I wrote this as promo copy for a musical friend of mine, Patient Zero, the album’s fully open to the public now, so go check it out!
Many may know Patient Zero from his collaboration with the Internet video group the Yogscast – ‘Dwarf Hole (Diggy Diggy Hole)’ took both YouTube and iTunes by storm. Following on from that great success, and to continue his long line of album releases; Patient Zero’s new album Curse and Regret is hitting iTunes, Amazon MP3 and Spotify this July.
For those not part of the scene, electronica and trance can be intimidating genres. At first blush the sound may be hard and clashing, but Curse and Regret offers some solid tunes that even newcomers to the genre will fit right in with.
To be specific, Curse and Regret is Electronic Body Music (or EBM); think Trance with Industrial sensibilities. However, precise pigeon-holing only gets you so far – Patient Zero takes on the genre from multiple angles and it works for the better; keeping things fresh.
‘Humanity Will Lie’ is a strong start with a solid club vibe, and fun, distorted vocals that are a running theme through the album. There’s a finely-tuned balance between lyrics that exude dark humour, club hype, and just a touch of campness. You may well find yourself singing along with the simple chorus of ‘Raise those Horns’ or the upbeat and poppy verses of ‘The Band Played On’.
For those who want something more experimental, ‘Eins’ goes down the route of a sample-based track (remember DJ Shadow’s Entroducing?), with the cheeky decision to build the vocals out of porn samples and a cut from a sex-negative sermon, for an amusing contrast.
For more down-tempo vibes, there’s ‘Take my Death Away’, with its airy and futuristic vibe; or the piano-based instrumental of ‘The Burden of Distance’ that both work wonderfully as a mellow middle to the album.
Those who have been anticipating a follow-up to ‘Dwarf Hole’ need not hold their breath any longer – ‘Dig It’ brings back samples from the Yogscast for a more punchy feel than its predecessor with a retro video game feel. Your Minecraft sessions need never go silent again.
Curse and Regret will be available from the 20th of June via the aforesaid locations, as well as Last.fm, Google Music Store, Myspace Music, and of course Patient Zero’s Bandcamp site – where his previous albums and singles can also be found. For more information on Patient Zero’s music, as well as news and updates, visit http://doctorzero.tumblr.com/ .