NICHOLAS KINDRACHUK
Love Death Immortality displays a group determined to make some of the freshest electronic soundscapes to date.
For their second major release, The Glitch Mob moved away from the more subdued movements that went with their 2010 release Drink the Sea. There have been a handful of singles and EPs floating around since then, but fans have been craving a new full-length album.
While they don’t have to wait any longer, expectations should be tapered accordingly. With this second LP The Glitch Mob shows a desire for that same epic sensation with a different style.
Love Death Immortality is ramped up to an exciting degree right from the very beginning with “Mind of a Beast.” The song kicks off with a synthesizer humm that is catchier than most songs on the radio. Orchestrated chaos drapes over the track as the synthesizers and drums swirl and intertwine in so many unique ways it’s nearly overwhelming.
The following song “Our Demons” presents a more pop influenced sound with guest vocalist Aja Volkman — also featured on “I Need My Memory Back” — adding her intense and emotional vocals to an already stunning track.
By this far in it’s clear that The Glitch Mob wants you to forget all about dubstep. There’s no wobble bass here, but the drops into sheer electronic bliss filled with live instrumentation is enough to make any fan of electronic music fall to their knees in ecstasy.
What further cements this style is the mayhem of the third track, “Skullclub.’’ Once it lets loose its deep synthesizer hook with a robotic voice saying, “We are the wild ones,” prepare to lose yourself to beats and synths that are too infectious for their own good.
However, this new release also presents an issue for fans of Drink the Sea. While The Glitch Mob’s last album had a distinct feeling of electronic and hip-hop influences, Love Death Immortality has all but abandoned that sound. The group is reaching for a far more straightforward style of electronic music — one that is clearly meant to be played with the volume turned to 11 at clubs around the world.
This evolution is a disappointment in some ways, but if you can look away from their past releases and accept their aim with this LP it’s hard not to enjoy hearing them outshine almost every other producer in their genre.
Another important aspect that Love Death Immortality does take from Drink the Sea is an incredible attention to detail. No matter what sound The Glitch Mob strives for, an absorbing landscape of drums, synthesizers and vocals will always be present.
“Skytoucher” is a perfect example of the symphony of sounds that The Glitch Mob are tackling. Beginning with sweat inducing pounding drums and stomping into thumping synthesizers, everything explodes into a synthetic bliss with the drums and keys coming together in low tones that are simply divine.
With an incredible ability to match their detailed production to a club influenced style, Love Death Immortality proves once more why The Glitch Mob is one of the most exciting hybrids in the electronic music scene.