| Artist: |
Apollo Four Forty |
| Title: |
"Getting High on Your Own Supply" |
| Label: |
Epic/550 Music
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| Reviewed by: |
Bushman |
| Rating: |
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Riding the fence between an electronica act and a rock band, Apollo 44 is out
to smear the lines between sample and repetition utilizing techno and the
spark and drive of a rock structured song. The band feel mostly comes from
the live sounding guitars that sometimes drive the ship (see the head poppin'
guitar intro on song #3 that holds down the main rhythm) but most often the
songs are lead by a fat beat and groove that various electronic elements fall
in and out of. The vocals are treated much like another instrument in that
they are sparsely used, often repeated to further etch the flow and a lot of
times are just samples woven into the mix. It seems Apollo 44 have found a
niche that gives us the best of both worlds. The danceability and
groovability (and sonic range) of electronic music wrapped in more of a rock
band type mentality. This leaves the listener with highly crafted layers of
easy to jam to movements disguised as songs. Of the two mediums, the band
mostly holds to the electronic repetition mentality. The rock song ideal
hits when the guitars are allowed to riff out (see the intro to "Lost in
Space (Theme)") and this lends to a KMFDM feel at least until the horn
section comes in with a catchy run and for campy effect, uses some, "Lost in
Space" movie samples (or more precisely some words from the character played
by Matt LeBlanc). Slide on the Beastie Boys shout out of, "Stadium Parking
Lot." The lighthearted, "Heart Go Boom" bounces along on a ska beat (but is
not a ska song by any means) and introduces us to the fist real vocal
presence with thick cockney/(Jamaican)? accent and is almost sickeningly
catchy. When that song hits the shuffle section in the middle, it almost
sounds like a bit of Asian Dub Foundation. Apollo Four Forty are the most
convincingly band orientated electronic act posing as a rock band to date.
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