Review Summary: Regurgitator... more like discombobulator
Regurgitator were possibly the greatest thing to happen to the Australian music scene. They were an explosion of fresh air to the stale and boring Australian industry full of horrid pop and stoner try hard bands, plus Regurgitator were the real beginning of an indie shift in the country. Regurgitator were more innovative then any band that any grunge/stoner kids had ever seen before, they mixed electornica sounds with alternative rock beats, a most bizarre mix for people at the time and in their sophomore release,
Unit, Regurgitator proved that they were a force to be reckoned with and different was going to become the new normal.
What must be mentioned is that
Unit was a huge shift in direction for the band, as their debut
Tu Plang was very eclectic but still very rock orientated, which meant some forms of criticism were made towards the band when the idea of a change in sound was decided. Yet, this didn’t fuss them as
Unit grew to be their most successful album to date, gaining them 5 ARIA awards and going triple platinum.
Mainly five songs from
Unit became huge, instantly, thanks to a massive following on Triple J (Australian alternative radio stage). The most successful track, “! *(Song Formerly Known As)” was solely based on an electronic sound, giving it a party atmosphere. A huge hook and a very catchy chorus line is what makes this track so fun, and danceable, yet the lyrics are a huge contradiction to this:
“I don't go to parties baby
Coz’ people tend to freak me out
Watch their lips you can work it out
I can hear the words but I still don't know what it's all about
You won't see me down the disco mama
Bright lights really hurt my eyes
I'd rather stay and dance with you
To the funky music playing on your stereo”
“Polyestergirl” is another track that stays on the electronic side of things, with a heavy synthesized main riff, electronic drums and fuzzed up bass lines, keeping the alternate sound that the band really wanted to focus on for the album.
Yet, not every song is based on the electronic format, as the Regurgitator of ‘old’ definitely shines through, such as upbeat and guitar driven “Everyday Formula” which is a simple, yet catchy rock track that has a melody that will keep you humming for days – albeit the play time is ridiculously short.
This really mix and match formula of songs is what really garnered Regurgitator the attention that they deserved in the first place with their debut
Tu Plang yet, flirting and experimenting with many different styles to uproot the then stagnant Australian music scene and get the ball rolling was exactly what they needed to do. Basically,
Unit is an album full of diversity, and it came at the right time.
