Add N to (X): Add Insult to Injury
Add N to (X) is the moniker of an electronic trio from sunny England, whose retrocamp approach to twenty-first century electronica and infectious energy are a breath of fresh air in the increasingly abstract world of Techno, Inc. The band's calling card, stated more clearly than ever on their latest release Add Insult to Injury, is a line-up of more or less exclusively vintage keyboards and gear, with a goofy kitsch approach that, in the hands of lesser mortals, would very rapidly grow tired and irritating, but which, in the hands of these three, is nothing short of brilliant.
A quick glimpse through some of the song titles from the Add N to (X) catalogue may give an idea of what one might expect: "Robot New York," "Machine Is Bored with Love," "Metal Fingers in My Body" (whose animated roboporn video never seemed to get much airplay on MTV for some reason...), "The March of Pure Mathematical Evil That Ends and Results in War," "Plug Me In." The music sounds very much inspired by science fiction B-movie soundtracks of the late sixties: lots of cheesy groove, oozing synth leads, tons of beeps, squeaks, and squawks, and plenty of robot voices for good measure. Try to imagine if Ennio Morricone were a robot, and you're on the right track. The songs range from retrocool to sprawling mellotron-soaked dirges to some of the most unabashedly prog rock-outs heard this side of 1977 ("Miami Dust Mite Harvest," for instance). The themes are consistent with the sounds; titles and occasional lyrics (always in synthesised voices, to be sure) are a similar blend of retro and technology, once again bringing to mind the sci-fi sixties flicks, of which a general obsession with all things robotic is the prime example.
The key to Add N to (X)'s success is their purity of approach and the whole-heartedness with which they throw themselves into their concept. Where most would shy back, be wary of going all the way, choosing rather the occasional touch of kitsch or hint of camp over total immersion, Add N to (X) joyfully plunge in head first and revel in the glorious, kitschy wonder of it all. This is decidedly their saving grace; the pleasure they derive from this nostalgic robofunk soundworld, and their total dedication to it, is immediately transmitted to anyone in listening radius. I challenge one and all to play "Plug Me In" from the latest release good and loud and not dance around to this robot love duet: "I have two machines/I just plug them in/They are my best friends/Plug me in, plug me in." Sounds pretty goofy, I know, but give it a shot; you'll be happy to play along with their game. Other highlights include "Monster Bobby," the stadium-anthem electronic equivalent of Gary Glitter's "Rock and Roll," the slightly abstract primal drive of "Incinerator No. 1," and the glorious, gorgeous 'funeral-for-a-robot' sound of "B.P. Perino." (While not every track is as successful - to my mind, the somewhat juvenile perversion of "Hit for Cheese," for example - these are the exceptions, and the band finds enough variety within their parameters that various tracks are sure to please some people more and others less.)
The other detail that really makes this project work and lifts it well above others of a similar nature is the highly commendable decision to increasingly use live drums (which are used almost exclusively on Add Insult to Injury) instead of the more common blips and beats that drive the rest of the electronic output of the moment. This is what most perfectly achieves the retro sound they are after, but it is also primarily this that creates their terrific balance of electronics and robotics with the alive, the real, and the very, very groovy, and avoids the dehumanized angst and abstraction of most electronica today.
With so focused a sound and concept, it would be all too easy for Add N to (X) to become a mere parody, or at least to start repeating themselves. What I find most impressive is that not only do they avoid these pitfalls, but they have managed over their three-album career thus far to not just maintain their sound but to build on it. Their debut for Mute, On the Wires of Our Nerves, was a terrific, intriguing, and decidedly unique start. The follow-up, Avant Hard, was even better, adding drive and groove to the sound already firmly established on the first album. Add Insult to Injury, without straying in the least from the course set by the first two, manages to outdo them both, and, decidedly their best album to date, ups the ante considerably on all fronts. This puts quite a challenge before them for their next outing. Here's hoping they can maintain that track record over many fruitful years of equally glorious and goofy future releases.
Add N to (X): Add Insult to Injury. Mute Records, 2001.
Review by James Andean, BadMonkeyX. 2nd issue, March 2001.