The Break Up is easily one of the most exciting bands I've heard in a long time. Formed officially in 2007 ,the duo of Shane Allen Hall (who many in the NYC and Seattle club scenes may know as either Blix Krieg or Terra Hymen) and Severina Sol (Cylab, Fockewolf, Diva Destruction, Atomica) began playing live shows in 2009 before the official release of any album. Though it took about three years to release The Break Up one could argue it took about a decade with Hall and Sol first jamming together in the earlier part of the 2000's. Perhaps this is the formula all bands should take as this self-titled debut release is really amazing. At just under and hour this album feels like a journey that is much longer (though never boring). Hall does a great job of mixing elements of darkwave, synthpop, and electro-industrial to create a very unique sound that really transcends any particular style while still retaining something that sound very familiar. Of course all of this is complimented so well with Severina's vocals which are really so diverse that they have worked well for a number of styles. As much as I love Sol's other projects, I feel that The Break Up really flexes her vocal muscles while allowing her to experiment with a variety of emotions. This might be the most impressed I've been with Severina's vocal range both technically and stylistically. Throughout all of that Severina's voice always retains a very haunting quality that stays with you long after the music has ended. I think a lot of this can also be contributed to Sol lyrical talents. I first met Severina around the time of the first Cylab release and can tell you that she is a very spiritual person with an affinity for mystical (one of the things I adore about her the most). I think that side of her really shows on this album especially on a song like "Trapeze". My favorite line from the song has to be "I dream in galaxies and dance amongst the stars". The beautiful imagery here is so poetic. If Sol were to ever write a book of poetry I would be the first in line to read it. I had never heard any work by Shane Allen Hall up until this album but with this release he has propelled himself to the top of my list of favorite song writers. You can tell that there's just a lot of effort and attention to detail that he puts in to his work. I sometimes understand the point that critics make when discussing the lazier points of electronic music because it is fairly easy to create a few beats and just sort of let them go but no one can make that argument about Hall. His music has great movement to it, nice little moments in the synths that create personality, and there's both appeal for the clubs or just sitting at home and bobbing your head (something I did constantly while listening to this album). Critics have pointed to The Break Up as having a very retro sound, which I would somewhat agree with but adding in the caveat that Hall and Sol not only embrace a sound that never should have gone away in the first place, but add something very cutting edge to it. I would never accuse this band of looking back as I think they have nowhere to go but up and forward. Certainly the band's sound is reminiscent of 80's band like Berlin, early De/Vision, and Rational Youth but I think you'll find elements of The Dreamside, The Crüxshadows, Grendel and IAMX as well. It should come as no surprise that the production on this album is really tight as the duties were handled expertly by fellow Seattle musician Jasyn Bangert (God Module). The album flows really nicely with a great range of sound from the more subdued tracks like "Black Ocean" and "Tread Softly" to clubbier singles like the intoxicating "Who's Crying Now" or the militaristic "Guillotine". You also just really have to appreciate the pageantry that Hall and Sol put in to their visual style with a mix of new romantic, victorian goth, and just plain class. I wish more bands would take the time to look as incredibly sexy as both Severina Sol and Shane Allen Hall do as it not only sends the message that we care about our live shows, we care about our fans, but we have musical skills to back it the fuck up. I highly recommend you pick up this disc and keep an eye on where this project is going so if nothing else you can be elitist and say you heard them way back when. Favorite Tracks: Who's Crying Now, Addict, Trapeze, Tread Softly, Guillotine, and Requieum
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Album a Day: The Break Up - The Break Up
The Break Up is easily one of the most exciting bands I've heard in a long time. Formed officially in 2007 ,the duo of Shane Allen Hall (who many in the NYC and Seattle club scenes may know as either Blix Krieg or Terra Hymen) and Severina Sol (Cylab, Fockewolf, Diva Destruction, Atomica) began playing live shows in 2009 before the official release of any album. Though it took about three years to release The Break Up one could argue it took about a decade with Hall and Sol first jamming together in the earlier part of the 2000's. Perhaps this is the formula all bands should take as this self-titled debut release is really amazing. At just under and hour this album feels like a journey that is much longer (though never boring). Hall does a great job of mixing elements of darkwave, synthpop, and electro-industrial to create a very unique sound that really transcends any particular style while still retaining something that sound very familiar. Of course all of this is complimented so well with Severina's vocals which are really so diverse that they have worked well for a number of styles. As much as I love Sol's other projects, I feel that The Break Up really flexes her vocal muscles while allowing her to experiment with a variety of emotions. This might be the most impressed I've been with Severina's vocal range both technically and stylistically. Throughout all of that Severina's voice always retains a very haunting quality that stays with you long after the music has ended. I think a lot of this can also be contributed to Sol lyrical talents. I first met Severina around the time of the first Cylab release and can tell you that she is a very spiritual person with an affinity for mystical (one of the things I adore about her the most). I think that side of her really shows on this album especially on a song like "Trapeze". My favorite line from the song has to be "I dream in galaxies and dance amongst the stars". The beautiful imagery here is so poetic. If Sol were to ever write a book of poetry I would be the first in line to read it. I had never heard any work by Shane Allen Hall up until this album but with this release he has propelled himself to the top of my list of favorite song writers. You can tell that there's just a lot of effort and attention to detail that he puts in to his work. I sometimes understand the point that critics make when discussing the lazier points of electronic music because it is fairly easy to create a few beats and just sort of let them go but no one can make that argument about Hall. His music has great movement to it, nice little moments in the synths that create personality, and there's both appeal for the clubs or just sitting at home and bobbing your head (something I did constantly while listening to this album). Critics have pointed to The Break Up as having a very retro sound, which I would somewhat agree with but adding in the caveat that Hall and Sol not only embrace a sound that never should have gone away in the first place, but add something very cutting edge to it. I would never accuse this band of looking back as I think they have nowhere to go but up and forward. Certainly the band's sound is reminiscent of 80's band like Berlin, early De/Vision, and Rational Youth but I think you'll find elements of The Dreamside, The Crüxshadows, Grendel and IAMX as well. It should come as no surprise that the production on this album is really tight as the duties were handled expertly by fellow Seattle musician Jasyn Bangert (God Module). The album flows really nicely with a great range of sound from the more subdued tracks like "Black Ocean" and "Tread Softly" to clubbier singles like the intoxicating "Who's Crying Now" or the militaristic "Guillotine". You also just really have to appreciate the pageantry that Hall and Sol put in to their visual style with a mix of new romantic, victorian goth, and just plain class. I wish more bands would take the time to look as incredibly sexy as both Severina Sol and Shane Allen Hall do as it not only sends the message that we care about our live shows, we care about our fans, but we have musical skills to back it the fuck up. I highly recommend you pick up this disc and keep an eye on where this project is going so if nothing else you can be elitist and say you heard them way back when. Favorite Tracks: Who's Crying Now, Addict, Trapeze, Tread Softly, Guillotine, and Requieum
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