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Review: Jack Foley
HYBRID'S second long-player is a vast, sweeping, expansive dance
album, that flits from moody, almost orchestral soundscapes, to
out and out breakbeat anthems, capable of filling any dancefloor.
It is a deeply moody affair, which is likely to divide people
over its merits - you will either love it, or hate it, and there's
very little room for any middle ground.
I fall into the former category, in that there is something strangely
compelling about the moodiness, even edginess, on show.
Hybrid are the mixers of choice for bands such as Radiohead,
Moby and Future Sound of London, and it's easy to see why.
There is a complexity to their material which really requires
you to listen to it, with each track taking sometime to find its
stride, yet seldom sounding drawn out.
Vocalist, Adam Taylor, lends proceedings a suitably melancholic
feel, while the presence of New Order bassist, Peter Hook, lends
it a familiar twang on the two tracks he appears.
Yet there is an urgency to each dance beat, when it kicks in,
which propels the track to levels of giddy excitement; while the
vastness of almost every record will have you aching to identify
each record.
The tracks which really stand out are the haunting True to
Form (featuring Hook's bass), the Eastern-influenced Marrakech,
and the smooth grooves of I'm Still Awake, which is as
close to funky as the album ever comes (and where the Moby influence
is really felt).
Elsewhere, the album is still good value, even if some of the
more pumped-up dance numbers veer towards the repetitive, in terms
of big beats (Visible Noise being a good example of what
I mean).
It may not be the best album to play for a dance pick-me-up,
but its joy lies in its ability to consistently grab you, thereby
supplying a neat soundtrack to the blackest mood.
On the strength of this, Hybrid is a trio to watch, so what better
time to wake up to their blend of Morning Sci-Fi?
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Track listing:
Disc: 1
1. This Is What It Means
2. True To Form
3. Know Your Enemy
4. Marraakech
5. I’m Still Awake
6. Visible Noise
7. We Are In Control
8. Higher Than A Skyscraper
9. Steal You Away
10. Gravastar
11. Out Of The Dark
12. Blackout
Disc: 2
1. True to Form (Live)
2. Out of the Dark (Live)
3. Interview - The Full Story Behind The Making of Morning Sci
Fi
4. Dishing Pump - The Hybrid and Moby USA Tour Documentary
5. Hybrid Documentary Special Feature
6. Easter Egg (Unreleased Mix)
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