Impressive Debut That Understands When Less Is More
SandmanVI | Glen Allen, VA United States | 07/07/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Many electronic bands try to constantly beat you over the head with high energy and hyper-speed beats throughout the entire album. That really isn't very interesting. Just like having sex or being a baseball pitcher (you didn't think you'd ever see those 2 things together now did you?), it's important to know how and when to change speeds. M.i.a.B. have figured this out early on. They also do a great job of creating atmosphere without boring the listener. The FX are interesting while never bombastic.
The complaint, from the few who are complaining, concerns the vocals and I disagree wholeheartedly. They mix up the sound of the vocals frequently and it's very engaging. They layer various vocal FX, male and female sounding voices, human and computer, computer and alien voices, all within a single track sometimes and it works well. It also makes a point about how all of these things collide within the context of the M.i.a.B. universe. It's a fine point lost on the people who say, "Duh, me no like da compooter voice." Another point I'd like to make is that if you have a huge CD collection then you shouldn't be looking for the same type of vox on everything that you own. Having a few that heavily incorporate artificial, or greatly altered, voices is fine and in fact desireable. Oh, and if you only have 10-15 Cds in your collection... why the he11 would something this obscure be one of them?! It's an obcure Cd in a genre that prides itself on obscurity. In other words, people are going to take a different approach to things.
The CD has numerous good songs with a perfect array of different speeds and vibes although it all has a very sci-fi overtone. The pervasive air is one of mystery, the mysteries within the human mind to be specific, where other industrial may focus on rage or angst. The music and vocals often are understated as opposed to being in-your-face all of the time. The songs that sound like singles like "Change" tend to build up in non-obvious ways. I think most fans of the genre will love this excellent first strike from M.i.a.B. even though it isn't full of dancefloor stompers."
Better than I expected
Branden | Northern California | 01/23/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I bought this after hearing Mind.in.a.Box's second album ("Dreamweb") first, and while "Lost Alone" doesn't have any of the big powerful smashing songs, I think this album is overall better. Every track consistantly brings the melodies and voice modulation that I have come to love from this band. And while industrial music's lyrics sometimes make me cringe, Mind.in.a.Box does not suffer from this problem.
When I listen to this, I don't have to skip any of the tracks, but on the flip side, none stand out as better -- very consistant. Similar artists are few, but I'd place VNV Nation among their ranks. Industrial music is not my favorite genre, but this album is a "diamond in the rough"."
My best buy in a while
Vendren | Mobile, AL | 08/13/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I found this to be an album where you have to listen to it, start to finish.. it's, in a sense, like an unfolding story, done with very good atmosphere and rhythm. It's not exactly the most club-friendly disc around, but with the abdunance of club-friendly, lyrically-lacking material around now.. that's not a bad thing, at all. The lyrics are very involved and sensible.
That's not to say that the album is musically boring.. it just approaches it in a different way. It's not a constant 120 bpm throughout.. it's varied throughout, with well-timed peaks and build-ups when needed.
A complaint I've heard a lot of is about the vocals.. and to that, I can only say, it mixes so many kinds of vocals through the length of the album that it's never monotonous.. and it's a different way of approaching the vocals. A lot of bands take a single method.. such as VAC's cookie monster vocals, or totally natural, unmodified vocals.. whereas this band mixes nearly every spectrum into the album. They approach everything in a different way, and different is good.
It was bands like Assemblage 23 and De/Vision which drew me away from the sagging mainstream that's so.. boring, to say it bluntly, and after some years listening to this scene, it became apparent that a lot of bands were just copying others, resting on the laurels of those before. It's bands like Mind.In.a.Box that remind some people that the genre is far from dead, and far from played out.. and this album is a perfect start for exploring the "off the beaten path" of the electronica scene."
Track Listings (12) - Disc #1