Concord Dawn - Air Chrysalis Album Review
Concord Dawn have always seemed to be ahead of the drum and bass game, innovating and pushing the genre with each release, and in the process becoming well known here and around the world.
That innovative streak seemed to diminish a little with the departure of Evan Short (who has now returned to his metal roots with Cobra Khan and Subtract) and the last album, The Enemy Within, had more of a commercial/mainstream feel than their earlier work. That's not necessarily a bad thing, as it was also the most accessible due to it's lighter feel.
The latest album, Air Chrysalis, continues on that path, managing to cater at the same time to those long time fans, and those who are looking for a polished, catchy (read radio friendly) drum and bass sound. And best of all, it's free - as long as you like their Facebook page.
There's a handful of songs that really stand out on the album, notably "One Tear" which once again features the vocal talents of Rikki Morris. His track "Forever" was the highlight from previous album The Enemy Within, so it's no surprise that this track is just as strong. It would be hard not to also mention Savage's skills on "Step ‘Em Up High", harking back to Scribe's efforts on 2003's album Get Ready, but planting the sound firmly in the now.
Those tracks are scattered throughout the album, providing counterpoints to the instrumental tracks; an effect that works well for the most part. The vocal tracks tend to be mellower, so anyone putting the album on expecting a relentless onslaught of drum and bass to get the party cranking is probably going to be somewhat disappointed; actually, anyone expecting a full on dance album is probably going to want to look elsewhere. But if it's well-crafted electronica you're after, then Air Chrysalis should be just the ticket.
View Track Listing
About Concord Dawn
After touring the album throughout New Zealand they released their second album Disturbance in April 2001 and received Best Electronic Album and Best Independent Release at the 2001 bNet Music Awards. Both Concord Dawn and Disturbance sold far better than expected and the boys received strong reviews in all forms of media not only for their releases but also for their energetic live performances. For the next year they went into hiatus to refine the Concord Dawn sound further with Evan heading to London for 5 months to immerse himself in the culture of the Drum and Bass homeland. Upon his return to New Zealand work was started on their 3rd album Uprising with tracks like Morning Light and Don't Tell Me finding international acclaim well before the album's release. Uprising was released in New Zealand in September 2003 and reached gold sales status in an amazing 3 months.
With Concord Dawn now well established internationally and their catalogue now being distributed worldwide Evan and Matt embarked on a seemingly never ending world tour, travelling all over the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia and Australia. At the 2003 bNet music awards Morning Light won Best Song and Most Radio Play and at the 2004 bNet music awards Uprising received Best Album and Best Electronic Release. Concord Dawn were also nominated for Best Electronic Act at the 2004 New Zealand music awards but narrowly missed out to Salmonella Dub.
Visit the muzic.net.nz Profile for Concord Dawn
Releases
Other Reviews By Alistar3000
Primacy - Single Review: Shade Black
15 Oct 2015 // by Alistar3000
Auckland 5-piece Primacy are one of those bands that don’t try and hide their influences; their new single Shade Black is a healthy blend of all that was good about ‘90s rock, and that’s not a bad thing. Starting out with a Tool-like intro that soon gives way to a heavier, chugging riff, the song maintains a freshness and urgency throughout.
Read More...
Cairo Knife Fight - Album review: The Colossus
11 Jun 2015 // by Alistar3000
Having seen Cairo Knife Fight perform live many times over the past few years I’d always been under the assumption they were performing songs from a number of prior recordings. So I was a little surprised to discover that The Colossus was actually their first album (they do have a few EPs recorded), and more surprised to find that long time guitarist Aaron Tokona (AHoriBuzz) was no longer a key part of the band, and makes only a small appearance on the album – with that revelation I didn’t know what to expect when I pressed play.
Read More...
Mel Parsons - Album Review: Drylands
05 May 2015 // by Alistar3000
Back in 2011 I reviewed Mel Parsons' second album Red Grey Blue and enjoyed it – it had some well written songs, was well produced, and was easy to listen to. When I first popped in her latest album Drylands, I thought she’d taken a bit of a different path to the alt-country that dominated her first album.
Read More...
Album Review: Tahuna Breaks Live 10
02 Apr 2015 // by Alistar3000
It’s hard to believe that Tahuna Breaks is celebrating 10 years making music together, although they do seem to have always been around, and I guess if anyone’s going to be keeping a record of how long they’ve been making their brand of funkified reggae, it’d be them. To celebrate the occasion they’ve release Tahuna Breaks Live 10 – 10 tracks spanning their career, recorded live last year at a one-off concert to celebrate the milestone (so I guess the album should actually be called 10 + 6 months).
Read More...
State Of Mind - EP Review: Until The World Ends
12 Feb 2015 // by Alistar3000
Auckland drum and bass duo State of Mind are no strangers to collaboration, having worked with the likes of Tiki Taane and PNC to craft some big hitting tracks that achieved a lot of airplay. This time round they’re working with the trio from Black Sun Empire, hailing out of the Netherlands, produce the heavy hitting Until The World Ends EP together.
Read More...
Album Review: Latinaotearoa in Latinoamerica
09 Dec 2014 // by Alistar3000
When I started reading about the concept behind the second Latinaotearoa album it sounded like a good idea and I was quite excited to have a listen to it. If you’re not familiar with the story, Auckland musician Isaac Aesili (Solaa, Opensouls, Eru Dangerspiel, Funkommunity) teamed up once again with Venezualan singer Jennifer Zea, and Brazilian-born DJ Bobby Brazuka, to research and write a bunch of songs in Brazil, then record the album of Latin-influenced tunes in Brazil and Auckland with guest appearances by some great musicians (such as Raiza Biza, Julien Dyne, Riki Gooch and Miguel Fuentes) – what should, on paper, lead to some great experimentation and crossovers of styles.
Read More...
Beastwars Live at San Fran, Wellington 10/10/2014
21 Oct 2014 // by Alistar3000
I was finding it hard to believe that it’d been over 18 months since I last saw Beastwars play in Wellington as I stumbled on down to the newly refurbished San Fran in Wellington last week. I’m not sure why it’d taken me so long to go back to Wellington’s number one metal (or at least heavy rock) band, especially since they’d never disappointed me before.
Read More...
Into Orbit - Caverns Album Review
24 Aug 2014 // by Alistar3000
Wellington two piece noisemakers Into Orbit have an appropriate name for the kind of music they’ve created on their new album Caverns; it’s spacey feeling, often out there and is sure to take off. I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect from the album before listening to it (or even if I’d like it at all), but came away a devoted fan after having it on constant repeat for a couple of days while I explored everything it had to offer (I’m still not there yet, not even close).
Read More...
Most Viewed Artists
Latest Galleries
NZ Top 10 Singles
- TOO SWEET
Hozier - BEAUTIFUL THINGS
Benson Boone - LOSE CONTROL
Teddy Swims - LIKE THAT
Future And Metro Boomin feat. Kendrick Lamar - END OF BEGINNING
Djo - I LIKE THE WAY YOU KISS ME
Artemas - WE CAN'T BE FRIENDS (WAIT FOR YOUR LOVE)
Ariana Grande - STICK SEASON
Noah Kahan - TEXAS HOLD 'EM
Beyonce - LEAVEMEALONE
Fred Again.. And Baby Keem
More Content on muzic.net.nz
Google Site Search
100% New Zealand Music
All content on this website is copyright to muzic.net.nz and other respective rights holders. Redistribution of any material presented here without permission is prohibited.
Report A Problem
