At fourteen tracks, The Electric Mist is a fully developed album with a strong underlying use of industrial beats and processed but sincere vocals. Metaform’s years helming the audio controls are displayed in full effect on the record with each track flowing with layers and layers of beats, synths, and samples that are juxtaposed and harmonized in primarily cohesive ways.
Right off the bat, Metaform comes hard with “Electric Eyes,” a track that is clearly ready for radio play, a strong convergence of chorus and melody that sounds like a cross between Justin Timberlake and a hip hop filtration of Coldplay on their XY album. This can also be said for “Secrelty Alone” with its sensual yet melancholy lyrical delivery.
Metaform deftly jumps between the lines blurred by Trip Hop and Hip Hop on “Revenge of a Nerd” and the over auto tuned jam that is “Candy.” The artist uses a variety of samples to create undertows of sound like on the aptly titled track “OCD” which is a study of repetitions. Eslewhere “My Love” sounds very similar to what is played on the radio by post electro/hip hop outfits performing today. “It’s Gotta Be” is a refreshing take on classic hip hop with gritty samples and a beat that never rests on its laurels.
With The Electric Mist, Metaform honestly puts contemporary hip hop acts to shame. The overuse of sampling and juxtapositions are the foundations of the genre that helped it rise from its urban roots to what it is today. It’s rare to find an indie album that commits to a level of quality of production and lyrical sensibility as found here. One small reservation of the album is that it doesn’t have as many full songs as a listener would like, but then again, there’s enough on this album to satisfy even the most cultured music snob.
Stand Out Tracks: Electric Eyes, Strange Girl Secretly Alone
Rukshan Thenuwara – MuzikReviews.com Staff
July 12, 2010
