‘The songs are very efficient in the cinematic style and ‘Dead Calm And Zero Degrees’ is even the most accomplished cinematic work from the artist.’
side-line review: dead calm and zero degrees
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side-line review: open sea
side-line music magazine review: hours
7 / 7
We last year reviewed the album Heat of Hunter Complex. The 2nd full length of the Dutch musician Lars Meijer holds onto the vintage electro-experimental touch and features pop elements.
Hours is the 2nd single taken from this album and the least I can say is that this is an excellent title song. The EP opens with the ‘original’ version revealing a cool vintage electro-pop style animated by fine bleeps and embellished with sweet vocal parts.
We next get 2 remixes of songs originally released on Heat as well. The remix of Serious Glass by The No is driven by a bombastic repetitive rhythm and vocals reminding me of shoegaze productions. It’s an interesting experimental pop music format. The minimal approach of the Highway Hypnosis-remix by Drvg Cvltvre is another interesting cut. Next to the minimal style there also is a rather evasive melody part totally achieving this remix. This is a beautiful song.
I regret there’re no remixes and/or alternative versions of Hours. I think it would have been a bonus for this EP. Hours wants to ‘persuade the listener to tune in to a strange mix of Tangerine Dream and John Carpenter film scores and ’81-’82 era Simple Minds’. It’s a rather strange definition claimed by Hunter Complex, but it probably says something about their potential sources of inspiration.
Conclusion: Hunter Complex composes a very own pop-style, which is merging retro-electro influences together with a pure experimental & minimal element.
side-line review: hunter complex
Based and operating from Amsterdam (The Netherlands) Hunter Complex is a rather new project set up by Lars Meijer. This musician was previously involved in different projects like Larz, Psychon and Living Ornaments. I have to admit that none of these projects sound familiar, but it for sure reveals some experience gained by the artist. After having released an EP at the end of 2009 we here get the official debut-CD of Hunter Complex. The album was announced as strongly inspired by the 80s and the first songs only, but confirm a strong link with the golden decade of electronics. Telex and Human League are just two of the bands that immediately come into mind after having heard Wait, Here Is the Night and Dance. The songs aren’t bad at all and will for sure bring some good-old memories to mind (especially for the oldest electro-lovers), but globally speaking it sometimes sounds a bit too sweet and soft. I don’t mean it as a criticism, but on the long run Hunter Complex starts to stagnate in a gentle and polished 80s minded composition. The possible link with the aforementioned famous bands is for sure a reference, but the work of Hunter Complex never emulates their level or their fame. A few more songs like Moonset (with a real nice rhythm box) and Mean Street (which sounds like synthesizer music for stars) are quite nice, but never reach a real climax. That’s for sure what I’m missing here! It doesn’t take away that this is the kind of record that might please the 80s die-hard freaks!
6
DP