'Sugar' helps the medicine go down.
author: H. Wilson
Aalacho's CD is a refreshing change-up from what's become an electronic scene clogged with depressingly sound-alike factory beats from interchangeable DJ's. It's a fairly chilled-out affair of ambient-house pop-tunes with a few danceable/tranceable numbers thrown in to get your booty shakin' -- the electroclash influenced "Mr. Monster", the guitar-driven instrumental "Thinking about U" and a Miami house remix of the down-tempo "Satellite".
The addition of electric and acoustic guitar to a number of the tracks (both vocal and instrumental) helps set this collection apart from other strictly synthetic discs by adding a sonic warmth and a slightly indie-rock aesthetic to the mix, kindof like Dirty Vegas, but on a road less travelled. The vocals are highly processed and often arranged in hypnotic chanting patterns, such as on "I'll go (wherever you go)" and "Satellite", with lyrics like: "for every unanswered question, there's a road that you gotta run down / gotta climb across the broken back of the truth if you're ever gonna come around" and "there's nothing between us but the space between us / there's nothing between us but words" (respectively). The obviously Bowie influenced "Send it in a Letter" is a highly charged declaration against violence in the name of religion (rather timely, to say the least) laced with squalling guitar and a sublime vocal melody, "In your Hands" percolates with a catchy rhythm and shimmery guitars while upending the traditional pop-song structure at its finish, and then there's a decidedly unique cover version of Fleetwood Mac's "Sara" that capitalizes on Stevie Nicks' more esoteric songwriting tendencies and pushes the song further into electronic experimentation, frosted like a cake with sweetly aching vocals (by Hannah Vaughan, who has a buttery smooth Tracey Thorn quality to her voice).
All in all -- a solid listen, with definite cinematic overtones. I wouldn't be surprised if Aalacho's work starts winding up on movie soundtracks soon.
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Verdant, mesmerizing, dance music with a kick.
author: R. Borja
Aalacho's debut album,"Sugar," is verdant, mesmerizing, synth-heavy, meditative dance music with a kick.
The cd is the work of Nathan Scott, a thirty-something New York singer/songwriter by way of the Pacific Northwest and the rural Midwest. His musical influences tend towards dreamy or abstract electronica with a liberal dash of catchy retro-pop - Brian Eno, Cocteau Twins, Saint Etienne and Everything But The Girl, among others.
Many of the pieces are richly textured, often with a hypnotic, driving back beat and a decidedly chill-out vibe. The title track is one of them: lush, with syncopated fuzzy drum and bass and a whole-note synth melody. So is the first song, "'I'll go (wherever you go)." A heartbeat forms the piece's foundation. Layers of reverb-heavy sounds gradually build on top of that, creating a careful, multi-tiered work that resists toppling over into self-indulgency.
The gem in the album, however, is "Sara," a beautiful remake of the Stevie Nicks-penned 1980 hit. Hannah Vaughn's ethereal vocals float on top of a punchy bass beat, filled in with metallic drum accents and echoey sequence work. It's so hypnotic it's almost trance-like.
Scott's vocals, depending on how they're processed through a synthesizer, sound at times like the angst-ridden younger brother of Scritti Politti (without the pseudo-intellectual Jacques Derrida musings), and other times like a more otherworldly Peter Schilling of "Major Tom" fame.
However, there is one song, "in your hands," where his voice sounds almost warm, yearning, with traces of Brian Ferry's romantic crooning. It's the most traditional of the songs on the album (and my favorite): a simple melody against a backdrop of shimmery guitars and synthesized rich, deep strings.
But alongside the lushness, there's also a decidedly austere, industrial feel to several of the songs. We're not talking Nine Inch Nails or Einsturzende Neubauten, exactly, though "i oughta know" does bring to mind the latter's less-abrasive, atmospheric work.
The sense of moodiness deepens into irony, with more than a hint of bitterness, in "send it in a letter." It's edgy, angry, and a welcome counterpoint to the heavy-lidded quality of some of the other tracks.
Aalacho's debut is a promising one, an adroit, adventurous twist on late 80's glossy dance music, ambient house and indie-pop - with a big heaping dose of smarts.
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