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Touch
Am I Here?
Every Little Thing
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The Secret Meeting
Ultrashiver
Noiseplus Music
Posted: Monday, July 02, 2007
By: Ilker Yücel
Editor
By: Ilker Yücel
Editor
The Secret Meeting's debut album finds Curve's Dean Garcia in yet another collaboration, this time with the members of Collide, producing a varied album that couples atmospheric electronica with a rock and roll vibe not dissimilar to Curve's gritty Brit-rock edge.
One certainly can't accuse Dean Garcia of resting on his laurels. Since the dissolution of Curve when Toni Halliday amicably left the renowned duo, Garcia's thrown himself into a plethora of rather intriguing projects, from oddities such as his collaborations with Jason Novak in Glytsch and his two Headcase albums, to the higher profile groups such as KGC with Sascha Konietzko and Lucia Cifarelli of KMFDM, as well as producing music for his daughter Rose Berlin. Adding to his prolific discography is The Secret Meeting, in which we see him working with kaRIN and Statik of the American electronic group Collide.
As to be expected, the band's debut album, Ultrashiver is full of elements of both groups while managing to find a musical middle ground to give The Secret Meeting a flavor all its own. For Collide's part, kaRIN's distinct voice soars as blissfully as ever, adding an ethereal quality that complements her sense of dark melodies. Her layers of harmonies add greater depth and ambience to the music, particularly in the trip-hop leanings of "Am I Here?" and the almost trancelike psychedelic groove of "Every Little Thing." There are even some jazzy moments to behold on "Shiver X," which could easily play the part of soundtrack to a Michael Mann crime thriller. Then there are tracks like "Forwards and Sideways" and "Touch," both of which strangely begin with the same atmospheric sample loop (a holdover from Garcia's work in Glytsch apparently), carrying his signature dirty beats and gritty bass drones, very reminiscent of his instrumental work in Headcase and in later Curve. "Blacker than Blue" is another standout song with percolating arpeggios of edgy electronica and chugging guitars that evoke the heavy Brit-rock bravado Garcia is so known for. And just in case you thought The Secret Meeting was incapable of humor, the lyrics about superheroes and their powers on "Shooting Laser Beams" will surely bring a chuckle to the listener.
It can be said that The Secret Meeting is a more varied cooperative than KGC, for while Dirty Bomb was an excellent album and certainly not lacking in collaborative spirit, it was clear that the definitive KMFDM components were relegated to the production while Garcia's post-Curve compositions took to the fore. On Ultrashiver, there is a greater sense of sonic variety, incorporating the best of both worlds. Some may find it a dubious pairing as many have described Collide as an American version of Curve, indicating some sense of redundancy. However, Ultrashiver is anything but; the songs hook you in as well as anything by either band, from the catchy melodies to the supercool electronica to the down-and-dirty rock vibe that permeates throughout. As the first album of new material from the members of Collide since 2003's Some Kind of Strange, and as another outing from Dean Garcia, fans of either band should be very satisfied with Ultrashiver.
As to be expected, the band's debut album, Ultrashiver is full of elements of both groups while managing to find a musical middle ground to give The Secret Meeting a flavor all its own. For Collide's part, kaRIN's distinct voice soars as blissfully as ever, adding an ethereal quality that complements her sense of dark melodies. Her layers of harmonies add greater depth and ambience to the music, particularly in the trip-hop leanings of "Am I Here?" and the almost trancelike psychedelic groove of "Every Little Thing." There are even some jazzy moments to behold on "Shiver X," which could easily play the part of soundtrack to a Michael Mann crime thriller. Then there are tracks like "Forwards and Sideways" and "Touch," both of which strangely begin with the same atmospheric sample loop (a holdover from Garcia's work in Glytsch apparently), carrying his signature dirty beats and gritty bass drones, very reminiscent of his instrumental work in Headcase and in later Curve. "Blacker than Blue" is another standout song with percolating arpeggios of edgy electronica and chugging guitars that evoke the heavy Brit-rock bravado Garcia is so known for. And just in case you thought The Secret Meeting was incapable of humor, the lyrics about superheroes and their powers on "Shooting Laser Beams" will surely bring a chuckle to the listener.
It can be said that The Secret Meeting is a more varied cooperative than KGC, for while Dirty Bomb was an excellent album and certainly not lacking in collaborative spirit, it was clear that the definitive KMFDM components were relegated to the production while Garcia's post-Curve compositions took to the fore. On Ultrashiver, there is a greater sense of sonic variety, incorporating the best of both worlds. Some may find it a dubious pairing as many have described Collide as an American version of Curve, indicating some sense of redundancy. However, Ultrashiver is anything but; the songs hook you in as well as anything by either band, from the catchy melodies to the supercool electronica to the down-and-dirty rock vibe that permeates throughout. As the first album of new material from the members of Collide since 2003's Some Kind of Strange, and as another outing from Dean Garcia, fans of either band should be very satisfied with Ultrashiver.
