I've bought this CD many many months ago, but as I said in my last post, I never fully got around listening to it. But now, after being inspired by the gorgeous "Reaching Out" single, I gave the whole album a few listens. I can already tell you, I wasn't dissapointed!
Nero is the duo that got me interested in dubstep. Last year, I became intrigued with their single "Innocence", and soon enough I was listening to all kinds of dub. Although I was listening to many artist, Nero still stood out for me. Over the year, the duo Dan and Joe have been giving their final touch on their album "Welcome Reality" that I bought without hesitation. I wasn't even that big of a fan at the time, but the amount of previews that where played on radio stations were enough to convince me this album is full of sick tracks.
Now it's time to find out if my hunch was spot on!
What Do You Get?
The whole album has has a pretty basic ex and in-terior. The whole thing is pretty easy to the eye, nothing more. The CD is classic black, I guess, and the album is filled with copyright issues. The setting is somewhat post apocalyptic. 2808, the opening track, is supposed to be the year of the world's demise. It's not very clear what the album stands for, but maybe you need to be a hardcore Nero-fan to get it.
The Nero Cloud
My personal guess is that the duo themselves are welcoming reality with the release of this album. Nero has become something iconic, something almost everybody knows. Their producing talent aside, they also had an insane amount of sudden followers after just a few singles. Their timing with when they stepped into the EDM scene apparently was perfect. Dubstep was fully exploding due to the likes of Bare Noize, Doctor P and Flux Pavilion. When Nero stepped in with "Innocence", they were greeted with open arms. No wonder the first single of theirs was this very track.
Every single that followed after "Innocence" became an instant hit. The fluffy cloud of euphoria they were riding on these last couple of years, had to be risk by releasing this album. Al that tension and excitement has to be fulfilled. I can imagine that both Dan & Joe were nervous as hell for this. Welcome Reality could make of break their entire career.
Being a somekind of Nero fan for all these cloud years, I became very curious about what I myself thought about it.
So, let's press play.
The Album
2808
The first sound of the CD emerges softly. Synths slowy creep up to your ears, to get you to feel used to the musical atmosphere that is Welcome Reality. Pretty forgettable, but comfortable at the same time.
Doomsday
The first real record kicks in after 2 minutes, and immediately reminds you of what Nero is all about. That raw yet euphoric driving sound, perfected to a dynamical mix of all types of instruments. "Doomsday" may have sounded like a everyday dubstep track, if not for the incredible versatility of Nero. Tempo is all over the place, but somehow it works perfectly. It's not really doable to explain "Doomsday", but it pumps you up for the other 12 tracks right away!
My Eyes
Being absolutely pumped for the rest of the CD, the pace suddenly slows down dramatically with a seemingly soft third track. Slowly calming you down, "My Eyes" is the first 80's inspired record I find on the album. The duo seems to have a crush on those neon/palmtree/casino retro times, as seen in their latest video. This is one of the coolest tracks on the album. The haunting guitar play in combination with electronics and classic vocals make this incredibly awesome to listen to. The pumped up feeling I lost for a few seconds, instantly comes poring in again!
Guilt
The first iconic Nero track has revealed itself. "Guilt" is so iconic for Nero, because they tend to make the best tracks when a female vocalist is on board. The whole vibe is hovering between drama and rawness, and certainly forms a well follow up track after the equally energetic "My Eyes". The lyrics are not too deep, but just right to make for a comfortable listening experience. "Guilt" reveals the force of the duo. The simpleness, the easiness. You don't listen to them to get inspired or touched. No, you just do it because you feel like it. Another perfect example is the followup track, "Fugue State".
Fugue State
I think Nero used to have two different versions of "Guilt" and decided to choose one as the original and another as a 0.5 single. "Fugue State" is the somewhat louder and more instrumental darker brother of the two. Doesn't feel like it's contributing to the whole album at first, since I used to skip it. But it slowly grew on me as one of the most energetic tracks of the album.
The song falls silence, and then suddenly...are you ready?
Me And You
Nero's big 2011 hit, played the world over by many respectable artist and no other than Laidback Luke! I will honestly say, that I didn't like the whole thing at first, but when I was forced to listen to it again on on the Cream Ibiza CD, I came to understand the awesomeness of this track. The incredible flow of this track is certainly the catchiest of the whole album. Like all of the other Nero hits, "Me And You" is delightfully easy to listen to.
The track is nearing it's end, and I'm hearing THE distinctive Nero sound once more, but this time it's different.
