Album Review: Vitalic - Rave Age

Vitalic
Rave Age
Rating: Meh

In my review of Calvin Harris' latest release one of my complaints was that Harris sticks too close to his signature sound, never going outside very rigid parameters he has set for himself. At least Harris has a signature sound that works for him, and when you hear one of his tracks, it is unmistakably him. With Vitalic, French house producer Pascal Arbez, he has struggled on the opposite front, coming up with a distinctive sound to separate him from the rest of the electronic music masses. His first album OK Cowboy was firmly in check with the latest electro-house trends, while follow up Flashmob stuck to the template but did add some subtle disco elements that gave it a little more personality. Latest release Rave Age still finds Arbez searching for his sound, however, instead of sticking to a familiar template throughout and adding different elements he elects to take an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink approach, mixing in a variety of styles to limited success. Branching across everything from traditional house to rave, synthpop, electro, dancehall, and even techno, the album never gets in a groove and feels at best calculated and at worst disjointed.

Not that the album is unlistenable or anything, it merely lacks a distinct voice and vision, which ends up being frustrating; especially when Arbez throws down some amazing tracks. First single "No More Sleep" contains some furious drum programming over harsh electro synth stabs that propel it forward at a breakneck pace.



"Stamina" adds a thumping, grinding beat to its electro-trash agenda, as vocal samples are taken to the edge of chaos.



While "March of Skabah" adds an interesting touch of dancehall to his cluttered aesthetic.



In an attempt I guess to add more of a structured pop element to the album, Arbez features several vocal tracks which, based on the output here, is definitely not his strong suit. "Rave Kids Go" is a meandering electro-track with a completely uninvolved vocal.



"Under Your Sun" feels like an unwanted B-side from Royksopp.



"Next I'm Ready" marries a very repetitive riff with an equally repetitive vocal.



While "La Mort Sur Le Dancefloor" attempts to be a French Crystal Castles and shows how effortless Crystal Castles' sound is to them in comparison.



The remaining tracks are pleasant but fairly unmemorable synth pop confections ("Fade Away"), Daft Punk knockoffs ("Lucky Star"), or completely misplaced techno tracks ("The Legend of Kasper Hauser"). Overall, Rave Age never coalesces into something coherent. The disjointed nature of the tracks and the flow keep everything at arms length. Arbez has shown he can put together some great tracks, but this indecision about what he wants to do with his sound ultimately defeats that good will.

Rating Scale:

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top releases of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and piques one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not great; could have either been polished, trimmed, or re-thought.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.