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REVIEWS
Buy this album from CD Baby
Green
Backlash
Perverse
I'm Trying to Impress You
Two Sandwiches
Little Goth Girl
Coming Clean
I Wish
The Measure of Pleasure
Selective Memory Loss
Bonus Track: Eine Kleine Booty Musik
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REVIEWS
Mark Nicholas
Duchess 33
Dirty Electronic
Posted: Friday, October 19, 2007
By: Roy Retrofit
By: Roy Retrofit
Electronic, dirty, and downright fun!
Over the years, Mark Nicholas, as the former one man electro-prodigy Cosmicity, has earned a reputation for creating catchy synthpop with quirky precision. Cosmicity has been described by many synthpop enthusiasts as an acquired taste, while others have expressed great disdain for his light, farcical approach to the genre. One thing is for sure: love it or hate it, Cosmicity had gradually grown into the quintessential definition of post '80s synthpop in the US. Following the release of Cosmicity's 2003 record, Escape Pod for Two, Mark retired the band name in order to work on an edgier new sound. So four years later (and countless days of experience points spent in his production skills), comes the much anticipated Duchess 33, on Mark's own label Dirty Electronic. Duchess 33 takes feverish form as a trendsetting, genre-splicing album filled with all the edge Mark promised and more.
Is it synthpop? Is it electroclash? Maybe it's industrial... or how about electro? Part of its allure is the difficulty to categorize this hybrid sound despite the familiarity to all these previously mentioned genres. Duchess 33 has a complex and meticulous level of production with deep bass riffs, lush synth leads and distorted vocals skillfully blended with super cool beats. This album is crunchy dirt strategically placed for our imperfect ears.
The opening track "Green" is very true to Mark's previous form. The song is a testament to Mark's sniper-like marksmanship when it comes to writing melodies. Dark and melodic with a chorus big enough to hook a shark, its dirty lyrical undertones are reminiscent of many sexed out Peaches songs. Yet with all its raw intentions, it only seems to achieve an innocent PG-13 status. Still, this track really sets the scene for the album as the chorus caresses your hand and guides you into Mark's super compressed soundscape. Then track two, titled "Backlash," pulverizes you with the out-of-boundary hybrid limits this album wants to take you. "Backlash" is a construct of wired sequences held together with a hip (if not hop) beat and a fat (if not phat) bass line. Mark pushes us around with his lyrical tongue-in-cheek antics, complete with the sick, obsessively cool production value. The song "Perverse" is a solid four-on-the-floor dance track, but what makes this track interesting is its schizophrenic use of vocal processing. Mark volleys his vocals back and forth from clean to dirty, giving it an active dialogue. This effect, although intriguing, sometimes fights its club dance sensibility. Mark's instrumental "Two Sandwiches" proves his ability to stand up to any of the top notch electro artists like Benassi, Felix, or Scandy. "Two Sandwiches" may not offer anything new to listeners, but like many of the current trends in electro, it stands as a fitting tribute to early techno while pushing the bounds of "new gear." Just as Mark fills you up with this electro assault, he stands in front of "Little Goth Girl" with a pin ready to gleefully deflate you. "Little Goth Girl" is a darkly fun ballad, in which you can hear the repressed Cosmisity fighting to be released, but when so hooked to Mark's new sound, one can only hope Cosmicity never escapes completely.
It is very evident that Duchess 33 is an innovate album filled with various influences. Yet it is uncertain if Mark has escaped the bounds of the acquired taste that has haunted Cosmicity in the past. Some Synthpop junkies will hate it because it's too Electroclash. Some Electroclash fans will not get its Synthpop sensibility. And even with its raw edginess, those into heavier electronic music will dismiss it as too light for their taste. So if you're not that into various influences, this may not be the album for you. There is still a strong sense that Duchess 33 and Mark Nicholas will grow to be a quintessential definition of something very special to the random-play iPod generation that holds what is to come! In summary, if you could plug a universal translator into this album, Duchess 33 would scream with a declarative, "Who cares?! I'm just downright fun and I sound sharp, electronic, and dirty!" What else does one need... aside from a little sick, obsessively cool production value here and there?
Is it synthpop? Is it electroclash? Maybe it's industrial... or how about electro? Part of its allure is the difficulty to categorize this hybrid sound despite the familiarity to all these previously mentioned genres. Duchess 33 has a complex and meticulous level of production with deep bass riffs, lush synth leads and distorted vocals skillfully blended with super cool beats. This album is crunchy dirt strategically placed for our imperfect ears.
The opening track "Green" is very true to Mark's previous form. The song is a testament to Mark's sniper-like marksmanship when it comes to writing melodies. Dark and melodic with a chorus big enough to hook a shark, its dirty lyrical undertones are reminiscent of many sexed out Peaches songs. Yet with all its raw intentions, it only seems to achieve an innocent PG-13 status. Still, this track really sets the scene for the album as the chorus caresses your hand and guides you into Mark's super compressed soundscape. Then track two, titled "Backlash," pulverizes you with the out-of-boundary hybrid limits this album wants to take you. "Backlash" is a construct of wired sequences held together with a hip (if not hop) beat and a fat (if not phat) bass line. Mark pushes us around with his lyrical tongue-in-cheek antics, complete with the sick, obsessively cool production value. The song "Perverse" is a solid four-on-the-floor dance track, but what makes this track interesting is its schizophrenic use of vocal processing. Mark volleys his vocals back and forth from clean to dirty, giving it an active dialogue. This effect, although intriguing, sometimes fights its club dance sensibility. Mark's instrumental "Two Sandwiches" proves his ability to stand up to any of the top notch electro artists like Benassi, Felix, or Scandy. "Two Sandwiches" may not offer anything new to listeners, but like many of the current trends in electro, it stands as a fitting tribute to early techno while pushing the bounds of "new gear." Just as Mark fills you up with this electro assault, he stands in front of "Little Goth Girl" with a pin ready to gleefully deflate you. "Little Goth Girl" is a darkly fun ballad, in which you can hear the repressed Cosmisity fighting to be released, but when so hooked to Mark's new sound, one can only hope Cosmicity never escapes completely.
It is very evident that Duchess 33 is an innovate album filled with various influences. Yet it is uncertain if Mark has escaped the bounds of the acquired taste that has haunted Cosmicity in the past. Some Synthpop junkies will hate it because it's too Electroclash. Some Electroclash fans will not get its Synthpop sensibility. And even with its raw edginess, those into heavier electronic music will dismiss it as too light for their taste. So if you're not that into various influences, this may not be the album for you. There is still a strong sense that Duchess 33 and Mark Nicholas will grow to be a quintessential definition of something very special to the random-play iPod generation that holds what is to come! In summary, if you could plug a universal translator into this album, Duchess 33 would scream with a declarative, "Who cares?! I'm just downright fun and I sound sharp, electronic, and dirty!" What else does one need... aside from a little sick, obsessively cool production value here and there?
