Love amp Rockets - Lift (13 tracks) +Album Reviews

Brilliant

12/24/1998

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Anyone who wants the good-old goth stuff will be slightly disappointed, but anyone who appreciated good music will enjoy it. It is a new direction in music combining good lyrics, techno, electronica, ambient, gothic, (insert cool word here). In an age when everything is starting to sound the same this album breathes life back into multiple genres."

YESYESYES!!!!

oompah_loompah | PA, USA | 12/20/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"As sacreligious as it may seem, this may quite possibly be my favorite L&R cd. Then again, I loved Hot Trip To Heaven, so feel free to ignore the rest of this review if that's the kinda person you are. Still reading? Sweet. Okay, now, I LOVE LOVE LOVE all my other L&R cds, and I can't get enough of Danny's fuzzy/crunchy guitars, but I listen to this one the most. It's some of the sweetest, juiciest most delicious triphoppytechno-ness there is. On top of that, killer lyrics. I'll warn you, though, there's no happy, whimsically trippy Bubblemen-ness, here. However, there is a gratuitous amount of icky old porno theaters, c*m shots, oral sex and the like. Fun fun for everyone!! Who knew David J was such a perv? :) Yes, well, incase that just alienated you, there's the wholesome, oaty goodness of...oh, wait, nevermind. They're all like that, with the exception of "Ressurection Hex", which doesn't really have lyrics (but DOES sample Bauhaus and...yes...ADAM ANT!!), and probably a few others, I can't really remember...but yeah, the music is totally eargasmic techno, and I can say from experience that I've been playing it almost nonstop for a loooong time now and I'm still not tired of it. Unfortunately, this was their last studio album. (Sniff). Well, at least Peter Murphy's making his groovy Turkish industrial world beat goth music....I think. Jeepers, why haven't either of these guys put out any new stuff lately...?"

From Bauhaus to Acid house . . .

J. Eric Smith | Upstate New York, USA | 12/06/1998

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Love and Rockets' Daniel Ash, David J and Kevin Haskins recently rejoined goth god Peter Murphy for a pointless (although no doubt lucrative) Bauhaus reunion tour-so listeners could have been forgiven for expecting the trio to be equally backwards-looking (and pointless) on their newest album, "Lift". Surprise, surprise, surprise: the Love and Rockets guys must have gotten all of nostalgia (and pointlessness) out of their systems during their on-the-road love-in with Murphy, as "Lift" is easily the best record in the group's erratic, but always irritatingly promising, fourteen-year long career.Love and Rockets have often dabbled with electronics (most obviously on their Orb-influenced 1994 album, "Hot Trip to Heaven"), but with their latest release, the nominal bass-drum-guitar trio have tackled techno with a vengeance. "Lift" truly lives up to its name as a dance album for the ages, not only for its big beats and hot hooks but also for deftly capturing the aggressive hedonism that permeates dance culture. It's somehow refreshing to hear a group throwing such nasty, drug- and sex-friendly songs in the face of the scary, up-tight times in which we live. Vocalists Ash and J both possess whispery, hashed-out voices that perfectly complement their subject material, while drummer Haskins and producer Doug Deangelis concoct the sorts of killer bottoms that make your hips want to do all the ugly things your ears are hearing about. Toss in a guest appearance by three-quarters of the divine Luscious Jackson on the better-be-a-hit "Holy Fool" and you've got a disc that evokes a palpable physical response of decadence and desire, even when it's heard in the safety of your own living room. I just shudder to think what "Lift" can do to a crowded dance floor."

A stamp of brilliance

Joren A. Lindholm | Washington DC | 10/09/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Love and Rockets seem to have always aimed for surprising themselves and the public (with switching trends and styles, like early J & M Chain for example). With Lift, Love and Rockets just seem to hit a jackpot of artistic ephiphany. This is a landmark album, that weaves together the most diverse array of styles and structures that L & R have ever dabbled in. Best of all, it's strength comes from its cohesion. Most everything they did before seems like it was a smart assemblage of the contrasting Ash stuff and David J stuff. This one really goes way beyond that. From start to finish, it is a solid tour de force. The instrumental "Lift", in it's opening and closing versions, makes a powerful statement, and is staggering in its ambient atmosphere. It seems to me that Ash's interest in electronica peaks right here, and will be hard to surpass in his solo work. Fans of Tones on Tail should be content with Lift's overall interplay of electronic and acoustic sounds.

This album also really captures its time (Y2K, Bauhaus reunion, etc), and yet endures the passing of time since. I have never objected to a L & R album. I actually championed Hot Trip to Heaven's spirit of departure. If you have made objections to certain gestures made by the band, then you may well run into problems with Lift. But if your appetite is as open as the L & R muse, then you will find this listen to be like a nearly flawless diamond (and a possible swansong for a band that spent 20+ together). Too bad their concert touring for Lift was a bit worn out."

Different and Worth It

Wazzy Stardust | 04/02/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I have had this one in my collection since it came out in the stores, and was not expecting a techno-influenced album at all. Not like that is a bad thing....it is actually like a breath of fresh air. I really enjoyed the techno beats mixed with the unmistakable sound of Daniel Ash's voice, it was very pleasing to the ears and kept the mind alive. Many people tend to get annoyed by artists changing their style, but it in fact does not change as much as it evolves. And that is exactly what this album is, it seems like an expansion of their style and interests, very kept up to date and not overly exploited. Just like it should be."

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