Innocence
This is the track that got me stuck to Dan and Joe. This is the first Nero track I've ever heard. "Innocence" was huge last year, also due to the awesome video (above) that went with it. Again this track, yet another one of their hits, blossoms due to simplicity. The subtle presence of Dubstep patterns in combination with perfectly synchronized vocal chops, make this once again on of their successive Nero-formula-children.
In The Way
The pace has been quite fast the last couple of track, and to release some listening pressure, Nero made an electronic chillout track as an cooling off point in the album. "In The Way" may have some characteristics of an typical Nero track, but it differs into his tempo and calmer vibe. A nice bridge where you can catch your breath, before Nero pumps up the basslines again with "Scorpions".
Scorpions
"Scorpions" must be the weirdest track on the album. I really don't know what to do with this one, the vibe is really unexplainable. Blurry distance vocals, in combination with slow but haunting basslines leaves you utterly confused until a sudden breakdown comes to rescue. The breakdown seems to color the rest of the track a bit, making it sound less weird. Quickly, the synths take over and "Scorpions" reveals itself as the track it should have been in the beginning. A tad too experimental at the beginning, but saved in the end!
Crush On You
The first Welcome Reality track that I skipped at first. The track is experienced as brilliant by some, like resident advisor (it was number 50 something in their top 100 list) but also hated by many. I myself, really didn't feel the track apart from the brilliant breakdown inspired by a single by The Jets.
At 2:28, it is clear that Nero wasn't the only one inspired by this gem. Fred Falke and Alan Braxe were there first!
It's no secret that Nero has a crush themselves on the 80's. This section of the album is dedicated to the time of groove and neon.
Must Be The Feeling
This will be the first single release of 2012, but I'm not looking forward to the original mix it too much. It truly has some potential, since it's strongly reminds me of the likes of Grum and Fred Falke, which were my neo-disco heroes last year. But the vocal and the instrumental parts just don't feel synchronized. Really too messy for a Nero track, since they usually stand for smoothness. Luckily, we discover that their visit to the 80's eventually works with "Reaching Out"
Reaching Out
This is one of the absolute highlights of Welcome Reality. The use of another 80's sample together with an stellar blend of dubstep and keyboard, makes this single gold. No wonder it's number two on my top 10 of December. Everything about "Reaching Out", with an amazing use of sampling (Hall & Oates), is iconic. From he opening keyboard until the the last solo, this track defines himself as one of the best on the whole record. I go back again and again to this, and it wasn't that odd that when the single came out, I didn't even hesitate to make it the "Rex" of the week.
Promises
This track convinced me to buy the album. It's simple as that. The incredible energy this track possesses hooked me right away when I heard it first on BBC Radio 1. And again again again ect. this is considered a typical Nero track. Energetic easy vocals with an incredible bassline and track-progression. But once again, again..., this is the hidden power of the duo. It's straight to the point and clear: This track is called promises, and those promises are the core of an track that will destroy both your speakers and your heart. Every Nero brilliant track on this album seems to have this brutal yet subtle thing u going on. "Promises" is the queen of this type of Nero production. The dramatic finale can leave you standing breathless for a while. Best track after "Reaching Out" for sure.
Our journey throughout "Reality" is at it's end, and what better way to with a track called departure?
Departure
This closing track pleasantly surprised me. Honestly, in time that I have bought this album and started reviewing it just now, I hadn't properly listened to it. Shame, because it's actually really really good. Good? I meant incredible? Incredible? I meant legendary! That's how this track should be described. As it progresses, "Departure" get's better and better.
Boom, silence. Just briefly. The track starts building up again, and before you know it, you're back riding the awesome train to the closing credits of my personal best dubstep album of the year. Best closing track I heard in a while on an album. Props to Nero.
The Final Verdict
Well, it has been quite a ride. Before started analyzing the tracks one by one, I said that this will probably be a deal-maker or deal-breaker for them. I've read some other reviews here and there, and they are generally favorable. I can understand why some of them are not as positive as they should have been.
Welcome Reality shouldn't be looked at as an deep groundbreaking collective assembly of inspiring records, but as going to the movies or having one of your favorite snacks. It sounds a bit harsh, but I'm saying this with nothing but positive intentions. Welcome Reality offers entertainment en fulfillment on the spot, any given place and time with almost every track on the record. It is an album that offers a quick and satisfying musical fulfillment. That's how I listened to it and that's how I will judge it.
Almost the entire album delivers from 2808 to Departure. It's a shame that I didn't listened to it properly at first because I really enjoyed it these last couple of weeks. The tracks are comfortable easy and more importantly, very satisfying to listen to. Nero made a fun album, which I will probably return to more than often.
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