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The Harmony of the Ecstasy &
Intolerance, Wind and Wire |
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by Bill
binkelman, April 2005
published on
Wind And Wire
Aug 2005
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MarryAnn is the
alias for a Slovenian EM artist who records some of the
catchiest and snazzy synth-driven EM pop instrumental music
I've heard in a long time. If you're a fan of synth-pop
artists from the '80s (Howard Jones, Depeche Mode, Pet Shop
Boys, or OMD, i.e. Orchestral Maneuvers in the Dark) but
also enjoy instrumental EM/synth music (e.g. Giorgio Moroder,
Cusco, Harold Faltermeyer or the lighter side of Jarre)
these two releases are almost certain to put a grin on your
face even while you find yourself uncontrollably tapping
your feet, dancing round the room, or drumming your fingers
on the steering wheel. Myself, I had a blast whenever I
listened to either of these albums. Admittedly, there is a
certain sameness that creeps in track after track, but I
think that's also the appeal. MarryAnn doesn't throw any
wrenches into the works, just one infectious groove after
another. If you're one of those people who complains about
cheesy sounding keyboards or drum programming, though, you
may as well skip these two CDs. I don't happen to think the
production values are anything but excellent, but with this
music, a certain amount of preset sound to the keys and
drums is to be expected, and frankly, it adds to the
retro/nostalgia appeal for me. This is not overtly
intellectual music (which doesn't mean there isn't
intelligence behind it).
Intolerance is the earlier of the two CDs and it sounds like
it, meaning some of the songs have more of a
"flashback/homage" feel to them, while The Harmony of the
Ecstasy has a slightly more contemporary flavor at times.
All of the music on both albums is upbeat or uptempo and
even when MarryAnn incorporates darker shades (e.g. minor
chords or tones) you're still gonna feel your backbone start
to twitch with the urge to move.
My favorite tracks from Intolerance include the title song,
which ping-pongs along in a midtempo cadence with fat bass
beats, swirling keyboards, and plenty of background space
effects, "Lost Dreams" and its loopy vocal samples, cheery
synth tones, and percolating beats, and "Nature's Hysteria"
which sounds like Cusco-meets-Fine Young Cannibal's bass
line from "She Drives Me Crazy." From The Harmony of the
Ecstasy, I favor "In The Name of," maybe the funkiest thing
MarryAnn has recorded, with reverbed synths, a heavy bass
line, and flowing lush keyboards, as well as some cool
Mediterranean-feel plucked strings, and "Phoenix" which adds
some mystery to the mix with minor key synths carrying the
lead at the outset, played against a relatively subdued
rhythm track for a change. From a purely personal
perspective, I enjoy Intolerance more than The Harmony of
the Ecstasy, but I'm a real junkie for synth pop music, so
take that into account when evaluating my comments.
If you're looking for uptempo EM/synth cruising music that
is not Berlin School in nature but still contains tons of
electronic zip and sass, features shorter tracks (in the
three to five minute range), and you have a fondness for a
plethora of retro touches, from drum programming to a
variety of synth and keyboard sounds and instruments, either
of the MarryAnn recordings will fit squarely in your
collection. I look forward to plugging these into the car CD
player on my next road trip...and I better keep an eye out
for the highway patrol 'cause I'll bet my foot will be
pressed down on the gas pedal while they're playing. Highly
recommended, provided you are an unpretentious sort of
person only interested in having a rollicking funky good
time. |
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