Menog - Emotions

Menog’s second album Emotions continues to explore the deliciously dark frontiers of the full-on sound. There’s no disguising how similar to Infected Mushroom this sound is, but at least Menog has put his own twist on much of it. The album was released to mixed reactions in 2004, never seeming to top anyone’s favourites lists, though it generated more discussion than most releases. Owing to my interest in melodic psytrance with a sinister touch, I ended up snagging this one. The samples sure seemed promising, but the album hasn’t held up to repeated listening unfortunatly. I will give the artist and label some credit though – the cover art looks really good, and jamming 79 minutes of music on a CD is really appreciated.

Beyond Emotion opens the album with a dark and psychedelic downbeat tune. It’s not much different from having a trance beat underneath, but it does give the producer some room to develop delicate gothic melodies that layer up and iterate through appealing patterns. It’s a daring thing to throw this in to begin the album, and there are times where I feel that it works, but just as many occasions where I feel that it doesn’t. It’s interesting at the very least, but not a remarkable creation.

Once that is done with we are thrust into the body of the album with the blunt force of Kinho’s Hallucination. Menog is so impatient to get to the body of the song that the introductory sequences are incredibly rushed. However, this is easily excused when it becomes clear that he’s got a wild assortment of huge psychedelic melodies to share with listeners! The bass line is as up front as the leads, hyperactively jacking between beats like the world’s about to end. Structurally it’s as abnormal as Hux Flux, with drops placed at odd intervals, which is sure to confound any DJ eager to play this out and mix it well. Sampling from Fight Club is also somewhat overdone on this one, with numerous utterances from the movie. The result is a frantic piece of truly full-on dark trance, which surprisingly manages to sound polished even as it flips out and hurls melodies all over the place. If nothing else, this wins points for being so brash!

Already Found It lightens the mood somewhat, resorting to bubbly bass lines and a slightly slower groove. The melodies and sound effects are nearly as up front however, and thank goodness for that. This one has some very nice progression from the early tickles of a lead to it’s ultimate peak. Layering is frequently used to create tension, and the build-ups are nice and powerful. The samples are stark and abrupt once again, but this can be forgiven. The spooky mood really conjures a mirthful sense of reckless fun, but this doesn’t quite reach its full potential. The last minute or so sees the tune bog down under the weight of its own aggressive advancement. It’s solid DJ fodder if one can make it work!

Cosmic Consciousness makes a valiant effort to continue developing the theme but can end up sounding somewhat vain, whiny, and hollow. At other times it sounds as if it expresses a tense and frantic storyline with edgy melodies. I don’t quite know why this is, but I still lump this track in with the good ones.

The title track Emotions is an interesting representative of Menog’s style. A heavy driving bottom-end provides an appealing foundation, while a wild assortment of spinning melodics can send one’s mind travelling. In some ways it reminds me of Mr. Peculiar’s material on the Syncrosect DVD, working within the territory of alien biomechanics and mystic pulsating rhythms. All the bijammered activity wouldn’t be quite so sweet if it weren’t topped off with some wicked high-end leads that burst through at all the right moments. It’s a great piece of dark full-on.

DNA Chain begins the descent into the dull half of the album. Here we have a sort of aimless full-on tune with a vaguely annoying bass line fused with some rather weak sounding industrial guitars. There simply isn’t much intelligence to this piece, and it’s tenure as a potential dancefloor weapon has already passed.

Little Bit Freak is originally by fellow Portugeuse producer Paranormal Attack, now known for being a part of the notorious Chemical Crew. Menog’s remix shows some potential at first, but ultimately he resorts to obssessive bass line tinkering and jumpy electrical sounds. There is one psychedelic melody in here which sounds all right, but the rest isn’t engaging.

Menog’s remix of Analog, a collaboration between him and Spectra, continues the slump. The mid-range bass lines unground the song as a whole, leaving it a pale and malnourished creature wafting in the passing breeze. Someone needs to feed this beat! It’s not really all that bad, but anytime I reach this point of the album after listening straight through I’m just tired of it. If I pop it on outside the context of the album it just sounds mediocre, and nothing more.

Malana is more of the same, neither bad nor good. This doesn’t expand on anything heard in the first half of the album. Dark rolling bass lines and faint Infected-derivative melodies remains the norm. Easily overlooked.

Complicated Minds wraps it up with a simple meandering chill-out tune, not quite as engaging as the first downtempo outing. It strays into vaguely emotional territory with pressing atmospheres and a serious sound, but doesn’t really end up making a huge impression. Chilly filler.

Honestly, I don’t really know what happened here; the album tanks after the title track. No amount of repeat listening seems to yield a positive reaction to the final five. It’s something of a mystery, as there isn’t a huge change in style or production quality, and I’ve tried listening to each track outside of the context of the full listening experience on many occasions. I simply find the last half of the album dull and unstimulating in any context. Luckily there’s a bunch of good tunes up front, so all is not lost. Menog has an appealing style, sounding somewhat like Infected Mushroom without resorting to outright imitation. One thing that sometimes irks me are the soft and squishy bass lines the artist uses, although brief exposure can be tolerable. When there’s enough wild stuff going on top – as in Kinho’s Hallucination and Already Found It – the style works well. When a Menog creation lacks intriguing high end melodic sequences, the songs suffer badly in my ears. Complaints aside, there is some good music here. Menog really hits the spot when he goes all out, so I figure his future releases remain something to watch for. I don’t think Emotions is consistent enough to warrant a recommendation, but I’m sure some fans will like this one a whole lot more than I do. It’s another case of too much music – I’d probably like this a lot more if I didn’t listen to so much psytrance. Fans of dark full-on should certainly give it a listen and decide for themselves.

Share This

Transmit a Comment