Super Massive - Super Massive (EP)
When I receive a CD to review from an artist I have never heard of before, I try to be fair by focussing on the CD’s strengths and report on the work warmly and accurately. I would usually offer my opinions on what may improve it. However my humble journalistic morals were strongly tested when I received the debut EP from Sydney band Super Massive.
To begin with let me give you an overall description of the sound of the CD. It’s much like the sound of cringe worthy, guitar-cheese of Bon Jovi and Motley Crue via 80’s pop like the Bangles with traditional club beats behind it like Sneaky Sound System with every synth toy on the market… through a funnel. Similar to the sound a toddler would make using a funnel as a trumpet. From researching the band on MySpace and Triple J Unearthed, I discover that Goldfrapp is an influence of the group. I wish it were more of an influence because then they may have learnt how to use the female vocalist to create dynamic and mood in a song. Or even learn that people generally want to hear the vocalist. However, everything on Super Massive’s CD is so trebly and peaky and washed out that it has no balls at all (remember the funnel). So even though they define themselves as electro-pop, I doubt it would ever be picked up by a DJ to play at a club or be remixed. The drums are weak and thin, the bass has no bass and the keys and synths sound cheap and not thought through at all. If I didn’t know any better, I would think the band was using a free demo of drum and synth sounds from a sample CD found in a showbag. I hope the chocolate bars were worth it.
Some artists use cheesy cheap sounds to their advantage, like Architecture in Helsinki, and have so much musical ability they can really make music out of shit. This is not the case here.
The opening song Fists In My Pocket lacks any sort of hook or any attempt to draw you into the chorus. The chorus (which is supposed to be the good bit) leaves much to be desired. “I’ve got my fists in my pocket and I’m walking away from a senseless fight” doesn’t really have me chanting with my arms in the air, dancing in hot pants around my bedroom. It’s more like a Year 7 assembly speech. Say No to drugs, kids, and don’t get into fights either. It’s just not worth it. Mmkay?
The following tracks only make things worse. From track two, there is this annoying key board sound which pierces your eardrum in such a painful and penetrating way you can’t hear anything else in the song. Everything is layered to the max but nothing has any lasting impression, any sort of catchy hook, meaningfull lyrics, distinctive vocals and in fact sounds very tinny and thin. Even if they wanted to sound like Depeche Mode and be really 80’s and layered and, yes, a little washed out in that 80’s way, there is serious lack of quality production and mixing on this release that this genre of music really requires. And besides, there are some things that even artists from the 80’s are wishing they could fix now and most of them do for re-releases!
To be fair though I thought to myself, “Well, they are an indie band. And indie bands have no money for studios and good producers. Maybe it sounds better with headphones on? Or in the car? Or on a really expensive stereo? Maybe something with big sub woofers?" Nothing I played this through made it sound any better.
But what of the songs if the production is not up to scratch? Well there is a severe lack of a song-writing ability here. Normally you are drawn into a song instantly with a fat bass lick or drums progression or are slowly brought in as the music is built up throughout the song to a fantastic crescendo. There is none of that on this release. There is a lack of thread that you can follow in the songs and no real presence making you easily lost, if you were ever picked up by the song at all and distracted to do things like wash the dishes. You easily don’t realise that the song has finished and that’s generally not a good sign.
No matter how many times I listened to the CD I could not get into it. I tried, really I did! This reviewer will even go as far as saying that he got into the latest two Rogue Traders albums, which this act resembles closest to (no matter what they say), and they are considered some of the worst releases of this genre. My advice to Super Massive, apart from change your name because the whole week I was writing this review I kept thinking you were called Sound Machine, Super Machine or Sweet Muscles, is to record a live drummer and bass and get a solid backbone to the songs first then work from there. Don’t cover the songs with layer upon layer of synthy sounds and especially get rid of that “wee ooo weee ooo” sounding one in track two that gave me a headache. You can add the little synthy flourishes after all that. Not make the whole song a synthy flourish. I may regret to say that I look forward to hearing your next release and hope you take on my advice and make something better and not just get upset about my review. Partly because I think with work you could do much better and partly because my car does not have insurance against vandalism.
***EDITOR'S NOTE: The drums and bass guitar on the Super Massive EP were actully all played live. The players are credited in the liner notes on the CD***
