Music can be an entirely subjective experience. On one hand, Censor’s debut record, Empire Holds Down, lays claim to an explosive style of drum and bass, feathered with an appropriate flair for vocal samples and symphonic overtones. These tracks snap and pop with fervent precision, gabbering along like well-oiled machinery. And, on the other hand, it doesn’t move me. Empire Holds Down has been on my desk for a few weeks now, and getting words down about it has been like pulling one of my own teeth: it’s something that needs doing, but the desire to do it certainly isn’t there. “Cambodia,” for example, tries hard with smartly placed samples of Gary Oldman losing his cool in The Professional and the beats percolate along like they’ve got somewhere to go, but somewhere around the four minute mark, I’ve lost interest and I’m thinking about my sock drawer while the song chatters on for another three and a half minutes.
“Fleeting” opens with a violin melody, an orchestral movement strung over a smartly programmed drum sequence that augments rather than obscures. Now, this works its magic quite well, pushing the record towards a more modern cinematic atmosphere, a love theme for a Michael Mann produced thriller. And maybe it is the choice of software patches or synth presets which set my teeth on edge; All the goodwill inspired by “Fleeting” is chucked out the window with the synth overlay in “Empire Holds Down.” The beats gallop beneath a retro melody that sounds like it’s been rescued from an old Korg keyboard that has had most of its wiring redone by a home electronic enthusiast.
The pendulum swings back with “When 4 is 3,” leaving me with a developing case of listener whiplash. I’m not going to win this one. If you appreciate a little cinema and strings with your drum and bass, then the odd tracks on Censor’s Empire Holds Down might catch your fancy. This guy has good intentions and a decent set of chops, but Empire Holds Down just doesn’t quite have the emotional depth and spatial maturity to really hook me.
Empire Holds Down is OUT NOW on Hive Records.
