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unitary safefromharm
Artist: Unitary
Title: Safe From Harm
Genre: Electro / Electro Pop
Release Date: 29th July 2011
Label: Infacted Recordings


Album Review

Johan Hansson from Sweden is the man behind UNITARY since 2001, inspired by bands such COVENANT, ASSEMBLAGE 23, FROZEN PLASMA, DIORAMA etc, his goal is to create music to express longing with endurance amongst chaos and order, dreams and imagination during an age of conformity with his latest offering ‘Safe From Harm’. In ‘Clarity’ I hear some of old PET SHOP BOYS. There’s also one more influence that I’d add to the list and that is VNV NATION. Though the music has a quality of sadness, it is not overpoweringly dark or pessimistic; it’s atmospheric in a very subtle way - maybe because though not strictly minimalistic, it has something of its aesthetics, the “less is more” approach definitely. I would say that what Hansson has set to achieve to express, he has succeeded in doing, and his ideas communicate with the listener in a way of clarity. The music hasn’t got any “sharp”edges to speak off, which, strangely, are both its advantage and its downfall.

Advantage in the way how it flows with ease and with a sense of beauty, I would liken it to an ice statue, but there’s also lack of immediate intensity, for that one really has to go beneath its musical “skin” so to speak. If one does though, one is rewarded, though I wouldn’t go as far as to say rewarded in an ample way, its reward is just enough. Songs like ‘Renitent’ - beautifully melancholic and catchy at the same time, memorable melody, lyrics to remark on also, ‘Aria’ in terms of being quite an interesting song, and ‘Travesty’ - the most danceable track as well as at its most strong points of this album and also for the same quality of suitability for the dance floor, I’ll mention ‘Zenith’ - these were some of the best to represent its best qualities. The album is a wonderful and if nothing else, I’d surely recommend a listen to it.


Tracklist

01. Cold – 4.52
02. Calm – 5.10
03. Renitent – 4.52
04. Aria – 4.49
05. Clarity – 5.14
06. Zenith – 5.18
07. Repair – 5.04
08. Closer Apart – 4.54
09. Travesty – 4.51
10. Woven Heart – 5.05
11. Der Perfekte Traum – 4.14
12. No Signal – 4.39


Line-up

Johan Hansson - Music, lyrics, instrumentation


Websites

www.unitary.net / www.myspace.com/unitaryofficial


Cover Picture

unitary safefromharm


Rating

Music: 8
Sound: 8
Total: 8 / 10


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