BT's velvety take on trance techno, typified by unusually light, liquidy melodies, smooth edges, and roomy breakbeats, was first noticed in the U.S. via his exceptional remix of Tori Amos's "Blue Skies." That song and othe... more »r like-minded U.K. singles that preceded it gave rise to yet another variation of trance music dubbed "dream-trance." It's an apt label. BT's dense, yet straightforward compositions and benevolent mixes incorporate themes of escape and rebirth, with songs that imprint themselves on your subconscious. On Movement in Still Life, never before available in the States, BT breaks through the wall that separates techno from out-and-out pop, incorporating verse-chorus-verse song structures. Furthermore, he allows his dreamy mix to wander into Fatboy Slim-esque big beat territory. As a DJ, he's clearly capable of branching into different styles. The smart house and choppy beats of the title track make that apparent. He's still playing with needles and wax on that track, though; "Shame," with its acoustic drum/guitar sound and accessible pop vocal track sounds ready-made for alt-rock radio, with only touches around the edges that betray the presence of a DJ. Other songs, such as "Running Down the Way," blend the two styles more evenly, utilizing a pop song format but keeping it clubby and decidedly nonacoustic. Given BT's U.S. success with the pop/club mix of "Blue Skies," as well as the accessible, anthemic style he tends to favor as a DJ, the record makes perfect stylistic sense. He'd be wise, however, to keep dream-trance close to his turntables, as the perfection of such tracks as "Dreaming" and "Godspeed" make it blissfully obvious that he has utterly mastered the sound. --Matthew Cooke« less
BT's velvety take on trance techno, typified by unusually light, liquidy melodies, smooth edges, and roomy breakbeats, was first noticed in the U.S. via his exceptional remix of Tori Amos's "Blue Skies." That song and other like-minded U.K. singles that preceded it gave rise to yet another variation of trance music dubbed "dream-trance." It's an apt label. BT's dense, yet straightforward compositions and benevolent mixes incorporate themes of escape and rebirth, with songs that imprint themselves on your subconscious. On Movement in Still Life, never before available in the States, BT breaks through the wall that separates techno from out-and-out pop, incorporating verse-chorus-verse song structures. Furthermore, he allows his dreamy mix to wander into Fatboy Slim-esque big beat territory. As a DJ, he's clearly capable of branching into different styles. The smart house and choppy beats of the title track make that apparent. He's still playing with needles and wax on that track, though; "Shame," with its acoustic drum/guitar sound and accessible pop vocal track sounds ready-made for alt-rock radio, with only touches around the edges that betray the presence of a DJ. Other songs, such as "Running Down the Way," blend the two styles more evenly, utilizing a pop song format but keeping it clubby and decidedly nonacoustic. Given BT's U.S. success with the pop/club mix of "Blue Skies," as well as the accessible, anthemic style he tends to favor as a DJ, the record makes perfect stylistic sense. He'd be wise, however, to keep dream-trance close to his turntables, as the perfection of such tracks as "Dreaming" and "Godspeed" make it blissfully obvious that he has utterly mastered the sound. --Matthew Cooke
""Madskillz" being the opening song on this collection of dance infused anthems, I thought that this was going to be another one of those DJ albums where substance was sacrificed for sound. Fortunatley, "Never Gonna Come Back Down" was next and while it really made no sense at all, it still held my attention with its no nonsense approach. I love the song "Dreaming" because it starts off with the hint of being a lullaby like ballad but evolves smoothly into a trance like forray of beats and melodies. "Shame" has the sound of Depeche Mode written all over it and that influence makes the song so much more likable. The title cut is decent but kind of like "Madskillz" and BT just blows me away with "Satellite" a soft, accoustic driven song that has some rather depresing undertones. What I find interesting about this collection is many of the songs read like poetry and are emotionally expresive. Both "Godspeed" and "Smartbomb" have been featured in movie soundtracks and after listening to them, it is no shock as to why. This album is one of the best DJ albums out there and it delivers the goods without very many disapointments!"
