Freaky Chakra - Lowdown Motivator CD (Astralwerks)
There is much to dislike about Freaky Chakra's debut album:
liberal use of trite, canned percussion effects, plodding 4/4 dance
rhythms, showboat guitar wanking, the hackneyed "Budded on Earth to Bloom
in Heaven," the interminable "Peace Fixation," and an epic overproduction
that understands only anthem and crescendo. Like similar efforts by his
contemporaries, Bentley's obligatory "ambient" track, "Goodbye," amounts
to little more than a downtempo flavor of his dance tracks, overfrosted
with quivery synthesizer doodles and gratuitous samples of ethnic
instruments. In the light of the healthy experimentalism informing the
best records of the past year, Lowdown Motivator's bulb seems particularly
dim.
However, patient listeners will gradually learn to appreciate the
infectious energy and rich textures of the album's first two tunes. Both
demonstrate that Freaky Chakra's formula can work with the proper
attention to detail. Inventive use of unconventional percussion, vocal
samples and colorfully crafted trebly oscillation buoy "Multiphasic
Invoculator" into the lively syncopated dub of "Big Aura." Lowdown
Motivator is unlikely to inspire your mind, but it may become a good
friend of your feet.