Lunar Drive
Here at Black Mesa, Arizona
[Beggars Banquet]
Rating: 7.6
Lunar Drive are like crossing the Chemical Brothers with Enigma.
Their songs consist of quick, dancy beats and randomly placed traditional Native
American vocals. Here at Black Mesa, Arizona is closer to the electronic
scene than the world beat scene, though. The music throbs and bounces between
speakers like a mutated experiment in sound. Rave kids are going to love this.
The record opens with a flanged hum and Native American
John B. Benally (in his only appearance on the album) saying, "We believe in beauty
ourselves, but here we're suffering." A distant flute in the background, the hum
drifts from right to left, a quiet techno beat rises to the surface, a sped up sample
runs through and the song is given life.
A few of the tracks could have been altered or left off the record entirely, but
for the most part, Arizona is an entirely pleasant experience. It's a
nice, new twist on the standard drum'n'bass that's quickly becoming a bore.
-Ryan Schreiber