I’m going to be incredibly honest right now: I am not a big fan of “electro house” music (is that what the kids call it these days?). I mean, I don’t detest it, and I can appreciate the creativity involved in creating electronic music, but I am not an avid fan of the genre. It’s the kind of music I enjoy while jogging, but that’s about as deep as my interest goes. Therefore, my review of Uppermost’s latest album, Revolution, was a very challenging one. I often found myself wondering if I possessed the tools to accurately describe and assess this album. But then I thought, “Screw it. I know what I like and what I don’t. Let’s do this.”
Having said that, I would like to say that I didn’t hate Revolution. Uppermost has crafted and album that is dynamic and fresh. If the French music producer can keep a lukewarm listener like myself interested enough to hear the album in its entirety, my guess is that it’s a big contender in the electro house world. Revolution features a variety of tracks, ranging from frantic, to calming, to elating. Each track is carefully cultivated with layer upon layer of distinctive and stimulating sound. You can get a sense of how the song is meant to make you feel, even before seeing the (sometimes obvious) titles of the tracks.
“Fearless” is one of the more compelling tracks because it starts out with a feeling I can best describe as sinister. The relentless, building strings, menacing horns, and rumbling timpanis fill you with apprehension until it reaches a gripping climax. At it’s most foreboding, the track changes into a something less intimidating and more driving with a rushing tempo and funky bass. Then it becomes an ass-kicking, world-conquering track that inspires you to grab the proverbial bull by the horns.
I don’t know a damn thing about electronic music; I’m sure that much is obvious by now. But I do think that Revolution is a decent album. Has Uppermost won me over and converted me? No. But though this album will not be joining my default playlist, I think it may be added to my morning run playlist.
