Breakbeat Era
Is breakbeat a valid genre definition? I hope so, because I don't care to try and put any other label on this group. Instead I'll spend some words on their music and record. The first, and only, time I heard Breakbeat Era's music was in some P3 program during the summer or possibly autumn of 1999. Their music sounded good, and the song name Ultra-Obscene easily stuck (for some reason ...), and I thought that their record might be something to buy. Then half a about year passed and I didn't buy Ultra-Obscene on several occasions. But now, I finally have, and that surely is nothing I regret. This is one of the few records longer than one hour that it's actually pretty easy to listen through and get into nevertheless. I really like the sound of Breakbeat Era, it really builds up a mood and Leonie Laws' vocals fit in perfectly. They really enhance the music and play a big part in making it so easy to get into. And no, not even the title song contains any explicit lyrics, so you can enjoy even if you're worried about things like that. Other favourite tracks are Rancid, Bullitproof and Our Disease, but there really isn't any track on the record you'll want to skip for being weaker than the rest. That's a sign of a very good record indeed, in case you didn't know ...
Ultra-Obscene's cover is a pretty special thing too. The whole thing is superbly designed, completely plastic-free, the back's of cloth, and the booklet is glued to the cover. The only thing I don't like about it is that the opening of the CD "envelope" is in the wrong direction and that the lyrics aren't in there.
To wrap this up, this record isn't half as obscene as the title implies. All in all it's very listenworthy stuff. Thanks for allowing me to take up your time.
