Search - Midnight Configuration :: Funeral Nation

Concise, tuneful stabs of electro-goth...

ixion75 | 01/07/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Midnight Configuration combines the gristly, distorted vocals of bandleader Trevor Bamford and the female-sung refrains of Lisa Ross. The UK band is here in full effect on a release that Bamford's liner notes indicate is "the strongest collection of our songs and the most representative of the current state of Midnight Configuration." _Funeral Nation_ is the band's 4th album and was released in 1997.The album starts with some samples from Outer Limits and a cool intro, which leads into the underground hit "Transmission Soul," an interesting track about a conjuration of spirits of the dead along audio frequency lines. The music is an all-out assault, combining high BPM synths with undulating bass tones, and just the right amount of electric strings (violin/cello sounds). Bamford's vocal style isn't as guttural or gruntish as something like The Dust of Basement, but it still has a dark, demonlike quality that is akin to a trademark of the band's sound, and its contrast with the female singing is successful. The uptempo electro-goth attack continues throughout much of the album, with quality songs abounding, most notably "Snowblind" and "Sinister Sinister." Elsewhere there is a lull with "A Gothic Lullaby" before the title track outlines the band's philosophy, which highlights in the midst of social disorder the importance of the aesthetic of goth culture and alternative culture in general. This is apparent in not only the music but also the look, the cd booklet boasting some very stylish and attractive noir photography of the band members, as well as an image of the effigy from the film _The Wicker Man_._Funeral Nation_ is a solid, tuneful album with short yet powerful songs. It's pretty much a needed entry for the collection of any Midnight Configuration fan. For the beginning listener to Midnight Configuration I'd recommend the Cleopatra compilation _Dark Desires_. Not only is it more affordable and more readily available than this import, it is essentially a "greatest hits" of Bamford and crew that contains on it half of the material here, and includes selections from all eras of the band-- although you will be missing out on the great photos of Lisa Ross in a miniskirt(!)."