Album: For The Masses
Artist: Hadouken!
Singles: M.A.D., Turn The Lights Out
First of all, I would like to express my bewilderment at the professional critics, who have mostly given this album negative reviews. I happen to think that this is a great album - it is catchy and the tunes stick with you.
RebirthAn epic opener that slowly builds up and up until the opening vocals come in halfway through. I can imagine this one working absolutely fantastically live.
Turn The Lights OutThe most recent single, perhaps overplayed by Radio 1 but nevertheless a fantastic song, perhaps the best on the album. The album version is half a minute longer, but doesn't add anything interesting to the mix.
M.A.D.The original first single, which by now, after several plays, seems slightly out of place on the album, but it's still a great tune. Lyrically, maybe a bit basic ("Bring it on, you can bang the drum") but does that really matter?
EvilCatchy from the get go, and another one I can imagine working nicely live.
House Is FallingAnother catchy one. Maybe overusing the line "Do you know you're breaking on me" wasn't a brilliant idea, because after a while it just gets boring. Thankfully, the drums building up behind it turns it into fantastic, and the ending sounds weird and unexpected but perfect.
Mic CheckA very danceable track, especially the background music during the chorus.
UglyI loved the dub mix on the M.A.D. EP released all the way back in September, and although this one's more powerful, I have to agree with the professional critics here and say that the lyrics are ridiculous. But if it's the music you're after and you're not really bothered about the lyrics - this is a fantastic tune.
BombshockThis one maybe doesn't work as well on record than it does live, but it's still a good part of the album.
Play The NightThis one starts off sounding like a slower number than the rest, but then, the next thing you know, the lyrics "Get fucked! Get fucked up!" smash in. It's such a weird transition, and doesn't entirely work. This is my least favourite off the album.
LostNot so many lyrics on this one, but when there are, they're auto-tuned. An interesting idea that works quite nicely. This is a good closer to the album.
Hadouken! sound like they've gone for bigger and better than their first album. In a lot of ways it works, but in others, they still sound a little ridiculous, but they can still turn it around and make it fantastic by the end. Nevertheless, this is a good progression from their first album.
For the record, their other albums: Music For An Accelerated Culture (7/10)
