archive : A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z sdtk comp
Cover Art Synergy
Sequencer
[Third Contact]
Rating: 7.0

This is the Synergy disc that cuts out all the fat and offers itself up on the altar of "Mind's Eye" videos. Sure, this music predates sophisticated computer animation, but it still works. Keeping with the all- analog, retro- future synth spectacles, Sequencer lasts seven tracks, almost all of which are a mere four minutes long (though the last track is almost 11, presumably to make up the decidedly un-prog length of the others).

By keeping it relatively short, the record's much more enjoyable. Larry Fast switches on covers of Mason Williams' "Classical Gas" (!) and Largo's "New World Symphony" (!!), sounding both silly and dead serious. Somewhere between Sid and Marty Kroft and LSD, Sequencer is excellent headphone music, full of dark tones and trippy effects. I also think this album was probably the first to ever have a song title with the prefix "Cyber" in it, but I'm not sure. I know there wasn't one on any of Edison's cylinders.

-Jason Josephes

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RATING KEY
10.0: Indispensable, classic
9.5-9.9: Spectacular
9.0-9.4: Amazing
8.5-8.9: Exceptional; will likely rank among writer's top ten albums of the year
8.0-8.4: Very good
7.5-7.9: Above average; enjoyable
7.0-7.4: Not brilliant, but nice enough
6.0-6.9: Has its moments, but isn't strong
5.0-5.9: Mediocre; not good, but not awful
4.0-4.9: Just below average; bad outweighs good by just a little bit
3.0-3.9: Definitely below average, but a few redeeming qualities
2.0-2.9: Heard worse, but still pretty bad
1.0-1.9: Awful; not a single pleasant track
0.0-0.9: Breaks new ground for terrible
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