| Category | Rating |
|---|---|
| Track Structure | 6 |
| Interest | 6 |
| Melody | 6 |
| Performance | 9 |
| Lyrics | 8 |
| Enjoyment | 7 |
| Recording Quality | 9 |
| Commercial Appeal | 5 |
| Overall | 7 |
MD-1 Project - Random Pain (Featuring Abeey Williams)
Back again with Drum N Bass - those drums!
For the past month or so, I've been trying to put my finger on what it is exactly I like about D&B drums and listening to this, it's hit me...
It's the skilful combination of deep, technically programmed, thumping beats overlayed with delicately played, highly textural hi-hat and percussion work - it's the contrast in styles mixed together that grabs me like it does.
The drums for The Fear are no exception, masterfully put together, providing a roll of thunder that doesn't let up and doesn't lose my attention in any way throughout the track.
A little downer now, though - for the past month, I've also found myself slowly tiring of the repetetive sounding basslines that inhabit the Drum&Bass world generally, they kind of remind me of genres like Happy Hardcore and I can't really sit comforably with that in the back of my mind as I listen.
So, in many respects, I'm still buzzing, totally excited about the stylistic attributes of the drums (I've given a high score on the Musical Performance score for this fact), yet turned off slightly from the rest of the musical content. It's almost as much of a contradiction as the differing drum styles that inhabit the totally strange and seemingly violent world of D&B.
As for Abeey Williams' vocals, featured mainly in the break down, these are good, unique in themselves and I would guess they have plenty of personal meaning, knowing her other work. I felt they really didn't suit this style of tune however, they get drowned out too much as the music kicks back in and the mixing in of them seems a little messy in my eyes. I'm probably going to offend a few people with these views, especially seeing how successful this track has been on this site, but what the hell, I'm slowly getting into living a little dangerously.
Apart from the vocal mixing, the production quality is excellent, a full-on wall of sound where nothing musically is drowned out by anything else, everything has it's place and the listener is assured of that fact.
All in all, I'm still mightily impressed with the drums (those damn drums!), yet slowly becoming less impressed with the musical content as repeated listens take their toll. That isn't a direct critique of this tune, merely the Genre itself.
If you do like Drum & Bass, then this song may well be faultless.
Even if you don't, why not give this a listen and make your own mind up?
You may well find something you like here.
To listen to the track Click Here