First off, there is a html of this review with sound samples!
Check it out at
http://sparrow.bio.indiana.edu/brian/CVreview.html
Cabaret Voltaire 'The Conversation' Plastex(UK)/Instinct(US) EX.273.2.
:CD1
Exterminating Angel 5'47" (intro)
Brutal But Clean 11'05"
The Message 8'16"
Let's Start 8'11"
Right Rider 9'54"
I Think 8'56"
The Heat 7'52"
Harmonic Parallel 10'52"
:CD2
Projected 53'05"
Exterminating Angel 8'01" (outro)
A curious thing about this CD -- the inside liner notes list Richard
Kirk as the composer, arranger, programmer, etc while the outside lists
Kirk/Mallinder as the writers. Hm. An interview in BSide confirms
that Mallinder pretty much had nothing to do with this CD. Mallinder now
resides in Australia, where he is studying. Kirk indicated he would
be moving there as well. He also confirmed the obvious, that Mallinder
has had little input in the last several CV works. He didn't rule out a
change in that for the future, however.
Anyway, 'The Conversation' is a 2CD set, the first disc containing
eight tracks and the second 2 -- one being 53 minutes long. The CD starts
out with 'Exterminating Angel', the only beatless track on disc one.
Would fit well on IL. Next is 'Brutal But Clean' -- a potential dance
single (don't count on it, though). The rest is pretty much CV as
you've known them over the last couple of releases - bleepy acid
trance. One or two samples repeated throughout. The track Right
Rider has diva samples ("that's alright with me") and a bit of feel
from their 'Colours' CD. The last track is a bit of an anomaly as it
doesn't have as strong of a CV feel as the rest. A bit slower, with
interesting sounds that don't have the typical CV feel. There's a
break mid-way through the song that harkens (I can say 'harken' since
I live in Indiana) to the scenes in Blade Runner where the characters
walking around in the Burroughs building -- vent sounds. Nice.
'Projected' on disc two is plodding, with echoing samples and fairly
interesting breaks. Another track with an IL feel. If it was
separate and available as an album, it would still be a good buy.
The easiest way to classify this CD would be to say it resides
somewhere inbetween 'Pasticity' and 'International Language', leaning
a bit more towards 'Plasticity'. Certainly the production values are
better on TC than they were on 'Plasticity'. It's a fantasic cap to
the 'trilogy'. If you are a CV fan, you, of course, must buy it. I
paid $15 for this 2CD and I noticed EAR/Rational has it for $13.50
+shipping. How can you loose?
Oh, and I noticed this on the bottom of the liner notes. Can anyone
figure it out? I've never heard of Rocknet. CSERVE RAVENET ON ROCKNET
72170, 1753
--
Brian
"Life is a sexually transmitted disease with a terminal prognosis."
http://sparrow.bio.indiana.edu/brian/me