 |  | Front 242 come into their own |  |
"Official Version" shows Front 242 finding for the first time the nuances, production values, and maturity that make them a classic group. Compared to "Geography", their previous full length, this album is much more powerful, layered, melodic and memorable. It's also consistent. The use of rhythmic, spliced samples is prevalent, and the synth work has grown beyond "tweaking" into full blown melodicism. Every song is a constantly shifting patchwork of sounds.
Jean Luc de Meyer is obviously much more comfortable with his elegant, low, smooth voice here. His vocal hooks provide most of the memorable moments on "Official Version". Unlike all but the best of "Geography", these lyrics are hard NOT to memorize. You'll have "The way morning broke was quite unusual" (Quite Unusual) and "It's up to you to decide!" (Agressiva Due) running through your head for days. Every lyric seems to function as a catchy, anthemic slogan, and yet they are all so meaningful. The attitude here is classic 242: clinical and analytic, yet socially conscious, mature and honest.
This album is FULL of classics. "Masterhit" is a danceable song with a beautiful, tasteful refrain that proves that an absurdly catchy EBM chorus need not be irritating or lacking in depth. "Quite Unusual" is a similarly wonderful dance track. "Rerun Time" shows their newfound ability to build tension over the course of a song. "Television Station" is one of my favorite tracks... a 2 minute build up that starts off sounding like late Skinny Puppy with a disjointed rhythm, whispered vocals and airy atmospherics (think "Mirror Saw" from Last Rights), and culminates in an indescribable melodic flourish.
There are several tracks here that branch into new directions, different from anything 242 have ever done. "Red Team" is such a track; a monologue over beautiful synth washes. de Meyer's political and intelligent lyrics shine here. The song is written from the perspective of the aggressor... "My willingness to destroy is your chance for improvement".
I could go on about every track here, but I've already written enough. Suffice to say "Official Version" is near perfect, and one of the absolute classics of 80's electronic music/industrial/EBM, on par with Skinny Puppy's "VIVIsect VI", Clock DVA's "Buried Dreams", Depeche Mode's "Black Celebration" and others. 5 stars.
August 9, 2008 | | They're coming down for you | |
Official Version, with its ironic lyrics, unstoppable beats with chopped up samples and repetitive basses, is easily one of the best albums by Front 242, if not the best one. There's much to like in here - the coldness of Quite Unusual and its great text, the machine-like W.Y.H.I.W.Y.G., the alarms and sounds of Rerun Time, the demented telepreaching in Angst - a really clinical, but also highly kinetic, record. Recommended.
July 29, 2005| | | Official Version ~ Front 242 | |
Official Version being their releases between the years 1986-1987 continues where no comment left of and shows that ebm is not static music by any means. The sounds are quite different and the equipment is nturally much better then on their previous releases. This is a quintensential album when it comes to ebm music and Daniel B and Patrick Codenys have created a sound that many have tried to copy (myself including when I made music back in 1991) and what one does realize is that it is not nearly as easy as it sounds. Tracks such as slaughter, masterhit and television station to mention a few, showcase the best of mid 80's ebm music.
May 10, 2005| | | Loved it from the moment I heard it for the first time | |
A friend introduced me to Industrial, EBM, Acid, and other sounds way back in 1990 while we were still in high school. What I never could've imagined is that I'd still be listening to them some 15 years later! This is testament to the genius that many of those bands were, but who never got to be appreciated by the mainstream quite the way they deserved. Official Version was to me THE album that defined Front 242's style and sound, with tracks like "Masterhit" and "Quite Unusual". I never get tired of playing this and other 242 albums, but I do go through streches of time when I don't listen to them and then I get to "rediscover" their beats and melodic sounds that really get the body moving. Front 242's Official Version. What a great band and what a great album!!
January 4, 2005242's most remarkable album. This one had a profound effect on me in 1987. To this day I still can hear Jean Luc DeMeyer's vocals in my head ("Hey man you better move aside or I'll run you over..."-Television Station/ "The way the morning broke was quite unusual..."-Quite Unusual/ "It's a carnage, it's a carnage...official version..."-Slaughter). This album was a huge cold war statement and at the time really prevailed as well as 1988's VIVIsectVI by Skinny Puppy. Front 242 are THE prolific pioneers of the EBM movement. Bands like Funker Vogt, In Strict Confidence, VNV Nation, Informatik, etc. are obviously heavily influenced by 242. A "Tour De Force" album and by far my favorite!
February 3, 2003More reviews at Amazon.com ...
