Many people have said many things of this album. Many things which have immortalised this album. Many good things. Many right things.
The album starts off with a really funky, spaced out melody with the typical scratching intorduction featuring many samples. Nothing new.
We then kick off with 'Building Steam with a Grain of Salt', a bizzare title with a great soundbite; I'm not entirely sure where from, but what is said sounds like it's from an egotistical musician, "I'm a student... but i'm also a Teacher... I'm a student and a teacher
The airey piano sample and kick-plenty beat entices you, hypnotises you, like 'snake hips' from FSOL's 'ISDN' album. Lady's vocals call out, but it is the rhythm with the relentless piano sample that makes this an excellent track to get the listener into the tranced state for the album. The beat slowly breaks down, keeping the steady pace but stuttering, ripple-ing.
'The Number Song' then smashes that trance. The album's got your attention, now let's get you moving. 'What is this?' cries a voice, and the bass with a faster hip-hop beat mean business. A countdown, NASA, space. The numbers. We're going somewhere - the track then brings out funky wind instruments and and drum roll, scratches, and drum solo samples. All the time counting from different people, whether they be from the 70s or the 80s, 90s. The bass, grindingly gorgeous, the beat almost breakbeat but not quite.
'Changeling' certainly moves on. Now we have a great, typical hip-hop beat, and some nice relaxed keys playing. A little more noise, like a freight train passing, and a chilled bass comes in. More relaxed melodies, and even a flute. This is so chilled, i'm floating. My god, are those tears in my eyes? A wonderful track. The snare starts to echo, and some mumbling vocals come in, but you don't need to understand them; you know what they mean. 5 minutes into the track, and an airy, stretched guitar riff comes in, surely the greatest riff in electronic music... it echoes round sonar landscapes, you're floating, i'm floating. Bliss....
Transmission time, the first of three. Space, we're there now, and we move onto the next track.
"What does your soul look like (Part 4)" takes all of the previous tracks and turns it into one long, smooth jam. Steady beat, we-mean-business bass, sax in the background, airy keys. It's all here, we're having a jam in zero-gravity. A robotic voice chants a bhuddist verse, surely. We're in space, these things happen.
"-" is as minimalist as the name. Eyes as big as Jolly Ranchers, sweet.
"Stem/Long Stem" is the symphonic piece of the album. It is as great as Vivaldi's four seasons, or Mozart's requiem. Split into movements, like all classic hall music, this is a homage to all the past musical masters. Harps, and no real beat to mention, just dramatic bass and percussional whacks. Then, a drilling beat interrupts, and strings play. This is like another galaxy! A cello sample plays, and high violin strings lead us out to the next movement. We hear an organ fade in, repeating a medeavial melody, and again the bangs of percussion every 2 seconds. A piano rings out, and french horns play an eerie single note that morphs all the time. Guitar samples too, it becomes a hazey mess. It slowly gains form again, a harpsichordial-like guitar plays out, and the celloist again finds a place in this peice. A real classic, possibly the best of the album.
Transmission 2 is our next port of call, classic pianos and 90s electric keyboard lay us a short interlude, a bridge for the album.
"Mutual Slump" SHRIEKS! That's how it hits you. it's like another number song. Harder, tribal drum beats, crashing cymbals, no real melody as such. Relentless. Then it relaxes for a few seconds, but not for long. A lady asks you a question, but no time for answer - the tribal beat starts again. You soon sink into your primitive mood as you listen. Another pause, what is she saying? Too late - the beat, this time with a primitive wind instument sound, ringing all around. It's like a dream running weak - that last effort. And shriek again! Our song comes to a tribal end.
'Organ Donor' is the club hit of them album. The same dark-ages organ sample from midway Stem/Longstem plays out - a very dancey beat joins in. My god, i'm dancing! This is so fresh! The drum beat stops, and we are led to a mad organ jam - and a collapse, back into that dancey beat! It's over all too quickly, you just want to keep dancing for longer.
"Why hip hop sucks in '96" plays a typical mid 90s mainstream melody, and a smug voice rings at the ends of this short piece, the answer to the title - "It's the money."
"Midnight in a perfect world" returns us back into the mood of the earlier tracks. Steady serious beat, airy keys. This may seem to be getting old, you may think as you read this, but oh no. you are so wrong. I'm getting stoned on music. A lady's vocals call out, and piano's accompany with a west-side gangsta throwing a phrase occasionally. Then the crisp keys make way for a rougher, edgier melody, but it sounds so good. And another airy guitar leads us out, with our gangsta stuttering electronically.
I'm so sorry, i'm going to have to end this review early, it's getting late. never the less, buy this album, it's just too good for words.
10/10.
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