Trance Forum | Stats | Register | Search | Parties | Advertise | Login

There are 0 trance users currently browsing this page
Trance Forum » » Forum  Music Reviews - Younger Brother - A Flock of Bleeps (Twisted, April 2003)

1 2 3 Next Page →
First Page Last Page
Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on StumbleUpon
Author

Younger Brother - A Flock of Bleeps (Twisted, April 2003)

Kaz
IsraTrance Full Member

Started Topics :  90
Posts :  2268
Posted : Apr 16, 2003 15:52
Well, it's no secret that I'm a fan of both Simon Posford and Benji Vaughn. I've anticipated this album for a long while, and finally, I got my hands on it (the prices at www.twisted.co.uk are bloody expensive by any standard by the way). I've been dissapointed by a few of Posford's latest releases (his remix to Empty Dot and the trance part of the seventh revelation are not up to par with his usual quality), but this album has been in the works for quite a while, so I was expecting something truely special.

1. weird on a monday night
2. the receptive
3. evil & harm
4. crumblenaut
5. scanner
6. even dwarves start small
7. monkey juice
8. the finger
9. safety zone
10. bedtime story

Weird on a Monday Night kicks off the album with a lot of twisted effects and filtered guitars, giving some really special emotions, and some funny samples from Alice in Wonderland, a lot of really funky groovework and some twisted elements to complete the soundscape. Wonderful!

Previously released, The Receptive, the filtered guitars and trippy atmospheres continue flowing through this track with a nice touch of singing, going a bit darker, not quite as funky as the last track but more atmospheric.

The first live act of Samothraki was Younger Brother, and Evil & Harm always gives a good memory of that, with a stronger groove and a well thought out build, with some more impressive soundwork on the guitars giving the leads here a unique feeling. Again, using the synth lines to fill in the sound in a truely fitting and twisted way.

Crumblenaut goes to a more dramatic feeling, something like Ozric Tentacles working with Mike Oldfield, giving a well built melodic work in a slow and driving fassion, giving a nice smooth feeling throughout the track.

And now, to something completely different. Scanner finally gives that 4/4 beat that these two artists have done so many wonders with. This track gives a melodic bass giving a funky and flowing groove, uplifting melodies with hypnotizing soundwork. By now the vocoded vocals and LFOs on the filters are a trademark Posford's, and they give their first real shine as to how moving they can really be.

Possibly everyone in the tranceworld knows Even Dwarves Start Small (already released on the Unusual Suspects) with it's dark funky bass and emotional touches giving a rather unique blend into a great track. The ending is still just as mindblowing as it ever was.

Monkey Juice kicks of with energetic soundwork and psychedelic soundwork in the best tradition of these two artists, melodies that just give a great uplifting feeling with a free flow, and a well built groove. The heavily filtered vocals give a real uplifting feeling to this one.

Also released on the Unusual Suspects - The Finger with it's thumping kick and moving melodic work is absolutely spectacular, one of the tracks that is dancefloor gold as well as something you can listen to at home, this time ending with a strong pitch-down effect and twisted effects on everything.

A laid back dub groove and leaving the 4/4 beat behind, giving a rich melody filled floating sensation. Short and relaxing, and very trippy. Just great.

Bedtime Story is by far the most relaxed track on the album with some minimal guitar work and sound effects, hypnotizing and giving a sense of closure to this album.

To sum it up - if Hallucinogen's music is a trip in a spaceship, Shpongle's a colorful bazzare, then Younger Brother is a smoke filled bar. Benji and Simon gave a brilliant piece of work, the qualities of both artists can be felt here and I must say they complement eachother nicely. Like in Tales of the Inexpressible - the focus of this album is not only on making it psychedelic at all costs, but rather on making good music. Top notch soundwork all the way through - but I expected nothing less from these two sonic wizards.

I came to this album with high expectations - knowing that there's a very good chance that they won't be met. But they were, this album being a very complete piece of music of the highest quality in every parameter. This one goes to the "instant classic" category.

Favorites: 1, 3(!), 4(!), 6, 7, 8(!), 10, but they're all great. Highly recommended.           http://www.myspace.com/Hooloovoo222
Surrender
IsraTrance Team

Started Topics :  506
Posts :  5388
Posted : Apr 16, 2003 17:49
Cant wait to get my dirty little fingers on this one... good review kaz. i'll wait for this to be on a cheaper place, twisted is always too expensive with the pound to dollar conversion and shipping charges.           "On the other hand, you have different fingers."
http://myspace.com/gadimon
Gilad Refael
IsraTrance Full Member

Started Topics :  79
Posts :  2113
Posted : Apr 18, 2003 18:36
good review i can't wait           REHAB is for quitters
traveller
IsraTrance Senior Member

Started Topics :  234
Posts :  3803
Posted : Apr 19, 2003 14:47
well..

i'm not suprised.. my hopes were extremly high, and were definetly fullfilled..

this album truly does have a spot among the hallucigen and shpongle albums..

an instant classic, a voyage into sound, i could not come up with any reason why anyone could not just love it..

atfirst we have 4 totally out of this world chilled, breakbeatish heavenly tracks.. after that we are given 4 dance floor tracks, that can just as well be played at home.. definetly part of the bigger picture.. then we are given a chilled downbeatish disturbance.. and finally it all ends in a sound scape.. leaves me touched..

