Review Summary: Bent's first LP makes an enjoyable and memorable impression on listeners, despite several failed experimental attempts.
Bent is an electronica duo that has always been just a little bit different than everybody else in the music industry. In some cases, especially with some of their latter albums, they have proven to be
very different, and even plain weird. Nevertheless, over the years Bent has undoubtedly affirmed that they can make truly beautiful electronic music. Bent's style is not house music, nor is it techno, it's just electronic. One thing that definitely makes the songs on
Programmed To Love stand out are the occasional usage of acoustic keyboards among the electronic sound, like marimbas, and vibraphones. Trip-Hop and some funk are probably the most dominant influences in Bent's sound, but in many of their tracks 80's pop and other retro influences are unmistakably heard.
Programmed To Love is patched with some truly remarkable and beautiful tracks. It is unfortunate that the first time listener must start off with the odd and off-beat sounding song 'Exercise 1'. This song is a perfect example of just how weird and almost too experimental Bent can be. The beats and rhythms of the song are plagued with weirdness and wackiness that makes the song quite undesirable. What makes the song even worse is the repetition that it delivers. In this regard I'm not quite sure Bent was thinking; it's just not ideal to offset the general tone of the album with a song so ugly.
Trip-hop influenced songs form most of the first half of
Programmed To Love. 'I Love My Man' and 'I Remember Johnny' feature samples and melodies that will remind the listener of other trip-hop acts like Thievery Corporation or Blue Sky Black Death. The songs are distinguishable enough in that they contain a few retro samples among the baselines and classy drum rhythms. 'Swollen' is one of the more memorable songs on this album. While it still contains a trip-hop sound, it stands out a bit more than the other songs in that it has a much more sad overtone, with soft female vocals backed up by a piano melody in a minor key, with a synthesizer providing a lush background emphasis which supports the sad beauty of the song. 'A Ribbon For My Hair' is another trip-hop track that probably stands out the most among the other trip-hop songs. Immediately the listener is bombarded by over-the-top classy bass riffs and drum rhythms, backed by violin and female vocals. The definite highlight of this song is the beautiful female vocals and the harp samples that come in later, along with a vibraphone that really helps enchant the song.
The second half of
Programmed To Love contains more of a retro theme. 'Invisible Pedestrian' and 'A New Wig For Me' drift away the most from the trip-hop sound, and again demonstrate, to a lesser degree, what 'Exercise 1' tries to do with an almost wacky rhythmic emphasis within the samples. It is here that Bent falls short of being a respectable electronica/trip-hop duo. 'Welly Top Mary' is more of a experimental success as the sounds are more enjoyable rather than weird and questionable. Throughout the song a guitar can be heard playing reggae rhythms, among other quainter retro sounding electronic beats and melodies. The song 'Always' concludes
Programmed To Love with a six minute long house/techno beat backed by marimba and soft higher pitched female vocals. The song is a little bit more funk influenced because of the bass guitar rhythms that oversee the song. At the end of the track is a secret track that contains a house beat, but has more of a folk influence, with happy sounding guitar and bass guitar rhythm, and a surprisingly talented male vocalist whose voice resembles Johnny Cash.
The real beauty of this album is contained within the second and third track. 'Private Road' features synthesized sounds that replicate an angelic chorus which really sets the tone of beauty and perfection, along with a clean electric guitar with a bit of tremolo added. The female vocals are warm and soft, and can't help but make the listener feel a sense of wonder and beauty. 'Cyclons In Love' is the most successfully experimental and beautiful songs on the album, and one of the most alluring and enticing songs I've ever heard. The track features an acoustic guitar and acoustic drums from start to finish, with a very low bass rhythm in the background. The song starts to kick in when some synthesized sounds come in along with soft female vocals with a reverb effect.. Immediately after the female part a heavily audio processed voice sings to the guitar melody for the rest of the song. What makes this track so incredibly memorable and appealing is the unique vocals, and the modular synthesizer that can be heard throughout it, and even more for the last minute of the song. The track also has a general reverb effect shrouded around it, which gives it quite a different sound and feeling.
Despite its shortcomings,
Programmed To Love is a great and memorable album, even though a few tracks are so weird and questionable that they turn out to be undesirable. That is however by no means an excuse to skip out on the jewels that are contained within. So for any fan of electronic music or trip-hop music, this album should be given a listen.
