugue answering back, "So low." If this were meant as a
comment on heavy sampling in pop music, the point is well made, and taken. This quartet,
however, seems to have plenty of their own ideas and the chops to back them up.
More
ChicagoGigs.com Reviews
Chicago
Music Discussion Board
|
