Lab Rat XL - Mice Or Cyborg (c) 2003 Clone-Drexciya
Artist....: Lab Rat XL
Album.....: Mice Or Cyborg
Type......: Album
Source....: CDDA
Tracks....: 06
Genre.....: Electronic
Label.....: Clone-Drexciya
Catalogue#: C#31-CD
Encoder...: LAME 3.97
Quality...: VBR kbps / 44.1KHz / Joint-Stereo
URL.......: http://www.discogs.com/release/219076
Tracklist:
----------
01 Lab Rat 1 07:50
02 Lab Rat 2 05:29
03 Lab Rat 3 07:51
04 Lab Rat 4 05:18
05 Lab Rat 5 06:27
06 Lab Rat 6 02:47
Total:40,6 MB / 35:42 min
Release Notes:
--------------
Note: This is the CD Release C#31-CD version - the previous release was
the vinyl version
Taken from the cover notes:
"This is the 7th and last storm from Drexciya. R.I.P. James Stinson"
Review:
I don't mind starting proceedings off (surely three years post this
release, comments are long overdue.) There have been detractors of this
late-life James Stinson project, as there have been against many of his
records which were released in fairly quick succession before his
death. But in my opinion, Mice Or Cyborg can stand against the best of
vintage Drexciya, and not pale in comparison. This is mature,
sophisticated, highly musically-literate work. There are only six
tracks, but there is not a single unremarkable one amongst them, in my
opinion. This is 'grown-up', yet in many ways classic Drexciyan
electro. The underpinnings appear to rely on the staple 808s and
analog/FM synth sounds, but the loose construction of the songs, the
adventurous production (which still nevertheless retains a certain
rawness: live hiss at times, for instance, highly corrupted vocal
contributions at others) lift Mice Or Cyborg above many attempts at
similar models of work by other artists. One example: Lab Rat 3. A
superb, elegaic, lead shimmers over an irresistible but simple deep
bass and kick pattern, which is interspersed with repetitions of a
sharp, stinging, reversed pad sample. When I played this track once at
a 'musical appreciation' evening with friends, the wives of my mates
who'd not heard this before, all spontaneously got up and started
dancing. Straight up. As for myself, the first time I heard this, I
thought, 'am I really this high?' I reiterate, make no mnistake, this
is first-rate Stinson material and if for any reason you've been swayed
by those who doubt the relative quality of this versus more obviously
branded 'Drexicya' music, I believe you're making a mistake.