Pendulum have always been one of those bands that I have had an unsteady and rocky past with. I’ve always disregarded them which people have often mistaken for disliking or hate for the band, so when I’m asked why I don’t like Pendulum, I promptly reply with “It’s not that I dislike them, it’s the fact that…”. It becomes tiring and boring being asked and assumed that I have a disliking for Pendulum. Either way their debut album, ‘Hold Your Colour’ was a fantastic album, it’s evident in night clubs and the amount of stir they have caused with a debut album. It’s not very often a band or singular person can claim that they opened a door that was otherwise closed to new audiences.

My problem with the album has always been the fact that yes it is a good album, but when it comes down to it, it is just like most other drum and bass… there is much better out there. Of course it takes people time to get round to looking for more of a genre they have just discovered, but when people don’t bother to look and obsess over one thing claiming it to be the best thing of a particular genre, then it becomes somewhat infuriating. So I suppose in many ways, it’s the audience and general reception of ‘Hold Your Colour’ that greatly annoys me, causing me to disregard Pendulum.

Now working in a night club I often hear new tracks of popular artists quite promptly. It has it’s benefits. So when I heard the tracks ‘Granite’ and ‘Propane Nightmares’ I was slightly taken back. These singles from the album are vastly different and for someone that looks for specifically that within music, I was impressed. I gained interest in the album almost straight away and have kept track of it’s release since then.

‘In Silico’ was released in the UK today so I inevitably went out and bought the album. I’ve sat and listened to the album once through already and on my first impression I was utterly impressed. Pendulum have done what I was hoping for and pushed the bar by developing what they had and brought in new elements. The opening track has a great rock sound to go with it yet retaining some of the drum and bass sound of their previous work. The second fuses some different rock sounds that remind me of the originally, fusion of rock and electronic music, that Boom Boom Satellites hold but with elements of Muse. It’s an enjoyable experience and provides a good insight into where Pendulum want to go. ‘Propane Nightmares’ the third track and single is more of a throwback to ‘Hold Your Colour’, it keeps most of the elements from the album yet giving it something new with a bit of Jazz. Jazz and Drum and Bass in one place may sound odd but the Jazz elements only really appear in the beginning and end of the track. You will only find it during the album if you listen closely or with headphones.

I don’t want to go into descriptions of each and every track, but ‘In Silico’ takes on a very rock styled persona yet keeping some excellent electronic sounds and drum beats. The rest of the album keeps these elements bringing a round up of different tracks, each one never sounding the same as the last, and it’s a very welcome change and a move which Pendulum should be pleased with. Though I must warn anyone who is expecting or even wanting something similar to ‘Hold Your Colour’, you may be a bit disappointed with the change in this album. For those who are hoping for some difference and progression, this album is going to be for you.

Track Listing

1. Showdown
2. Different
3. Propane Nightmares
4. Visions
5. Midnight Runner
6. The Other Side
7. Mutiny
8. 9,000 Miles
9. Granite
10. The Tempest

This entry was posted on Monday, May 12th, 2008 at 3:33 pm and is filed under Music, Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.