X Marks The Pedwalk – Transformation (Album – Meshwork Music)
Genre/Influences: Electro-Pop, Body-Pop.
Format: Digital, CD.
Background/Info: “Transformation” is X Marks The Pedwalk tenth full length album and for sure a milestone in Sevren Ni-Arb career. Five albums were released before the band’s break while “Transformation” is the fifth new opus since the band’s come back in 2009/2010. “Transformation” has been introduced as an album dealing about ‘moments of personal change’.
Content: The previous album “Secrets” already revealed an evolution in vocals, Estefania’s vocal parts becoming more important. She this time becomes the lead singer of the band although Sevren Ni-Arb is still singing on a few cuts. Sound-wise the duo moves on exploring Electro-Pop paths reinforced with EBM bass lines on a few songs. The work is diversified, switching from danceable cuts to more evasive pieces. One of the potential hits “Voodoo Love” has a strong retro-feeling reminding me to New Order. There’re more 80s influences emerging here and now.
+ + + : “Secrets” was already a well-crafted and accomplished work, but I think that “Transformation” moves a step further. Since the ‘second’ life of the band this is for sure the album with the most potential hits featured. I already mentioned “Voodoo Love”, but there’s also “Transformind” carried by a solid EBM inspired bass line. And I also have to evoke “Walk Away” mixing elements of Pop together with trance. All these songs are driven by a strong chorus and a good-old 80s touched transformed into a modern approach.
– – – : The album also features a few softer cuts, which can’t convince me a similar way. “Waiting” is one of these cuts.
Conclusion: When you compare both periods of X Marks The Pedwalk you definitely will have to agree it all sounds like listening to different bands. “Transformation” is a must have if you like the Electro-Pop style of the second period.
Best songs: “Voodoo Love”, “Transformind”, “Walk Away”, “Talking”, “Let Me Go”.
Rate: (8½).
Artist: www.x-mtp.com / www.facebook.com/xmarksthepedwalk
Label: www.meshwork-music.com / www.facebook.com/meshwork.music
About X Marks The Pedwalk
X Marks The Pedwalk was conceived in 1987 by Andre Schmechta, performing as Sevren Ni-Arb, initially under the name Scarecrow. The project’s debut single, “Black Door”, appeared on Techno Drome International in 1988, before a deal with Zoth Ommog prompted the rename to X Marks The Pedwalk. Schmechta has also recorded under side projects including PAX, Ringtailed Snorter, Hyperdex-1-Sect, U-Tek, A-Head, Deluga and, since 2012, SN-A. “Transformation” is the band’s tenth full-length album, released through Meshwork Music, with vocalist Estefania now the group’s lead singer.
Support Side-Line
More people read Side-Line than ever, and there is still no paywall and no advertising. Readers pay for it instead - from $5 a month.
Why we ask
Advertising revenues across the media are falling fast. Unlike many news organisations we have not put up a paywall, and we refuse to add annoying advertising, so we need to ask for your help. Side-Line’s independent journalism takes time, money and hard work to produce, and we do it to push the artists we like, who are equally fighting to survive.
Handled by PayPal.
I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.
