A Better Life Through Chemistry

Dragonfly Records released A Better Life Through Chemistry near the very end of their “progressive” period, a time marked by plenty of cross-pollination from mainstream club music. Sadly, this is probably the worst compilation the label released in the years following the turn of the millennium. It never made much of an impression on me, so I decided to make a thorough review back in 2005. This edition is a significant rewrite of my original essay, but the results remain the same.

12 Moons opens the compilation with Beacon, an excellent piece of Scandinavian trance. The beat begins without preamble, instantly laying down a steady pounding groove. Over the course of the next three minutes various elements of the song are gradually introduced in a calm and deliberate fashion. The song really takes off once the bass line drops, with pulsing sounds and slinky melodies skimming across the fat churning rhythm. This is another excellent song from Michael Andersen in the spirit of Nimbus and Northern Star.

The next batch of songs all follow a bland formula. I was not impressed by these sounds back then, and still find them rather boring. Natina’s Rockclimber plods along without any exciting moments. Transparent’s Open the Sky relies on a stark three-note melody that doesn’t really distinguish it from the rest. Aphid Moon is known for some very good tracks but I don’t think Upgrade is one of them; it is rather dry and metallic, shrieking with dissonance at times. Tristan’s remix to Invisible Cities by Black Sun continues the trend with more flat grooves, although this one is slightly more psychedelic. These songs form the plain and forgettable body of the compilation.

Prometheus breaks the spell with Cambodia, a brilliant tune with a very strong narrative. Distorted kick drums ramp up from the abyss in the opening minute, providing a tough mechanical edge to this playful tribal epic. The main theme is quaint and charming, while the supporting melodies prove to be pleasantly serene. Benji is the logical successor to the Platipus legacy, which is high praise in my world. Lovely tune!

Noma’s Instant Delivery is cold, dark, and minimal, but extremely well produced. I prefer the sleepy side of Noma, but intellectually appreciate this style as well. Although it fails to really sink any hooks in my ears, this is very well made, and should appeal to fans of his full-length album Navigator.

Bamboo Forest provides the most energetic track here: Awake. Along with Cambodia, it was released on a 12″ sampler in lieu of a full vinyl release for this compilation. This sounds like just about any other track from the French group, who became quite successful in the post-millennial years with their tough, energetic, yet not entirely full-on style. The usual scratchy leads and vocal manipulations can be heard wriggling through the air about chunky kicks and a flat digging bass line. Nothing special.

Killahurtz closes the album with Bluerst, which is similar in style to Tristan’s more cerebral work on this compilation. Too bad the poor sound quality and unfocused arrangement defeats any chance of enjoying this one.

A Better Life Through Chemistry features a pair of great tunes and heaps of yawn-inducing filler. It isn’t even that I don’t like the style; most of these tracks are simply downright boring, which is a real surprise given Dragonfly’s high quality standards. I would not recommend this to anyone except the most dedicated 12 Moons and Prometheus fans out there. Ultimately, this is a disappointment.

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