Media Pages
DJ PagesPENDULUM
In Silico
In Silico -
Track Listing
Disk 1Showdown |
 |
Brief Review
Arguably the most popular and best Drum and Bass group in the world return with their new album 'In Silico'. The synth-driven songs return with the usual fuse of bounce and tight mixing but the lack of pure instrumental Drum and Bass tracks could leave some hardcore fans disappointed. Despite this minor point, the album is near perfection and is, in my opinion, one of the best albums I've heard in 2008.
Full Review
Pendulum shot to stardom with their first album 'Hold Your Colour' which was a huge hit instantly and gained public recognition and glowing reviews as the must-have Drum and Bass album. Now, after touring around the world and the UK, Pendulum return with 'In Silico' boasting 11 tracks of more Drum and Bass madness but does the album live up to expectation?
The album kicks off with 'Showdown', a bass-heavy vocal track filled with all the usual array of Drum and Bass components and really is an excellent track to start the album off with. The vocals are an excellent asset to the track and it could see this track shoot up the dance charts. The effects laid on this track are top notch and compliment the vocal talents brilliantly. This is trademark smash-mouth, in-your-face, bouncy Drum and Bass at its best.
'Different' then crashes onto the sound system with a slightly more chilled tone than that evident in 'Showdown'. Another vocal-heavy track from Pendulum is laid over synth bleeps and a toned down drum beat. The less bouncy Drum and Bass track still works as a good track but in my opinion is not as strong as 'Showdown'.
The next track 'Propane Nightmares' features twice on this album, once as the original and the second time as a remix. The first time is as the original. The track takes around a minute to get going but when it does it sweeps you up in a dirty-synth river of musical heaven. The drum beat is good but the synth, although sounding slightly cheesy, is executed brilliantly here and makes the track shine. This is definately one of the best tracks on the album and another that could make the jump to top 40 status.
'Visions' boasts a unique twist on the vocals with a brilliant effect laid over it but unfortunately in return its difficult to work out exactly what is being said. This detracts from the overall track which is disappointing as the synth and bassline work well but the vocals drag the track down.
'Midnight Runner' starts with a breakdown that slowly progresses through vocal tones which, much like 'Visions', is extremely difficult to interpret the lyrics. However, the track is still good with synth-driven pounding rhythms and a good use of instruments. In my opinion, this is one of the weakest songs on the album.
Pendulum return to the bouncy Drum and Bass with 'The Other Side' and deliver another excellent vocal track. The bassline has been altered slightly from the riff used in The Bourne Identity and it works wonders here. The tracks builds very slowly, adding more and more instruments before smashing into the drum beat with the altered riff mentioned earlier laid beneath it. The vocals then crash onto the sound system and clarity finally returns to the lyrics. This is, in my opinion, one of the standout tracks on the album and although unlikely to strike a chord with the media, I still believe its one of the best on the album.
'Mutiny' steers away from the drum beats used in previous Drum and Bass tracks on this album and it works wonders to set this song apart. Although the synth line isn't the strongest on the album, there seems to be a similar trend from Pendulum of making their tracks synth-heavy. There are large chunks of instrumental sections in this track which will please many hardcore fans but the chorus is dominated by the vocals evident in the previous tracks. For me, this was one of few mediocre tracks that cropped up on this album. However, the guitar solo in the breakdown is an excellent piece of music which raises the overall quality of the track.
'9000 Miles' is another excellent track on the album with a wicked synth-driven beat, good use of chords and a good breakdown. The track is one of few instrumental tracks on Pendulum's album and it's clear to see the amount of effort put into this to make it unique and stand out. The chilled out Drum and Bass track is one of few in the sub genre that really shines in my opinion.
Another synth-heavy track 'Granite' smashes onto the sound system with a catchy synth line and some mediocre vocals. The drum beat returns to in-your-face D&B but in my opinion I found this song more of a mediocre track than a pounding anthem which I'm sure many people will disagree with me about!
'The Tempest' stars with chilled Drum and Bass that suddenly escalates to more in-your-face Drum and Bass. A good concept backed by an excellent use of instruments, meaningful lyrics and good vocal tones. Another fantastic track in my opinion.
In Silico then ends with the remix of 'Propane Nightmares'. In my opinion, the remix shines slightly above the original with a better build-up and a slightly quicker, more frantic pace to it. This was the best choice of track to end an adrenaline-fuelled CD with. The pace remains frantic throughout the track and is in my opinion one of the best D&B remixes I've ever heard.
At the end of the CD I was left full of energy and buzzing from the sheer pace and excellence surrounding this CD. Whether this album is better than Hold Your Colour is obviously debateable but its not far from the brilliance of the first CD. A few mediocre tracks drag the album down but overall this is one of, if not the best album I've heard in 2008.
