Giles is the brainchild of Tommy Rogers Jr., who is best known for his work with Between The Buried And Me. Only instead of crunchy metalcore we are treated to his own brand of hard hitting electronica.
The effect of the music, while obviously electronic, is more hip-hop in feel. The beats are hard, driving, and repetitive while the lyrics are delivered in an almost monotone partly sung, partly rasped, partly spoken word. It's more of a dirty club dance album, but treads a fine line. This inability to completely pigeon-hole "Giles" into one neat, tidy genre is what really propels this cd into interesting territory. Unlike some albums which try to mix two genres with sub par results, this album succeeds in the fusion because it doesn't FEEL like it's trying to do anything more than make music that feels natural.
Lyrically nothing important is getting said. Rogers seems to almost acknowledge this and scatters as many swear words into the songs as possible. Mindless songs suddenly become a swear word parade as Rogers throws out as much disrespect as possible. This makes the album impossible to play at a family gathering.
The album starts off pretty interesting but, despite it's short duration, starts to sound the same mid-way through. The same tricks are used frequently, and while it is very listenable, "Giles" would work much better as an intentional EP, instead of tightrope walking the line between a full length and EP. The music would still be fun to hear at a club with strobe lights and glow sticks, so don't be too surprised if Giles ends up on some major movie soundtracks, particularly high octane ones like Matrix or xXx rip-offs. Listen to the album before buying. What you hear is what you get.
2/4
Similar sounding releases
2002PanicPanic
2000Chicks on SpeedChicks on Speed Will Save Us All!
1999AntidoteFight or Flight
2003Joy ElectricThe Tick Tock Treasury
2001KeokiJealousy
1999Goodnight StarGoodnight Star
