Muted
Reviews
rE\dOx + LadyDev
Reviewed 2004-03-14
Reviewed 2004-03-14
Brendon Whitney (aka Alias), out of Oakland, CA, drops thirteen powerful tracks into the laps of his fans, featuring a myriad of styles, such as hip-hop (trip-hop maybe?), drum-n-bass and electronica. Muted confidently follows up his previous full-length release, The Other Side of the Looking Glass, as well as his recent EP Eyes Closed, broadening the artist’s colorful palette which include guitars as well as keyboards. In addition, there is a heavier rap dimension of his former style that seems to have evolved into the largely instrumental tracks of Muted. Overall, Alias’s latest release offers various samples and includes distinctive vocal contributions from Anticon’s Pedestrian and The Notwist’s Markus Acher (tracks 4 and 11, respectively).
potty-mouth tracks: none detected
(note: rating numbers are out of 10 and following each track description)
1. Beginagain: quiet, mellow intro; intercom voices; heavy beats; instrumental (7). 2. Sixes Last: echo-y, raindrop sounding intro; heavier beats move in; brief last minute vocals (7). 3. Again for the First Time: middle eastern backdrop over medium to heavy beats (8). 4. Unseen Sights: lounge mood; quiet vocals; easy beat (8). 5. Shoes, Cars, and Soft Drinks: heavier beats; some vocals (6). 6. Caged In, Wasting Away: weird speaking intro; jazzy beat; heavier drums move in (7). 7. Full Circle Blues: mellow tune; relazing; speeds to medium beat (8). 8. I Would Like to Write a Song That . . .: smooth; easy listen; heavy drums come in; instrumental (7). 9. Am I Cool Now?: female speaking intro; funky beat; vocal samples; male speaking outro (6). 10. Chew the Fat: spacy sounding; smooth beats (7). 11. The Physical Voice: hip hop beat, female and male voices, rapping, brief silences, commence rapping . . . repeat (5). 12. One Obvious Rule: male voice (newscaster?); voice samples; heavy drums with mellow backdrop (6). 13. Lost Friend Advice: reads as 17+ minutes, but it is not! Silence from –12:18 until hidden track, which is located at –3:25 (7).
review courtesy of LadyDev
potty-mouth tracks: none detected
(note: rating numbers are out of 10 and following each track description)
1. Beginagain: quiet, mellow intro; intercom voices; heavy beats; instrumental (7). 2. Sixes Last: echo-y, raindrop sounding intro; heavier beats move in; brief last minute vocals (7). 3. Again for the First Time: middle eastern backdrop over medium to heavy beats (8). 4. Unseen Sights: lounge mood; quiet vocals; easy beat (8). 5. Shoes, Cars, and Soft Drinks: heavier beats; some vocals (6). 6. Caged In, Wasting Away: weird speaking intro; jazzy beat; heavier drums move in (7). 7. Full Circle Blues: mellow tune; relazing; speeds to medium beat (8). 8. I Would Like to Write a Song That . . .: smooth; easy listen; heavy drums come in; instrumental (7). 9. Am I Cool Now?: female speaking intro; funky beat; vocal samples; male speaking outro (6). 10. Chew the Fat: spacy sounding; smooth beats (7). 11. The Physical Voice: hip hop beat, female and male voices, rapping, brief silences, commence rapping . . . repeat (5). 12. One Obvious Rule: male voice (newscaster?); voice samples; heavy drums with mellow backdrop (6). 13. Lost Friend Advice: reads as 17+ minutes, but it is not! Silence from –12:18 until hidden track, which is located at –3:25 (7).
review courtesy of LadyDev
Recent airplay
Unseen Sights
poetry in parlando — Jan 18, 2010
Unseen Sights
Lost and Found — Apr 18, 2005
Unseen Sights
Stirling's Approximation — Apr 05, 2004
Beginagain
Stirling's Approximation — Mar 24, 2004
Sixes Last
Stirling's Approximation — Mar 17, 2004
The Physical Voice
Raymundo — Mar 13, 2004
Charting
2004-02-16 — 2004-04-19
| Week Ending | Airplays |
|---|---|
| Apr 11 | 1 |
| Mar 28 | 1 |
| Mar 21 | 1 |
| Mar 14 | 1 |
| Mar 7 | 1 |
| Feb 29 | 3 |
| Feb 22 | 3 |
Track listing
| 1. | Beginagain | ||
| 2. | Sixes Last | ||
| 3. | Again for the First Time | ||
| 4. | Unseen Sights | ||
| 5. | Shoes, Cars and Soft Drinks | ||
| 6. | Caged In, Wasting Away | ||
| 7. | Full Circle Blues | ||
| 8. | I Would Write a Song That... | ||
| 9. | Am I Cool Now? | ||
| 10. | Chew the Fat | ||
| 11. | The Physical Voice | ||
| 12. | One Obvious Rule | ||
| 13. | Lost Friend Advice |