Record Review - 6 April 22 2000

Apparently Apollo 440 and Tony Montana have a lot in common. Neither heeded the advice to “never get high on their own supply” - and you know how “Scarface” ended. This U.K.-based sextet claims to be direct descendants of Kraftwerk, Aphrodite and the Beastie Boys. However, their rock based techno-pop lite comes across more like “Mr. Roboto”-era Styx set to a dance beat.

Now all the news isn’t bad. Some of the ethereal piano and effect-laden tracks, such as “For Forty Days” and “Machine in the Ghost,” do create the proper late night ambiance. The theme from “Lost In Space” makes an amusing side-phrase for the partying state of mind. This CD is better suited to the car or the black-light hangout room than the clubs. Rock-lite infused tracks like “Can’t Stop the Rock,” “Cold Rock the Mike” and “High on Your Own Supply” carry sufficient peaks and valleys, but never really blow up the way one would hope.

Much of the intensity seems to have been filtered through a sieve, leaving the listener feeling like they’ve just got the diet plate instead of that double burger with the works. Aside from the interesting arrangement of the reggae-ish “Heart Go Boom,” most of the tracks never quite get to their promised destinations. There is a lot of promise on this CD and is worth the $8.99 introductory price, given the right mood. The real difference for true technophiles, though, is like choosing to rent Go over Pulp Fiction.