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[22 Aug 04] Electrico-So Much More Inside CD Reviewby ferylbob on 27 Mar 2006 tags: Artist: Electrico Written by Jeremy Lua Once known as Electrico Company which ended quietly in 2000, they have since been resurrected and came to be known as Electrico. Featuring a new line up of both old and new members, Electrico are frontman and guitarist David Tan, bassist Desmond Goh, drummer William Lim Jr, Ex-Livonia guitarist Daniel Sassoon and ex-Throb keyboardist, Amanda Ling, Electrico looks set to take over the world with their infectious brew of rock and roll.
Although they may be signed to a major label, Universal, the creative process and the control of the album remained in their hands because the album was created before they actually got signed. So Much More Inside is the result 9 months of sweat and hard work after hours in the recording studio and the money used to produce the album came out of their own pockets. It was produced and recorded in the Snakeweed Acoustic Labs in Singapore by highly regarded sound engineer, Leonard Soosay (Plain Sunset, Urban Xchange and Pugjelly just to name a few) at the helm, and when it was done, it was sent to the mastering genius, Stephen Marcussen in LA to put the finishing touches. . The result is a polished, meticulously produced record in which every detail has been given its fair share of attention. The quality of the production would easily match up to any Billboard chart topping cd.
One word that sums up what is the Electrico sound is ‘rojakâ€. A unique mish-mash of diverse musical influences, ranging from punk rock, to brit-rock, to disco, to electronica, mixed well to produce melodic guitar-based rock n’ roll music. As a result, there are plenty of appealing radio-friendly songs that are diverse and cleverly written. There are plenty of pop hooks and lots of melodic guitar action thrown in for good measure, with solos and riffs as melodic and groovy and groovy as the lyrics themselves. It is feel-good, uplifting music that everyone can relate to and enjoy. Most notably is that lyrically and musically So Much More Inside is a fresh step away from the angst-filled songs that dominate the radio waves these days.
The title track, Much More Inside, is one song that displays all the various and diverse influences of the band. Armed with an infectious groove, it starts off with a disco intro complete with the spinning lights (just work the imagination), before sliding into rock n’ roll then back to disco and grooving its way to jazz and finally ending with bosanova. As David Tan, the chief songwriter of the band puts it “This is the one song that really epitomises the eclectic-ness of this band,†and indeed it does. There are plenty of radio friendly tunes that can give Foutains Of Wayne a run for their money, like the current single; I want you, which starts off with a funky guitar and bass intro before leading into the chorus, which is highly sing-alongable.
Modern rock has its place in this album too, with crowd killer, which starts off with a heavy guitar intro and a low cackling whisper, before leading off into a STP-ish chorus. The piano driven ballad, fabled angst machine certainly deserves a good listen too. With slow, soulful and haunting vocals, backed by the piano and ambient guitar, they sound almost like Coldplay and Radiohead. The atmospheric song Feed the Cats, with the eerie guitar play and the haunting melody on the keyboard, which is something that is quite unheard of is most certainly worth the listen too.
This is one album is definitely a benchmark recording by a local band in the local music scene. The album displays an overwhelming feel-good and uplifting vibe and presents a cross and unique mix of genres and styles. So Much More Inside seems set to be the album that will put Singapore on the international music map, so be sure to check it out! Infectious? Totally! Rocking? Definitely! Electrifying? Electrico!
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