If you've followed along with my previous reviews, you know I'm somewhat of a Skinny Puppy fanatic. Most importantly I've come to respect the man behind all the music I adore: cEvin Key.
Luckily since the fall of Skinny Puppy, cEvin Key never halted production of his amazing music. While Skinny Puppy is the band that gave him recognition and a cult-icon status, cEvin's most daring music (in my opinion) has come from his band called Download. Instead of following along with the tired "industrial" genre, cEvin teamed up with other musicans and DJs to create a futuristic sound that pushed beyond the boundaries of electronic music.
And then in the late 90's cEvin began to release solo albums. While the first was definitely interesting in a "so this is what cEvin sounds like by himself" kind of way, it's his sophmoric release of The Ghost of Each Room that really starts to illustrate his musical capabilities. And it's proven to me that he truly is the soul behind his many musical projects.
I can honestly say that I'm thoroughly enjoying cEvin Key's current musical direction. The Ghost of Each Room is definitely more sonically varied than his debut solo, Music for Cats. We're given an array of jazzy numbers, synth-pop, industrial grunge, electronic chaos, drum and bass, and atmospheric soundscapes. It's all here.
My personal hightlights off the album include:
15th Shade: a comedic light jazzy number with Edward KaSpel (of Legendary Pink Dots fame) on vocals. The song seems to be a real big hit with my sister who otherwise isn't much of a fan of this music. Edward's mysterious British-accented voice recites a little story over a funky jam session. It's quite unlike anything else on the album, and as Martha Stewart would say, "that is a good thing".
cccc4: Could this be Skinny Puppy's Riverzend Part 2? Atmospheric soundscape with killer beats that wouldn't sound out of place on a soundtrack for the X-Files or The Matrix.
Tatayama: A tenor sax jam fused into a tribal drumming ceremony. Throw in the occasional atmopsheric synth here and there and presto - you have one bizarre masterpiece.
Frozen Sky: a psychodramatic, dark, and haunting melody with the infamous Ogre on vocals - distorted of course. Much in the fashion of Skinny Puppy's final release "The Process", we hear chilling distorted electric guitars chords throughout the song. If Skinny Puppy still existed, this would have probably been a typical sound we'd expect to hear. I'm just relieved to know they've rekinded their friendship and are working together again.
Aphasia: to be blunt, this might as well be an instrumental remix of Depeche Mode's "But Not Tonight". The synth-bass mimics DM's mode hit completely! This is possibly my favourite track off the album with a pure 80's synth-pop sound. The sound is refreshing and uplifting.
There are many more tracks of course, but these are the few which have perked my interest. If you're tired of the same old stuff and are looking for something new and daring, give cEvin Key's The Ghost of Each Room a listen. You won't be disappointed!
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