Somewhat bizarrely,
Beat
received a large amount of critical buzz over its supposedly groundbreaking fusion of
hip-hop
/
techno
rhythms and the band's older
dream pop
stylings. Anyone who had heard
Loveless
-era
My Bloody Valentine
or a fair amount of
Chapterhouse
's material probably had some things to say about that judgment, while in turn many
dance
mavens saw the band's efforts as already terribly outdated in terms of general sonic approach. Set all this aside and concentrate on enjoying
in and of itself, though, and the fine qualities of both group and album come through quite clearly.
Bowery Electric
may not be on the cutting edge, but
Schwendener
and
Chandler
aren't pretending to dwell there. The title track sets the album's tone from the start, an open-ended guitar drone from
later accompanied by
's low-key bass and distanced singing matched with a crisp drum loop. Variations on this basic formula throughout
: slight rhythms are sometimes more prominent, sometimes buried, guitar lines are clearer here or more heavily produced there -- but taken as a whole the release is quietly intoxicating. Standouts include
"Fear of Flying,"
with a strong guitar scream/wash from
and a more upfront bass/drum combination, and the thoroughly but beautifully zoned out
"Black Light,"
which features a rare
vocal and an enveloping delay-pedal-produced atmosphere. Notably, the drumming on the latter track is more in line with, say, early
Pink Floyd
or
Slowdive
rather than the loops used elsewhere. Both performers are incredibly undemonstrative throughout the album --
works best as something either totally concentrated on or left running as ambient music; a party record this isn't. At times
eschew percussion entirely, to lovely effect:
"Under the Sun"
is a brief but dark piece, a low bassline providing the only forward motion. ~ Ned Raggett