Alex Metric : 'It Starts' EP
Released: 25th November 2009
Label: Marine Parade
This is a quaint little Ep; only three tracks long but riddled with contrasts and contradictions. Written, partly, with Russell Lissack of Bloc Party notoriety (Russell cut his electro teeth back in 2007 with Melina Selkirk in the Kitsune released Pin Me Down) it consists of Alex Metric’s continually developing sounds with Russell’s angular guitar lines which meld into something, well, interesting.
Opener “It Starts” not only does what it says on the tin but is also what I believe is Alex Metric’s first real foray into indie-electro territory. It doesn’t go well, with the three minute track sounding weak and uninspired, despite a bouncy electro opening loop.
Moving on, “Discotron” opens with guitar lines and panning drums which almost push me into believing I am about to listen to a Survivor cover. Luckily, things improve as electronics build and the track drops into bubbling, disco-infused synth. Loops rise over the top as it builds to a peak before imploding back upon itself into a casual drop and back to the disco vibes. Much better.
The last track of the EP, “Gusto” opens with a good, scything loop with guitar stabs from Russell before building up to a breakdown and dropping into perfectly listenable but slightly stale 2007-era Parisian electro sounds. Here and there the sweeping synths from the breakdown are blended over the top to create something far more interesting, but as a whole one gets the feeling that Alex Metric can and has produced better than this.
As a bonus, an Evil Nine remix of “It Starts” has been thrown in as a fourth track. The boys make a decent job of it, as I didn’t think it was the greatest of tracks to work with. Essentially, they keep the vocal in place, chopping it up here and there, and splice it with more of a straight up electro-house track, ditching the more outright indie influences in it. This helps keep it focussed, standing out above the original as a better piece of work, though “Discotron” is still the best of the bunch.
Posts: 2
Reply #1 on : Wed July 13, 2011, 10:13:02
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Posts: 2
Reply #2 on : Wed July 13, 2011, 14:46:56