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Union Jack - Pylon Pigs (Platipus 2009)
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moondancer
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
32
Posts :
69
Posted : Dec 11, 2009 17:06:10
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1. Papillon
2. Submerge
3. Triclops
4. Longhorn
5. Mainlining
6. Blink
7. Lifeblood
8. Vowel
9. The Dark Major
10.Funnelweb
YES THEY'RE BACK!!! I don't think many people were expecting Union Jack to make a comeback and yet they did... well, kindof, cause the original group was made up of Claudio Giussani & Simon Berry, this time Giussani left and Paul Brogden took his place. But still, the old "Platipus sound" is pretty much there, FINALLY some artists that understood that if fans are crying for a legendary group comeback, they also want the legendary sound back, not just having an old name doing something new.
The album opener is Papillon, which brings back a LOT of memories: that oldschool Union Jack sound that everyone missed with the looped 303s, filtered voice samples that are used more as an instrument than as a voice, the slooooow progression and buildup, and even that odd bit that sounds a bit corny at first but then gradually starts making sense, it's all in there! My only regret is that there is no "singing" 303 lines, making the overall result sound a bit less "soulfull" than older stuff. Still, compared to most comebacks by legendary artists, this is the best result to date 
Submerge up next, which is a (very) downtempo track, which stikes me as too new-ageish and overall boring, especially when compared to the opening track. NEXT!
Triclops comes after that, adding some livelyhood, although I don't really like this one. I guess it was their attempt to make a more modern sound, thus 303s are almost absent. Moreover, that main melody is a bit annoying to my ears so usually I skip this one as well.
Ahh luckily Longhorn is up next with some more of the oldschool sound. Just like Papillon, all those old elements are there, minus the "singing" 303s, still this is the track I like most here. I find this will get MANY spins in my CD player in the follwing months
Mainlining is again a downtempo track, which plays as some sort of musical journey on a steam train. The idea is original but still, there are too much new-ageish candy-coated melodies in there, which IMO are a bit annoying.
Blink is up next, a more modern progressive track, which kindof continues the "steam train" feeling from Mainlining, but which I also find a bit empty and unispired.
Lifeblood is a sort of interlude (hey it's been a while since I haven't heard interludes in an album  ). It's some dark atmospheric ambient, definately something you would NOT expect from the group, but interesting nonetheless
Then Vowel comes up next, with more oldschool 303 loops, and also some jazzy progression, not unlike some goatrance from the late 90s. Some interesting typically sloooow buildups in there, although IMO this could've been much better.
The Dark Major is some more uptempo ambient, with a bit of bossa-nova feeling. Yep, The Girl From Ipanema came to my mind while listening to this... again, not really the kind of stuff you'd expect coming from these guys. Still, after some more listens it kindof starts making sense.
The closer is Funnelweb which is a nice blend of the old Union Jack sound, more modern progressive trance as well as some VERY old electronic music from the 80s sounds (Kraftwerk anyone? ). Again, like with most of their stuff, you have to give it a few listens before getting this...
THE GOOD: The Platipus sound lives again!! Every nostalgic of that mid-90s era will surely have tears in their eyes when listening some tracks here.
THE BAD: I would've done without the downtempo tracks, they come off as weak and uninspired compared with the other tracks here.
CONCLUSION: OK, this album isn't perfect, I'm sure that purists will frown when listening to some new directions that these artists have taken, and, even though this is the best effort to date by any oldschool artist to keep their old sound, I still couldn't shake off the feeling that something was still missing (I guess that was Giussani's influence). Still, overall I quite like this album and I find is MUCH better than most new releases out there (even by oldschool legends). 4/5
favorite tracks: 1 (!), 4(!!!), 8
  “I think I've discovered the secret of life - you just hang around until you get used to it.”
Charles M. Schulz |
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goa-ganges
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
66
Posts :
594
Posted : Dec 13, 2009 21:23
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I loved Platipus trance, my fav is the Octopus album, with Family, Friends & Lovers, Union Jack, Art of Trance and so many other great acts.
I haven't found Pylon Pigs yet, but I know it's tasty.
Welcome back UJ, welcome back Platipus! |
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mercury
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
21
Posts :
30
Posted : Dec 13, 2009 22:05
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Nothing to add to moondancer review. Just that you can find another track, Vocoder Allstars, on a follow-up EP released digitally that would have been a worthy addiction to the album. |
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a'damn
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
89
Posts :
199
Posted : Dec 13, 2009 22:08
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I don't know how I feel about this. Platipus was a massive influence in my world back in 1995, but they have long since stopped producing anything worth noting.
Simon Berry had his hands in MANY different Platipus releases. Art of Trance, Union Jack, Poltergeist, Clanger, etc etc. Union Jack was Union Jack because of Claudio Giussani.
POB had some great Platipus releases too and I am happy that Simon and Paul are working together on new music, but I don't see why they are giving it the Union Jack moniker. It isn't Union Jack.
I'll check it out because I'm excited to hear new Platipus acid trance, especially if it has a nice solid 1990's feel to it, but I do take some offense to the naming of the project. It feels like a cash grab and that is rubbish. Let Union Jack lay dormant until Claudio is ready to return.
nlm - http://goaconstrictor.com v4.2 |
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Pavel
Moderator
Started Topics :
312
Posts :
8646
Posted : Dec 14, 2009 00:43
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Dance N Dust
Dance N Dust
Started Topics :
83
Posts :
419
Posted : Dec 18, 2009 18:02
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