Search - Minimal Compact :: One//One By One

Powerful, dark middle-eastern New Wave for thinking people

10/21/1998

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is an Israeli band, I'm told-- A friend of mine turned me on to it while I was in France. Judging from the thick accent of the lead singer, you know he's not a native speaker of English. Even so, the One by One CD is incredibly powerful. Minimal Compact conveys the absurdity and desperation of a country in the midst of enemies. The band's sound is reminiscent of Joy Division's album, Closer, minus the synth and infused with flavors of the Middle East. The lyrics are outstanding for any language-- incredible-- read the lyric sheet! The One + ep adds a few extra very good songs to the package, making this CD even more compelling. I had expected One + to be throw-away material, since I couldn't imagine it meeting the same level of scrutiny as the One by One material. Not so. You may not like this CD the first time you listen to it, you might just stick with some of the more accessible pop tunes. With a few listens you'll discover that it's one of the most powerful and impressionable efforts you've ever heard--no joke. However, if you just like to play your Hootie or Vonda Shepard CDs, you probably aren't prepared to enjoy this level of cerebral intensity. To each his/her own."

The best israeli albom ever

ron grim | Isreal | 12/25/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a rare example of good gothic/post punk music. Minimal Compact was a bend formed by israelies whose music wasn't realy exepted in israel of the late 70's. They formed the bend in holland in 1981. The bend was active till about 1989 and was very succesful in europe. The disk reflects its earlier (better) music, a havey gothic music (very much like Joy Division) with jewish/israeli motives. It has a loud driving bass, prominent guitars and a wonderfuly deep vocals. Also it has great texts mostly about durgs, depression and jewish abroad. One of the best music items you can have... enjoy!"