Great Stuff
affabre | Philly, PA | 09/11/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This CD is definitely a great compilation of contemporary 'lounge' or 'chill-out' music. I don't like to compare creative people because two artists are never the same; but seeing that this group does not get many reviews for their music, I'm going to go ahead and do so since it seems not many have discovered them yet. Quite obviously, Fragile State's sense and style is comparable to Thievery Corporation. I'd say "Just Got Home" has a similar R&B/Soul-ish kind of sound as you'd find in Theivery Corp's Verve series of compilations, with an overall more mellow feel and laid-back tempo than Theivery Corp's "The Cosmic Game" CD. If you like those guys from DC, I'm quite sure you'd enjoy chillin with these players from the UK. [In fact, its well worth your time to check out Fragile State's two other CDs of original music ("Voices from the Dust Bowl" and "Facts & Dreams") which have a different, more jazzier style. The track "New Bassa" on the "Dust Bowl" CD is quite remarkable.]
Two issues about "Just Got Home", though:
First off, I've been sent the UK version of the CD, rather than the one pictured. My CD has an interesting picture of a leather sofa, faux fur rug, lamp, and end table with a Buddha statue all plopped on the sands of a beach. More interesting than the orange cover with the headphones, I suppose, but I got gypped of a 15th track from Fragile State titled "Capture," which ain't on the band's two other CDs. :( The CD I got has only fourteen tracks, which is also sequenced differently from the orange-coloured disc.
Secondly, I have my Amazon stuff delivered to the office. This CD pretty much stayed at my desk as I've been listening to it frequently for the past five weeks. Well, I finally brought it home -- and guess what? Holy cow, when you can hear the bass on this CD, a number of the tracks sound even more outstanding! See, I keep the bass down low at work as to not disturb the neighbors, and I thought the music on this CD is a little bit too mellow for me while driving. It was commented about another Fragile State CD that they seem to subdue the bass a little, and the same seems true for this one too. However, on a good system that can play ~60Hz bass (a pretty low octave), the bass guitar work and kick drums really come alive on a number of tracks. Notably, "Venice Beach," "Best Days of Our Lives," and "Soul for Your Soul" all sounded incredibly different when compared between my office desktop speakers and home system. Perhaps this is a difference in the way studios are EQ-ed over in the UK versus the US?? I'm not sure, and I have to admit that the bass on some of the tracks sounded more muddier rather than punchier. But having now discovered the bass on several tracks of this CD, I'm going to listen to it more in my car."
Track Listings (15) - Disc #1