Signal EP

When you're on a roll, why stop, right?  Alright, well, I wanted to toss out an album that I've been listening to of my own accord outside of KVCU.  Thankfully, it should be a pretty short review since the album is only five tracks long.  Informant's "Signal EP"  was recommended on a website I visit, so I thought I'd check it out.   Now while the album's genres are a bit all over the place according to the album's details (ranging from Dance Grim to Progressive House to Chillwave), it can satisfactorily be grouped into the House genre.  The album definitely has some unique and interesting parts to it, while still incorporating some common elements seen throughout the dance music scene.  Tracks like "Heavy Roller" are almost reminiscent of Dream Theater, while at other times sounding a bit like Deadmau5 or even Infected Mushroom.  However, other tracks go a little lighter on the bass and crank up the ambiance, such as "Foundation" which hearkens to a more trance like vibe, sounding a bit like some of Tiesto's work.

Informant tends to fade a little bit towards the end of the EP when rock is incorporated into some of the songs.  Both "Moment (Interlude)" and "Ultraviolet" incorporate a little bit of rock and while there are some heavy power chords, they don't carry the same sort of hype or magnitude that previous tracks did.  When I first started the album, I was surprised by the electrifying energy it had.  Unfortunately, it seems that only the first half of the album carries this weight and the second half, while making a valiant effort, trails off a little bit.  It almost seems as though Informant's creative juices were running a little dry and the last few tracks were merely "okay" rather than "great."  

While the album is short (as is expected with an EP), Informant manages to show us a great deal of creativity and inspiration.  This is done not only by creating unique sounds, something that is hard to do with dance music, but by incorporating popular house themes without seeming redundant.  While the latter half of the EP isn't nearly as exciting as the first half, the first half really is quality house music.  Luckily for Informant, it's an EP and they'll have time to iron out any wrinkles come the release of an LP.  I would definitely recommend this album to anyone who's a fan of house or electronica and is looking for something fresh.  It took a bit of searching, but here's where you can take a listen to the album.