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When
you work at a music magazine, dozens of CDs per day show up in the mail
- even more in electronic form in your email inbox. It's work
to sort through them all, and more work to listen carefully to each to
decide who you should cover, so the occupational hazard is that the
very thing that makes this your dream job - being around great music
and the latest technology - can begin to burn you out.
That's why we're delighted when we come across something that reminds us why this is our dream job. Something like Reintegration Time, the sophomore album from Edmonton, Alberta synth rockers Shout Out Out Out Out.
Soaring harmonies sung entirely by vocoder are the signature here, and
though the sound of a vocoder, not to mention that of the underlying
analog pads and basses, is "retro" by definition, the band scuplts that
sound so creatively and musically that any possibility of
cutesy-throwback vibe is nipped in the bud. In fact, they seem to avoid
any of the sonic posturing
that too often permeates dance, trance, techno, and electro. Instead,
this is just plain good music, performed in an electronic medium.
I've
said the following about records before, and it's always been because I
really, really mean it: Rabid fans of the genre will have no problem
getting behind Reintegration Time, but it's also the exact album you should run out and buy if you think you don't like techno.
Highly recommended - and of course, look for a full interview with the band in the June issue!
-Stephen Fortner, Executive Editor