Metroland – 0 (Album – Alfa Matrix)
Genre/Influences: Electro-Pop.
Format: Digital, CD.
Background/Info: After having released a few noticeable EP’s as countdown to Belgian Metroland’s fifth album here it is: “0”. There’s a new conceptual theme behind the work. Zero is pronounced in very different ways as it all depends on the language but the album also is anticipating the future announced by Metroland as ‘the fourth industrial revolution’.
Content: Metroland symbolizes the adoration for Kraftwerk; an Electro-Pop style which sounds ‘robotic’ and intelligent. No simple poppy tunes nor catchy lyrics in choruses but a sterile type of Electronics carried by solid bass lines, endless bleeping sequences, dry, danceable kicks and robotic samplings or spoken vocal parts.
+ + + : I can’t say that Metroland are repeating themselves; the concept becomes sophisticated and even complex and so the music is. This is their most Experimental work to date although there are danceable passages which are my favorite parts of the work. “4ir Intelligence”, “Machine 2 Machine”, “Modularity”, “The 2nd Machine Age” and the more poppy “7 Principles” are the highlights from “0”.
– – – : I’m missing a melody line here and there or simply a more rudimentary approach. This album is not exactly a bite-sized-chunks of songs and needs a few more listening before you can get into it.
Conclusion: “0” sounds like the least accessible work of Metroland although I salute their efforts to be more than a Kraftwerk copy; they definitely have found their own ‘retro-futuristic’ style.
Best songs: “4ir Intelligence”, “Machine 2 Machine”, “Modularity”, “The 2nd Machine Age”, “7 Principles”, “Big Data”.
Rate: 8.
Artist: www.facebook.com/metrolandmusic
Label: www.alfa-matrix.com / www.facebook.com/Alfa.Matrix
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