|
The first thing I can't help but notice in the introduction to "Dinno"
are the numerous similarities to the Alan Parsons-produced,
Pink Floyd masterpiece, Dark Side of the Moon. In particular,
there are similarities in the way Pink Floyd's "Money" starts
with background noises before breaking into the meat of the song.
There's even a repeated sound of coins landing in a metal plate. This
is all played over the sound of a dog vigorously lapping away at its
water dish which provides the pacing and somewhat of a beat that remains
through to the finish as the rest of the song is built up around it.
"Dinno" isn't a terribly complex song, but it is an amusingly
simple listen, even if the dog lapping away at the water dish does
make me a little nauseated. I'm not really sure why, it's just an
uncontrolled response. (No Pavlov jokes, please)
If there's a hidden masterpiece contained within this inscrutable
package, it is clearly in the form of "Drip." If I didn't
know better, I'd swear it came off of The Alan Parsons Project's
album I, Robot. This piece contains many of I, Robot's
Prog Rock trappings, but is saddled with the despair of ennui and
unfounded paranoia. (I've heard it called Doom Pop, which seems appropriate,
although I might label this one as Dark Prog.) The self-help monologue
instructing the listener to overcome faceless worries and fears is
simultaneously comforting and unnerving. At nearly 8 minutes in length
this is a long track, yet it never seems quite long enough. If the
only thing of significance to ever come from The Secret Process
is "Drip", I'd have to say that it is more than enough.
The plodding drum beat of "Pain" trudges along like the
Wheel of Pain sequence from John Milius' and Oliver Stone's
Conan the Barbarian, or the drummer's rowing cadence from an
old galleon. It's not a particularly pleasing or uplifting song, since
its title is tellingly indicative of its contents. "Tomtomtom"
is similarly morose with its tale of a slack-jawed idiot whose solitary
skill seems to be to drone a monotonous beat that plays only within
the sealed confines of his own deranged skull.
"Aconitum Napellus" will have you drifting through the
bleary-eyed world of a neon city drowned in rain, where street signs
bleed like so many washed-out pastels. You can't find your way,
but you didn't really need to be anywhere, anyway. Or, so you keep
telling yourself.
There are some merely average tracks contained in here as well, though
none of them really approaches the "conventional" in any
respect. Anyone who wishes their electronica actually did something,
or contained some sort of hidden meaning would do well to seek out
The Secret Process. I'd tell you where to find it, but - well, you
know…
-JD
Track Listing:
1. Dinno
2. Walking in the Rain
3. Drip
4. Pain
5. Tomtomtom
6. Aconitum Napellus
7. Impala
8. Voltage Meter
Check out more
reviews
 Talk
Back
e-mail the chief
Like this article?
e-mail
it to a friend!
|
The
Secret Process
