ALBUM: Pendulum - In Silico

Ooh, is it drum ‘n’ bass? Is it rock? Who really gives a toss?
Whatever niche you decide to place Pendulum and new album ‘In Silico’ in, it’s a genuinely captivating, exciting and at times heart-stomping ride through textured sonic landscapes, thick with guitars, synthesisers and rocky vocals.

Pendulum are a band (they play actual instruments live) hailing from Perth in Australia, before relocating to the UK in 2003. Two years later, they released their debut ‘Hold Your Colour’ with the single Slam filling the dancefloor in clubs over the country (Blood Sugar became an underground hit too, when the album was re-released with extra tracks). After leading an extraordinarily popular run on the university circuit, they garnered a substantial fanbase through word-of-mouth; here they are now, a top-ten single and a firm sitting in the mainstream – represented chiefly by their move to Warner from Breakbeat Kaos. Many music critics have deemed the new LP as leaving their drum ’n’ bass roots too far behind, but something I think they’ve missed is how good the damn thing is, regardless of musical direction. So low and behold, ‘In Silico’.

There’s no beating round the bush with first track Showdown. A healthy dose of shouting and hard rock guitar lines are the underpinnings, before giving way to a slightly more electronic passage. Resting for a sparse few bars, it builds all the way back up with the kind of bouncy riff Zeppelin would be proud of. This all-round great opener concludes with a splash of cymbal; Different follows up in similar fashion, bearing cleaner vocals, and the first showcasing of Pendulum’s trademark guitar-through-computer sound epitomised by earlier works. An important aspect I’ve noticed are the quality of the lyrics: the same level of gravitas a rock / metal piece would possess, while being as generic enough to not overbear on the hard dance styling. Up next is the fantastic single Propane Nightmares, a pastiche of mariachi trumpets, wailing guitars and a combination of melody and harmony that will stick in your head for days. While most tracks on the album – and the electronica genre at large – focus on hypnotising the listener through sheer length and repetition, Nightmares manages to hold together well enough as an actual song while retaining these elements. Visions, while being one of the less immediate moments present, nonetheless acts as a enticing bridge to Midnight Runner, a mammoth track which is listenable enough to begin with, but only really gets going toward the end with a mesmerising keyboard loop. The hushed air The Other Side begins with belies what is to come: a bloody wicked vocal hook, full on in-your-face production and sections which segue in and out of each other smoothly. Iron Maiden twin harmonies on the guitar are topped off by a Daft Punk wig-out (think Digital Love). Mutiny follows up this exceptionally fun tune, and doesn’t let you go with its head-nodder of a rhythm before dropping out to a jam on guitars, bass and drums. Aerosmith fans would definitely pick up on the senseless pentatonic noodlings and pinches. It bursts back into life, ending with a rousing climax of theremin and live drums. The predominantly instrumental 9000 Miles sets the mood with an acoustic six-string and sixteenths on a bongo. Chilled faux-strings reverberate underneath the elegant melody, spaced right out until the pace picks up in the second half. It feels less like travelling 9000 miles and more like 9000 light years. Next up: the already anthemic Granite. First released back in November, this is added as the second-to-last track and is very welcome in my eyes. The most mosh-worthy of Pendulum songs, the freakout proceeding the line ‘this is the new way!’ is when the shit really hits the fan. Thrilling stuff.

Now, we come to the last track of ‘In Silico’ – The Tempest. To describe how fucking epic it is, is scientifically impossible. It’s true: I’ve got an entire team of researchers working on it right now. The rain-riddled preface gives way to an almighty sledgehammer riff, the vocals increasing in intensity as the piece moves through stages of retrospective choruses and angry verses, and you know it’s going to go somewhere real interesting when the whole thing just stops. Rising from the silence and sounding like it’s coming straight from another dimension, a synth-line rises through volume and treble. A real Hacienda / Acid House fanboy’s dream, plus the amassed noise of Camden Lock – it lifts off in to space, with the double-time beat simply completing it.

Clocking in at just under an hour, ‘In Silico’ is concise whilst of enjoyable length (especially when compared to the full CD’s worth of ‘Hold Your Colour’). Pendulum’s sound is definitely unique no matter what enthusiast labels them as sacrificing their ‘roots’; from what I hear on this record they’ve retained their own style, while stepping out and trying something a little new. What I’m really surprised at though, is that this is one of my favourite albums of the year so far.

Overall – 8.5 / 10

Get it? – Oooooh yes.