Review Summary: variation in Alien Nation is king.
The thing about futurepop is that the music therein is both futuristic and poppy. Or in other words, when preparing to listen to such an album, expect nothing less than sugary synthesizers and supreme catchiness -as always, this format is king. As you prepare for your trip, remember to wear a mask before wading through the rooms of sugar, for no human can survive such a massive intake of the sweet substance. Also remember that the main course of the genre is melody, and when melody is combined with sugar, consequences will never be the same. Futurepop is futurepop, and futurepop is good. It will force you to bow down to its awesomeness, for you don’t want to make it mad, you wouldn’t like it when it’s mad. Simply put, futurepop is often a tremendous smash, something that kills, something that you cannot
bloc.
In attractive futurepop fashion, every song is dizzyingly catchy, and rightly so. Take for instance the starting track, ‘Supernova’, which stuffs its greedy pockets with instantly tasty synths, the kind that are too enjoyable to ignore. Imagine a giant swirly lollipop that is your favorite flavor, continuously replenishes itself, never loses its sweetness, and never rots your pearly whites – what a treat it is! Said treats are especially prevalent in songs such as ‘Orion Shall Rise’, ‘Hypercube’, and ‘Destiny Sunrise’. Another treat is the song ‘Helium’, a Middle-Eastern surprise which is done remarkably well despite employing blatantly obvious sound loops.
Unfortunately, the album is not a complete success, in fact, it proves to have some subpar tracks. The song titled after the album is surprisingly average, and although it interestingly employs an electric guitar, it feels like it has been done before. Let’s not forget the poorest track, Musika Atomika, which is a silly and embarrassing romp through robot-voice infested waters with ridiculous lyrics. Unfortunately, since the album is ten tracks long (and since the tenth track is useless), the two subpar songs damage the album. If the album was mind-blowing it might not matter as much, but in this case, the album is simply solid, but not meriting worship.
The greatest aspect of
Alien Nation is its immense diversity. No single song can tell the story of the album, for all songs are completely different. Some have an electric guitar, some are straightforward futurepop, some are similar to synthpop, some have loud house-styled beats, some sound like old-school/mainstream trance songs, and one of them even sounds aggrotech. Really,
Alien Nation borrows from many various genres which the band decided fit the album best. The ultimate result is that of a solid, varied album, and one that will stand apart from many futurepop albums.
Recommended Songs:
- Supernova
- Orion Shall Rise
- Helium
- Hypercube
- Destiny Sunrise
- Speed of Light
