Absolutely phenomenal! I'm almost speechless!
Distant Voyageur | Io | 06/17/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I had wondered what had gone on with Deep Forest following their 1998 third album "Comparsa" which I thought was uneven and their "Made In Japan" album as I had heard no news of them until when out of the blue came their 2002 comeback album entitled "Music Detected" which by the cover alone, I knew would be a major change in their sound but even then, I would never have guessed the culture shock that this newest album of theirs would bring but let me tell you, this album is awesome! In fact it ties with "Boheme" as their best album to date and marks a whole new chapter in Deep Forest's history. If you are familiar with the traditional New Age sound that defined a lot of their first three albums of theirs, then you will find it a great idea to adjust to a radically different sound because "Music Detected" is radically different from any of their older material and has almost none of the New Age genre sounds of old. The New Age sound is replaced with a heavily explosive techno dance sound along with rock, pop and even some occasional alternative rock elements in some places and this could almost have made a dent on the rock or techno charts. To me I think this album is the most radical change of sound that I've heard a New Age artist make since Enigma did with "Cross of Changes" over a decade ago. This album shifts away from the Western Hemisphere from the Carribean sounds of "Comparsa" and Eastern Europe on "Behome" and Africa on their debut and heads to the Far East to Indonesia, Japan, China and India as this album has a far more Asian color to it and lots of exotic vocals from this region of the continent meshed perfectly with the crazy techno sounds that dominate this album. In all honesty, while this CD is a radical departure from their 1990s era albums, "Music Detected" offers styles for almost everyone to enjoy. What's also interesting too is that this album also have more live sounding drums as opposed to drum machines or the like. For the weird parts of this album, "India" is probably one of the most bizarre tracks on this album starting with Sitar strings and finally blasting into full-fledged rock N Roll before a strange Eastern Indian amplified vocal comes in giving the song a really strange but highly appealing Asian sound. "In The Evening" is another Eastern Indian Sitar influenced instrumental that is unfortunately really short and could've been longer to create a spectacular track but for what it is "In The Evening" is a good and eerie reprise interlude track. Most of this CD though is strongle techno electronic rock music. "Computer Machine" is an awesome groove that starts with an eerie intro and robotic voice effects before it becomes a danceable mix of techno, pop, dance, and even some jazz elements that would almost make this song feel like café dance music for the distant future. "Soul Elevator" is another bizarre track that incorporates Alternative rock and electronic to create a really amazing track like nothing DF have ever done before. "Endangered Species" to me is the most explosive track on this album. It starts with ominous electronic melodic effects and echoing voice effects, a pulsating techno beat comes in and the song finally becomes a highly energetic intense, and dramatic techno dance track for the dance clubs! The live drum beats are fast and energetic. The Galleon remix has a harsher more techno-beat as opposed to live drums and has a different rhythm but both versions are incredibly awesome. "Beauty In Your Eyes" is almost purely techno rock but has really amazing vocal effects and a fast techno-beat for the dance floors. The best songs however in my opinion are the two mid-tempo ballads "Yuki Song" and "Deep Blue Sea". "Yuki Song" starts with a haunting New Age ambient intro and becomes a dramatic power ballad like song with incredible vocals by Beverly Jo Scott and has amazing Asian flutes to give the song a slightly melancholy sound to it. This song is amazing and is one of the highlights. The best song however is the twosome track duo "Far East" and "Deep Blue Sea". "Far East" is a hauntingly beautiful interlude with a haunting New Age sound and exotic instruments. The track is only a minute long but brilliantly merges into the best song on this entire album "Deep Blue Sea". Featuring the seductive vocals of Indonesian singer Anggun, this song is an incredible song that mixes pop, rock, world and some New Age and to add Anggun as a guest vocalist makes this already incredible song even more so and this song has a lot of the great sounds of her 1998 masterpiece "Snow On The Sahara" which I strongly recommend alongside "Music Detected". Any other songs that I haven't pointed out on this album are must listens as well but the ones I did mention are among the best songs that they've ever done. As much as I may be nostalgic for sounds like "Nightbird" or another "Sweet Lullaby", I am glad that they didn't make a "Deep Forest part II" nor something in the vein of that. Making "Music Detected" was a smart move and showcased one of the greatest artistic risks I've heard since U2's "Achtung Baby" from the early 1990s. "Music Detected" finds Deep Forest finding a fresh new sound and stepping into a whole new arena with incredible results and I strongly recommend that you purchase. Unlike a lot of people who needed time for this CD to grow on them, I loved this album the first time I bought it and I think it's their best album alongside "Boheme". Some may find themselves overwhelmed by the loudness of this CD but if you listen closely, even they will find that Deep Forest have lost none of their spirit and I look forward to they may bring next on their next outing whenever that comes out. God only knows how awesome this album would sound if a live CD of these songs were released someday. Highly Recommended CD."
Strange and compelling change of direction for Deep Forest
Nathan Beauchamp | Oak Park, IL USA | 01/23/2009
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This is certainly not an album that many people have heard of (much less the band Deep Forest!). I've owned it for a number of years and enjoyed it quite a bit, and I was very surprised to see how few reviews exist for MUSIC DETECTED.
I've been a fan of Deep Forest for many years, and have enjoyed listening as their style shifted from the electro influenced chill (infused with the overlay of indigenous language) of Deep Forest to the African centric rhythm and beats of Comparsa. In Music Detected, there is an Asian quality to some of the tracks, and especially the vocals.
This album is a romp through music styles with dance beats commingling with classical lyric construction. It is joyful, melancholy, teeming with the energy that Deep Forest has always been able to capture in their music. The songs might be dissimilar to their previous offering in their use of heavy beats and English lyrics, but they still convey the same power and authenticity of their older albums.
This import release contains additional songs that are not found on the American release which include:
11. In The Evening
12. Dignity (feat. Beverly Jo Scott)
Stand out tracks include:
Soul Elevator
Computer Machine
Beauty In Your Eyes
Will You Be Ready
A fun, interesting, and surprisingly danceable album, MUSIC DETECTED makes me hungry for a new Deep Forest album to settle in to. Perhaps soon."
Track Listings (13) - Disc #1