Review: The Dissociatives - Self Titled

In 1994 Daniel Johns and his group Silverchair were catapulted into the mainstream by winning a demo competition in Australia. Their single 'Tomorrow' is still widely regarded as one of the defining songs of the early 90s. Now, before you rush out to buy The Dissociatives you're going to want to sit down before I break this next part to you; This cd is not silverchair, it sounds nothing like silverchair, and you are only seeing comparisons because Daniel Johns is in both of these bands. It is best to keep these 2 entities separate, or you will probably end up enjoying them both a lot less.

This album is a collaboration with Australian techno king Paul Mac, the eclectic mix of poppy songwriting, eerie soundscapes, 3/4 timing and multi-layered vocals brings out the best of both members of the band. The music and songwriting is filled nearly to a breaking point with more little noises and beeps than you'd think you could digest, but somehow everything falls into its right place.

Opening with a constant 4/4 bass drum beat, the opening track 'We're much preferred customers' quickly builds constantly with multi-layered vocals, sparse piano, eventually turning into a veritable electronic orchestra. From this moment on, you can tell that this is a very experimental album, created by 2 very creative musicians. While the songwriting and melodies would fit perfectly on every pop radio station, avid listeners will notice much more subtle details and nuances than the average electronic pop album.

The standout track on the album in my mind is 'Horror with eyeballs' a bizarre tune based around a 3/4 verse of carnival music, mixed with a poppy chorus featuring many layers of Daniel Johns singing 'all of this time on my hands/so far has gone/ to feeding my animals'. Nonsense? I think so, but you'll be singing it for days.While the rest of the album is very hard to categorize, each song features the same elements; Multi-layered vocals and instruments, noises, a full helping of 'na-na-na-na' and everything you'd expect from a pop album. I find myself rarely listening to single songs, as the album seems to flow much better as a whole.

Nearing the end of the album, the band pulls out 'Young man, Old man', another interesting track. Based around a guitar part, only instead of playing it only on guitar, Johns elects to sing the part as well. This is the type of abstract thinking that makes this album stand out so much in my eyes. You will have a very tough time guessing what is going to come next, and I think everyone loves music that suprises them.

The band managed to find a fantastic artist by the name of James Hackett to produce 3 videos from this album; Horror with eyeballs, Somewhere down the barrel and Young man, Old man (You ain't better than the rest) all 3 are available for your viewing pleasure from the bands website.

It seems that most of the mainstream press is tearing this album apart, but from where I stand (about 2 feet infront of my computer monitor) this is one of the best albums released thus-far this year. If you're looking for a solid, happy album featuring one of the best voices in rock, check this out, you won't be disappointed.

Overall: 8.2

Chris Elkjar is the founder of 'trust.me' an online music magazine for the enthusiast. He spends all of his spare time immersed in music, be it writing reviews, interviews with leading bands or writing his own music.

