Clearside - Shape_Shifted

Clearside is an Electronic Rock artist from Detroit in the USA, who released his debut EP 'Clearside' on the 24th July 2012, featuring six tracks of mostly instrumental music.

'Shape_Shifted' is a collection of remixes put together by D. Hinds of The Post Riot Era, using only the source tracks from the EP. (For the purposes of this review, I will be treating the remix EP as a separate piece of art).

'Shape_Shifted' is a heavily distorted and experimental collection of tracks, which vary from the aggressive prodigy-esque drum and bass filled "Virus (Immunity Mix)" to the ethereal soundscapes of "Gone" and venturing into very groovy Electro Rock tracks at times too.

I am usually very wary of instrumental music, as I find it can lead to a lack of direction and focus in a track, but by and large this EP manages to sustain my interest through the half hour of listening time.

That said, I wouldn't say that any individual track is of sufficient quality to stand out on its own, but that would be down to the instrumental nature of the tracks as much as any failing in the musicianship.

There are some nice touches, such as the Nine Inch Nails style distorted and glitchy drum samples on "Shape Shifted", or the reversed audio on "Virus - Cured" and at times this EP is reminiscent of the more instrumental parts of "The Fragile", or "Ghosts" without quite reaching the admittedly daunting heights of Trent at his best.

I do think however that its safe to say that if you enjoy yourself some Nine Inch Nails or Son Of Rust, you will probably enjoy this little EP, and given that it is (at the time of this review) on bandcamp for just $5 it may well be worth a listen.

Clearside and The Post Riot Era have done themselves no harm with this effort, and I shall be keeping an eye out for future releases. Mar 20 2013