Hybrid’s latest offering ‘I Choose Noise’ was something that I had been anticipating for a while. Another chance to be immersed in the depths of their often sublime electronica tinged arrangements. After all it isn’t often you find music in contemporary genres that has a sense of timelessness that some of thier previous work has brought to the fore (Morning Sci Fi springs to mind most immediately).
‘I Choose Noise’ starts off promisingly enough with strings that scream like they’ve just been ripped from a Hitchcock movie. The one minute intro track (Secret Circles) could be the opening score for any number of science fiction movies, the music that accompanies man’s first step on to an alien world or some other such nonsense. It has to end somewhere though and in this case it does so by blending seamlessly into ‘Dogstar’ and it was here that my faith got its first gentle knock. A relatively innocuous track tinged with an appearance from New Order’s Peter Hook but instantly ruined by the appearance of Perry Farrell on a borderline embarrassing vocal.
And that folks is the main problem with this album, vocals. Hybrid specialise in a blend of electronica that works because the listener can focus on the melodies within the music. These journeys don’t need a vocal narrative and in this instance the presence of a voice often sound like an afterthought. Farrell sings like a man who was wandered too far outside his ballpark and seems to think because the album has a link to the genre of electronica he has to write noodly nerdy bollocks to accompany it.
Judy Tzuke turns up on ‘Falling Down’ and puts in a passable performance, the slightly uniform dare I say formulaic rhythm accommodates her well enough and in the right circumstance her gentle vocal could be an asset to this genre (Mylo did a corking cut up of her voice on his debut album). The problem she faces here is she gets absolutely buried under a landslide of sound so she almost becomes casual distraction rather than a part of the track.
‘Last Man Standing’ shines up better. Swaggering in like the playground bully. We’re rewarded for our patience with a muscular powerful workout of darkened strings and swooping wow-wow bass. It lacks the credentials to be an out and out stomper but its hint of menace does it just enough favours.
If ‘Last Man Standing’ is the bully then ‘Hooligan Spirit’ is the violently accomplished big brother. Nicking a thunderous glam rock drum track and dressing it up in a junkyard’s worth of rusty metal sounds this is reminiscent of something from a film. Nothing wrong with that at all as this track canters along quite nicely. Leading into the next track ‘Choke’, a smaller more claustrophobic piece that owes more to a traditional rock template. It runs out of steam quickly and just when it can’t get worse there’s another piss weak clich? riddled vocal to contend with (courtesy of John Graham). In its defence though, some lovely chiming bell effects on here (where did they get them from then?).
‘Keep It In The Family’ sounds bit like some bizarre Jean Michel Jarre offspring. Unsure of where its going but pleasant all the same, a gently unfolding drama that has some genuinely lovely strings but suffers occasionally with an overuse of squiggly doodly effects (not a technical term I hasten to add). There’s a slight air of the clich?d about it as well with its apocalyptical drums (like ominous footfalls etc etc) and the sweeping strings build but sod it, in comparison to some of the album’s weaker moments this becomes a minor joy.
‘Until Tomorrow’ is up next and in fairness all concerned should be thoroughly ashamed of themselves. An acoustic blathering with John Graham stamping the most inspid vocals/lyrics you’re going to hear this side of The Scorpions.
Thankfully things are much improved with the presence of Peter Hook’s windswept growly bass attack on the next track Dream Stalker. A punchier more balanced effort that finally lets the included components shine. And lets be fair its Peter Hook innit, can a man who must have the baddest back in bass playing do wrong?
The closer is a bit nice as well, ‘Just For Today’ features Kirsty Hawkshaw (Opus III and many others since). She plays a minor role in proceedings because this track really is one of the signifiers of the album. A gorgeous balance of just enough looped electronica and orchestration, a sombre journey that gradually pulls itself into the sunlight. Now why couldn’t there have been more stuff like this.
As an album this is at best patchy, for the most part the vocal tracks just don’t work. And while the production often sounds painstakingly good in places in others it comes across as a trifle muddy. For every good track there is some honest to goodness filler bodging up the cracks and at times it makes you wonder if the quota of good versus bad stuff on here is dangerously unbalanced. If you’re gonna check this one out leave it till it hits mid price.
