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06-12-2012, 05:57 AM
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Groupie
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: USA
Posts: 13
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Infected Mushroom-Army of Mushrooms
Infected Mushroom-Army Of Mushrooms (May 2012) (Trance/Psy-Trance) 7/10
This is Infected Mushroom’s newest album and their first in over three years. Cover Art: 9/10 I always really love infected mushrooms’ entertaining, funny and “trippy” cover art and Army of Mushrooms does not disappoint with huge angry, teeth filled mushrooms looking ominously down at a lone rider on horseback holding a small torch. Very cool. Track 1: Never Mind 5.5/10 Starts out a tad slow, a bit poppy and predictable but by about four minutes in some really interesting new noises are brought in and the beat is twisted up very nicely. The whole track is very danceable but still a tad predictable and really nothing too special. Track 2: Nothing to Say 6/10 Begins quietly and builds into what for me is actually a kind of disappointing drop. After a while they manage to build this into an interesting beat and then finally about 4 minutes in manage to combine a few samples and synths to create what is at the very least a very original sounding track. Track 3: Send Me an Angel 7.5/10 I like this track; it has more than a couple wonderful, “fist pumping status” build ups, fairly catchy decent sounding vocals (although I of course have no idea regarding their translation) and is extremely clubby and danceable. Track 4: U R So ****ed 3/10 I’m not really alright with this track, some funny sampled vocals and scratches lead into a beat that is much more dub step than I would like (not only do I dislike dub step most of the time but it is also not what I expect to hear from infected mushroom). Overall it’s not very dancy, and a bit too “light” and “shallow” in feeling, although the ending did make me laugh out loud that is more or less the only positive thing I got out of this track. Track 5: The Rat 9.5/10 Hell yea! This is what I was waiting to hear, a great track, a catchy beat that keeps your interest all the way through, some pounding bass that made me want to jump up and down at points and just a little of that old infected mushroom electric guitar sound in the background. Very classic sounding infected mushroom, great stuff. Track 6: Nation of Wusses 8.5/10 Another pretty cool track begins fairly similar in format to The Rat but eventually picks up a more trance vibe to it as it progresses ending with a couple nice drops and a good finale. If you stand back and really look at this beat it is one of the catchiest on the album. Track 7: Wanted To 3/10 Huh. I really don’t know what to say about this track. In my opinion it is A, too poppy and just not particularly interesting. The female vocals (in English this time) sound alright but really don’t seem to fit the song too well, this just doesn’t sound like the infected mushroom I know and love. This track almost sounds like something they through together as an attempt at a radio single, the fact that it comes in at 3:24 (the shortest on the album) also seems to suggest that. Track 8: Serve My Thirst 8/10 This is another great one, catchy and some of the best vocals on the album, good stuff. Track 9: I Shine 7/10 Another really fun beat, my only complaint is that I really don’t dig the vocals/lyrics but still a decent track. Track 10: Drum n Bassa 9.5/10 This is a very nice track, a catchy almost hip hop beat that just keeps getting better and better. Classic infected mushrooms sounds but seemingly taken to an even further level. Track 11: The Pretender 6/10 This is a strange and certainly unexpected foo fighter’s mix (of the song by the same name). I’d really rather just listen to infected mushroom (in my opinion there’s a time for foo fighters and a time for infected mushroom, having them both at the same time is a little bit weird. Still I cannot deny that this a fairly skillfully crafted mix. Track 12: The Messenger 2012 9.5/10 Wow. This is a really awesome track, without a doubt it is the most pure trance offering on the album (appropriately it is also the longest, coming in at 10:38). That being said it does not lag at any point and is a constantly changing, mutating, piece, with tons and tons of different sounds. It very well may be the best track on the album. The only reason I have not given it 10/10 is that the last couple minutes bug me a little bit; this song deserves a stronger finale. Track 13: Swingish (Bonus Track) 8/10 Fun little final addition to the album. It does really feel like a bonus track as The Messenger 2012 is the obvious finale. Nice little beat, very classic mushroom, very dancy. Overall: I enjoyed this latest offering from Infected Mushroom. Looking back on it I still would have preferred a few more epic (for lack of a better word) tracks like Messenger 2012, but they still do great job achieving what they are going for which is a fun, dancy, and almost club-like album that still manages to remain quite set in the genre of trance. One thing I do really like about this album is that it is appropriate to listen to in a variety of situations; at a rave, alone with a joint or even just as some hyper background ambience. Although there are points where I feel they are attempting to branch out a little bit and try something new, this is more or less the same sound and feel that we have come to expect from this eastern DJ team. The album flows reasonably well and is fairly coherent aside from tracks 4 and 7, which create ominous potholes in the otherwise smooth highway of trance fun. Without those two tracks I would have given the album a point higher but as it is I am almost offended at being expected to sit through such terrible tracks in the midst of so many decent ones. So, if you’re an infected mushroom fan already definitely pick this one up, you won’t be disappointed, if this is your first time with these guys this would still not be a terrible starting places but there are certainly better. Thanks all! Kyle |
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