Tuesday: Music: CLASSIC US LP review

As you know, I am a big fan of CLASSIC US, the stubbornly aloof electronic duo whose MySpace claims they hail from Las Vegas and "Occasionally the Outerworld, USA." Their consistent evasion of further identification inevitably evokes comparison with another famously shy French electronic pair, and while CLASSIC US has not yet conquered the world in a magnificent flying pyramid, there might be some humble genius behind their stranger strategy.

When they asked me to review their brand new LP, I couldn't help but agree to. Sure, I hoped to find out more about them, but when asked to recount their creation story, I got a neat "No comment." And so all I am left with are these seven tracks and my imagination. And you know what? I think it's better this way.

For starters, I totally agree with Felix Da Housecat's Bopper Nation review, which recommends "turning the dial to 12 on the amplifier" and "blowing out those speakers" because "the sound of this music on high volume is well worth the risk." If this music does not surround you, then it cannot properly tell its story - and it is a story that is surprisingly subtle and well-crafted despite its hard, almost industrial surface.

Living with the album as I have for the past month, I've discovered that it is great cycling music, and as I crossed the sprawling city of Los Angeles, a transportation renegade on two wheels, I imagined myself a sort of Mad Max in Bladerunner's dirty, grungy, media-saturated, and occasionally breathtaking LA. When I mentioned this to CLASSIC US, they told me that they strove to melt their love of "old cult films, Sci-Fi flicks, techno, rock, and partying" down into a sleek, shiny musical alloy. It worked.

As the LP opens with the epically titled "Dead Goliath," we are introduced to our new world, which is - naturally - some lost, barren post-apocalyptic scene. In the distance rises a burning red sun, and as we move in, a great behemoth space vessel appears on the horizon, looming over us like the Star Destroyer in Star Wars. There is something ominous and menacing about it. As the story's reluctant heroes, we come crashing into our destiny with "Moonstruck."

The tracks progress exactly as you hope they will, unfolding a story of adventure, space battles, pursuits, momentary defeat, and a final showdown on the roaring "Death Express." The LP, which took CLASSIC US more than a year to record over twelve monthly sessions, features an overall textured, dirty electronic sound accented with elements of rock, techno, and industrial, which calls to mind Justice's equally epic "Genesis." The LP's heavy sound is contrasted with some rather nuanced production and mixing, and that's where the max volume becomes a delightful treat as little touches of sound effects, atmosphere, movement, and space reveal themselves.

But as the "Death Express" rolls off into infinity, the steady, lumbering percussion and heavy keyboard of "Out" fizzles into an uncertain static, and we are left wondering if our heroes made it out alive...or if we must wait for the sequel, since, after all, every good epic story usually comes in a trilogy.

So where will CLASSIC US' second act go? Like The Empire Strikes Back, will we find ourselves in the midst of a mission gone terribly awry, or will some new surprise be unveiled? Either way I am down for the ride.

The CLASSIC US LP is available for purchase through their MySpace page.



Death Express - CLASSIC US