THE PROJECT_PALE
1/ Driving These Icy Roads (Snelden) 4.39
2/ Snowed In (Snelden) 5.09
3/ It's Not That I'm Uncomfortable (Snelden) 2.10
4/ Cleopatra's Needle (Snelden) 5.19
5/ Pulled Out To Sea (Snelden) 3.58
6/ Another Day Without (Snelden) 6.55
7/ With Open Arms (Snelden) 6.52
8/ No Help Coming (Gluck) 5.09
9/ Our Inventions and How They Fail Us (Snelden) 4.33
10/ Transatlantic (Gluck) 6.33
Guitars recorded at The Faux Taxidermy Hunting Lodge in Kingston, NY
Bass recorded loudly next door to Revolution Sound, NYC
Sensi*star vocals recorded at Dubconscious Studios, Brooklyn, NY
Mix translation by Bill Laswell at Orange Music, New Jersey
Engineering: Robert Musso
Assistant: James Dellatacoma
Produced and arranged by the Project Pale
Mastered by Michael Fossenkemper at Turtletone Studio, NYC
Jason Selden: guitars, vocals, synths; Submerged: bass. keyboards, samples; sensi*star: vocals (1,7);
Mahine: drums.
2009 - OHM Resistance (USA), 12M OHM (CD)
The tracks with vocals are good but the music is so overpowering, particularly the bass with heavy overtones that the Vox Humana gets lost in the mix and you can barely understand the words. Even so, I liked it just as much as the brilliant instrumental tracks. I don't always have to understand the vocals to enjoy the music; it has never been a prerequisite with my listening requirements although if the music is intended to make a point with the lyrics that is different. In this case I think it is more important that people understand what they are doing with the music on a technical and improvisational level.
Best track hands down is "No Help Coming". It rocks straight ahead and the electronics are an added bonus that gives it an industrial edge that ebbs and flows like the ocean tide at night. "Transatlantic" is my next pick and a powerful selection to close out the album. It has some nice textures and atmospheres whilst changing up the pace from moody and gradual to a sudden kick into overdrive with a heavy emphasis on the synth side of the house. All in all a very tightly produced composition that shows off what these two talents can manage to throw at you in a single track.
Overall this music is for those open to something different with an experimental edge that is light years away from what you will find in top forty charts in the pages of Billboard Magazine. After giving this CD a few spins it is apparent that Selden and Submerged can pack a wallop with what they have at their disposal. Two people ending up sounding like five and to put the icing on the cake, this is very cool music.
Enjoyment: 5 out of 5
Sound Quality: 4 out of 5
Keith "MuzikMan" Hannaleck (courtesy of the Enjoy the Music website)
Sometimes familiar puzzle pieces re-assemble themselves into something new. The Project Pale is comprised of Kingston, New York's Jason Selden (aka Glitch from The Chosen); Submerged and Sensi*Star (aka Phillia Kim Downs). Each has a following and creative spark in their own right, but their talents and efforts merge as The Project Pale to create something new and original. The Project Pale's debut album, Our Inventions And How They Fail Us, incorporates Synth Rock, drone, shoegaze and a post-industrial mix of metal and electronic styles that will thrill fans of music best described as "unclassifiable". With production by the legendary Bill Laswell, Our Inventions And How They Fail Us is bound to create quite a stir. Our Inventions And How They Fail Us opens on the unsettled electro-rock of Driving These Icy Roads before settling into dark, brooding wonderment on Snowed In. There is a cinematic feel to a number of the tracks here, almost as if The Project Pale is something of a post-modern Tangerine Dream. Many of the tracks here just have the sound and feel of soundtrack music. Cleopatra’s Needle is wonderfully primal in rhythm and features big, fuzzy electric guitars in a wash of sound that’s never overpowering but makes a distinct impression. Another Day Without is a wonderfully emotive track, soaring in dark, melancholy skies. My favorite track is With Open Arms; if Pink Floyd had been born in a digital age, this is what they might have sounded like. No Help Coming hits the cinematic nail right on the head, mixing grinding, industrial sound with exploratory, almost lyric passages for veritable musical roller coaster ride. Be sure also to check out the title track, Pulled Out To Sea and Transatlantic. The Project Pale looks to bring Electronic music more into the mainstream by offering up an album that is as varied as it is unique. Our Inventions And How They Fail Us is a very ambitious project and mostly delivers on its ambition. The cinematic scope of the music means it may be a matter of time before the music of The Project Pale is coming at you in your local Cineplex. Some movie producer is going to hear them and realize what their potential is. Like Tangerine Dream, Glitch, Submerged and Sensi*Star have the potential to break a lot of ground as a team (as they have individually). This is a great album.
4 out of 5
Wildy (courtesy of the Wildy's World blog)