Concisely classifying a band like Add N to (X) is next to impossible, as its sound is comparable to nothing else in music today, or for that matter, in music at any point in history. It's rock, it's electronic, it's funk, it's frenzied '80s pop, it's a track on one of those Halloween background noise compilations. The band's latest release makes no attempts in narrowing their expanse of musical territory, and no two tracks on the album sounds at all alike.
"Loud Like Nature," like the albums before it, continues to push the boundaries of electronic experimentation outward, but does so in a much less dramatic fashion. Much of what defines the album isn't anything new for the band -- hammering synth, futuristic garnishes, quirky syncopations -- but the way these elements are packaged together this time around makes for a much more coherent work. Because of this, some of the innovation from albums like "Avant Hard" is lost, but the album doesn't significantly suffer for it.
This is not to say, of course, that "Loud" is a toned-down album. Several of the tracks are absolutely frenetic, and the lyrical eccentricity -- or more accurately, bizarreness -- is intriguing in itself.
What is truly different about the album is that it is, in a word, fun -- a lot of fun. As we move further and further away from analog, dominant and sometimes overbearing use of it is effective in a retro, idiosyncratic way, and even adds an additional edge to the music. It's all remarkably easy to let loose and dance to, and quite amusing in the process.
Take, for instance, "Take Me to Your Leader," the first single from the album, which demonstrates the band's sense of humor like no other. The track is like a classic horror film with a modern soundtrack, incorporating all that makes a cheesy outer space sci-fi film with techno drone.
It provides the band with a literally alien track, and for a group that certainly sounds like they've been drawn from the outer realm of outer space, it's fitting.
The weakest tracks on the album are those that are the most mainstream. What gives Add N to (X) its charm is its distinctive sound, and any attempts at more conservative dance tracks are ill conceived. "Lick a Batter (Tongues Across the Terminals)" is a particularly dull looped attempt that attempts to combine a relatively standard house rhythm with a relatively nonstandard background, but the results are lackluster on both accounts.
"Invasion of the Polaroid People" outshines the rest of the album as the pinnacle of the band's latest efforts. The spoken word lyricism that winds through the track from end to end runs parallel to a similarly convoluted and creepy, even somewhat sinister synth and bass behind it. The surrealism and incorporation of a cosmic theme once again welds the track within the scope of the album, which otherwise would be too intense for its generally lighthearted nature. "Large Number," one of "Loud's" closing tracks, is nearly as strong and thrashes with nearly as much intensity, but not even in a remotely menacing way, keeping more on par with the album's themes.
With "Loud," Add N to (X) reaffirm that it's still quite possible to make an intriguing experimental album that is not only easy to listen to, but even enjoyable. And although it strays from much of the genre-pushing work in the past, "Loud" earns its status as another solid piece in the band's repertoire.
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