Day August 22, 2016

IT’S NO MAGNUM OPUS BUT THIS ALBUM WILL MAKE YOU DANCE THOUGH

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ALBUM    :        OPUS

ARTIST                        :        ERIC PRYDZ

GENRE                         :        EDM / DANCE / POP

DATE RELEASED      :        2016

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If you are looking for a record that will make you dance from beginning to end like what Madonna did in her CONFESSIONS ON A DANCEFLOOR, you have that record in this album.  The question is, “is it as good as Madonna’s?  Let us find out by doing a track by track review of this album.

  • Liam – has a very long intro that some listeners might find it annoying if they are excited to dance with this tune. For a starter track in this album, this has quite a simple EDM structure; so 90’s in fact.

Listen to “Liam” here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kb-o33dUvFo

  • Black Dyce – may have an intro sound that is similar with that of Will.IAm track that featured Britney Spears called “Scream and Shout” but as a whole this track is like a new wave instrumental track like those produced by Camouflage and Red Flag.

Listen to “Black Dyce” in here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdHQQXSpHiY

  • Collider – if you think that Eric Prydz is only good at mixing EDM sounds to create a dance tune, he can also create EDM merged with glam rock. This track could be any on fast tracks from Death Cab for Cutie or Muse.  In some portion, you might even hear some familiar strains of an Imagine Dragon track.  You can also possible mistaken this song as Billy Idol’s “Mony Mony.”
  • Som –Saas – again, here is another familiar sound; this track is like going back to the 80’s where Depeche Mode and New Order were just starting out in the scene.
  • Last Dragon – if some tracks sounded like 80’s sound, in this track, you have a feeling that this track is an ode to 90’s dancehall house scene. This is a good DJ tool if one wants to practice skills of table turning.

Watch fan-made video capture of “Last Dragon” here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4yh-Lw-4QA

  • Moody Mondays – if you expect a somber record, well for a start it is but once drumbeats set in, you are in for a mood changing sound.
  • FLOJ – here is a track that you usually hear in rave clubs. While this is not as exciting as his early tracks like Call on Me, this is still over average if you compare it with other EDM tracks which are so over produced that you could hardly decipher the mood that the track wants to convey to listeners.
  • Trubble – by the time you will reach this track, you can say that Eric Prydz is still within his comfort zone. The songs before this that you have listened are no Skirrelx, Diplo, or even DJ Khaled in terms of EDM sound structure.  Thus, you could say that Eric is just trying to create a cohesive record here.

Watch live performance of “Trubble” here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHB6FlKKq0M

  • Klepth – here is another track that sounds like a 90’s house music meet new wave and electronic. It’s like listening to the group called Cause and Effect which appeared during 1990.
  • Eclipse – the same vibe with Klepth, in fact, it sounds like a continuation of that song.
  • Sunset – this track started like a liquid dropping from the roof of a cave. It has an eerie intro sound, like “Mer Girl” of Madonna.  Then, it segued to a hypnotic trance sound that you can imagine a little girl lost in the forest looking for a way out.

Watch and listen to “Sunset’ here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=viQLEBJU9oI

  • Breathe – because of the vocal performance of Rob Swire, the track ended up like an early Duran Duran track.
  • Generate – another song that sounded like 80’s track but this time, it feels like a Kim Wilde track; think of “You Keep Me Hanging On.”
  • Oddity – the first track in this record that doesn’t sound like 80’s or 90’s track. Probably because it has a song intro that reminds you of 2014 World Cup soundtrack.
  • Mija – what started as a church-like song ended up like a filler song from an Erasure or Boy George record.
  • Everyday – sounds like a dated record from a one hit wonder.

Watch live performance of “Everyday” here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOLd4jl0uQ8

  • Liberate – tried to capture Bob Sinclair anthem like sound in Love Generation but really falls short.

Watch official video of “Liberate” here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lKWjRguRys

  • The Matrix – this track is brilliantly captured as it captured the essence of someone being trapped in a matrix. You can feel the longing to get out from it.
  • Opus – is a soaring track but somehow it did not really rise up to the occasion. It just invites people to dance but not to get lost in the music.

Watch live performance of “Opus” here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVdfV37Y-gE

This album is correctly titled as simply OPUS instead of MAGNUM Opus as there are no masterpieces in this album.  Instead, you have a collection of track that just fits together musically.  With that, I rate this record 3.5 stars out of 5 stars.

RATING DESCRIPTION

1 stars = Ignore it

2 stars = risk it

3 stars = borrow or buy it

4 stars = buy it and keep it

5 stars = buy, keep, and treasure it