The Emergency - TheSpectrum Deadly

Wed 15th Jun, 2005 in Music Reviews

It was Chicks On Speed who said We Don’t Play Guitars just a couple of years ago, and it seems that ever since this has been an anthem for an ever-growing number of bands. I am not saying that The Emergency are merely cashing in on a fad started by three feminist electro-clashers as one could go back well over half a century to see the foundations of electronic music – but it’s interesting to see the rise of the genre.

The Emergency have caused a bit of a stir in their home town of Melbourne with impressive live shows and the successful release of single We Got The Horror, with it being added to high rotation on community radio around the nation. The Spectrum Deadly is their debut long player and a real test to how well their music will stand up to a wider audience.

Based around electronic sampled beats and synth basslines, The Spectrum Deadly is a collection of 14 very cold and desolate sounding songs resembling some of their European new-wave electronic influences such as Der Plan. A seriously spooky sounding organ and a selection of “machines” provide some colour while vocalist Milo Kossowski mumbles lyrics with very little sense of melody.

While this might not sound like the greatest formula for what is essentially a record of pop songs, it seems to fit the bill suitably in this instance. While Kossowski is not exactly Ian Curtis, his dreary vocal just adds to the eerie mood the rest of the instrumentation sets.

The band themselves said that they wanted to add a horror movie twist to their sound and the music on The Spectrum Deadly suits such a vibe effectively. But the fact remains, there is only so much of this the listener can stand. Over the record’s forty minute duration, very little changes and the songs seem to mould into one another – the distinct lack of hooks in the music do not help the band’s cause. While most pop records rely on a catchy melody to stick to the listener, The Emergency have opted to focus on luring you into a drone like trance to perhaps embrace the synthesised counter melodies and beats.

First single, We Got The Horror is definitely a highlight, just begging to be included in the next hot teenage slasher flick.

In fact, as songs, there are plenty that stand out as being very catchy pieces of electronica with the use of some inventive noises and vocals but as a collection it all begins to become a bit familiar after the first few tracks.