AALACHO
Eletro (Aalacho Music)
Reviewed by DJ Johnson

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A year after the release of the terrific Aalacho debut CD, Sugar, Nathan Scott has done it again with a follow up that somehow displays far more than a year's worth of maturation. If Sugar was a surprisingly solid start for an electronic music artist, Electro is a shockingly complete album loaded, not with gimmicks, as you'd expect from 95% of the acts in that field, but with well crafted hooks, fully realized ideas, textures running alongside counter-textures, and more than enough drive to keep you into it until the final note.

Synths and drum machines play the major roles, along with Scott's voice, but the thing that sets the music of Aalacho head and shoulders above the pack is the real guitar tracks. Recorded for a big sound, they add a sweeping air of power to the tracks, making the other Electronica CDs in my In-Box seem pretty wimpy by comparison. Scott and a few buddies play the guitars, and he has a few guests on vocals here and there as well, all doing a very nice job of it. Couldn't have gone much better.

One of the highlights of the album is the cover of The Beatles' "Ticket To Ride," done in a strikingly slower tempo and a whole different atmosphere. Purists may balk, but listen with an open mind and you'll find a very clever piece of work here. The cream of the album, though, can be found in various elements of Scott's own writing. On top of everything else, he's a good lyricist. In "Atomic Playboy," he describes a desperate woman driven to desperate measures.

"She wants someone who radiates a dangerous energy - She needs a man who can strike with deadly accuracy - She wants the damage that only a man can do - She thinks if she lets him destroy her - she can finally be someone new."

It's increasingly rare to find albums in this genre with lyrics worth listening to, so remember the name Aalacho. Last year, Sugar spent 9 weeks on CMJ's Top 20 chart after debuting at #19. Electro is a far superior album, but that doesn't always mean the math will work out like it should. Keep an eye out, though. If things work proportionally, it should be on the chart a long, long time.

© 2004 - DJ Johnson