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REVIEWS
The Salesman
Mother
Atheist Prayers
Spent
Falling Out
Save Someone
Mechanical
The Scourge
The 31st of Nothing
Youth
Spent (Moroder Mix)
Suicide Jag
Strung Out (Bonus Track)
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REVIEWS
Deadliner
The Sum of Nothing
Posted: Sunday, July 18, 2010
By: Ilker Yücel
Editor
By: Ilker Yücel
Editor
Balancing ambience befitting a soundtrack with upbeat industrial and electro beats, Deadliner is a true original in the underground music scene.
Steve Christie has garnered quite a reputation for himself in the industrial underground performing a variety of remixes for the likes of Acumen Nation, Chemlab, and Cyanotic under his Deadliner moniker. His own music, however, is not as widely heard, and upon listening to The Sum of Nothing, it becomes clear that his talents should not be subject to remain confined in obscurity for long. The previous release, The Kingdom of Cuckoos was a much more ambient affair, bearing the semblance of a soundtrack to a nonexistent film with its symphonic textures, with traces of '80s pop and new wave thrown in for good measure. With The Sum of Nothing, a much more aggressive musical edge is employed.
"The Salesman" starts us off in a similar vein to the previous album, but with an instantly catchy beat and wrought with some rather bleak sonic touches and subtly placed samples that if not for the rhythmic delivery would be a great post-apocalyptic dark ambient piece. "Mother" then kicks in with a hard driving beat and bass line beckoning listeners to the dance floor, but all the while retaining a depth of composition with symphonic pads atop the pulsing bass. Christie's strength in balancing electronically driven melodies with caustic atmospheres is readily apparent throughout the album, from the dark but bouncy "Falling Out" and "Mechanical," both of which could easily be an edgy hit for an adventurous synthpop diva, to the abrasive tones of "Save Someone" and "Youth" with their dark harmonies and grim resonances that border on despairing.
Removed of the rhythms prevalent throughout The Sum of Nothing, the album would play out with a much more somber and almost devastating mood. The album really evokes the feel of a soundtrack, but given a much more industrial club mentality with its deceptively simple beat structures. This is especially noticeable in song "Spent," a track in which both the original and Moroder remix versions are reliant on a buildup of melodic ambience into head-bopping electro and dark disco. The album's one major failing is in the so-called cover of Chemlab's "Suicide Jag," which only peripherally bears traces of the original's bass line in the verses, but otherwise bears little-to-no resemblance to the song. Be that as it may, The Sum of Nothing is an exceptionally enjoyable album that balances the evocative atmosphere of a soundtrack with the danceable beat and melody of industrial pop; an approach that few if any are employing, making Deadliner a true original in the underground scene.
"The Salesman" starts us off in a similar vein to the previous album, but with an instantly catchy beat and wrought with some rather bleak sonic touches and subtly placed samples that if not for the rhythmic delivery would be a great post-apocalyptic dark ambient piece. "Mother" then kicks in with a hard driving beat and bass line beckoning listeners to the dance floor, but all the while retaining a depth of composition with symphonic pads atop the pulsing bass. Christie's strength in balancing electronically driven melodies with caustic atmospheres is readily apparent throughout the album, from the dark but bouncy "Falling Out" and "Mechanical," both of which could easily be an edgy hit for an adventurous synthpop diva, to the abrasive tones of "Save Someone" and "Youth" with their dark harmonies and grim resonances that border on despairing.
Removed of the rhythms prevalent throughout The Sum of Nothing, the album would play out with a much more somber and almost devastating mood. The album really evokes the feel of a soundtrack, but given a much more industrial club mentality with its deceptively simple beat structures. This is especially noticeable in song "Spent," a track in which both the original and Moroder remix versions are reliant on a buildup of melodic ambience into head-bopping electro and dark disco. The album's one major failing is in the so-called cover of Chemlab's "Suicide Jag," which only peripherally bears traces of the original's bass line in the verses, but otherwise bears little-to-no resemblance to the song. Be that as it may, The Sum of Nothing is an exceptionally enjoyable album that balances the evocative atmosphere of a soundtrack with the danceable beat and melody of industrial pop; an approach that few if any are employing, making Deadliner a true original in the underground scene.
