Member Since: 10/10/2005
Band Members: Clyde Rourke, Derek Martin
Influences: BRIAN ENO, ESG, SONIC YOUTH, bjork, the who, john lennon, +/-, air, bauhaus, THE CURE, DAVID BOWIE, JOY DIVISION, tones on tail, pimps, flin flon, james brown, gary numan, to rococo rot, dr. dre , rolling stones, my mom, eurythmics, the meatpuppets, the jesus & mary chain, kruder & dorfmeister, john denver, the notwist, portishead, tears for fears, camper van beethoven, pj harvey, dj spooky, the faint, a-ha, stevie wonder, THE BEATLES, dj krush, ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN, throbbing gristle, monk & canatella, pinback, headset, this dream alice, queen, the cardigans, t. rex, thievery corporation, stereolab, dj cam, cocteau twins, jimi hendrix, broadcast, devo, archer prewitt, ringo starr, woven, george martin, clinic, bernie kai & his hawaiians, the latin playboys, wild cherry, control, mixmaster mike, the police, andy warhol, throwing muses, the herbalizer, yo la tengo, jefferson airplane, sarah adorable, heart, leftfield, siouxsie, depeche mode, dr. octagon, sam prekop, the sugarcubes, jean paul sartre experience, the velvet underground, sea & cake, elliott smith, mouse on mars, michael jackson, dali's car, the violent femmes, run dmc, david byrne, kelly brant, the coctails, journey, astrud gilberto, led zeppelin, telefon telaviv, fleetwood mac, blondie, monks of doom, nirvana, can, massive attack, the gorillaz, everything but the girl, U2, deathcab for cutie, lisa germano, simian, duran duran, split enz, optiganally yours, sunday punch, luscious jackson, harry nilsson, dj shadow, the archer stop, seely, kid loco, tarwater, cindy wonderful, fourtet, psychedelic furs, paul mcartney, versus, killing joke, bee gees, peace orchestra, joyzipper, the beastie boys, new order, craig anderson, the glove, django reinhart, jon hassel, yoko ono, mark robinson, RJD2, thurston moore, pink floyd, nick drake, antipop consortium, talk talk, everyone else,
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Sounds Like: Beat Synthetic / Stop Chasing the Bitter Carrot / Major Label (CD)Stop Chasing the Bitter Carrot reminded me, though never in an entirely tangible way, of a lot of eighties punk and new-wave landmarks. Perhaps it was the twankily minimal keyboards, or the sparse, undulating, sometimes nearly gothic rhythms, or the panic-strangulated vocals. Or all of the above. The five songs found here are bittersweet affairs; their most hummable melodies are tinged with anguish and longing, the lyrics sharply barbed. In lowest common denominator musical equation terms, it'd go like this: ((Bauhaus - (funereal mood+staginess)) + (early Violent Femmes - (big textural guitars)) / (Echo and the Bunnymen - The Stranglers) = Beat Synthetic. But then, I was never much for math. -- gzreview from www.splendidezine.comHave Joy Division been reincarnated? Beat Synthetic's self-titled album might lead some to think so. Their brand of electro-pop certainly has enough shades of goth to beg the question. The opener, "Middle Class Anxiety Dream", despite its somewhat hackneyed theme, is a great specimen of new '80s pop. It reminds me of Satisfact and, to some degree, Joy Electric (though it's not nearly as sugary). Its brooding atmosphere is a result of Clyde Rourke's icy vocal delivery and the band's distant, fuzzed out guitars and synths. "Too Late For Sorrow" is more of the same. It's a bit less moody than its predecessor, largely due to a brisker tempo, but it still has great atmosphere."Abandonment Dub" breaks a bit from the feel of the first two tracks. It's definitely dub, but more lounge than reggae. While the bassline follows the dub formula melodically, it's more agile than the fat, heavy subliminal lines of authentic dub. Along with the lighter bassline, Beat Synthetic employ sparse keyboard comping that has a sound reminiscent of a nine dollar Casio. Together these elements create a sound that is actually somewhat whimsical. It isn't until about four minutes into the tune, when Mr. Rourke starts moaning lyrics, that it starts to resemble the other tracks on the disc. "On My Own" is a bit like "Abandonment Dub" in that its jaunty tempo and slightly penny-whistle-like synth sounds add a bit of whimsy to its musical character.The final four tracks bring back the darkish, electro-pop stylings of tracks one and two. I'm particularly impressed with "The Importance of Knowing All the Right People." It's subtle and controlled and thick with mood. Tunes like this really remind me of Joy Division.For years before their dissolution, Satisfact seemed to have the corner on this kind of retro-pop sound. If Beat Synthetic keep following this route, they might well help to fill a newly formed void.
-- Noah Wane
from www.splendidezine.com
Type of Label: Major