          "The dinosaurs became extinct because they didn't have a space program."
- Larry Niven
Goblim
IsraTrance Full Member

Started Topics :  104
Posts :  731
Posted : Apr 19, 2003 19:09
traveller: where is that 'mile-long' review of yours? I like reading that while listening. Since it lasts for about the same time as the whole album           Ut ameris, amabilis esto.
Surrender
IsraTrance Team

Started Topics :  506
Posts :  5388
Posted : Apr 20, 2003 05:35
took the journey.... there is nothing not to love about this album. wow, twisted records remain the best around hands down. over an hour of a spiritual journey into the realms of simon's and benji's mind. i'd rather not add to kaz's review since it speaks for itself... one thing i would like to say is that i was afraid of the number of released tracks on this album, thinking to myself, damn ive heard half of this already, but it turned out that even the tracks i heard before sound diffrent alittle bit and are great to recognize among the new ones in the flow of the album.... i like the new evil and harm and i like the ultra lifting version of dwarves.... scanner and monkey juice are great tracks not ever going too fast... recommend this album to anyone: ages 3-up           "On the other hand, you have different fingers."
http://myspace.com/gadimon
Shroomy
Homegrown Lifeform

Started Topics :  13
Posts :  472
Posted : Apr 22, 2003 12:54
This is for sure one of, if not the best album to come out this year... So refreshing, beautiful and psychedelic. Another proof that Twisted is the no 1 label these days...
That 'Alice in wonderland' break in Weird on a Monday Night scratches me right where I itch...
'Nuff said... Highly recommended!
Mad Hatter


Started Topics :  9
Posts :  133
Posted : Apr 22, 2003 17:07
great review kaz!
i was waiting for this release for a while and after i read the review i cant wait to hear it!!

twisted is no 1 label for sure!           .ONE.
The Green Channel
IsraTrance Junior Member

Started Topics :  41
Posts :  1025
Posted : Apr 22, 2003 17:27
Very good album i wasn't to fond of some of the other younger brother releases but this is very good. Especially the ambient stuff i liked a lot. I'll rate 8.5/10 mostly because of the ambient feel.
          "Love is a way of life"

(Gaia, Love, Nature, Shamanism (.2A.y.0a.hu.1a.sc.2a.), Terence McKenna)
Panzer


Started Topics :  3
Posts :  188
Posted : Apr 23, 2003 17:10
More raw display of Simon's manipulative studio tricks. Its very Shponglish at times (track 1). Dunno I wasn't blown away. Somehow I was hoping for more stuff like the briljant 'receptive' track which is one of Simon's highlights thus far imo. Still, its miles above the average chillout/hybrid stuff poured over us mere mortals. 8.5/10.
Pavel
Moderator

Started Topics :  312
Posts :  8646
Posted : Apr 24, 2003 08:06
Well this is a great album, just as expected from this 2 sonic wizards, all of the tracks are special and amazingly produced but there were 3 things that annoyed me on the album: The first is the mixing between the tracks which is usually very good thing for albums like this one, but the mixing here sounds like it was made in a hurry. The remix of The Receptive, or is it the original version because in backroom beats compilation it was the Jackuzi edit, is way too noisy. I prefer much the Jackuzi version. And the last and extremely annoying thing is the ending of The Finger which is really disturbing especially if you plan on listening this with your headphones into the night. It lasts waaaaaaay too much and it doesn't do any good to the ending of the album. It's just ugly. Just fucks up all the good spirit of the album.

The grade is 8.5/10 Twisted show how they leave far behind all the other labels and show what real psychedelia is. All their releases in the last months are a must.
          Everyone in the world is doing something without me
Surrender
IsraTrance Team

Started Topics :  506
Posts :  5388
Posted : Apr 25, 2003 09:10
Hey Space Ninja, if you pick on my Younger Brother again ill f#ckin kill you! just kidding, i love this album the more and more i listen to it..... i love the ending love how its ozricish and floydish at point and totally hallucinogenish at others..... great piece of art!           "On the other hand, you have different fingers."
http://myspace.com/gadimon
Pavel
Moderator

Started Topics :  312
Posts :  8646
Posted : Apr 25, 2003 15:55
I love it too, but as i mentioned i don't like the transitions between the tracks.
If you take the tracks solely, they all great.
Not a single mediocre track.           Everyone in the world is doing something without me
Blind Mind


Started Topics :  2
Posts :  175
Posted : Apr 27, 2003 10:18
Waiting for my Copy but meanwhile, speaking in Younger Brother, just a short reference for track 8 on "Unusual Suspects" > "Dwarves (main mix)":

Great track, with great moments indeed and my favorite of the Compilation !!!

Let's hope for similar stuff...          - BEing mySELF
Blind Mind


Started Topics :  2
Posts :  175
Posted : Apr 29, 2003 03:28
Quote:

On 2003-04-16 15:52, kaz wrote:

Possibly everyone in the tranceworld knows Even Dwarves Start Small (already released on the Unusual Suspects) with it's dark funky bass and emotional touches giving a rather unique blend into a great track. The ending is still just as mindblowing as it ever was.




Oh
Sorry Kaz, you had already mentioned (in a excellent way!) "Dwarves", i think.

Is the same track ?
Looks good !!!

Waiting...          - BEing mySELF
Trance Forum » » Forum  Music Reviews - Younger Brother - A Flock of Bleeps (Twisted, April 2003)

1 2 3 Next Page →
First Page Last Page
Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on StumbleUpon


Copyright © 1997-2024 IsraTrance