Electric Universe - Cosmic Experience

[Jon Cocco]

Electric Universe - Cosmic Experience

2004

 

01. The Prayer
02. Journey Into The Subconscious
03. Acidance
04. Gaijinrocker
05. See The Light (Blue Beat Mix)
06. You Decide
07. Nova 3
08. Morning Star
09. Meteor 2004
10. Return To Source

 

I like this album and find it pretty good. There are some stand out psy/goa influenced tracks and work that's good/great! Also some formulaic, generic tracks where Boris seems to be playing-it-safe, appealing to the general psy/club (full on?) sound. That said, the full on bass line works well at times, and actually compliments some of the tracks (for all you goa enthusiasts, I'm one of them). This is the last album I bought by Electric Universe to date; there are numerous songs I enjoy to this day.

 

1. The Prayer begins harmonious, beautiful in the first minute. The arriving beat is decent, but the overall sounds grow tired. It isn't until around 3:46 (more so around the forth minute) that I start to feel interested again. The harmonious middle segment could produce a beautiful track on their own, and could have comprised the closing, downtempo track on this album. The music's return at 8:07 is noticeably catchier. The overall song sounds pretty standard to me. B-

 

2. Journey Into The Subconscious I find repetitive and generic. This is my least favorite uptempo song on the album. B-

 

3. Acidance - I love the first minute = great buildup, inspirational sound! The rest of the track is solid too and I love the ending part. The wonderful tune from the first minute could have reprised in the uptempo work though. !

 

4. Gaijinrocker is solid for psy/goa guitar-influenced trance. I'm glad he didn't overdo the guitar on this album; it's most prominent here, and on Meteor 2004. B

 

5. See The Light (Blue Beat Mix) is pretty catchy, a nice switch up in bass line and beat. The synth from 1:44 to 2:10 works well; there's numerous, catchy sounds throughout. Good album sound variety so far. B

 

6. You Decide starts well. I'm not a fan of the bass line at 1:06; it sounds similar to a pop song I've heard before. I'm not in love with the female sample, though it adds character. The second half is decent for what it is, somewhat similar to the first half. I feel that the song's playing-it-safe and therefore less imaginative (more predictable) approach is geared towards the masses. It's not bad though. B-

 

7. Nova 3 is more aggressive, psychedelic, driving, dynamic, catchy, and goa-influenced. This is more what I like! The song occasionally grabs a memorable melody, and the rhythm, synth, and sound work is tasty throughout. Well done! B+

 

8. Morning Star changes up the beat, improves the album's sound variety. This has a more structured approach, like tracks 2 and 6. I find this more appealing and love the part from 3:25 to when the beat gets energized! The ending doesn't do much for me (recycle ideas?), but overall the song's pretty good. B

 

9. Meteor 2004 is more goa-influenced, plus guitar. Add psychedelic, driving, electric; the influence I really like on this album! Again, this sounds different from all of the other tracks. There's a solid climax too that ignites around 3:58; I'm not a big fan of guitar in electronic music but it works insanely well here, especially in combination with the synth work. Great track. B+

10. Return To Source is gentle, peaceful, downtempo; it's okay. I've heard catchier closing numbers by this artist. The chill out elements in The Prayer could have had (or one day have) potential for a tremendous chill out or closing track. B-

 

CONCLUSION - If you want Stardiver, go listen to Stardiver. There's some great work on this album. I don't need to eat around crappy bits either. There's enough solid work to keep my interest through the less-than-stellar, or what I consider more generic numbers.

 

Favorite tracks - 3, 5, 7, 9.

 

B

[Trance2MoveU]

Since this album Boris has been on a steady decline. He knows it. You know it. The guy that sleeps on that park bench over there knows it. But this album was a bull in a china shop. Acid, groovy, and a little bit of the goa sensibilities to let you know he hasn't forgotten how. Some of the tracks were filler, but most still sound great today.

 

His EP's lately have have given glimpses of a return to his glory filled past so fingers crossed he remembers his way.

 

Mdk