Search - Adult :: Resuscitation

A Wondrous Discovery

A. W. Crawford | WI, US | 06/27/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I bought this one without having heard anything by the artist other than a remix of Fischerspooner. However, I'd seen their name listed alongside a number of artists I'd been listening to lately (the aforementioned Fischerspooner, Ladytron, Felix Da Housecat) so I had a *rough* idea of what to expect.What I got wasn't quite as similar to those artists I'd imagined. The basic ingredients (a mix of 80s synth/electronic influences and more modern electronic dance music) are the same, but there are subtle differences. After all "80s synth" is a remarkably broad genre to choose from, with everything from richly produced "warm" material like Martin Rushent produced Human League to the bleakness of John Foxx, Gary Numan and very early Human League. Similarly the more modern influences can vary too - Ladytron and Fischerspooner draw on a more recent breed of dance music than Felix's acid house leanings do, and Adult. seem to go back further still, with their dance roots firmly planted in the likes of classic Detroit techno.It's not for everyone - the vocals (a female monotone) will put some off, I'm sure. Yes, Miss Kittin does the female monotone thing too, but she does a "I'm a Swiss sex kitten who is too cool to actually sing" female monotone, whereas Nicola Kuperus' vocals have a certain harshness and suggest you might be able to pop her face off and see circuitry inside.It's cold, crunchy carcrash music, angular, alienated, abstract and lyrically opaque. Ancestors include The Normal's "Warm Leatherette" and John Foxx's "Metamatic". I can also hear strong hints of the more melodic side of earlier Severed Heads ("Power Circles", "4WD") poking through in a few places, although that might just be an equipment thing.In case you hadn't guessed, I rather like the album. It was the only thing I had in my car CD player for the best part of a month. It's probably one that'll be of limited appeal to contemporary dance music fans who don't know their ancient history, but if you've got an idea of where the music came from, where it is now, and where it's been in between, and you've got a fondness for at least two of the three, it's definitely an album to check out.Why the import pricing, though, Amazon? It's on a Detroit label, after all, I'm sure there must be a US distributor that carries it.Oh, and as an aside, if you've bought this album and enjoyed it, you might also want to check out another release on Adult.'s Ersatz Audio label, Le Car's _Auto-Biography_. It's in a similar vein (there's overlap in band personnel), albeit more strongly oriented towards the techno side of things."

Not electroclash, electrofantastic

New World??? | San Diego, Ca | 10/15/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This cd is great if you are into electronic craziness. It is punk, indie and electronic all rolled into one. Calling it electroclash is a misnomer because it doesnt deserve to be lumped in with that particular brand of mediocre music. This is dance music. If you are an independent music fan and that likes electronic tunes but is tired of all of that rave party garbage then check it out."

You're on the phone, you're on the phone

New World??? | 10/18/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"other people have already summed up this album very well, so I just wanted to add my 5 stars.i saw adult. live several months ago and they brought the house down. not only that, but after their show they walked right to the back of the club and sold all their own merchandise (t-shirts, buttons, etc.) themselves. they were friendly and completely down to earth. a great buncha kids, if you ask me.i must also question why this CD is listed as an import.... adult. is from Detroit, as is their record label, on which this album is released.anyone with at least a passing interest in the new-wave revival or electroclash (or whatever its being called this month) is advised to pick up this disc."