RTP Posted March 17, 2006 Share Posted March 17, 2006 Okay. The reason why I am posting this review now before the release date is because I am SO fed up now with the methods of Arabesque Distribution not releasing this piece! Initially it was said it was coming in early December ... and what do we have now? They say it's coming in April! I was very disappointed already in the beginning of it all that it got not released. The first announcements for this album have been made more than TWO YEARS ago already! "S-Range Another Theory new album out in late autumn 2003" ... or was it "early autumn"? Anybody remembers? Old S-Range site? Does that ring a bell? Now I have no clue why this thing does not get released, had several discussions about that which only left me more startled ("It's lying around ready mastered") and such. I got fed up with it all, more and more. Now I am at the point where I can just shake my head anymore. It has reached the level of ridiculousness, I, being a great fan of S-Range, am feeling arsed, you know. You just can't do that with me! I do fully understand that release dates can get delayed once ... or even twice. Everybody can make mistakes and such, it's okay. But what is going on here is nothing okay anymore. On Saikosounds they said the album was coming March 10th. On March 10th they said it was coming March 17th. Today is March 17th and they say it's coming April 7th! What is that? A joke? I myself feel arsed. And I am tired of those escapades, so tired. I have been fed up a long time ago already. Now here it goes: my review. To water your mouthes and to give Arabesque a wakeup kick in the ass so that they finally get up and do something to release the album! Goddamn! ____________________________________________________________________ S-Range - Another Theory 01: Super Signal (Liquid Remix) 02: Stand By 03: Technical Support 04: Another Theory 05: Dream Program 06: Bigger Picture 07: Electric Forces (Album Mix) 08: Blue Sky 09: Sirius Vacation INTRODUCTION: S-Range, also known as Anthony Silfors, does not need a real introduction to people anymore. Having released two albums already on Spiral Trax and some LPs and a load of compilation tracks on various labels the man has made himself a name in the scene. The thing what makes S-Range so original is the characteristic spacy and playful sound which is kept all the way through his musical evolving from early dark stuff over progressive up to faster, almost fullonish territory - the point where he stands now. This said, let's proceed with a voyage through the album: 01: Super Signal (Liquid Remix) : The Liquid Remix of Super Signal is the kickstart of the new S-Range album. I didn't expect much of this track to be honest ... I knew Super Signal - and I didn't like it too much, it was too freaky for me. Well, to make it short, this one isn't It begins soft and with a warm synth ... this is actually one of the tracks where you already start to smile at the beginning - well, at least I did. It's this peculiar synth, somewhat. The track then starts off very pushing with a fat and fast beat and pounding, almost fullon-ish bassline. That's the point where the last lovers of the former progressive S-Range which didn't get his new style yet - because they neither listened to the newer compilation tracks nor to the previously released Remixes single - will fall out of their dreams of a new progressive album. However, for the open mided ones among them this first impression doesn't last long - luckily the S-Range-typical effects and synths don't come too short in any way already just a minute later in the track. Lots of playful things done here - melodies, synths, samples, changes, evolvings, more changes - lively and energetic as the original, but with a more spacey, softer sound and a little different arrangement - and with wonderful sunny synths! Also notice the twinkling melody in the background. The (IMHO) sour and not well tasting somewhat in-your-face freakiness of the middle part of the original is gone and room was made for clear pushing spacey and happy melodies. The passage before the ending phase is the most similar to the original Super Signal with the almost exact same effects melody (however, that was the best passage in the original, hehe), but still it comes with the wonderful synths in the background. And the ending lets the synths come through even more. I love those! Wonderful track, one of the best here - this is what Super Signal should sound like! Good job, mister Anthony (and didn't Liquid Ross himself have his fingers in this mix too?)! 