Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Rate it. Get it. 4.5, 3 April 2009
Where do you start with Alec Empire? Ridiculously prolific, versed in genres from punk to techno, noise to funk, and muso-politically astute - Alec is the renaissance man of modern experimental music. He's the man who took his advance from one label to start his own one, Digital Hardcore, with which he defined a genre, putting out his politically charged band, Atari Teenage Riot.
This is his first release on the label, Eat Your Heart Out, and signals either the beginning of yet another new era, or merely a one-off side-project for Alec as - for the pioneer of digital-hardcore, a kind of `tech-screamo' - this is a remarkably catchy, pop-conscious collection of purely electronic dancefloor tunes, and some of his most accessible material to date. That's not to say that it's not still creative and challenging, but it's not as genre splicing/defying as the majority of his best-known output, and drops the noise/breakbeat dynamics present in his previous work. No, this is a bit of a hark-back to the days of New York, no-wave disco, featuring simple, sparse beats and prominent, `80s, under-squelched synths. It's a little reminiscent of Gary Numan and there's a lot of languid, spoken word, freeform vocals that occasionally sound redolent of Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore singing over the Terminator soundtrack - which is an apt description of a lot of those electro groups of that era.
Those that think producing this kind of material means he's lost his punk edge may not know that he's still jacked into a distinctly post-punk, avant-garde dynamic: this certainly isn't a collection of your average nightclub floor-fillers. He's isn't creating anything new this time `round, though, and - while other artists are judged on their merit within their chosen genre - Alec will probably lose brownie-points with many, merely for not having again invented an original sub-genre with this outing.
I've enormous admiration for Alec's principles, music and ethos, though, and while all he has done with TGFH is create indie-pop inspired, left-field disco, it's an excellent example of the genre and a satisfying record throughout.
J Capeling
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3.0 out of 5 stars
The Golden Foretaste of Heaven?, 18 Aug 2008
I first discovered Alec Empire with his album Intelligence and Sacrifice. That album for me defined industrial metal with brutal electronics, throat wrenching lyrics, and destructive sounds. TGFOH could not be further from this. Alec Empire has walked away from digital hardcore to a softer, gentler, more easy listening form of the electronic art. Drum machines and soft sythns are here in plenty with more mediocre melody than The Sisters of Mercy could ever aspire to. Its not that this is a bad record, there are certainly interesting movements within the track. Its more that there is nothing to get excited about either. Buy this album if you love drum machines and electronica mixed with post punk.
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~ Alec Empire
~ Nine Inch Nails
~ Alec Empire
~ Alec Empire
~ Atari Teenage Riot
