The first official full-length effort by
Reso after years of EPs and other performances shows a strong balance between what have already become hallmarks if not stereotypes of later dubstep -- while not omnipresent at all, there are enough wobbling bass drops to test one's sound system with -- and an often surprising series of experiments that shows a different kind of popularity at work. "Simple Pleasures," for example, lives up to its name by being something that feels a little more '90s and Warp Records in its breakdowns, while the immediately following "Virtua Rhythm" adds a little bit more of that kind of sweeter hyperactivity showcasing
Reso's drum'n'bass roots -- all while adding some space rock keyboard solos as well. "Coronium," meanwhile, is a nice, concentrated bit of echoing drone float, while "Backwards Glance" is really nice, almost an anthem in the
VNV Nation sense with its opening feel of electronic nostalgia, while the crisp beat clicks and melody mix nicely. Slightly more typical sounds emerge from the get-go with "Exoframe," which starts with a lot of echo and whooshing, musical stabs, screams, and more.
Reso skirts around popular dubstep without fully giving into the wobbles here, while the drop away to a swooning echo and gloom is nice too. Meanwhile, the swing and strut of "Check 1, 2" is pretty sharp, moving though "Interlude" into the slower stomp of "Nempo" in a slow winding up of tension. "Tabris" puts everything in the album all together nicely at the end, complete with a calm break and a big, inspirational rock-out ending. ~ Ned Raggett