02: Stand By : Okay, people, stand by, because again we have one of the best tracks on the album here! In fact this was the best for me until it got dethroned by another wonderful piece! After a beginning phase with samples that somehow could come from his previous album Space it comes as pushing as the first track (maybe a bit less in the first phase) and evolves into a very nice part with a very cool and funky melody and then again those wonderful synths in the background. Seriously, these synths are one of the main reasons why I love S-Range so much, nobody else does have them in this way - spheric, yet still warm and happy! The track then keeps a continuous middle-part line with quite nice effects and melody to about two and a half minutes to the end. And then you're in for a surprise: the track makes a total change! And this change totally kicks .. as I heard two different samples from different parts of this song some months ago I thought somebody messed up and it's a different song! You hear an upwards pull, some samples and then the best razor-sharp somewhat a bit guitar sounding like synth passage I have heard so far! Simple arrangement, but the sharpness of the sound is totally kicking! This will kick your lazy ass off from the sofa ... well, actually this is a wrong saying as I don't know how one could sit still on the sofa when this track is playing, but anyway. Totally awesome! Also the melody that the guitar-sound is blended into then is awesome! And also the (unfortunately a bit short) ending phase of the track is genious, it contains my most beloved synthie effects of the whole album (the little fragments of the remaining guitar-like sound ). 03: Technical Support : In this track I expected the sample from the Vanilla Sky film where he screams "Technical Suppooort!" through the hall. Well, the track doesn't contain it. Anyway, it's a quite okay track. That is, except the first half - those telephone samples in the latter first half, I don't quite like those ... so because of them and because of not too great synth effects the impression of the first half of the track is not a very good one (despite there being a nice melody), leaving a somewhat mediocre feeling about this whole first part at best. But fortunately we are in for a change again! In the second half Anthony cleans the mess up again, the telephone samples and effects are gone and leave the stage for a very nice fast and playful passage with a very simple but totally nice synth (actually just three tones, but very wisely put!) over it all. That puts the good mood back! So overall that makes it a quite okay track - spacy, pushing and a bit freaky 04: Another Theory : This baby is the somewhat "black" sheep among the white ones. Not because it's a bad track, oh no, not at all, but because this is the only track that does not fit to a sunny day with blue skies and smiles in the faces of people (as the rest of the album does in a way). A night track, as other people may put it. Well, but it's not a very pleasant and comfortable thought anyway that the whole universe could possibly disappear in an instant or is it? Well, you wouldn't feel it anyway, because also your brain that could have the feeling would be gone, but still ... oh, sorry, I forgot, this is not a philosophy lesson So, "back on track", what we get here is a pounding track with good, calm and somewhat disturbing and dark (I said somewhat, okay? Don't expect the mirroring of your dark desires now ... I just mean that it's no sunny sound like in the other tracks) synthies and not much playing around with effects - at least not in the first half. I like the samples, especially the one with which the track starts off ... Anthony must be quite a fan of the Hitchhiker's Guide, this is the second track using samples from the book! Yeah, nice ... and it's actually very danceable, that baby. The whole first half passes by without any major changes, in the second half of it then there are changes in the effects, other synth melody parts come and change again, once more pounding and sharply insisting, then almost alarming, then out-sounding and resonating in the background towards the end. Pounding beat all the way through. A very nice track although it's not happy and all that as the others. 05: Dream Program : "Hello and welcome to Dream Program..." ... well, hmmm. Despite the warm welcome I honestly don't quite like the dreams this program generates. The track begins twinkling and I can feel there is the attempt to sound nice (especially the following synth melody) ... but it doesn't sound that nice to me. Do you know the word Kitsch? Well, that's what it sounds like. I feel like I'm in a pink doll house surrouded by twinkling Barbie Fairytopia dolls. Somewhat cheesy. The very short part right in the middle is acceptable, I quite like the melody although it gives me the imagination that somebody ate five glasses of bean salad and then farted into a vocoder and pitched the sound up in an almost cruel way. Know the Fartsient tune? Record it and pitch it up and modify it a bit and I bet a somewhat similar sound comes out! But it's a nice melody nonetheless (I don't want to rip it off with the fart comment, seriously, I just got reminded of it