Apollo 440

Apollo 440 are an odd band. At best, tracks like 'Liquid Cool' and 'Film Me And Finish Me Off' are spectacular examples of their deep, melodic techno tracks and overall individual sound. Somehow managing to incorporate guitars into every production yet still gaining a house/trance following (initially at least), @440 are unique.

At worst however, a track by Apollo 440 can make uncomfortable listening. Cheesy fanfares, guitar licks and bizarre lyrics may appear at any moment which, granted they probably haven't dated brilliantly, spoil tracks such as 'Astral America' and 'Milennium Fever'. The lyrics to many tracks to me conjure up images of Bill Bailey spoofing Kraftwerk or Portishead due to their baffling subject matter. I don't care what the sleevenotes say, the first time I heard 'I Need Something Stronger' I swear the line 'gonna make you poo!' appeared.

Their later work was decidedly more guitar-led, distancing earlier fans and almost adding a weird 'dad-rock' dimension to their work, especially when they released 'Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Dub'. Don't get me wrong, overall I love Apollo 440, 'Liquid Cool' is easily within my Top 5 pieces of music ever and 'Hold On 2 Wot U Got' (the B-side to '(Don't Fear) The Reaper') is stunning. But their lower quality tracks are slightly off-putting, and though at times amusing, I certainly would feel uncomfortable playing them in public!