Machinemade God

The Infinity Complex

In 2003, Metal Blade Records signed a little band with Oklahoma ties named As I Lay Dying. They went on to sell a bunch of records.

With the band's success and the growing popularity of the instrumentally proficient yet creatively retarded sub-category of metalcore, someone at Metal Blade must have said, "Hey, let's get us a few more of those -- how about one from Europe, just to mix it up?"

The result of that request has now been delivered via Germany's Machinemade God, a band a few years late and buckets of originality short. "The Infinity Complex," the band's first full-length, is truly an exercise in formula.

Rapid-fire drums, excessive chugga-chugga breakdowns, and vocals delivered in a bellowing monotone are all staples of the album's 13 one-dimensional tracks.

The only surprising thing here is the band's continent of origin.

Typically, when a genre gets stale, you can count on the Europeans to toss a few creative sparks into its smoldering fires. However, this is as predictable as East Coast hardcore, and just as drab.

There was a time when an album like "The Infinity Complex" would have gotten an obligatory "it's not all that good, but it's not all that bad" review.

That time is not now, and it's time to stop spinning our wheels in the sludge of a directionless, stagnant style and reach out for something more. Metalcore was always slightly promising because it reintroduced quality playing after the wretchedness of nu-metal -- but it was seen as a stepping stone, a foundation, never as an end result. However, based on the continued existence of bands such as Machinemade God, we have reason to be worried.

-- Chris Steffen/The Daily

Soul Position

Things Go Better with RJ and AL

Rap music is confusing. Surf past the newest music video or download the latest "jam," and one begins to wonder what exactly is going on.

When Mike Jones wants to listen to Ashlee Simpson, does he chop and screw that too? Are rappers' houses really overflowing with scantily clad, writhing women? Do they put on bling just to walk downstairs and make a sandwich? Do they wash their white tees when they spill their 40s, or do they just buy new ones? Is hip-hop really just a big gimmick, reduced to sex, guns, bling and crunkness?

RJD2 and Blueprint don't know either. In fact, they choose to completely bypass the glitz and glamour of rap to deliver their second full length album, "Things Go Better With RJ and Al," which looks to be one of the best hip-hop albums of the year.

The follow-up to 2003's "8 Million Stories" is less bleak, less reminiscent and more playful without losing focus on the heart of the album -- quality beats and lyrics.

Fans need not be worried -- the old Soul Position is still there, with Blueprint's rambling, depressing narratives about people ruining their lives ("Keys") and having their lives ruined ("Drugs, Sex, Alcohol, Rock-N-Roll").

However, the album shines when the duo put on their capes to become unlikely hip-hop heroes, cutting through and cleaning up the clutter of modern hip-hop culture.

RJD2 fans will be pleased to hear his signature funky horn stabs and grainy guitar samples in full force, matched alongside newer production techniques.

"Blame It On The Jager" uses a wandering organ sample that brings Napoleon Dynamite to mind, while production is minimized on "The Extra Mile" and "Keys" to draw attention to the lyrics.

Blueprint's lyrics have never been catchier, cleverer or more cohesive. Who else could write entire songs about girls who seem more attractive through intoxicated eyes ("Blame It On The Jager"), switching from Verizon to T-Mobile for more daytime minutes ("I Need My Minutes"), or giving a sex talk to a young niece ("The Cool Thing To Do")?

And with an album that manages to be funny, thought-provoking and catchy all at once, listeners will be thanking Soul Position for their dedication described on "The Extra Mile."

"Deeper than the stare of a man that lost it all / Longer than the outstretched arms of the law / Wider than the eyes of a newborn child / We're committed to go the extra mile."

-- Calvin Son/The Daily

DJ Boris

Believe

Frenzied model ecstasy doesn't just explode. Just like everything else, it begins with silence.

DJ Boris knows this. Expect to feel like being in a nothing-vacuum. Sound slowly creeps around you crafting an environment and not just a feeling.

It's house music to feel beautiful to. It's music to look beautiful too.

"Believe" is a mix that slowly starts performing mouth-to-mouth on you while you're still alive.

This time it shapes and twists reality into a new consciousness where stress and anxiety slide off your skin like cool satin sheets.

Its musical breath will swell in you. The slow ambiance that leads into the more aggressive aspects are an earthy kind. Your brain interprets electrical signals of pain and pleasure.

If those signals had a sound it would be the ambiance in this mix. The release that comes reminisces on a frenzied Zion of beautiful, sexual dancers.

The bass feels like a slow orgasmic pulse of a lover's teeth sinking into skin. The wisps and trails of electronic melody feel like water glistening and running off the hair of a midnight swimmer.

The album flows with highs and lows of tech surprises each one more rewarding than the last.

"Believe" is definitely an album that has to be listened through the entire way.

Classic cuts along with new stand out tracks make the album great, but the tracks can't stand alone. This album isn't just for dancers; it's for lovers.

-- Joshua Michael Torres/The Daily
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