somehow) ... although that is the only pretty nice thing I can find in this track. Because what follows doesn't rise my spirits very much - a sample passage that begins quite acceptable, but then comes with this horrible twinkling effect again and such a crappy voice sample that it makes me wanna press the skip button. At least then the track continues in an acceptable manner with also good melody, but it's just an okay passage, you know, it doesn't make me wanna forget the stuff done before like in the manner of Technical Support. And in the end ... twinkling again ... arrrgh! This track gives me a headache. Mediocre track at best. But maybe the kids will like it... 06: Bigger Picture : Hui, people, fasten your seat belts, I guarantee you, here's something that will kick those escapades into mediocreness from the track before out of your mind! Listen up everybody, also you grumpy ones in the last row that think the new S-Range is a disappointment, because this is the best track of the album! A practical kickstart awaits us with just a synth at the beginning that's soon blending into a pushing, lively, fast and playful passage with very driving yet bright melody that will make you smile. Many changes follow, one passage after another, sometimes good melody, once a "WTF"-expression on your face, then a pushing driving beat, then other melodies. All going towards the middle of the track where the beat disappears and makes room to a very uplifting and happy synth melody underlined with cool samples. After that there follows a long lasting upwards drag phase with acceleration then blended into a very pushing and lively part with a funky melodic passage. And then afterwards we are in the final, which has the same synth that you heard in the very beginning that made you smile, but arpeggiated into a melody itself again! But that's not all - after several listens you will notice an extremely intelligent and beautifully placed hidden "melody" where suddenly the whole over-layed melodies make somewhat perfect sense, a state of bliss! And this is the element that makes the track to the best one on the album for me. In the beginning it was a race between this one and Stand By, but this one won after more listenings! 07: Electric Forces (Album Mix) : Okay, what we have here is an quite nice track, nothing special, nothing bad. The start off with the tones is what I don't like very much - however, little detail: the very last two tones are cool, hehe Other than that there's nothing too special about this track. Steady progression, not so fat and pushing bassline and clear non-freaky effects with not very much playing around. Kind of a "relaxation", a somewhat welcomed change after all the pushing tracks before. Also the samples are not bad. The manner of the track reminds me of Looking In, it has a somewhat same manner of pushing, only some more effects. And it gets somewhat accelerated by synth melodies in the second half, but the progression stays kinda the same. Solid from start to finish. A track to sit on the sofa and tap your feet. 08: Blue Sky : With this track I somehow sense that it probably has been made to provide one last very good track before the end. The only point is, it does not deserve the attribute "very good". Hum. What shall I do with this track? The beginning synths create a smile in my face, which is good, but then it slowly drifts off into mediocre regions. I mean, the first third of the track is stillquite nice ... but then these synths come that I don't like so much. I don't wanna use that line with the vocoder and certain human nastynesses again, but it somehow subtly offers itself, you know. And the freaky melody that comes afterwards is not contributing to my comfort very much. And again Anthony attempts a change in the second half. Meanwhile it gets somewhat generic, many tracks before had that pattern too. But it doesn't go too well, I don't like the synths. Melodies are freaky and there are also changes and stuff, but it somewhat is not quite my cup of chai. Then suddenly a short attempt for a good melody is audible - and good it is indeed, very good, drifting, nice - but the part lasts far, faaar too short and your ears feel kinda raped by the freaky synths once more. But this one melody there could have saved the whole track ... and not the somewhat freaky kinda-cramped-funnyness. A sour aftertaste here. Hum. Now, don't get me wrong, the track is not awful, it's just somewhat too freaky for my taste, synth-wise. So I'd rate it mediocre. In the upper middle part of the "mediocre" range. 