Various – Gatecrasher: National Anthems

Stick to the following;

Black
Red
Wet
Discotech
Sound system
Generation

OOF! Crashing down after the previous album. They set the bar so high with Global Sound System I think it was always going to be a tough one to follow.
CD1 starts off with a whole ambient track, which is a brave move I think, a small intro, sure, but it's like almost 5minutse of ambience before LOUDLY and wierdly bringing Bullet In The Gun in. I don't think it really works. The remix chosen is kind of bizzare too, it mixes into dooms night which is a fine track, but still feels really leftfield and strange. For the next few tracks there's some really nice pumpin house music - though even though I'm into it, it does get a bit repetative; but still a welcome break from the wierdness prior to it. Once we get into My Lexicon (great track) onwards is a fairly standard trance mix..a couple of duds and many of the tracks are only a couple of minutes long..all feels a bit rushed and messy. Ending with Adagio for strings felt forced. Like it was an album trying to be taken seriously...if it had been a Jay Burnett mix then I reckon it'd have been fine, but it's not and when it finishes with "Shhhhh...be quiet" and Adagio for strings fades in. It's kind of hard not to cringe.

CD2 was like an experiment in boredom. The first track plays out in full practically and goes no where, the rest of the tracks again are all short but for the first half are very monotonus tech-trance...borderline techno. I actually laughed out loud when "How's Your Evening So Far?" came on. Not a track I like, and wasn't at all surprised that it got in this mix as it fits in SO perfectly with the monotony.
It actually picks up again from about Sister Sister onwards, though it's a little too late by then. Theres a bunch of great tracks toward the end there, Der Schieber (Rapid Eye Mix) being the standout one. What a stomper.
Ehhhhhh.. disapointed but still a 3 star. Just.
218/500