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Porn - A Decade In Glitter And Danger


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The beginnings of the band date back to 1999, when psychology and sociology student in Grenoble – Philippe D. – decided to form a band. The name ‘Porn’ refers not only to the physical dimension of sexuality, but also to the will to live, to the human nature and the eternal search for Absolution. On 26th March 2010 their second LP A decade in glitter and danger appeared. With The Best Of they pay homage to old electro, heavy guitars and to what is best at the beginning of every genre – energy, vitality and spontaneous activity.

It starts in a rather tacky way, All that glitters is filled with moans from some porn movie. The reference to the band’s name is even too obvious here. Allegedly Porn is a tribute to The Cure, precisely to the album Pornography, so I think they could have tried to be more creative. Superfurry is a firecracker, bursting with energy, a fine mixture of electro and guitars, but why so short? It sounds a little like NIN or Marylin Manson on Mechanical Animals. On the other hand the beginning of Call me reminds me of his Rock is Dead. Blondie is a rather often covered material, it came out well and heavier. In Recycle Philippe sings like Brian Molko (Placebo) (however his Brian is darker), the song has a slower tempo, but it is powerful, very emotional and distinct. The Fee is the modernized old track, which now sounds much better, rock and dark – Trent Reznor would be proud. The next song Baby smack is catchy and wonderfully constructed, perfect for a dance floor. Although the singer risks singing in a high pitch, it is probably the best part of this album. Borderline didn’t stir up any emotions, I wouldn’t say it should go to the waste dump, but it’s nothing special. However, Soft machine porn machine is definitely special. This time we can hear some Bauhaus inspirations, but they’re not very pushy. Those who focus only on the melody will rush to the dance floor, but I recommend listening to the lyrics first – the text is daring, but not revolting. Don’t be a lady introduces a new atmosphere, I’d call it oldschool of electro, Philippe sounds sometimes like Douglas McCarrthy (Nitzer Ebb) as if the singer was replaced with somebody else. The ballad Stiff little things is another 180 degrees twist and the listener starts to understand what kind of singer he or she deals with. Each and every element fits the composition. In The alternate reality man they decided to play with tempo, so the track is like riding a rollercoaster – when we slowly ascend we estimate the height from which we’re going to descend, but the pace of falling down deprives us of consciousness. Without listening to this track you may imagine that the song is annoying, but strangely enough it’s perfect. The subsequent two songs stem from previous releases, I have no idea what they do on this album, but you usually don’t get to know the whole discography when you listen to a band, so it probably serves as a kind of promotion. The remixes sound a bit like Combichrist or Manson

A decade in glitter and danger is like a warehouse where we can find numerous inspirations and wipe dust off the old idols. I can’t say it’s only a copy. I really like this album and I’ll definitely come back to it. It’s got the freshness combined with… what had worked out previously.

Track list:

01. All That Glitters...
02. Superfurry
03. Call Me
04. Recycle
05. The Fee
06. Baby Smack
07. Borderline
08. Soft Machine / Porn Machine
09. Don't Be A Lady
10. Stiff Lttle Things
11. The Alternate Reality (Manek Deboto And
Craig Sue Mix)
12. Soft Machine Porn Machine (Ls201 Mix)
13. The Fee Corparation Mix (Dexy Corp Mix)
14.... Is No Gold
Author:
Translator: Vixen
Add date: 2012-06-14 / Music reviews


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