ALBUM REVIEW: motionblur (Deluxe) – Split Chain
Deluxe albums, if we’re being really honest aren’t always all that. The vast majority are the standard edition with a few tracks tacked on the end (cover songs, live versions, compositions which weren’t quite good enough to make the final cut etc), and really had more of a purpose when physical media was king to boost sales from collectors. However, occasionally a band does what nu-metal upstarts SPLIT CHAIN have done, at which point a deluxe album becomes significantly more interesting. Released on Friday 11th September via Epitaph, this new version of last year’s debut motionblur sees the entire record reimagined alongside rising starts of the alternative scene, along with two standalone singles and, as is tradition for these releases, a previously unheard song.
A quick rundown of motionblur first, if you didn’t catch it on release last year – it is a love letter to DEFTONES and Meteora-era LINKIN PARK, a blend of turn-of-the-millennium riffs and expansive soundscapes that owe much of their debt to the shoegaze world, touching on the worlds of alt-rock and post-hardcore in the process. For those who weren’t around for the heyday of nu-metal’s subtler side, it’s a modern reminder of what made that time so great; for those who were, it’s both fresh and exciting, yet instantly recognisable, a nostalgic warmth wrapping around the listener and taking them back a quarter century. The production is incredible, enveloping you to create an audible experience that takes you on a sonic journey of dizzying highs and crushing lows. Even a year down the line, it’s a thoroughly enjoyable listen.
The standalone singles, Sylvia (I Won’t Belong to You) and Scatterbrain, continue in this same vein, their impact immediate and the sound of five guys having the time of their lives, while the unreleased track, appropriately named Untitled, is punchy and stompy with a great breakdown at the end for inciting pits. In short, SPLIT CHAIN are a very, very good band with an abundance of potential and the ability to go incredibly far in this world. Which is why it’s so disappointing that the ‘deluxe’ part of motionblur misses the mark so comprehensively.
To ‘reimagine’ something in a musical sense conjures thoughts of taking the original song apart, with any featured bands making it their own, almost in the manner of a remix; there are still elements which help someone identify what they’re listening to, but there’s a brand new spin on it (think the recent ‘Versions‘ release of Never Enough by TURNSTILE or ENTER SHIKARI‘s ‘Hospitalised‘ edition of The Mindsweep). Of the twelve tracks that have been worked on, just one fits this bill; closing track My Mistake has been turned into a dark, synth-laden ballad by gloomy gothic duo ZETRA, an impressive feat given the emotional weight that the original holds. For everything else, aside from some additional vocals, the tracks are virtually identical to their counterparts and while granted, many of the tracks are just featuring the artist while My Mistake has, a la TAYLOR SWIFT, had (Zetra Version) added to the title to make the distinction, to say the album has been ‘reimagined’ feels quite misleading, which brings a disappointment that should never be felt when listening to music. There are moments where the additional layers work well – ROMAN CANDLE‘s appearance on Headway is one such example – but for the most part you’re left struggling to hear what’s changed.
Motionblur is a great record in its own right, and for SPLIT CHAIN to collaborate with a bunch of other artists to add an extra edge to the tracks is, on paper, always a smart move. However, when something underwhelms in the manner that it has here, it does little but leave a bad taste in the mouth.
Rating: 5/10
motionblur (Deluxe) is out now via Epitaph.
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