Monday, November 15, 2010

REVIEW: Android Lust - The Human Animal

7.75 out of 10

During my middle school/high school years (when dinosaurs roamed) things weren't quite as easy as "a click away"... When it came to discovering new underground bands about the only things you could rely on were word of mouth or a few independent zines here and there. One of the best/my favorite sources for finding some amazing Industrial/Goth/Electronic artists was a catalogue based out of Philadelphia called Digital Underground, which was also (presumably) an amazing retail store that also-also eventually turned into a little known record label known as Metropolis. One day while flipping through said catalogue I stumbled across a review for an "up and coming/new artist" called Android Lust. The review said something like "..the female equivalent of Trent Reznor". If you know me, especially back then, you know the whomever this artist is is now an official "must own" item (NIN is gawd). Once the album finally arrived (not finished downloading, actually shipped), "Resolution", it blew me away. To this day it's still one of the best Industrial albums I own. No one out there sounded quite like Android Lust at the time. Android Lust took the best parts of Dark Wave/Goth and intertwined them with Electronic/Industrial tones. Seriously, if you're at all a fan of the genre consider it a must own, in-fact, it was just re-released as a new/super cool limited edition version:) ..Anyways, here we are, over a decade later and Shikhee (Android Lust) is back offering up (yet again) another amazing album.

"The Human Animal" is Android Lust's fourth proper release, and by all means one of her most polished accomplishments to date. Although a little more "Rocky" than previous efforts, "The Human Animal" has many of the same attributes that made ALL of her other albums so great. Actually, the reason this album may sound a little more heavier/raw than previous efforts is because Shikhee wanted to give the effect of a full band. She wanted to introduce her live sound with her studio sound. Overall an excellent idea, trust me when I say this lady knows how to rock as well as shock you with sounds that sound somewhat "unearthly". Most of the tracks on "The Human Animal" have a strong focus on lingering/low end bass sounds, strung out guitar riffs, and blaring drum beats (some electronic sounding/some (mostly) live sounding). The secondary sounds are what truly standout to me though, if you read up on the album a little bit you might know that some of the sounds within are "found sounds", a lot of which were daily occurrences in Shikhee's life. Those sounds plus the always amazing keyboard work and of course Shikhee's ravishing vocals chalk this one up as another win for Android Lust.

If/when Android Lust gets the right publicity she deserves expect Android Lust to (finally) become a house hold name (hopefully). A must own for Industrial Rock fans. Also recommended for fans of Darker/Edgier music with an experimental electronic "twist" behind the sound. Recommended for sure.

Standout Tracks: Intimate Stranger, God In The Hole, The Return (this song is "instantly" astonishing), One World, Flow (Of Impermanence), God In The Hole (a remix, dare i say it.. "better".. than the original--LOVE this song)

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