La Folie by Lin (Review)
In the brief bio I received with my copy of La Folie, it mentioned that LIN’s target audience is people into bands such as Garbage, bands that merge pop hooks with a definite “electronica” feel. Although that accurately describes much of LIN’s music, I hesitate to group them in with Garbage. Unlike Garbage, LIN doesn’t hides their music behind Shirley Manson’s sneering sense of self-importance.
Describing themselves as a “band that features a mix of hip-hop and electronica… mixing rhymes with melodies over an electronic bed, LIN captures the current trend toward hip-hop hybrids with perfection.” Hip-hop hybrids?!? I thought that was Korn.
I think LIN’s music would work much more for me if the hip-hop influence was less-pronounced. UBQT serves as the group’s MC, and by the fourth song, his calls for unity, peace, and love get a little long in the tooth. LIN can definitely get a good musical chemistry going, as on the pulsing bed of bass and electronics of “Crowd Non Pleasers,” but UBQT’s laidback rhymes simply seem out of place. Another faux pas is the infrequent use of June, the group’s female vocalist. The only song where she really takes center stage is “Lawn Cocktail,” which starts off with acoustic guitar over hip-hop beats (Sugar Ray anyone?!?), before moving into more atmospheric territories. It’s probably the strongest track on the album and I want to hear more.
“Brothel Cholera Bugs” adds a slight jazz feel to the mix over beats that feel like Chemical Brothers Lite. And of course, we hear UBQT proudly shouting props about LIN “spreading like bacteria.” IMHO, hip-hop posturing a good album does not make. The only song that really deviates from LIN’s mixture of club and hip-hop is the title track, a swirling mess of sounds that oddly reminds me of the Third Eye Foundation.
LIN describes their music as “mainstream pop with a European flavor.” But they also take pride in their hip-hop influence, as well as the 4AD-ish sounds of June’s voice. If it sounds a little unfocused, that’s because it is. There are bits and pieces of LIN’s sound that work, but if they really want to come out with smashing music, I think they need to bite down and really get some focus to their music. Maybe less MCin’ and more focus on the electronics (which really keep the music from getting boring), and definitely more of June’s voice would be a start.