Liars – Mess

March 24, 2014 • Mute Records

It was bound to happen; I never expected Liars to go back to their old noise rock roots and with Mess their slow transition through dark synth-pop on WIXIW, but at the same time I never expected them to suddenly become a full-fledged electro-house outfit. It seems appropriate though, somehow. Fortunately I think they've learned a lot from working on WIXIW and it sounds like they've worked hard to improve their sound, and it's really paid off.

When I first heard Mess I thought I was being pranked with a fake download (yeah, I didn't do my homework for this one), but it's really true. Heavy four-on-the-floor house beats, sawtooth synth bass lines, glitchy bleeps, repetitive sampling, topped off with Liars' trademark droning vocal style—the only truly familiar thing on the album. It's very bizarre to think that this is the same band I saw jamming out dense tribal noise just over a year and a half ago (but I guess a lot can change in that time, can't it?).

But I have to admit that these beats are pretty damn good. Things really start to kick in at the second track, with a great sweeping string line that forms the chorus and gives it a very dark and brooding sound while still maintaining a lot of energy and pulse. Then they really kick in with "Pro Anti Anti"'s awesome almost-industrial beat and organ (one of the sounds I was most surprised to hear, and on several tracks too—and somehow it fits in really well).

Another improvement is that there are much fewer songs that I'd call not-particularly-good; WIXIW had its fair share of dull songs but there are only a couple here, and they still aren't really that bad at all. They do enough of mixing up different sounds and styles that it's tough to be disappointed with any of it. And I guess the duller ones like "Can't Hear Well" serve well to give the listener a short break between the intensity of the other tracks, anyway.

It seems unfair to compare it to their older work since they're such a different band now (but no, it's still not as good as Drum's Not Dead), but relative to similar house and electro music I'd say that Mess absolutely holds its own. Great production, great writing; it's an album they can be proud of. And it's got the Liars aesthetic and tone that'll appeal to their fans, to boot. Score all around.

Rom Di Prisco & Peter Chapman – Guacamelee!

I'm back in full force, and today I'm ramping up the second Video Game Soundtrack Week! About freakin' time!

September 4, 2013 • Drinkbox Studios

I almost always love it when game soundtracks manage to go well above and beyond a simple electronic style, and I enjoy it even more when games like Guacamelee! take that to a new level. With the game's luchador theme it's obvious that its soundtrack would include a heavy helping of Mexican music, but I never expected it to be so well-done and fit so well into the game. Not only did it add immensely to my enjoyment of the game, but it provides a great listening experience on its own.

The soundtrack presents two distinct styles, similar in style but different in functionality. One is Peter Chapman's more traditional scoring: it's based around a large ensembles with a big cinematic sound. It's used mostly for cutscenes and menus, and there it does an excellent job of establishing the mood and feel of the game. Rom Di Prisco's tracks are a bit more diverse. They're based around a smaller mariachi arrangement and have varying amounts of electronic fusion going on. Most of these tracks also have a "dark world" equivalent, which adds a thick layer of dark, despairing reverb to the otherwise jaunty tunes.

It's difficult to describe exactly what makes this soundtrack so attractive, but it does do two things very well for me. Firstly, it draws you into the game's world so incredibly well. Maybe it helps that I never really listen to Mexican music (though I should), but those folky elements—guitars, brass, upright bass (which sounds amazing, by the way)—can be really captivating and evoke the game's world so effectively. Secondly, the whole thing just jams so hard. I could listen to that boss theme or the Temple or Rain theme all day. Even the softer tracks groove along nicely when they want to.

It's a soundtrack that has (or ought to have) universal appeal, even though it seems like it combines a couple of semi-niche genres it manages to transcend each. Oh, and the game is pretty great too, I suppose.