seven

it is strange how in past few weeks I have been listening to so much material that seem to explore similar ideas. with the latest releases from quite a few bands I saw a gradual move towards more universal and richer sound. the musicians seem to look around more and incorporate much more influences and different genres in their work. starting from flamenco guitar flavor in juno reactor, continuing with rock and pop elements in latest delerium, moving to country elements in dead hollywood stars, even looking back to latest beefcake seems to confirm this observation.

I am not saying that all these bands work in this genre and this seems to be an interesting trend, but somehow all these examples came together perfectly in front of me, all at the same time. and conveniently, it all happened when I was particularly disappointed in almost any electro/industrial release I have recently heard.

with this snog release it seems that thrussel finally got a hold of his diverse music influences pulling him in different directions and managed to put it all together in a remarkable harmony. maybe it was the contribution of john sellekaers, whose touch is almost distinctly recognizable in rich layered arrangements and solid compositions.

starting where "third mall from the sun" has left off, this remix album featuring a few new tracks puts to work thrussel's fascination with westerns and melodies, adding a twisted black lung touch. xingu hill matches this one with eclectic yet incredibly funky high-tech drum&bass mix of "the last diamond." yet another outstanding mix is playful, cut-up version of "real estate man" following xingu hill mix. this version is girlishly happy and childishly silly, yet strangely attractive, perfectly fitting the definition of "cute." it is hard to describe other mixes since they all are so different and so personal that only listening to them yourself can paint a complete picture.

a few of the mixes almost scared me away at first with a heavy rock guitar emphasis that seemed to be out of place here, but later on I found how perfectly it works its way into the music to the point where I do not notice the genre differences, simply enjoying the roles instruments play in creating a harmonious structure.

new (?) tracks like "the infernal advocate" seem to edge closer and closer to darker black lung material, at the same time remaining rich and melodic. dark mysterious nightmarish atmosphere on top of pulsating electonica seems to continue in dramatic "the crumbling land." through the groove of "chasin and the jargonauts" comes a familiar mysterious synthline was an underlying motif throughout the whole "third mall from the sun."

closing "oil" features twisted percussion and sparse guitar touches - rich and unique mixture that works surprisingly well with vocals that is quite a departure of ballad-like "third mall from the sun."

a good set of headphones and your undivided attention is a requirement for this album. the reward is a glimpse into a whole new dimension where old snog ceased to exist, replaced by multitude of forms and illusions, shifting from futuristic electronica, twisted nightmarish soundscapes, gentle ambient and infinite sarcasm of its creator to layered polyphonic orchestrations and attractively alien western motives. this is a sonic candy for the bored consumer and a kick in the face for the apathetic elitist; whoever you are, there is something here that you can't miss.