Their first album sent tremors running through the Dance community. Their second nearly caused a revolution. What will Nick Warren and Jody Wisternoff's third album hold, aside from a collection of incredible tracks from the last few years, and a mix-album?
Anything But You - A good pick for opening the CD; not upbeat or overbearing, but a fairly standard Breakbeat track, coupled with very fitting vocals by Omi. It manages to keep within the more classic Way Out West sound, with Nick and Jody's usual flair.
Don't Forget Me - A very downtempo, chilled vocal track. This track showcase's Omi's vocals very well, and promises very good things to come.
Everyday - This is where the CD begins to pick up a bit; bass guitars kick in, vocals are abandoned, which makes for a very atmospheric track.
Apollo - A bass-heavy monster storms into the mix when this track starts. Gone is the lighter, almost ambient atmosphere promised by the first three tracks; it has been replaced with by something far more aggressive and sinister. An all-around powerhouse of a track, and not one to be underestimated. Just make sure your levels are set correctly for this one.
Chasing Rainbows - This track takes a break from the breaks, and settles into a more mellow 4/4 rhythm. It has a very Progressive sound to it, and seems like it probably belongs in a John Digweed set. Overall, not an incredible track, but incredible promise for a nice remix.
Fear - I don't know if there's such a genre as Tribal Breaks; if there wasn't there is now. The opening of the track is a conga fury of drums, which in turn leads to another vocal appearance by Omi; this time in a much more upbeat track. Her vocals are, for lack of better words, stunning once again.
Coming Home - Probably one of the more eclectic tracks on the CD (if it can even be called that). A blend of breaks, piano and guitars that more or less seem a bit disjointed; not a bad effort, but it seems like it doesn't quite fit together right.
Just Like A Man - Another opportunity to let Omi do what she does best. Fairly mellow, with a bit of piano work, and manages to set a very good, relaxing feeling.
Killa - Probably the most anticipated and talked-about track on the CD. Killa opens with Way Out West's usual variation of sounds, plus an orchestra. Unlike Hybrid's "Finished Symphony" however, this track is nowhere near Trancey. Killa is a heavy, hard-hitting bomb that would makes Fluke's "Zion" green with envy. This track is definately my, and many other people's favourite track on the CD.
Northern Lights - This track has a much more familiar Way Out West sound to it; it could probably come directly from "Intensify" if you didn't know any better. The beat is a little heavier, and it has much more emphasis on the broken beat than usual, but other than that, a fairly standard "filler" track.
Melt - Not the most impressive track on the CD; a little too fast to relax with, but too slow and atmospheric to dance to.
Absinthe Dreams - A bit too synth laden for my taste, but not too bad of an outro. Sounds a bit like one of those wind-up toys with the ballerina in the middle set to a slow beat.
The Mix-CD has much more of Nick Warren's signature style on it than Jody's trancier sound. It's a slower, more ethereal blend of synths and beats, and overall sounds like a lighter version of Nick Warren's infamous Reykjavik mix for Global Underground. It starts off slow, with Agent 001's Stinger adding a light tone to the mix, and kicks it up a notch with Haversham & Numinous's mix of Blue Room Project's Out of Area, and Nick & Jody's own Pulse of Life. The Your Love Breaks mix of Palava - Surrender and Introver's Seaside Floater brings in a more contemporary Breakbeat sound, which carries the mix all the way to The Awakening by Kaito. It finishes beautifully, with the Ulrich Schnauss Instrumental of HRK's Loveworld.
01: Deaf Center - Walk 02: Adam Johnson - Four Squares 03: Agent 001 - Stinger 04a: Martin Buttrich - Meeting Dave Dish 04b: The Hypnotist - Rainbows In The Sky (Natural High Movement Mix) 05: Paul Hughes - Lost 06: Blue Room Project - Out Of Area (Habersham & Numinous Mix) 07: Way Out West - Pulse Of Life 08: Palava - Surrender (Your Love Breaks Mix) 09: 2 Dollar Egg - Implantat 10: Introvert - Seaside Floater 11: Themroc - Gold Is Your Metal (Paper Faces Mix) 12: David West - Carrier 13: Kaito - The Awakening 14: HRK - Loveworld (Ulrich Schnauss Instrumental Mix)
Conclusion:
While perhaps not as groundbreaking or influential to the music scene as "Intensify", "Don't Look Now" is easily one of the best artist albums this year, and most certainly a perfect addition to any Electronica collection, no matter what your favourite style is.
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