808 State: Outpost Transmission

808 STATE: OUTPOST TRANSMISSION (2002)

1) 606; 2) Chopsumwong; 3) Wheatstraw; 4) Boogieman; 5) Roundbum Mary; 6) Lemonsoul; 7) Suntower; 8) Dis­sa­dis; 9) Bent; 10) Souflex; 11) Crossword; 12) Lungfoo; 13) Slowboat; 14) YoYo.

808 State's only original offering in the 21st century is... well, either it simply states that the team said it all in the 20th, or, on a more global level, states that, on his 2000th birthday, the Lord Je­sus Christ declared that human art has exhausted its spiritual filling and we should all start pa­cking and getting ready for that trumpet call. It's your choice.

I have nothing inspiring to say about Outpost Transmission. It is just another set of electronic grooves, not bad per se, but not provoking any deep thoughts or emotional reactions. Even the vo­cal guest spots are bland. '606' is a collaboration with Simian, another electronic bunch of fellow Mancunians, with a «choral boy-band» arrangement over a synth-pop riff that does nothing for me. 'Lemonsoul', with hushed atmospheric vocals from Guy Garvey, is slightly better, but it aims at beautiful-gorgeous and then sort of misses the mark by several inches — an aging Robin Hood can invoke pity, but can he instigate admiration? Even 'Crossword', with Rob Spragg growling over dark industrial passages, feels like a feeble, steam-less copy of what this band used to pro­duce in the industrial vein years ago.

Entering highly subjective mode, my senses, for some reason, start radar-blipping towards the end of the record — the grooves on the last three tracks seem to at least evoke something. 'Lung­foo' has that psychedelic wobbly chiming sound that conjures various magic associations (take out the techno percussion and it's well usable in a Harry Potter soundtrack); 'Slowboat' features tons of interesting variations on another simple, but catchy magical-mysterious keyboard riff; and 'YoYo' brings things to a close on a delicately paranoid note, with visions of Big Brother emer­ging out of its troubled notes.

Or maybe not, and it's all just a matter of extra-clicking on random tracks in order to squeeze out a few more meaningless words. Whatever. Fact is, not even the fans seem to like this record much; and the other fact — namely, that, despite still hanging together, 808 State have not come up with a proper follow-up to Transmission in a whoppin' ten years — implies that, perhaps, Massey and Co. simply got tired of pretending to be as smart and creative as everybody used to think they were. So, thumbs down, although still a must for completists and tireless studiosos of positive-negative charge fluctuations in processor chips.

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808 State: Don Solaris

808 STATE: DON SOLARIS (1996)

1) Intro; 2) Bond; 3) Bird; 4) Azura; 5) Black Dartangnon; 6) Joyrider; 7) Lopez; 8) Balboa; 9) Kohoutek; 10) Mooz; 11) Jerusahat; 12) Banacheq.

Eight years into their recording career, 808 State are already the elder statesmen of a world-swam­ping market, completely stripped of their ability to blaze any more trails — not because of a lack of talent, simply due to the exponential growth of competition. At least Newbuild has the be­nefit of a textbook entry: nothing the band did after Ex:El will ever have the fortune to raise above the status of a discography blip.

But if I were pressed into choosing one favourite from this «just doing our regular thing» kind of period, Don Solaris would probably be it. Why? Beats me if I know. Most likely, there are just a few more tunes than usual that hit the pleasure spot. Or, to be precise, more «momentous ideas» that hit the pleasure spot. 'Banacheq', for instance — now here is a great composition. The main hook sounds like a revolving sonic effect discharged out of a magic wand, the bassline adds a strain of heavy funk, and the final crescendo is of a kind that one normally encounters in rock, not electronic music, with the whole thing becoming crazier and crazier until the inevitable fizzling out. Like a wild, wild fusion rave acted out on digital machinery.

That one is at the very end; in the beginning, we have an equally excellent 'Bond', nothing to do with James (although some of the industrial passages do have a spy movie atmosphere to them), but rather with some real bonds, beginning with atomic and ending with sexual. Yes, as you have correctly guessed, there are lyrics to this song, delivered by Mike Doughty of Soul Coughing, but they are insignificant next to the relentless drive of the tune, which seems to drag the listener through a complex machinery-producing factory, with one grim robotic contraption after the other beating out its own rhythm. Evocative, if not particularly innovative.

Other guests carrying on the tradition of humanizing 808 State albums include fellow Mancunian Lou Rhodes of Lamb on 'Azura' (not very exciting, since she seems to be imitating Björk wher­ever possible, without having the same potential); James Bradfield of the Manic Street Preachers on 'Lopez', also not a highlight — a song that tries mighty strong to be sunny and optimistic and ends up kinda boring; and another Icelandic lady, Ragnhildur Gísladóttir a.k.a. "Ragga", on the also non-exciting atmospheric Björkism of 'Mooz' (although some bits of her vocalization at the end of the track have a mildly mesmerizing effect).