Genre defining
J. Westerman | Washington, D.C. | 05/13/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I'm not going to write a tediously long review. I'm a professional musician. This is a record you need to hear. You will meet people that will dislike it. Regardless, this is one of those records that permanently changed the scene. You might not like it but if you care at all about the history/evolution of popular electronic music you need to know this record. The influence of this album from the very subtle to the drastic is apparent in nearly every meaningful breaks album since. I could go on and on about minor technical flaws and even more minor artistic flaws but it would all be academic. Educate your brain... and maybe at the same time you'll be fantastically entertained."
BT is excellent. This version of MiSL is not.
Sephiroth | 02/17/2007
(3 out of 5 stars)
"Short version: The track selection and mixing on the UK version makes it the best BT album ever, in my humble opinion. The subpar selection of tracks, as well as the random placement of tracks and lack of mixing, make the USA version less than it ought to be.
Long version: I rank MiSL beside Hybrid's Wide Angle in terms of complexity, originality, composition, mood, and just plain groove. It is very obvious that BT lives and breathes music, and that he has been well-educated in the ways of his craft. However, I would not have bought this album had I not heard the UK version. The UK release of MiSL by BT is an EDM classic. This... thing that was given to us in the USA is a crime against the man's reputation. The seamless mixing that would make any DJ jealous is totally absent. Instead, each track just slams in or creeps up shyly. The songs are not bad, but they are not nearly as good as the selections featured on the UK release. On the UK version, there is not a bad song. On such mediocre fare as "Never Gonna Come Back Down", we are treated to a barely bearable voice spitting out very bad freestyle. The track would have been better if BT had not let some fool sing over it. While some of the USA-only titles are not bad (Smartbomb, for example), I would gladly trade all of them for "Giving up the Ghost" alone.
All in all, I would not recommend buying this item. The UK version, believe it or not, really is worth the $40 when compared to the USA version. They both make me cry, but for totally different reasons."
"Nearly a decade ago (and under a different Amazon alias) I gave this North American version of "Movement in Still Life" a review filled with backhanded compliments. To save you all some scrolling, here is a clip from that earlier review:
"A lot of people have probably wondered why Brian Transeau would bestow the truncated version of "Movement In Still Life" on the record-buying public of his native land... I enjoy the North American release, but everytime I play it, I get the nagging sensation that I'm hearing only 3/4 of an actual album; an album that has been ripped apart and glued back together again... I can't help but think that the decision to split his latest album into two dissimilar releases may have been a mistake."
Portentous indeed!
Now, many years later, I'll add some perspective: yes, this album is an edit of a UK original, yes some tracks were dropped in favour of newer ones and, yes, the smooth segueing between those (somewhat shortened) tracks was omitted entirely. However, nine years after release, no other disc in my (rather sizable) collection gets as much play as this one (not even my copy of the UK version).
Why?
Well, because the North American version of "Movement in Still Life" just plain rocks!
Firstly, there are so many genres represented on this album that it never gets old or stale, largely due to the songs added to the North American edition ("Smartbomb," "Love on Haight Street," "Never Gonna Come Back Down," "Shame"). Secondly, removing the more Electronically-oriented tracks from the North American edition ensured that it would not, in my opinion, age as drastically as its overseas counterpart. Thirdly, shortening several of the tracks ("Dreaming," "Godspeed," "Running Down the Way Up") added much-needed trimming of what I consider to be extraneous twaddle and filler that bloated the original versions. I mean, really: did "Dreaming" NEED to be 9:16 minutes long in the original version? Some may argue the point, but I vastly prefer it in the lean-and-sleek 5:20 edit presented here!
Ultimately, I consider "Movement in Still Life" -- both versions -- to be BT's best work (not including "This Binary Universe" since that is more of a composed sonic suite than a traditional long-player). It's a fun little green gem filled with life, joyful discoveries and wonderful surprises. Amazingly, the production STILL sounds state-of-the art (and much less bombastic than its follow-up, "Emotional Technology").
Go ahead and order it. Amazon are reliable and they'll have it to you within a week or two.