CD, self-released, 2004
www.mindfield.org
“Singularity” is the self-released debut album of Boston-based electro-industrial/techno-pop project. MindFIELD. It is a good, non-pretentious debut album that provides for enjoyable listening and shows serious promise from a young and upcoming artist. MindFIELD’s music is essentially techno-pop, additionally incorporating elements from quite a few other music styles, from trance to industrial, synthpop melodies and even breakbeats.
“Singularity” is a fast-paced album (the BPM count never goes below 120) and most of the tracks have serious dance-floor potential, being very energetic as well as catchy. A couple of slower and moodier chillout tracks are quite good as well on their own but add to the whole album as important breathers/bridges between dancier songs. “Singularity” flows without interruption from beginning to end without any awkward moments due not only to good track placement but also to musical sound coherence.
Gabriel Shaw’s vocals are competent and blend well with the music although one may wonder a bit about lyrical content since no lyrics are provided. One gets the impression that the lyrical content isn’t too bad though and it’s well-written enough so that the refrains are catchy enough to help song stick in one’s head.
Track highlights for me are somewhat epic “Aurora Obscure”, the moody “Further Away… Falling” and the unforgettable dance-floor hit track “1:1.618” which is a very refreshing combination of spacey synth instrumentals, fast-paced breakbeats and vocoder-processed robotic sounding vocals.
A rather competent production, “Singularity” is not an innovation but presents a nice blend of musical styles which sounds rather fresh and, in the end, is sure to leave an impression on the listener. In any case, MindFIELD may still need to develop its own identity a bit more but the talent is definitely there as “Singularity” certainly proves.
[7.5/10]
— Miguel de Sousa