Search - Joy Electric :: Ministry of Archers

Joy Electric's Next Great Triumph!!!

Louie Bourland | Garden Grove CA | 08/30/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Ronnie Martin is back with the much anticipated new Joy Electric release, "The Ministry of Archers", the fourth volume in the band's ongoing "Legacy" series and its first in a new subcategory entitled "The Moog Dynasty".

For "Archers", we find Martin experimenting with a variety of new sounds and musical elements. The most notable difference between this and previous Joy-E releases is in the rhythms themselves. Instead of the simplistic beats that were a hallmark of Martin's classic sound, the rhythms here are more driving, heavier and border on the edge of industrialism. The musical arrangements are also tighter and eloquently orchestrated. Besides this, there are two genuine experimental moments heard on the album with the instrumentals "Hornets Horns" and "In Intricacies" which display a sound that is reminiscent of early Tangerine Dream.

As for the lyrics, they are as clever and direct as anything else released from Joy-E.

In the end, while there are many new and exciting sounds heard in "The Ministry of Archers", the album still sounds like a genuine Joy Electric release and is Ronnie Martin's greatest achievement yet. A minor quibble is the fact that "Archers" only clocks in at 32-minutes total. However, there are many albums that run for twice that length with maybe only two or three great tracks on them and the rest being mediocre. "The Ministry of Archers" is thankfully no such album as all ten tracks are excellent. This makes the short running time seem a lot longer and is undoubtedly an enjoyable listening experience from beginning to end. Another instant classic!!!

Standout tracks include: Become as Murders, Most Terrible Archer, Can You Refrain, the title track and the two aforementioned instrumentals.

"

Uncompromising

M. Worrell | Chicago USA | 08/31/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This album comes as a bit of a surprise following the batch of songs on JE's "Workmanship" EP. It's darker, for one thing. It seems to me like an experimental album Ronnie Martin wanted to make for his own purposes, with little regard for commercial considerations. Advances in his trademark sound are evident everywhere, and while it's fascinating to listen to, I could do with a little more ear candy here and there (as if JE hasn't provided enough already on past albums, I know). Many albums that took time to grow on me became my favorites in the past, and I suspect this might just be one of those."

Hitting the Mark

Skade | 09/14/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"What a beautiful cd this is, Joy Electric has a unique and wonderful sound that you just don't want to end because it's so fun and bouncy but still makes you think if you listen closely to what he says. I love 'the ministry of archers', the 'most terrible archer' and 'rickety trickery' out of all of them, they have the most distinctive sounds out of the entire cd. Overall I really enjoyed this cd, however it ended too soon for my taste, as all Joy Electric's cds do, but then again that's just motivation for me to buy more of them *laughs*"