music review:

Sobriquet ::: "People Don't Go Out to Clubs to Get Laid"

electronica - pop

Sobriquet is the brainchild of Elenor Rayner who featured in Soulscraper and Ragewar in the past. This 5-track 22-minute e.p. is quite a treat. It's hard to know exactly how to briefly summarise Sobriquet's sound here, because it's quite varied in regards to genre. I suppose "electronica" would be the catch phrase: A mixture of dance-friendly electronics, effectively-used bass guitar, some dance-club tracks and 2 that contain vocals and are probably more likely to be appreciated by the industrial-dance-pop scene.

The first track "eyesore" is an enchanting and atmospheric acid-ambient instrumental. Some great sounds. The next track "People Don't Go Out to Clubs to Get Laid" is a high-paced nightclub friendly stomp: chunky beats, burbling synths, and some great travelling bass lines. "Sterilised" begins with spacey synths, in comes a funky beat, some great funky bass guitar lines, and female vocals about the effects of pesticides and chemicals. This is one the rave crowd would be puzzled by: "Oh my god, it's got content? I don't understand!" "Filtered" is another nifty club-friendly stomper with more great bass guitar lines. I really like the way the bass guitar has been utilised in this album, though since recording this e.p. the bass player has departed. A nifty orientalish keyboard riff gives the track its hook. "Soylent Green" is a track composed during Elenor's previous project "Occam's Razor", which never really saw the light of day. Features industrial trip-hop beats, a descending chord pattern and female vocals.

While the variety of music here makes Sobriquet more appealing in my eyes, it could possibly deter those limited souls who are only into one particular genre of music. For instance, I imagine some who would salivate over the instrumental club tracks would not appreciate the tracks featuring vocals and lyrical substance. Consequently, Sobriquet tailor their live gigs to the audience they're playing to. If they're playing at a rave then expect the dance-floor friendly instrumentals. If at a pub, then you'll hear some of the vocal material too.

Po box 296 East Brunswick Vic 3057 Australia.

E-mail: [email protected]