09: Sirius Vacation : And oh, how sad, we are already at the last track of the album here. And it also begins ... somewhat sad. You could get the impression that this is a very chilly track at the beginning. But you are wrong. Anthony delivers a dance album from start to finish. With this one you get a quite nice closing track, a little bit freaky, but in a rather good and playful way. Slow beginning, then with a sample going into a quite danceable piece with freakish synth frequencies leading into a part where this same synth base sound is used, but in a much more funky way. The short middle part is playful and with good samples that fit with the sound in a nice way - this can make you rise an eyebrow ... even the twinkling here I find not cheesy. The track then proceeds through a part with more and a bit faster synths with a funky layer in it too, then going in the same way towards the end. Yeah, the end ... which brings us to the only point I don't like here: the end is too short. From that part before to silence in like 48 seconds, that's far too short if you plan to take the listener down nicely and this was planned here obviously, since it's the last track. Well, down it brings us, but IMHO not smoothly, rather roughly like the landing of a military fighter jet on an air craft carrier. Almost looks like Anthony was in some kind of hurry to finish the piece. On the other hand, after that album you probably want to listen to some chill music anyway. So ... last track nice track. Nothing extraordinary though ... and with the ending it loses some points as well. SUMMARY: With this piece you get a pretty good album, the S-Range sound of today. Nice, happy, energetic and playful. Half of the tracks are from perfect to very good (yes, exactly four and the second half of Technical Support ), the rest is not really bad either, but I'd say that some stuff might not be everybody's cup of chai. Also depends on the mood and stuff ... when I have a headache I can't even stand Bigger Picture and on the other hand there are periods where I can kinda enjoy Blue Sky too. In fact I recommend listening to the album in various settings and moods, there are some things to discover in it - hidden melodies and such, different perspectives can help a lot. Also because of this the piece doesn't get boring, the listening experience stays quite fresh and happy even months later! However, people who don't know the new S-Range sound so well and are now not sure if they would want to buy this album should check out the Another Theory Remixes CD-single, which is out already for some weeks. You get a very good introduction into the new sound with that one for a fair price (6 tracks and the price of a single!), so also not-fans and unsure ones can see if it's something for them! Go get it Favourite Tracks: 6 (!!!), 1 (!!), 2(!!), 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeathPosture Posted March 17, 2006 Share Posted March 17, 2006 So basically you're reviewing the not-suited-for-release mp3 rip you've downloaded? The whole album is being re-mastered right now so the release date has been pushed back again (yes, it's annoying as hell, but there's not much we can do about that...) I'll have a full review up, once the retail version is released... ;o) /DP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kathmandu Posted March 25, 2006 Share Posted March 25, 2006 and i bought the another theory remixes thinking it was the another theory album. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frozen dream Posted June 12, 2006 Share Posted June 12, 2006 this is a nice example of how cheesy full-on should not be made! this is to cheesy, to crappy, to roughly mixed layers. a dread of an album, i'm very into happy and uplifting stuff but this is like real bunshole crap. a good proof that there are truly great cheesy full-on albums out there... ...and not this one at least! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemmiwinks Posted June 13, 2006 Share Posted June 13, 2006 this is a nice example of how cheesy full-on should not be made! this is to cheesy, to crappy, to roughly mixed layers. a dread of an album, i'm very into happy and uplifting stuff but this is like real bunshole crap. a good proof that there are truly great cheesy full-on albums out there... ...and not this one at least! 547003[/snapback] agree 100%... how could S-Range abandon their dreamy minimal style for this boring full-on??? Only the title track (Another Theory) is worth listening to, it has some nice flute samples but they're a bit overused in the end so it gets kindof repetitive. The rest is just crap. If I were the artists I wouldn't even bother naming my tracks anymore, I'd just call them "random full-on track no. 3594"... actually I wouldn't even bother creating the stuff myself, I'd just make a computer program which would make it for me. 4/10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeathPosture Posted June 14, 2006 Share Posted June 14, 2006 Stop reviewing mp3s! The album you're all reviewing is an early deemed-non-fit-for-release promo... Topic closed until the album is released (if that day ever appears...) /DP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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