Music Banter - View Single Post

Dayvan Cowboy · 08-29-2010, 04:24 PM

#6: Amon Tobin: Out From Out Where

Sorry guys, I couldn't find an appropriately sized album image. This turquoise (my favourite colour!) coloured square will take its place. Shame, it was one of my favourite album covers, with all of the Amon Tobin futurism I love.

Well, the first song on the album, Back From Space, is without a doubt one of Amon Tobin's more known songs. I've heard it everywhere. It starts out with some pretty, crystalline synth noises common to his genre. Once the song gets going, his signature throw-the-plates-and-knives-down-the-stairs percussion moves in, giving it his futuristic touch. About 2:40 in, the song takes an atonal, rushed turn. This is one of my favourite opening tracks. He couldn't have picked a better song. The next track, Verbal, I find sounds a little out of place, but that doesn't mean it isn't an awesome track, it just means that this song certainly belongs to another album. Verbal is filled with acoustic (I think) guitars and the signature loud, deep bass of Tobin's other work, along with pitch-shifted cut up vocals. The next track, Chronic Tronic, is A more percussion oriented song. with a thudding electronic bass line and intricate drums, and staticky sounds all around the song. This track is one of the harsher tracks on the album, but also a favourite. The next song, Searchers is without a doubt the most cinematic song on the album, digging up memories of old crime and espionage films. This song is just begging to be included in the next spy movie. Hey Blondie, the next track, comes floating from the distance. This song heavily relies on guitar samples and highly modified drum sounds. It's one of the funkiest tracks I've ever heard (That wasn't by !!!), digging up memories of flying by plane at night, with it's urban charm. Rosie's, is another guitar-orienteed track, with it's main melody centered by guitars. this track comes complete with cinematic zooms and swooshes, that sound like they belong in a sci-fi film. This track is also totally badass, with it's huge sounding bass, and spanish sounding guitar bits. Also, where on earth did he get that damn sample in the middle of the song? Ever since I've heard this album, I've wondered. Maybe he made it himself, or he got it from a movie. This guy probably has sampled everything there is to sample. Cosmo Retro Intro Outro, is the song with probably one of the most memorable melodies, and is a song that I just want to dance to, and is one of my favourites from the album, due to it's sheer catchyness and the fact that it reminds me of the R'n'B I heard on the radio when I was six. Triple Science, the next track, is the most abrasive of the album, showcasing Tobin's hardcorer side, with rushing, speedy percussion that may put some IDM newcomers off at first listen. Once you finally get into this track, it's very rewarding. After five minutes, the track falls apart, and makes way for El Wraith, another favourite from OFOW. This track is very dark, slow and deep. and is filled with interesting samples. El Wraith is the biggest sounding track, with it's hispanic-sounding flair and pure cinematic-ness. This is a track to turn up loud, very loud. The track fades out into another favourite, Proper Hoodidge, which is a revisit to the sound of a preceding track, Chronic Tronic, with a very deep, loud bass line. This song is also the most glitch-influenced, with dozens of odd computer-generated sounds floating around, and at one point it starts to sound like a windows error. The closing track, Mighty Micro People (I can relate to the song title XD), is a slower song, that closes the album in a flurry of sped up vocal samples and twinkly noises.

This is considered to be Tobin's worst album, but to me, it's five stars, due to the sheer amount of beautiful and sometimes harsh electronic sounds being packed in there. A truly top-notch and atmospheric jazzy IDM piece that really deserves more recognition. Good job, Tobin!

TL;DR version:
Even though it's considered his worst, I think it's his best. he took on a harsher, more electronic edge and made a beautiful cinematic album that could be a soundtrack to a crime film.

EDIT: thanks to Seuss for finding an appropriately sized album cover. the turquoise square is gone.

08-29-2010, 04:24 PM	#166 (permalink)
Dayvan Cowboy Basscadet Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Antarctica Posts: 1,258	#6: Amon Tobin: Out From Out Where Sorry guys, I couldn't find an appropriately sized album image. This turquoise (my favourite colour!) coloured square will take its place. Shame, it was one of my favourite album covers, with all of the Amon Tobin futurism I love. Well, the first song on the album, Back From Space, is without a doubt one of Amon Tobin's more known songs. I've heard it everywhere. It starts out with some pretty, crystalline synth noises common to his genre. Once the song gets going, his signature throw-the-plates-and-knives-down-the-stairs percussion moves in, giving it his futuristic touch. About 2:40 in, the song takes an atonal, rushed turn. This is one of my favourite opening tracks. He couldn't have picked a better song. The next track, Verbal, I find sounds a little out of place, but that doesn't mean it isn't an awesome track, it just means that this song certainly belongs to another album. Verbal is filled with acoustic (I think) guitars and the signature loud, deep bass of Tobin's other work, along with pitch-shifted cut up vocals. The next track, Chronic Tronic, is A more percussion oriented song. with a thudding electronic bass line and intricate drums, and staticky sounds all around the song. This track is one of the harsher tracks on the album, but also a favourite. The next song, Searchers is without a doubt the most cinematic song on the album, digging up memories of old crime and espionage films. This song is just begging to be included in the next spy movie. Hey Blondie, the next track, comes floating from the distance. This song heavily relies on guitar samples and highly modified drum sounds. It's one of the funkiest tracks I've ever heard (That wasn't by !!!), digging up memories of flying by plane at night, with it's urban charm. Rosie's, is another guitar-orienteed track, with it's main melody centered by guitars. this track comes complete with cinematic zooms and swooshes, that sound like they belong in a sci-fi film. This track is also totally badass, with it's huge sounding bass, and spanish sounding guitar bits. Also, where on earth did he get that damn sample in the middle of the song? Ever since I've heard this album, I've wondered. Maybe he made it himself, or he got it from a movie. This guy probably has sampled everything there is to sample. Cosmo Retro Intro Outro, is the song with probably one of the most memorable melodies, and is a song that I just want to dance to, and is one of my favourites from the album, due to it's sheer catchyness and the fact that it reminds me of the R'n'B I heard on the radio when I was six. Triple Science, the next track, is the most abrasive of the album, showcasing Tobin's hardcorer side, with rushing, speedy percussion that may put some IDM newcomers off at first listen. Once you finally get into this track, it's very rewarding. After five minutes, the track falls apart, and makes way for El Wraith, another favourite from OFOW. This track is very dark, slow and deep. and is filled with interesting samples. El Wraith is the biggest sounding track, with it's hispanic-sounding flair and pure cinematic-ness. This is a track to turn up loud, very loud. The track fades out into another favourite, Proper Hoodidge, which is a revisit to the sound of a preceding track, Chronic Tronic, with a very deep, loud bass line. This song is also the most glitch-influenced, with dozens of odd computer-generated sounds floating around, and at one point it starts to sound like a windows error. The closing track, Mighty Micro People (I can relate to the song title XD), is a slower song, that closes the album in a flurry of sped up vocal samples and twinkly noises. This is considered to be Tobin's worst album, but to me, it's five stars, due to the sheer amount of beautiful and sometimes harsh electronic sounds being packed in there. A truly top-notch and atmospheric jazzy IDM piece that really deserves more recognition. Good job, Tobin! TL;DR version: Even though it's considered his worst, I think it's his best. he took on a harsher, more electronic edge and made a beautiful cinematic album that could be a soundtrack to a crime film. EDIT: thanks to Seuss for finding an appropriately sized album cover. the turquoise square is gone. Last edited by Dayvan Cowboy; 08-29-2010 at 05:54 PM.