Songs: 12 Time: 69:50
Come in. Take a seat. Kick back. This is
Cleen. This is Second Path. One of a plethora of Haujobb
side-projects, Cleen is the only one that attempts to align itself with the
synth-pop community. When I say 'attempt' I do not mean that they fail, but
there just something a bit creepy about their unique style. While the vocals
are rather straight forward, the music, at times, is very eerie. Ambient at
times, techno-ish at others, light and melodic; the music is all of these,
sometimes all three together. For the most part, the synths are squeaky, being
tweaked and tinkered beyond comprehension. Odd sounds / samples come in each
and every track. Sunburst, the album opener, as well as Freak
have proven themselves to be dance friendly, end of the nightclub pieces. The
music behind North has an extremely hollow and aquatic feel to it, almost
as if it were being played from the deep, dark, depths of the ocean. The
vocals, on the other hand, are upfront, smooth, and clear…just the opposite of
the music. There is something both simplistic yet complex about Separate
Live. Maybe it's the diverse array of sequences or the variations in beat
programming, but whatever it is it works well and makes this instrumental stand
out as one of the highlights of the CD. Transparent combines the
peculiar vocal styling of Severed Heads together with a slowed down drum
'n bass beat and minimalistic synths. Nightflight is another track that
borrows from the drum 'n bass genre, but this time around Cleen add a very dark
feel to the synths and beat. Lastly, Restore is a straight forward, beat
driven piece that combines drifting sequences with a steady beat and more
vigorous vocals. There is a strong Haujobb feel to the disc as a whole, mainly
in the approach to the programming, but the sounds and vocals are different
enough to set it far enough apart and to give it a life of its own.
METROPOLIS RECORDS
Cleen
is:
Daniel Myer / Thorsten
Meier
P.O. Box 54307
Contact Cleen
@ e-mail:
basmyer@aol.com
Philadelphia, PA 19105
e-mail: metropol@voicenet.com
METROPOLIS
homepage:
http://www.metropolis-records.com
1) Sunburst
2) Freak 3) Cutting the...
4) North 5) Did
You Forget (Special '99 Blackfloor edit)
6) Seperate Live 7) Transparent 8) Stronger
9) Nightflight 10) Can't See 11) This
Autumn
12) Restore