The Quintessential Synthcore Album
It's not just noise.
If you’ve actually decided to read this article, rather than blowing it off at the sight of the word “synthcore”, congratulations…there’s hope for you yet. In the current music scene, any genre that contains the word “core” is just lumped into the category of “it’s just noise”. Yes, much of what’s out there in any of the insert genre here-core is total crap. But every so often, a band comes along that’s an exception which proves the rule. Such is the case with synthcore, a genre characterized by the mixture of signing, screaming, distorted guitars, and of course synthesizers. To the average music fan, most synthcore music sounds like someone screaming while shoving a Nintendo in a blender. British rockers Enter Shikari, however, have a sound that is much more appealing.
On their debut full-length, Take to the Skies, Enter Shikari manages to set themselves apart from the pack. Most hardcore/post-hardcore/screamo/etc. bands tend to sound quite a bit alike, sometimes to the point where one can’t be distinguished from another. From one end of the album to the other, Take to the Skies can almost be thought of as one continuous track. Every track on the album leads seamlessly into the next by use of either a brief instrumental interlude or a quick shift at the end of a track. The album begins with an instrumental intro track that leads into “Enter Shikari”, a song built upon the base of a frenetic synth loop.
Enter Shikari’s ability to transition smoothly from screaming into singing is what makes their music stand out over other synthcore acts. Where some bands would be content to simply scream and growl their way through a four minute track, Enter Shikari throw in singing that does not seem in any way out of place. The use of an announcer-style voice in the background as well as “gang vocals” also help to give the album a larger, more energetic feel. At points in the album, you feel ready to run through a freaking brick wall. Case in point: “Sorry, You’re Not A Winner”, a song about playing scratch cards. Just listen to the song and try not to clap along right before the verses. It’s not possible. Take to the Skies isn’t all high energy raucousness, though. “Today Won’t Go Down In History” slows things down for a breather before diving back into the fray.
Possibly the best track on an album full of gems is “Johnny Sniper”, a mid-tempo offering that perfectly blends synth, vocals, bass, guitars and drums…letting each stand out but still remain part of the bigger picture, and that’s what makes Enter Shikari so easy to listen to. Each part of an individual song is just as much fun to listen to as the entire song is. You can listen to the album from end to end multiple times, each time focusing only on the percussion/bass/synth/etc. and it’s very rare to want to skip a song.
Need to get pumped up for a street fight or maybe just get the energy to leave your apartment for a few hours? Take to the Skies will give you that energy. Enter Shikari is currently finishing their second album, which is tentatively set to release in April. Give them a chance and you may discover that it’s more than just noise.
Posted by Cory Roop on Feb 02, 2009 @ 9:30 am