Mesmerizing and Inspirational
author: Kathy M.
I first heard about Pseudocipher through a friend of mine who discovered the band on Launch radio. She kept insisting that I listen to them, particularly “Bloodfall” which I initially thought was a disgusting song title. When I finally got the chance to hear them (the song was “Purgatory”) I immediately noticed the layers of synth and guitar reminiscent of Linkin Park’s more mid tempo Depeche Mode influenced moments, and thought “this is good.”
Then I bought the CD and realized that Pseudocipher is one of those types of bands that after hearing a few times suddenly grabs you and pulls you in when you least expect it. All of these tracks are solid, well thought out, and deeply moving and sometimes troubling ... Purgatory, Bloodfall Rupert’s Star, Your Bleeding Hands are my personal favorites.
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Plenty of Pop Pleasures
author: Synthpop.net
Psuedocipher is yet another band I've discovered during my browsing around cdbaby.com. Actually, what lead me the most to pick up this album was a odd similarity to a older band I love that's not quite synthpop, Probe. This band also plays a very synth-friendly brand of New Wave, with plenty of pop hooks to draw you into each and every song. Well, I've made the Probe comparision, but the band does has some slightly more modern pop influences creeping into the songs.
With that being said, there's some really cool electronic distortion effects leading into the second track "Frozen", and though the guitars contribute liberally to the melody, there is a electronic element throughout the song. "Your Bleeding Hands" is another good song, but the apex of the album is "These Days". A great chorus, and the electronic elements combine with the guitar work to produce a really impressive song musically. "Happy Ocean" is another really outstanding song.
That being said, there are some songs here that just really don't work at all. "Rupert's Star" sounds far too folksy and doesn't really fit in with the other songs on the album at all. "11*14" wasn't all that impressive, and "Nothing Sacred" also fails to impress. But, on the whole, this is a fairly impressive debut album, and I'd be interested to hear where Pseudocipher goes from here..
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f#%!ing killer s++t
author: Bernadette
OH MY GOD!!!!!! Nice....
Bought this latest Pseudocipher disc from Tower Records in Long Beach. The harmonies, the lyrics, everything.....the cello instrumentals, the dark vibe...As DM said back in the day; "I just can't get enough."
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