BLIND PASSENGERS - The Trash Inside My Brain
Songs: 11  Time: 41:27
‘Wow!’  This was initial reaction to the new Blind Passengers disc, The Trash Inside My Brain.  Until recently I wasn’t too familiar with Blind Passengers, but over the past couple of months I’ve been getting healthy portions of their sound.  With their new full length, Blind Passengers’ sound has become a hybrid of electro, synth-pop, hip-hop, and alternative rock.  From what I’ve heard so far, The Trash Inside My Brain is their strongest album to date.  Kick My Soul begins this disc with crunchy guitars, a dominant/hip-hop styled beat, cascading sequences, and hard/untreated vocals.  This track (along with many others) sound like excerpts from Prodigy’s Music For a Jilted Generation disc.  The next track, Golden Years, replaces the hip-hop beats with a more straight forward had dance beat.  One this piece, the guitars are more prominent and, along with the vocals, become the driving force.  Golden Years is a cross between US coldwave and Euro EBM.  Plastic opts for a more funk feel to the rhythm lines and the beats return to a more trip-hop style.  The vocals are delivered in a more spoken style and the sequences are more analogue sounding.  A Frozen Rose is a very short, slower, vocal driven piece that is a cross between synth-pop and experimental.  The next piece, Still Alive, retains the slower pace and style of A Frozen Rose, but adds more complexity to the programming.  There are some nice vocal manipulations on this piece that transform the vocals into a more robotic sounding style.  Guest artist Mia takes over the vocal responsibility on the chorus’ of Infect My Brain.  The music behind this track is comprised of a pulsating rhythm line, squeaky analogue sequences, and toned down, reversed guitar riffs.  The hip-hop, funk electro returns on This is Not a Punk Rock Song.  This track is one of the highlights of The Trash Inside My Brain.  Hard break-beats, minimal/hard guitar, throbbing rhythm line, funky synth sounds, creaky vocals, and rough electro sequences.  I Can’t Enjoy It is yet another hip-hop, break-beat, electro dance piece with heavy guitar riffs and raw vocals.  The first single off of this CD, Jesus Christ, combines a lighter electro sound with spacey sequences, docile vocals, and processed backing vocals.  On the mid-paced Escape, Blind Passengers utilize a multitude of sounds and vocal effects to create a track with eerie backing vocals, experimental sequences, and catchy sequences.  The final piece, All I Would Die For, winds things down with synth-poppy vocals, mild guitars, EBM styled percussion, and addicting vocals.  The Trash Inside My Brain is one of the most original and diverse albums that I’ve heard in quite some time.  With this release Blind Passengers are bound for higher ground.
    
SYNTHETIC SYMPHONY / SPV
PO BOX 72 11 47
30531 Hanover
Germany
    
Blind Passengers are:
Nik Page / Rayner Schirner / Marc Range / Lars Rudell
homepage: http://www.blindpassengers.com