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review by Dene Bebbington Contact is a collaborative album from German musicians Max Schiefele (Maxxess) and Axel Supplich (Axess) who both combine synths and programming with Maxxess's acoustic and electric guitar. The result is electronic music with a gritty edge thanks to the electric guitar, and while it sometime hints at prog rock it's very much an album that should appeal to EM fans. It reminded me of the way Helmut Teubner combined electric guitar with synths and sequencing on the title track of Heavens Light to spice up the sound. The first track on an album is undoubtedly the most important because it gives the listener his [or her, ed.] first impression of the music, so it's not surprising that "Tsunami" was chosen to get Contact underway. Loops, rhythm, synth pads, and a simple melody get the piece going with an air of expectancy before being joined by electric guitar; at this point it's like the early stages of a tsunami building up, then after a few minutes the guitar really comes into its own as it performs a rolling melody reflecting the power and awe of a tsunami striding across the sea - it's at this point I found it difficult to avoid playing air guitar! The exciting parts are interspersed with motifs heard at the start -- as though the wave is regrouping -- and then the guitar blares its exciting melody and riffs accompanied by drums and hi-hat. Eventually the track comes to a relatively restrained end, leaving me wanting more than the ten minutes worth. Four of the remaining five tracks are relatively short, coming in at between six and nine minutes. Though "Contact" and "Indian Skies" do not stand out, the shortest piece "Close Encounter" has a pleasing guitar melody over a rhythmic base that made me imagine a positive encounter with a stranger. Following on from this is the up-tempo "Exile" which for the first half is electronic but becomes somewhat prog rockish with more great guitar work. The longest track "Behind the Mirror" brings the album to a close with varying paces and a mixture of unsettling ambient sound effects (conveying a sense of seeing behind a mirror to an alternate reality), some great rhythms and melody, a slightly Pink Floydesque guitar, and beepy sequencing. I've become so hooked on "Tsunami" that it's now one of the most frequently played pieces of music in my house. Though a couple of tracks are only so-so, overall Contact is a superb album that is likely to make my 2004 top ten list. Definitely recommended. |
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