To Kill A Pretty Bourgeoisie- The Patron (2007)

Throughout my entire collection of music, I would have to say that this is by far one of the most unique releases that I have heard.  I am not too familiar with To Kill A Pretty Bourgeoisie, but their mix of genres on this album is something new- Shoe Gaze with Noisy Drones as the rhythm, to produce this fluid and full amalgamation of experimental rock meets harsh electronics.  

The Patron has 10 tracks, all of which pretty much follow the same line of style: tonal intro, heavily effected tones that builds into a nice rhythm then enter the shoe gaze style female vocals followed by a beat, that is hard to tell if it is live drums being ran through some kind of effects or just programmed beats.  I really am not trying to downplay this album, although I might be coming across a little negative, this is a really interesting album.  For me, I like it, but then again I really enjoy inventiveness/experimentation when it comes to different musicians/projects that I find and hear for the first time.

There is a major drawback to this though; I would assume that this style really only appeals to a certain demographic of listeners.  I don't see being able to copy this off for someone and hearing them rave about it when I ask their opinion of it, not because it isn't good, but due to the fact that there isn't any real hooks that would grab the average listener.  It is overall a little downtrodden in style, no uplifting sounds on this release, but it is a dark portrayal of something that the artists are trying to get out, and with that they did a good job.

I would recommend this to my friends that are into different experimental progressive styles of music, but not the average music fan.  If the songs were a little more diverse, even if they stuck to the same style, I would give it a better score.

Official Score- 3/5

Asa Change and Junray- Tsu Gi Ne Pu (2003)

I would like to start out that I really like Asa Chang & Junray.  When I first discovered this project, some years ago, it was a mainstay for me for quite some time.  In fact, I used to play music while I slept and had a big playlist that would go throughout the night, and I can still remember my wife telling me she would hear these guys start playing and it would kinda creep her out.  (I still laugh when I think about that.)

As you might guess, Asa Chang & Junray are from Japan, and I won't go into it, but take a second and look at some of the info. that there is online about them.  So, with us not getting too much into the band, or the other things that Asa Chang is into, let's get into a review of this album.

5 tracks, actually considered a mini-album by their label, but usually referred to as an E.P., so it is rather short. This is a dark yet rhythmical electronic release with live drums; a total gem in the electronic/experimental field.  Lots of layers of sounds followed with additional layers of beats, both live and electronic covered with mood setting Japanese vocals and vocal rhythms.  I am trying to find some actual descriptive words for this review, but in all honesty, this is a project that I recommend to listen to in order to get their full effect.  The only drawback for this album is that you have to be a fan of Japanese music, experimental/electronic music and/or a combination of all 3 to enjoy this to the fullest extent.  I love experimental music, and really enjoy any type of music that can make me want to listen to it, again and again, in order to find out everything that is going on within each track.  Do what you can to find this and if you're not a fan of this style, then try it anyways- you should have more of an open mind.


Official Score-3.75/5
(I scored this right under 4/5 due to the fact that it does apply only to a certain niche of the listening community; but if I'm not being objective, 4/5 for sure.)