BT is a legend of electronic music. Never afraid to experiment or push into new dimensions, he's a true innovator of the genre. His 1999 album Movement In Still Life in particular is one of my favorite electronic music albums of all time, covering everything from hip hop to trance to alternative rock. It's a masterpiece. So when a new BT project is in the world, it has my attention.
The All Hail The Silence project has been in the world so to speak for some time. Christian Burns, formerly of the band BBMak, had collaborated with BT before, most prominently on his 2010 release These Hopeful Machines. In 2012 the two discussed recording an entire project together as a duo and All Hail The Silence was born. An album was recorded and slated for release that year but the duo decided to put the project on hold to focus on solo projects both were also working on. There have been stops and starts since then including live shows and an EP released in 2016. But 2019 finally sees the release of their highly anticipated full length album Daggers, fashioned as ‡ on the album cover.
So what should you expect from Daggers? Well BT has made it clear from the start this project was recorded entirely on analog synthesizers. No computers were used in the creation of this album giving it the throwback to the 80's feel they were aiming for. Think Depeche Mode, think Human League, think any number of great 80's synth-pop bands. Given that I grew up in the 80's and Pet Shop Boys are second only to Prince as far as my favorite musical acts of all time, of course this project has massive appeal to my tastes. Although there are plenty of stand-out tracks to choose from, none hit me as hard as "Looking Glass", the highlight of the album for me. The chorus sears itself in your skull, BT's production is insane, seriously listen to this one through headphones, and Burns slays on vocals. It's a microcosm of what the fourteen tracks on Daggers hold. Burns on vocals over BT's masterful production taking you back to one of the greatest eras of music.
As great as "Looking Glass" is, there are loads of other can't miss tracks on Daggers including "Talk" with its mesmerizing keyboard lines, the uplifting pop track "The Alarm" and the darker vibes of "English Town"and "Broken Satellite". BT and Burns have crafted 2019's first must hear release, an album certain to be among the best electronic music releases of the year and one I'll be playing loud and often.
Favorite tracks: "Looking Glass", "Talk", "Stand Together", "The Alarm"
Daggers was released January 18th, 2019 via KSS3TE Recordings.
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