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acid android - purification Review

Acid android's purification allows L'Arc~en~ciel drummer Yukihiro to step out from behind his kit and expand his musical wings. The band's first full length album in 4 years is full of rough, meandering, industrial songs that go beyond L'Arc's pop/rock scope.

The record uses massive-sounding gritty guitar work with electronic pulses and bleeps folded into the pockets, and capped off by suitably processed production flourishes. The album's main focus seems to be how sound textures meld together. Yukihiro surprisingly manages to make songs with driving up-tempo beats seem slowed down and deliberate. Even when he sings, he focuses on the overall texture of the music itself, using his nasally voice as another instrument, mumbling and growling English lyrics in sync with the snarling guitar work.

Those of you expecting hook laden songs with dramatic vocals and poppy hooks might want to look elsewhere. This is the kind of album that requires your full attention if you want to get anything out of it. The sheer amount of musical ideas flying around will probably wear out most listeners, especially during the almost entirely instrumental ending track "a lull in the rain" whose 10 minutes feel drawn out and repetitive. For the most part, it's hard to listen to the album in full and maintain enough attention to pick out the songs' distinguishing characteristics.

Even with these complaints however, Yukihiro does occasionally have an ear for compelling soundscapes. An early standout and one of the most memorable tracks on purification, "pause in end", opens with chilly electronic sounds set against a monotone keyboard line before exploding into an expansive stomper.

The bottom line is, the music contained here will probably only appeal to a select audience. Those of you who really want a new L'Arc~en~ciel album without the other three guys might want to steer clear. On the other hand, if you're looking for something different or wondering what happens when yukihiro applies himself to a vastly different sound, purification is recommended listening.

- Victoria Goldenberg

Images courtesy of Tofu Records.