For more of his writing, check out Trust-Me.ca - Music for robots

---

Google News Updated : Sun, 12 Oct 2008 11:51:06 GMT McCain campaign's tone likened to George Wallace's - Newsday Malaysia Star McCain campaign's tone likened to George Wallace's Newsday - 2 hours ago WASHINGTON - Rep. John Lewis, a Georgia Democrat and veteran of the civil rights movement, says the negative tone of the Republican presidential campaign reminds him of the hateful atmosphere segregationist Gov. McCain in 'hatred' war of words BBC News Obama thanks, jabs at McCain Chicago Tribune New York Times - Los Angeles Times - Reuters - AFP all 404 news articles Publ.Date : Sun, 12 Oct 2008 09:27:11 GMT Japan says will tap FX reserve if IMF steps up bailout - Reuters Voice of America Japan says will tap FX reserve if IMF steps up bailout Reuters - 6 hours ago WASHINGTON, Oct 11 (Reuters) - Japan said on Saturday it is ready to offer a part of its $1 trillion foreign reserves to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) if the multi-national lender is to support countries facing economic crisis. Video: IMF: Timing right for G7 ReutersVideo IMF Calls for Aggressive Response to Crisis New York Times Bloomberg - MarketWatch - Financial Times - Voice of America all 2,310 news articles Publ.Date : Sun, 12 Oct 2008 05:32:02 GMT Van driver's work in Mass. aided Nobel winners - Boston Globe Boston Globe Van driver's work in Mass. aided Nobel winners Boston Globe - 7 hours ago HUNTSVILLE, Ala.—When two American scientists won a Nobel Prize this week in chemistry, the driver of a car dealership's courtesy van had reason to take special interest. Video: Nobel Chemistry Prize Goes for Jellyfish Protein AssociatedPress The Daily Yomiuri - The Associated Press - Ars Technica - New York Times all 1,253 news articles Publ.Date : Sun, 12 Oct 2008 04:14:18 GMT American space tourist blasts off in Soyuz rocket - The Associated Press Washington Post American space tourist blasts off in Soyuz rocket The Associated Press - 39 minutes ago BAIKONUR, Kazakhstan (AP) - A Soyuz spacecraft with two Americans and a Russian on board lifted off from Kazakhstan on Sunday for the international space station. Space Toilet Fixed – For Now eFluxMedia Russia launches spacecraft with sixth space tourist China Daily KGAN - MarketWatch - Spaceflight Now - USA Today all 615 news articles Publ.Date : Sun, 12 Oct 2008 11:11:37 GMT ARM Holders Would Do Well to Shop Around Now - Washington Post Sify ARM Holders Would Do Well to Shop Around Now Washington Post - 4 hours ago By Nancy Trejos The global financial crisis has affected virtually every aspect of personal finance, from mortgages to student loans to credit cards to retirement savings. Finance giants reportedly ordered to buy $40 bln of mortgage bonds ... MarketWatch Fannie, Freddie to Buy $40 Billion a Month of Troubled Assets Bloomberg The Miami Herald - Orlando Sentinel - Sunday Paper - San Jose Mercury News all 227 news articles Publ.Date : Sun, 12 Oct 2008 07:07:17 GMT Theatrical Review of Body of Lies - DVDTOWN.com Theatrical Review of Body of Lies DVDTOWN.com - 11 hours ago By Jason P. Vargo "Body of Lies" is a certain type of movie designed for a certain type of moviegoer. I think the tagline describes the movie perfectly, actually. Will 'Chihuahua' take a bite out of 'Body of Lies'? Los Angeles Times Body of Lies Entertainment Weekly E! Online - San Francisco Chronicle - Reuters - Washington Post all 1,041 news articles Publ.Date : Sun, 12 Oct 2008 00:19:39 GMT Many homers, and pitches, in Game 2 - MLB.com Los Angeles Times Many homers, and pitches, in Game 2 MLB.com - 2 hours ago By Bryan Hoch / MLB.com ST. PETERSBURG -- Five hours and 27 minutes elapsed during Saturday's American League Championship Series Game 2, bookending the moments when Scott Kazmir threw the game's first pitch over home plate and BJ Upton popped its ... Up, up, and away Boston Globe Mike Timlin shoulders blame Boston Herald Los Angeles Times - Washington Times - Tampa Tribune - ESPN all 495 news articles Publ.Date : Sun, 12 Oct 2008 09:22:57 GMT Rss Feed Reader Web Site Traffic

PARLOT::Ebooks, Scripts, Websites, and more...

Adsense websites

Creating Stark Atmospheres

One of the things New Age pianist George Winston is... Read More

Prepare for the Master (CD Mastering)

Many artists are still confused as to what goes on... Read More

What is Guitar Tablature and Can I Find It Online?

The guitar is one of the most popular musical instruments... Read More

Who?s Playing What? A Guide To The Guitars Of The Pros

Eric Clapton performs his slow-handed magic on his. Even with... Read More

Music & Citizenship: Can Playing a Musical Instrument Help Your Child Become a Better Citizen?

Disregard the popular image of rappers with their ghetto blasters,... Read More

Why New Musicians (Rappers) Fail: Three Reasons and Solutions

Despite the title of this article, the purpose of it... Read More

Anglican Arrogance: Small-Minded Choirmembers

What is "Episcopal" music?We often hear people express concern about... Read More

How Many Chords Are There, Anyway?

Since chords (the main component of harmony) are one of... Read More

Reasons to Ditch Your Guitar Pick

Lately, I haven't been using my guitar pick all that... Read More

Building A Good Relationship With Your Guitar

The guitar is considered the friendliest musical instrument there is.... Read More

Name That Tune - Tips For When You Can?t Remember The Song Title Or Artist

For years, you have been searching for a song lodged... Read More

How Any DJ Can Increase Their Gigs and Profits By This Simple Strategy

The DJ industry is very competitive. There are many DJ's... Read More

George Winston and New Age Piano Playing

The first time I heard George Winston play back in... Read More

Ouch, It Hurts When I Sing!

When I first set out to write this article about... Read More

Free, Legal Music Online

Almost everyone has heard about the massive crack down on... Read More

Piano Teachers - Whats Wrong with Them?

Most of us like to use what we learn right... Read More

Turn It Up: Plugging Into The Perfect Guitar And Amp Settings

Yowza! Did you hear that hideous noise? It sounded like... Read More

Music Making as Spiritual Experience

If you've been playing piano for some time, you may... Read More

The Future for Independent Record Labels

Small independent record labels are facing a different fight today... Read More

Liberate your iPod

When Akio Morita came up with the idea of the... Read More

Independent Music Promotion on the Web: 3 Steps to Success

Let's face it, the wildfire spread of web-based portals designed... Read More

How to Play Piano Using a Few Chords

How many chords do you need to create a piece... Read More

Buying a Violin

"How do I buy a violin, (or fiddle)?"That question has... Read More

Its Jewish Music, But Is The Music Jewish?

A while back I was driving along the Jerusalem highway... Read More

Is it Possible to Download Music Legally Anymore?

Throughout the past few years downloading music on the internet... Read More