Training for Utopia
Throwing a Wrench into the American Music Machine
Reviewed by David Bixler
Following an EP, a full-length, and a split EP with labelmates ZAO, Training for Utopia finally releases their second full-length CD. However, unlike the 3 previous efforts, this one will most likely not be found in your local Christian bookstore, as it has no such distribution. Don't take that as a negative, however, as this is an awesome CD. I'll start by attempting to describe the sound. Solid State Records had been calling this electric hardcore, or something along those lines. I didn't know exactly what to expect from such a description, and I only partially agreed with it after giving the disc a few spins. My feeble attempt to classify this CD requires me to invent a term: "electro-industrial / chaos"-core. The music is still primarily hardcore in nature, but Training for Utopia makes use of sampled sounds and effects, and they rely heavily on techno beats and programmed drums for the more industrial feel. As for the chaos portion of my description...well, that pretty much sums up what the sound is like on this CD. This may be one of the most chaotic, most frenetic albums I have ever heard. The listener never knows what is going to come next, as the band performs lots of speed and style changes, almost without warning. One of my favorite tunes, "Burt Reynolds Vs. Godzilla," showcases this perfectly, as the band switches back and forth between acid techno with "normal" vocals and a super-ultra-distorted wall of sound with screamy hardcore vocals. Lyrically, this is a bit different. Most songs are short as far as the lyrics go, and many of the lyrics seem a bit enigmatic to me. "Burt Reynolds Vs. Godzilla" says: "I can't be your everything / I could be your anything / My world is dead / Our world is dead," and the line "Our world is dead" is repeated a lot throughout the song. Perhaps the strangest song on the CD, "Everything, Including the Stars, Is Falling (Baby)," due to the fact that it is a slow, beautifully played and sung song, carries a sad feel: "Hey...have you lost the will to be? / Hey...Did you take me for a fool? / Was that you inside of me?" One of my other favorites is "New York City Is Overrated": "Big nights / Big city / Bright lights / No Life," and it ends with a continual chorus of "New York City is overrated!" Reading into some of the songs, I believe the band may be speaking of spiritual themes, but it is hard to know for sure. Overall, this is a very unique CD. Though I won't understand why any hard music fan wouldn't like it, I can imagine that a person would fall into one of two categories; either you'll like it or you'll hate it, just due to its uniqueness. I have yet to hear a band that melds sounds together like this. I absolutely love it, and I hope that Training for Utopia continues to mold this sound.