Categories : Electronica, Hard Rock + Metal, Miscellany, Music Reviews, Rock + Pop.
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Rating: 4.5 / 5 Reviewer: Greg Hutton |
Suppose you were to combine equal parts of the stark-yet-danceable post-punk of Joy Division, the tribal drumming of early ‘80s Killing Joke, the eclectic electronic pop of M.I.A. and, just for fun, abundant bassoon. These New Puritans’ latest effort, Hidden, could very well be the outcome of such an improbable experiment. As a genre, post-punk took the spirit, energy, and anything goes ethos of the original punk movement and ran with them; whereas the first punks applied their ideals to early rock and roll motifs, the post-punks experimented with new sonic dynamics, instrumentation, and genre combinations, discarding many rules of traditional songwriting along the way. Hidden’s unpredictability and refusal to conform to one style or another is very much in line with this understanding of post-punk.
The album begins with ‘Time Xone,’ a gentle, floating melody propelled by horns over mild percussion. The title of the track may be a nod to William S. Burroughs who wrote extensively about the ‘interzone’ and was an oft-cited favourite among many members of the late ‘70s post-punk scene. Although ‘Time Xone’ itself exists somewhere between pleasant and ominous, it does nothing to allude to the follow up onslaught of ‘We Want War.’ Initially driven by a drums-from-hell march, the song explores many dynamics in its seven-plus minutes, including twisted chants for war, an extended choir section that seems to soar over the violence of the drums, and a peaceful string section to close. Rather than going off the rails, the song manages cohesiveness through its literary qualities – even though several ideas are presented, they are delivered in a way that suggests an epic story is being told.
The sequencing employed on the album is in great part responsible for how listenable it is. Rather than follow-up ‘War’ with the equally brutal sister-song ‘Attack Music,’ a brief reprieve is offered by the two songs separating them. The first, ‘Three-Thousand’ is a rudimentary rap driven by a synth-sounding bass-line and descending melody. The second is ‘Hologram’ which is an upbeat piano piece accompanied by warm, richly sung vocals. Infusing fresh air into an otherwise claustrophobic atmosphere is a strategy put to use several times on the album (see: ‘White Chords’ and closer ‘5’). As good as ‘We Want War’ and ‘Attack Music’ are, an album full of carbon copies would quickly become an unpleasant exercise in musical tediousness.
The aforementioned M.I.A. influence is most apparent on ‘Fire-Power.’ The accented vocals are mostly unaccompanied during the verses, and are followed up by a repetitious chorus of “I’m in the fire fire fire” over a distorted bass-line. Verse lines such as “This is a world attack / This is a sound attack / This is a word attack / This is a mind attack / This is a world attack” also seem reminiscent of M.I.A.’s style and delivery. Overall it’s a good song that fits in with the rest of the album, though some listeners may find it jarring enough to interrupt the album’s course.
Hidden is dark, dense, and disarming, and yet remains an enjoyable, engaging listen. Each track has the standout dynamics and strong sense of a story being told that makes it tempting to review each individually. Overall, Hidden may often sound like the end of the world, but at least you can take some solace in the knowledge that you can spend the Apocalypse dancing.