But overall, it is the non-guest stuff on Don Solaris that elevates the spirit, from the afore­mentioned 'Banacheq' to the band's continuing love affair with brass overdubs on 'Black Dartang­non' (sic), the catchy and vividly kaleidoscopic dance groove of 'Jerusahat' and the funny vocal loops on 'Bird'. At this point, all that Massey and Co. can really do is try to ensure a separate iden­tity for each of the tracks — and they succeed at least halfway, which is more than enough for a thumbs up.

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808 State: Gorgeous

808 STATE: GORGEOUS (1993)

1) Plan 9; 2) Moses; 3) Contrique; 4) 10 x 10; 5) One In Ten; 6) Europa; 7) Orbit; 8) Black Morpheus; 9) Southern Cross; 10) Nimbus; 11) Colony; 12) Timebomb; 13) Stormin Norman; 14) Sexy Dancer; 15) Sexy Synthesizer.

Buyer beware — despite the self-aggrandizing title (or, perhaps, because of the title) this record is frequently given the finger even by serious fans of the band. Me, I fail to see what exactly it is that makes it so much less thrilling than Ex:El, but I am no electronics wiz, and my standard judgement criterion is very simple — I just mentally rate these records by counting approxima­tely how many times a quirky, remarkable sprite jumps out at me from the general electronic buzz. That is, if the records pretend to any sort of dynamic character. If they pretend to ambience, I men­tally rate them by counting how many times a quirky, remarkable sprite does not jump out at me, docking points for each apparition.

Here, the sprite appears from the very first second, as 'Plan 9' greets you with the first appearance of acoustic guitar on an 808 State album. This sort of betrays the sacred formula, but gives the band extra room to variegate and diversify — not that the little Spanish melody is particularly complex or unforgettable, but it does give 'Plan 9' a new, fresh face as it plays out alongside the beats, bass lines, and keyboard loops. Besides, it is pretty much the only offense against the high art of digital technologies that Massey and Co. are committing here.

The habit of inviting non-electronic artists for collaboration continues with 'Moses', an electro-pop tune sung by Ian McCulloch (of Echo & the Bunnymen), a newly remixed version of UB40's 'One In Ten', and fellow Manchestrian Rachel McFarlane guesting on '10 x 10'. None of these tracks are all that good, even if 'Moses' begins with a nicely entangled web of keyboard rhythms that is almost King Crimson-ian in origin (thirty seconds later, McCulloch and the boys simply turn it into some sort of boring danceable adult contemporary).

One barely noticeable gem among this sea of mediocre collaborations is 'Europa', with some ut­terly outstanding vocal work from Caroline Seaman — the minute I heard it, I had «Cocteau Twins!» springing in my head, and, sure enough, Caroline Seaman is a little-known performer who was, at some point, connected with Ivo Watts-Russell's This Mortal Coil, singing on the Filigree & Shadow album in 1986. For 808 State, she brought some of 4AD's original fairy dust with her, and the band integrates it quite subtly into their swirling roller coaster. For 'Europa' alone and its charming wonderland attitude, the album justifies its title.

The guests say goodbye after track six, though, and from then on it's all in the hands of techno­logy. 'Black Morpheus', with little sax passages scattered along the road, is like an attempt to recreate the vibe of 'Pacific State', but the melodic bits are not as attention-demanding here. 'Co­lo­ny' and 'Timebomb' once again play with jarring industrial noise, particularly the latter, one of 808 States' most «brutal» inventions, even though a little cartoonish. And, just in case you've been wondering, 'Sexy Dancer' and 'Sexy Synthesizer' are two entirely different groove patch­works, and, although their titles are looped over the music, there is nothing particularly sexy about either. (Caroline Seaman's vocal parts, on the other hand...).

Overall, I do not really get what's not to like on here if electronic chowder is your kind of thing. There is plenty of diversity, some new ideas and approaches, and all of the tracks show just about the same level of care and complexity as 808 State have always upheld. Perhaps the world just got tired of the band, eventually, or perhaps such was the world's unfavorable reaction to the de­parture of one of the formative members, Martin Price, a year before the album was recorded — but, as far as I know, Price had never been the major driving force behind the music. Anyway, since nothing on here is really annoying, and since 'Europa' is simply my favorite 808 State num­ber of all time, I'm giving it a thumbs up. (Then I'm cheatingly adding 'Europa' to my «Best-of-4AD» compilation and never listening to this album again, but let us not dwell on the negative).

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808 State: Ex:El

808 STATE: EX:EL (1991)

1) San Francisco; 2) Spanish Heart; 3) Leo Leo; 4) Qmart; 5) Nephatiti; 6) Lift; 7) Ooops; 8) Empire; 9) In Yer Face; 10) Cubik; 11) Lambrusco Cowboy; 12) Techno Bell; 13) Olympic.

