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▓█▓▓█ Artist.....[ Electro Group ▀████▄█▓
██▓▀ Album......[ Good Technology ▀▓██
▄ █▓█ █ Label......[ Claire Records █ █▓█ ▄
█▒█▓█▄▀ Catalog #..[ FERN065 ▀▄█▓█▒█
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▓█▀ ▀▀█▓█▒ Source.....[ CD ▒█▓█▀▀ ▀█▓
▓█▄ ▀▄ ██▓ Genre......[ Indie ▓██ ▄▀ ▄█▓
▓▓█▓▀ ██ Language...[ English ██ ▀▓█▓▓
▀ ▄████ Rip Date...[ 2007-09-28 ████▄ ▀
▄ ▀ ▓█▓ Store Date.[ 2007-09-04 ▓█▓ ▀ ▄
█▀▀ ▄▓█▀ Rip Tool...[ EAC ▀█▓▄ ▀▀█
▓█▄████▀ Encoder....[ LAME 3.97 -V2 --vbr-new ▀████▄█▓
▀█▓▀ Quality....[ 210 kbps AVG VBR 44.1/Joint Stereo ▀▓█▀
▄ █▓█▄▓█▓ Url........[ http://www.clairecords.com ▓█▓▄█▓█ ▄
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█▓ 01 Trauma 2:01 ▓█
█▓ 02 The Rule 4:02 ▓█
█▓ 03 Raid Your Head 2:39 ▓█
█▓ 04 Periphery 2:21 ▓█
█▓ 05 August 2:18 ▓█
█▓ 06 Bikini States 2:58 ▓█
█▓ 07 Minutes 4:05 ▓█
█▓ 08 Hong Kong Blues 2:49 ▓█
█▓ 09 Killer Bees 3:08 ▓█
█▓ 10 Two Course March 2:07 ▓█
█▓ 11 The Dawn 2:56 ▓█
█▓ ----- ▓█
█▓ 31:24 ▓█
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█░█ Even among shoegaze connoisseurs, Sacramento trio █░█
█░█ Electro Group doesn't get as much renown as it █░█
█░█ should, due mainly to its leisurely recording █░█
█░█ pace and nonexistent touring schedule. They only █░█
█░█ release new material every three years, and they █░█
█░█ haven't done a national tour in six. Fortunately, █░█
█░█ the quality of their work greatly outweighs the █░█
█░█ quantity. Their sole Austin appearance still █░█
█░█ ranks as one of my favorite live shows ever, and █░█
█░█ their discography is devoid of even one weak █░█
█░█ track. Good Technology, Electro Group's second █░█
█░█ album (and follow-up to their 2004 EP Ummo), █░█
█░█ continues their winning streak. █░█
█░█ █░█
█░█ The band wastes little time getting down to █░█
█░█ business: after a 15-second intro of ominous █░█
█░█ droning, they launch into the up-tempo gallop of █░█
█░█ "Trauma." Every element of the band's sound --- █░█
█░█ guitarist Tim's frenzied strumming and soft █░█
█░█ falsetto, Matt's hard yet lopsided drumming and █░█
█░█ (most importantly) Ian's extremely distorted bass █░█
█░█ lines --- comes through louder and clearer than █░█
█░█ ever before. The song only needs two verses, two █░█
█░█ choruses and two minutes to make its point before █░█
█░█ ending. Although only three of Good Technology's █░█
█░█ 11 songs cross the three-minute mark, Electro █░█
█░█ Group makes every second count, as if they're █░█
█░█ just as anxious to play these songs as their fans █░█
█░█ are to hear them. █░█
█░█ █░█
█░█ On Good Technology, the band dodges █░█
█░█ derivativeness by occasionally incorporating █░█
█░█ influences not normally affiliated with their █░█
█░█ sub-genre. Tim's acoustic guitar playing on "The █░█
█░█ Rule" imitate the mystical boogie of Led █░█
█░█ Zeppelin, and his dissonant chord voicings on █░█
█░█ "Bikini States" and "Hong Kong Blues" hark back █░█
█░█ to vintage Sonic Youth. Not to be outdone, Matt █░█
█░█ turns in some positively breakbeat-worthy █░█
█░█ drumming on standout track "August," and goes █░█
█░█ totally math-rock on us with the tricky meter █░█
█░█ changes of "Raise Your Head." Nonetheless, this █░█
█░█ is still a shoegaze album: the vocal harmonies █░█
█░█ and whooshing guitars on the coda of "The Rule" █░█
█░█ will take you on a Ride to Nowhere, and the █░█
█░█ whammy-bar histrionics on "Two Course March" are █░█
█░█ textbook My Bloody Valentine. █░█
█░█ █░█
█░█ Where the album truly lives up to its title is in █░█
█░█ the growing confidence that Electro Group has █░█
█░█ developed in the studio: the musicianship is more █░█
█░█ confident, the production clearer and more █░█
█░█ detailed. The band gives the beautiful ballad █░█
█░█ "Minutes" a psychedelic tint by reversing the █░█
█░█ keyboards and coating the cymbals in tremolo. █░█
█░█ "Killer Bees" begins with an interlude of white █░█
█░█ noise and high-pitched slide guitars that ends up █░█
█░█ weaving itself in and out of the rest of the █░█
█░█ song. On "Periphery," Tim's voice is run through █░█
█░█ bottom-of-the-well reverb that makes his pleading █░█
█░█ lyrics ("Will you come home?/When will you come █░█
█░█ home?") even more heartbreaking. █░█
█░█ █░█
█░█ Speaking of hearts, I have a theory that most █░█
█░█ great shoegaze songs are love songs buried in █░█
█░█ noise. Good Technology supports my theory by █░█
█░█ functioning as a sort of concept album about the █░█
█░█ dissolution of a relationship. Although the █░█
█░█ lyrics are simple, they cover every emotion from █░█
█░█ frustration ("I could have made you see/but you █░█
█░█ made it so hard"), isolation ("You've been living █░█
█░█ underground/It turned you upside down"), █░█
█░█ resignation ("You got tired of waiting/for me to █░█
█░█ move to notice you") to, ultimately, regret ("We █░█
█░█ have been wrong/To let it slip away"). I wouldn't █░█
█░█ know this, though, if the lyrics weren't printed █░█
█░█ in the CD booklet: as usual, Tim's vocals are █░█
█░█ placed beneath his guitars in the mix. Reading █░█
█░█ the lyrics, though, has enabled me to connect █░█
█░█ with Good Technology in a way that I couldn't █░█
█░█ with their previous work. Now I can let Electro █░█
█░█ Group into both my ears AND my heart; you'd be █░█
█░█ wise to do the same! █░█
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▄▀▀██ 1way AMOK BCC BUTT CMS EGO ██▀▀▄
▀▓█ ESC FNT FTD gF HiT2000 iTS █▓▀
▄▄ ▀▓█ JUST MTD NuHS pyt rH RNS SDR █▓▀ ▄▄
▓▓█████▓▄ SER soup SSR twee UKi WUS ▄▓█████▓▓
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▄ ░▒▓█████████▓▒░ ASCii By AyL!cRO 2oo5 ░▒▓█████████▓▒░ ▄
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