Review Summary: Don't let Jet put you off, there really is amazing Australian music out there.
Gyroscope's first album "Sound Shattering Sound" was a supurb piece of music which went largerly unnoticed in the gobal community. It seems as though the second effort from this Australian act is again falling through the cracks, although this time its different. This time the music isn't supurb, it's perfect.
The blending of all the instruments to create a truly unique sound is something that really stands out in this album. Gyroscope is a band that doesn't seem to favour any one instrument over the other unlike bands like Mettallica for instance which, in my opinion, is very guitar focused. Rather they let each instrument ring out as clear as any other. This leads to absolutely stunning sounds espically evident in songs as "Dream Vs Scream" or "Raindrops".
To Gyroscopes credit they never overindulge in this trait or using it aimlessly. Each note or drum beat on the album is there because it should be there, you won't find anything out of place here. Perhaps most vital to the amazing sound of "Are You Involved?" is the layering of vocals in almost each song. The fast rocking "Don't Look Now But I Think I'm Sweating Blood" and the more acoustic "She Will Come" illustrate that they can use this vocals in a variety of situations.
As opposed to the lyrics on "Sound Shattering Sound", which lacked, the lyrics on "Are You Invloved?" are crafted rather uniquely. They focus mainly on personal realtionships writing from both objective and subjective points of view. Although having said this some of the songs are written in such a way that they are open to various interpretations. My personal favourite lyrics are present in the epic "Dream Vs Scream",
I will scream your name, as I breakout in time./ I will be the same, still the man of many lines
Their is a respectable amount of diversity in the songs of the album. There are fast rocking songs like the already mentioned "Don't Look Now But I Think I'm Sweating Blood" to acoustic songs backed by electronic beats in "Sexxxy". Unlike Gyroscope's previous effort the songs do sound completely seperate from each other making it a far more interesting listen.
If you're looking for something new or maybe even if you're not Gyroscope should be near the top of your download or purchase list. It's a rare gem in the music of today which truly deserves the "classic" rating I have given it.
Recommended Tracks:
- Fast Girl
- Sexxxy
- Dream vs Scream
- 22 0f 3
- Don't Let The Light In
(BTW I actually do like Jet, just thought it would work well in getting peoples attention by putting it down).