Although many swear by this as the ultimate 808 State experience, I am not so sure. It is certainly different, and has enough evidence of the band still willing to evolve and experiment to satisfy the Supreme Court, but the direction of that evolution on Ex:El points to hardcore techno, and this means appealing to electronic music fans alone, instead of continuing to show us skeptically minded people how Electronica could be «Art» in the good old understanding of the word.

The idea of bringing in guest vocalists — star vocalists — to turn some of their compositions into near-pop songs was, as far as I understand, rather novel for 1991, and earned Massey and Co. ex­tra points for innovation. But 'Spanish Heart', with Joy Division/New Order veteran Bernard Sum­ner at the wheel, is simply not a very interesting composition, just some hollow dance rhythms fed with keyboards that click very much à la Eighties' synth-pop. 'Qmart' and 'Ooops' have plenty of historical interest: they feature a fairly young and fresh Björk, still working her way up in the Sugarcubes, but already in full control of her powers — vocalizations on both of these tracks are wild and complex enough to fit in on any of her latter day excesses. Yet again, though, the musical grooves themselves are soundtrackish and not very interesting.

Additional historical interest requires every reviewer to mention that 'Nephatiti' features the first usage of the Willy Wonka sample "We are the music makers..." in electronic practice. Uh... okay. Whatever. I am actually more amused by the male/female voices trading enunciations of "Nepha­titi" / "Nefertiti" as if over the course of a phonetics lesson. And by the grooves, too, which are a bit more explorative this time around.

The album's centerpiece is a nine-minute monster called 'Cubik', a gritty techno-funk thing that at least kicks some butt, rather than just sitting there and noodling for atmosphere. It is the most spaced out, alien-ish composition on the album, and it deserves its running time completely (actu­ally, I believe the nine-minute long mix is only present on the US release; get it by all means in­stead of the brief three-minute teaser on the UK version). Ironically, it is also the most minimali­stic of all the tracks on here — no atmospheric synth veils in the background, every ounce of strength poured into the warp drive of its principal groove, but play it loud enough and it will blow your mind all the same.

The other tracks, somehow, just fail to impress. Much of this stuff is calmly pretty, but 808 State are at their best when they are able to conjure little green bugs zipping through space outside your illuminators, and 'Cubik' is the only track here that freely provides that pleasure. Sure, credit has to be given for everything, including toying around with hip-hop on 'San Francisco' and adult contemporary on one or two other tracks, but giving credit is one thing, and finding words that would be kind and meaningful at the same time is quite a different one.

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808 State: 90

808 STATE: 90 (1989)

1) Magical Dream; 2) Ancodia; 3) Cobra Bora; 4) Pacific 202; 5) Donkey Doctor; 6) 808080808; 7) Sunrise; 8) The Fat Shadow (Pointy Head Mix).

Compared to Newbuild, 90 is truly an album for sissies. Just look at the title of the first track: 'Magical Dream'? Isn't this the kind of title much better suited for the likes of Uriah Heep? And its primary attraction — faraway, hazy vocal overdubs from Vanessa Daou? Where in the world is that whole alien culture thing?

In many ways, 90 is quite similar to Newbuild — similar rhythms, similar equipment, similar dance orientation that preserve the project's chosen niche — but the band's second album also made it clear that these guys were not going to stick to any set formula. If Newbuild looked con­fidentially to the future, 90 makes some concessions to the past. For instance, the main «chiming» hook of 'Magical Dream' is fairly conventional, and the entire song is a magical dream, ensconced in a club setting, but more «psychedelic» than «sci-fi».

Likewise, the major hit, 'Pacific State' (here under the 12" mix title 'Pacific 202'), relies on pseudo-strings and, most noticeably, an almost jazzy, brass-imitating melody for its groove; there is certainly some alien-like mechanical chirping in the background, but basically it is sort of an infusion of relaxed lounge atmosphere into the usually arch-busy world of industrial electronics. 'Ancodia' is quite human-sounding, too, sampling Thelma Houston and programming in loops that could have been inspired by 1970s fusion.

Eventually we are shoved back into the future on much more mechanical monsters like 'Donkey Doctor' and '808080808', but even there the keyboard arrangements are generally more complex and move in more movements than on Newbuild. The sound just keeps on getting denser and denser — out of the sparsely populated astral suburbs we are now moving right into the heart of the intergalactic metropolis. Coolest illustration is perhaps 'Cobra Bora', starting out simple and unclustered, but somewhere around 1:10 turning into the soundtrack for Law & Order In A Ga­la­xy Far, Far Away.

In fact, most of the tracks are so well worked out as structured compositions that the closing 'Sunrise' is immediately noticeable as a monotonous, quasi-ambient piece, supposed to close the album on a different, «prolonged» note — on Newbuild, it would have simply been one of the regular boys. So, is this «progress»? It is fairly hard to tell with electronic masterminds. Bor­rowing from «conventional» musical approaches may confuse the hardcore house goer, but also may make it easier for some to «get» acid house as real music, not just a trendy soundtrack to self-destructive teenage activities. Thumbs up for all the smart mixing.

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