VNV Nation
Matter + Form
Metropolis (2005)
In my experience there are generally three kinds of album. The first, and most commonly encountered, is the one that has little musical merit. The second, and less ubiquitous, is one that has good songs and forms a combined piece. The third and final is the most rare of all. That is, the album made from good songs that have immense individual merit, but have no flow and lack the synergy to make it memorable. From opener "Intro" it becomes apparent that Matter + Form is one of the latter. VNV Nation haven't managed to make a coherent record since Empires dropped in 1999, with Matter + Form created by the same architectural process as 2002's Futureperfect. It is based around the same foundation of individually strong songs that don't work well as a part of something bigger and that suffer from placement alongside digressions into what can only to exist to prove a point about the mass of influences present. It is, in fact, the enormity of bases that this album attempts to cover that conspires to bring it down. Simply put, too many sounds have gone into it, leaving starkly obvious discrepancies that prevent songs from working well … Read more
This is Hell
This is Hell
State of Mind (2005)
This Is Hell was unavoidable in 2004. Whether it was This Is Hell's demo that quickly sold out, their rabid … Read more
Never Enough
Dead Set on Destruction
Organized Crime (2005)
I first heard about this band in the summer of 2003. I was buying a 7" from a band on … Read more
Fall Out Boy
From Under the Cork Tree
Island (2005)
Selling out. Trying something new. Maturing. Call it what you will, but a substantial number of underground artists have become … Read more
