William Control - The Neuromancer
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After the several months of delays and teasing, the new record from William Control is ready to be unleashed upon the audience. The meteoric rise to stardom of the Aiden vocalist and the Gothic seducer might continue to perplex the hardened alternative audience but Will Francis' highly emotional and romantic blend of Depeche Mode-esque electronica and the atmospheric, enticing rhythms rightfully grants him a place at the top of the contemporary dark pop heap.
With hype building slowly but steadily since the first announcements and following it procrastinations The Neuromancer might not be forced to carry the burden of reinventing William Control's musical identity but it certainly has the work cut out for itself. The hungry fans were indeed craving a new piece of their idol for a long time and the 11 tracks that make up this newest record have a lot of appeasing to do. Thankfully Control delivers a solid and emotive package, that does not stray from the blueprint set by act's previous releases but rather perfects the familiar structures and dulls the jagged edges. The Neuromancer is highly accessible, memorable and infinitely enjoyable.
The haunting soft spoken verses of the intro set a poetic and thoughtful tone for the album. The sense of Byronic tragic romance is palpable as if William Francis' matured beyond the realm of Gothic pop pleasures that delighted his audience before. And while it's an enticing promise one must be thankful that it never materialises in the musical tissue of the album- the catchy and inspired tunes that follow in the wake of this opening are simpler but no less worthwhile extensions of the exotic dark and dangerous ideas embodied by William at this stage of his blooming alternative career.
"Revelator" is a superb reincarnation of Control's penchant for dramatic and sensuous delivery and unabashed pop inspired structures. It becomes an instantaneous staple of the record with its rich exploding crescendos that echo in the listeners' heads repeatedly as the song winds down through its sexually charged emotional tones. "Price We Pay" is not as infectious but still paced at the lively new romantic heart beat that makes the album flow easily from song to song and towards the moments of heartbreaking fragile beauty. Later "God Is Dead" might sound like a Nietzschean tract but the song is as seriously minded as it is bent on delivering a catchy hook that makes a lasting impression. Especially when the song delves into the details of the godly desertion that is accented by high pitched voices of damnation. This concoction is captivating and as seriously minded as it is bent on pleasing the fans of the modern synth-driven pop method. This meticulously set up atmosphere continues with tracks like "Illuminator", brilliantly accented by Philip Glass-esque choirs and "The Filth and the Fetish" that encapsulates album's thematic context.
The Neuromancer is full of memorable gems and William outdid himself in the musical department delivering an album centred equally around the ideas of masochistic and hedonistic pleasures as well as the romantic shades of intense love and loss. Playing out through accessible and infinitely deployable pop motifs the tracks presented here are more than just a guilty pleasure. They will reverberate in your head for months to come and stimulate your body and soul.
Tracklist:
01. Introduction
02. Adore (Fall in Love Forever)
03. Revelator
04. Price We Pay
05. God Is Dead
06. The Filth and the Fetish
07. Illuminator
08. Passengers
09. The Blade
10. Love Is A Shadow
11. Where The Angels Burn
With hype building slowly but steadily since the first announcements and following it procrastinations The Neuromancer might not be forced to carry the burden of reinventing William Control's musical identity but it certainly has the work cut out for itself. The hungry fans were indeed craving a new piece of their idol for a long time and the 11 tracks that make up this newest record have a lot of appeasing to do. Thankfully Control delivers a solid and emotive package, that does not stray from the blueprint set by act's previous releases but rather perfects the familiar structures and dulls the jagged edges. The Neuromancer is highly accessible, memorable and infinitely enjoyable.
The haunting soft spoken verses of the intro set a poetic and thoughtful tone for the album. The sense of Byronic tragic romance is palpable as if William Francis' matured beyond the realm of Gothic pop pleasures that delighted his audience before. And while it's an enticing promise one must be thankful that it never materialises in the musical tissue of the album- the catchy and inspired tunes that follow in the wake of this opening are simpler but no less worthwhile extensions of the exotic dark and dangerous ideas embodied by William at this stage of his blooming alternative career.
"Revelator" is a superb reincarnation of Control's penchant for dramatic and sensuous delivery and unabashed pop inspired structures. It becomes an instantaneous staple of the record with its rich exploding crescendos that echo in the listeners' heads repeatedly as the song winds down through its sexually charged emotional tones. "Price We Pay" is not as infectious but still paced at the lively new romantic heart beat that makes the album flow easily from song to song and towards the moments of heartbreaking fragile beauty. Later "God Is Dead" might sound like a Nietzschean tract but the song is as seriously minded as it is bent on delivering a catchy hook that makes a lasting impression. Especially when the song delves into the details of the godly desertion that is accented by high pitched voices of damnation. This concoction is captivating and as seriously minded as it is bent on pleasing the fans of the modern synth-driven pop method. This meticulously set up atmosphere continues with tracks like "Illuminator", brilliantly accented by Philip Glass-esque choirs and "The Filth and the Fetish" that encapsulates album's thematic context.
The Neuromancer is full of memorable gems and William outdid himself in the musical department delivering an album centred equally around the ideas of masochistic and hedonistic pleasures as well as the romantic shades of intense love and loss. Playing out through accessible and infinitely deployable pop motifs the tracks presented here are more than just a guilty pleasure. They will reverberate in your head for months to come and stimulate your body and soul.
Tracklist:
01. Introduction
02. Adore (Fall in Love Forever)
03. Revelator
04. Price We Pay
05. God Is Dead
06. The Filth and the Fetish
07. Illuminator
08. Passengers
09. The Blade
10. Love Is A Shadow
11. Where The Angels Burn
