Bassland - Bassland mp3 download

Xellerlu

A super unknown electronic and indie outfit that seems to have vanished from existence. It's a darn shame, this self-titled album is a very decent display of what the two behind the act (Alex Xenophon and Stuart Breidenstein) are capable of pulling off. Some tunes elaborate, some fairly minimal. Very few songs can attach themselves to only one genre or subgenre. The Untitled opener sets the tone for the more techno and breakbeat heavy tracks on the release. A combination of midtempo and fast beats with warbly bass, synths, and pads. The tempo is lowered to a more spacey breaks track on "Empty Sea Of Nothingness", one of two songs to be released prior to the album's release. Afterwards, we get a cover of Nine Inch Nails' "Piggy" originally on a covers album. I think it is one of the weaker songs, but it is a more downtempo and grittier song than the others earlier. Their rock elements start to gain the spotlight on the post-rocky and chilled out "Balloon". A nice tranquil break which leads to some of the more intense songs on the album.It is then followed by the industrial cues of "Somewhere In The Middle" and the acoustic rock/trip-hop hybrid track "This Never Happened". Alex's vocal presence is on the grungier side, very alike to Trent Reznor. It works wonder on some tracks, but on others I feel he tries a bit too hard. Techno and trance bangers return with "World Away" and "Betty", the former still having some of Xenophon's vocals layered over at the start. They are a tad on the repetitive side, but both stand out for being the most dance-able songs present. Another mellow break hits with "Marad 3" and "Never Let You". The former being an almost ambient piece with some plucky chords to accompany it, and the latter being some glitchy lounge music. The vocal performance by Alissa Kueker works to that song's benefit.Finally, we end on another rockier route, with "End With U" being my favorite song on the album. Besides a little audio hiccup near the electric guitar section, it flows great. Starts out sort of mellow despite a drum and bass like breakdown, and then turns almost alt-rock in the middle. The album closes with a soft acoustic number, and a pleasant ending to the release.Such a shame that this album is very overlooked. It's not perfect, but I admire every song on here for one reason or another. Personal faves: (Untitled), Balloon, Betty, Marad 3, End With ULeast faves: Piggy (Nine Inch Nails cover), This Never Happened