Album Review

Freeland – Cope

• 5th Jun 2009

No-one could accuse DJ/Producer Adam Freeland of a lack of ambition on his first album in quite a while –“ if Led Zeppelin were making electronic music what would it sound like? … this is what we came up with.” To help accomplish this audacious mission statement, Freeland’s roped in some iconic pals from the world of rock – Marilyn Manson bassist Twiggy Ramirez, Joey Santiago (Pixies), and Tommy Lee of Motley Crue infamy to name but three – the result being a hybrid of Freeland’s bread-and-butter breakbeat style and a cross-section of modern rock music.

First single ‘Under Control’ serves as a good indication of things to come, namely, top-drawer beats and killer choruses, the vocal sneer and pounding bassline build thrillingly into a big climax. Lyrically it’s a statement of intent that comes across as a sort of ‘the times they are a-changing’ for the electronic generation, fuelled with the grit and hedonism of punk. In short, a big, big song and a good omen two tracks in.

Brody Dalle of the Distillers collaborates and gets herself a writing credit on ‘Borderline’ – a driving, up-tempo rocker that doesn’t sound like anything Dalle’s done before and like nothing on the rest of the album (in fact, very little on this album sounds like the rest of the album, in the best possible way). This is followed by the dirty rock n roll of ‘Rock on’, fitting advice considering the quality of the track with its big drum sound courtesy of Lee.

Not that the rockier numbers undermine Freeland’s standing as a breakbeat man par excellence; even at their most straight-up, they’re steeped in electronic goodness and hot beats that are the DJ’s raison d’etre, and tracks like the pumping ‘Bring it’ and ‘Best Fish Tacos in Ensenda’ are triumphs in a less adulterated dance sound.

This is a must-hear record, a great rock album and a great electronic album simultaneously, a rare achievement in the current musical climate.