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Another quality piece of work from FBS. Walking the line between industrial rock and indie pop almost flawlessly now, Doctor X adds a little more electronic elements to the mix to interesting effect.
'Can't get enough' is a return to the more industrial sound of FBS, but is highly appealing. 'Enjoy the Apple' sees a touch of the electronic with the hard-edge to interesting effect. 'Doctor X' revisits 'My Artficial Sun', remixing the guitar riff with some electronic beats, in a strange but not-unlikeable track. 'Need some glue' delves deeper into synthesised sounds, but doesn't quite hit the mark for mine. 'Angry Machine' slightly tweaks the great track from the earlier album, 'Make This End'.
All up, more quality from FBS. Fans of this group will lap it up; if its your first taste of FBS, perhaps sample an earlier album beforehand before returning here.
One of the pleasures of cruising around Jamendo is discovering musical styles you might not ordinarily explore. I would never have described myself as a reggae fan, but this album could very easily convert me. A previous review mentioned "warmth" which is a very apt description for this album.
Can't stop listening to 'Didi'!
An unashamed FBS fan, this is another great demonstration of how this group can seemingly pick a style at will, make it the core of the album, and yet provide enough variations so it doesn't sound sameish.
This album is one of the 'hardest' sounding albums this artist has produced, and I must admit that it is a little too harsh for my tastes at times. Tracks 1, 10 and 11 may be better reviwed by those with an ear for the industrial style.
However, there's something for everyone here, as the saying goes. 'Holy Gangsters' is one of those 'killer' tracks that is impossible not to like. 'Candid' softens its hard edge with a funky riff. 'Make this end' ambles amiably along while retaining the spirit of the album. Steel guitars give a country flavour to 'Starving Babies'; pretty much every track tries something a little different.
But for me the best track is 'Angry Machine'. In a way it embodies FBS's music and why I like it - a little rough, an indie feel with commercial appeal, and the English lyrics pronounced slightly differently to a native English speaker ('Angry Machine' sounds more like 'Ungry Machine'). Not a criticism, but an example of the slight imperfections that endear FBS to the listener.
How good are these guys? Sadly, this seems to be the only taste of Zero on Jamendo. This little collection will leave you wanting more.
'Les Suicides' is a remarkably dark and compelling track, the first minute traps you in its headlights and from here Zero never really lets you go... perhaps it just loosens its grip somewhat.
'Oh le mal au coeur' does an about face, with a somewhat haunting little side-trip. The hard rock returns with 'Le complexe de Peter Pan'. But what I love about this album is the hardness is balanced with sensitivity and intelligence, and this track is a good example of this. The haunting qualities return in the final track, 'Transportarreum'. The chorus, with its hypnotic riffs, give this track a dark tinge shared by the rest of the album in one form or another.
Excellent stuff. More please.
This is my first review on Jamendo, even though I feel somewhat hypocritical reviewing music considering my own musical talent. But it felt right that, after downloading dozens of albums, one of the first I've listened to is still my favourite and is the subject of my first review.
FBS has shown, through the release of five albums at the time of writing, to be incredibly versatile. All five differ significantly, and all offer enough to keep you interested. Which one you prefer can be a matter of taste - I find "Make This End" a little too hard-edged for my liking, while "Orgamilk" is a little too light. Nevertheless, both are worthy albums. However, the 'sweet spot' for me is this album.
The opening track is a killer. Upbeat, it grabs you immediately with its electric-piano rhythms. 'Artificial Sun' remains my favourite Jamendo track, simply because I can't get it out of my head. It follows on nicely to the simlarly catchy
'Ugly Army', with great chorus lyrics. The imagery the lyrics call up is a strong point of FBS's music, and no more so than this album.
From here, a slightly darker twist with 'The Hunt', less likeable at first but with further listens becomes compelling. Things get lighter on for a while here. 'Never End Up Like This','Mary' and 'Anything But You' are enjoyable tunes but without the drive or complexity of earlier tracks. The dark horse of the album, for me, though, is the final track, "One More Reason". The use of electric piano is reprised, returning the depth to the album that had drifted a little in tracks 4, 5 and 6. A great way to finish.
I had lost interest in exploring my musical tastes for quite some time, but Jamendo has reignited my interest in digging around for surprising insights into stuff I like. This album was the start of this exploration for me. If you're new to Jamendo, download this album to start off with for a glimpse of the talent there is around. How FBS is not world-famous is beyond me. With albums like this, I'm one of those pushing their music into the ears of anyone who'll listen.
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