Music Banter - View Single Post - Bitesize: Trollheart's Daily Album Mini-Reviews

Trollheart · 01-12-2015, 05:33 AM

Losing my religion?

Artiste: Platform One
Nationality: American
Album: The last cathedral
Year: 2014
Label: Unknown; may be digital download only (fan/Kickstarter-financed)
Genre: Gothic synthpop?
Tracks:
The year is silent
Control (LED mix)
Surrender without sound
Turn the light on
Sometimes always
The heart and the world collide
Valentine
Control (Vashta Nerada mix)
Marble garden
My love remains
Chronological position: Third album
Familiarity: Zero
Interesting factoid: Their first album seems to have been released only on CD-R, so presumably self-financed
Initial impression: Sounds like some sort of industrial machinery running; what have I let myself in for?
Best track(s): Surrender without sound, Turn the lights on, Valentine
Worst track(s): The year is silent, Marble gardens
Comments: Contrary to public opinion, I don't hate all pop music. Just the generic kind. I get the feeling Platform One have more in common with darker acts like Visage and Kraftwerk and even New Order than One Direction or Taylor Swift. They seem to follow the model pioneered by Radiohead and Marillion, in which they ask their fans to fund the new album by paying for it in advance, and according to their Kickstarter page this came in a thousand dollars over their budget, so it must work then. So far as I can see, it's their third album, discounting a few EPs and film soundtracks along the way.

It starts all dark and doomy then kicks into an uptempo groove with a Phil Oakey soundalike, so like him in fact that I expected this was his new band! Also reminds me of Eldritch from Sisters of Mercy. Bleak music whose uptempo beat belies its darkness. Interesting. But it's not my kind of thing. Seems soulless and cold, the way I find much electronic music. Surrender without sound has a nice vibe to it, but Sometimes always could be any eighties pop song performed by Spandau Ballet, ABC or a hundred others. Very generic.

Never quite understand the need for mix after mix on these kind of albums. After all, there are only ten tracks: did we really need two mixes of Control? Yeah, it's well played and all, and if you're into this sort of music you'll probably enjoy it, but it's not for me.
Overall impression: Meh
Hum Factor: 2
Intention: Won't be listening to any more of this.
(No YouTubes available, sorry)

01-12-2015, 05:33 AM	#202 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,971	Losing my religion? Artiste: Platform One Nationality: American Album: The last cathedral Year: 2014 Label: Unknown; may be digital download only (fan/Kickstarter-financed) Genre: Gothic synthpop? Tracks: The year is silent Control (LED mix) Surrender without sound Turn the light on Sometimes always The heart and the world collide Valentine Control (Vashta Nerada mix) Marble garden My love remains Chronological position: Third album Familiarity: Zero Interesting factoid: Their first album seems to have been released only on CD-R, so presumably self-financed Initial impression: Sounds like some sort of industrial machinery running; what have I let myself in for? Best track(s): Surrender without sound, Turn the lights on, Valentine Worst track(s): The year is silent, Marble gardens Comments: Contrary to public opinion, I don't hate all pop music. Just the generic kind. I get the feeling Platform One have more in common with darker acts like Visage and Kraftwerk and even New Order than One Direction or Taylor Swift. They seem to follow the model pioneered by Radiohead and Marillion, in which they ask their fans to fund the new album by paying for it in advance, and according to their Kickstarter page this came in a thousand dollars over their budget, so it must work then. So far as I can see, it's their third album, discounting a few EPs and film soundtracks along the way. It starts all dark and doomy then kicks into an uptempo groove with a Phil Oakey soundalike, so like him in fact that I expected this was his new band! Also reminds me of Eldritch from Sisters of Mercy. Bleak music whose uptempo beat belies its darkness. Interesting. But it's not my kind of thing. Seems soulless and cold, the way I find much electronic music. Surrender without sound has a nice vibe to it, but Sometimes always could be any eighties pop song performed by Spandau Ballet, ABC or a hundred others. Very generic. Never quite understand the need for mix after mix on these kind of albums. After all, there are only ten tracks: did we really need two mixes of Control? Yeah, it's well played and all, and if you're into this sort of music you'll probably enjoy it, but it's not for me. Overall impression: Meh Hum Factor: 2 Intention: Won't be listening to any more of this. (No YouTubes available, sorry) __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018 Last edited by Trollheart; 01-12-2015 at 11:55 AM.