Title: Brutpop
Artist: First Aid 4 Souls
Genre: Electro, Industrial, Experimental
Release Date: 20th November 2009
Label: Electro-Arc
Album Review
Founded in 2006, the Hungarian formation FIRST AID 4 SOULS now delivers its second full-length recording entitled with `Brutpop´. According to the band’s statement, the musicians focus on mixing several stylistic devices. Indeed, it’s hard to pigeonhole the soundscape as you will find a lot of influences providing so many features that refer to different music genres. Thus, `Brutpop´ turns out to be a colourful and varied album which is addressed to open-minded listeners who enjoy smartly arranged, experimental melodies and traditional club stuff alike.
For example, `Before the Light´ firstly appears as a typical up-tempo electro track with pulsating beats and synth effects. As soon as the soulful female vocals resound, the song gains liveliness and warmth making forget that this is a piece from the pen of an electro / industrial band. The second song `First Aid´ is an orchestral piano-driven opus with bombastic classical sounds, fragile female vocals and tender strings. Contrary to that, `Hairy-(ass)ed´ is striking due to the distorted and somehow weird vocals that are accompanied by pumping electro rhythms following the tradition of old school material. Connected to modern club sounds, the clear male vibrato vocals on `Crime and Punishment´ radiate a feeling of big city action and elegant understatement. Finally, the trance-like `The Wave´ comes up with playful crystal clear keys and is the innovative conclusion of a demanding album daringly juggling with pretty different styles.
On the one hand, I particularly enjoyed those tracks sung by the female band members; on the other hand, I was kind of overstrained after listening to the all in all 13 tracks due to the recording’s prominently multi-layered soundscape. Therefore, `Brutpop´ isn’t easy listening stuff and might primarily attract listeners who are pleased by avant-garde and sophisticated electronic music.
Tracklist
01. Before the Light
02. First Aid
03. Painkiller
04. Powa
05. Reconquista
06. Sui.Acid
07. The unborn Child
08. Wings of Morpheus
09. Hairy-(ass)ed (Hun Version)
10. Circus Maximus
11. Crime and Punishment
12. Robochan
13. The Wave
Line-up
Istvan Gazdag - all music
Katalin Helfenbein - vocal, lyrics, drums
Attila Palfalvy - vocal, drums, mastering
Zoltan Havasi - visual, drums
David Konsitzky - lyrics, vocal, guitar
Eszter Agoston - lyrics, vocal, guitar
David Konsitzky - Website
Guest singers:
Madalina Kertesz
Linda Daemon from Drugzone
Mark from I Am One
Aaron Russell from Impurfekt & Tor Marrock!
Website
http://www.myspace.com/firstaid4souls / http://www.firstaid4souls.com/
Cover-Picture
Rating
Music: 7
Sound: 8
Extras: -
Total: 7.5 / 10
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