Eiffel 65 - Europop - 1999

Remember back in the day when "Blue" was the coolest song to hit the universe? Yeah, I think I was in grade 8. Anyways, this album was purchased a little before I refined my taste in music. Still I used to really like it so I thought I'd give it a review...

Too Much Of Heaven - This song isn't too bad. The only thing is the lyrics kind of bother me. They are trying to deliver a message but they're more cheesy than powerful. I guess they're trying to be clever with the 'heaven = money' metaphor but I'm sorry, doesn't cut it for exceptional lyrical content.

Dub In Life - This isn't a bad song either. I don't know what they are talking about but I get the feeling I won't for most of the songs on the album. The singer is either a different guy than their usual singer, or he just changed his voice a bit. Either way its somewhat better then the usual vocals.

Blue - What can I say about Blue? Lets see... the radio played it too much as did Much Music. I really loved this song a long time ago... those days are gone. I can't listen to it with the same respect I once had. Although it gave these guys a name, the song was killed by fans in the process. Farewell Blue! Rest in peace.

Living In A Bubble - Actually this song is pretty good. I like the string sound which I know is synthesized, but it still is catchy. Then there is something that bugs me that comes a while into the song which is the Jamaican rapper. I don't know about you but I thought it was extremely out of place. As for what the song is about... no idea.

Move Your Body - I've decided that I'm not even going to try to take lyrics into consideration here. These are obviously words just put into the song for the sake of having words in a song. It does kind of make you want to move your body though. Its got a nice beat. I don't think it caught on when released onto the radio though.

My Console - This actually annoys me. This is what I call a "gimmick song". This is where the band pulls you in by listing a bunch of names and you try to catch onto them all and listen to the song more. It just seems cheap. Yeah, there is some catchy music here but I'm offended that they made a song to sell Playstations instead of making a song for the sake of music.

Your Clown - This song on the otherhand in quite good. I actually know what they are talking about which is a pleasant change. The singer isn't the usual nasal voice which is a relief. A good song.

Another Race - This song is kind of annoying. It isn't musically interesting at all and the lyrics are... well, really lame. There just babbling about some alien race or something. If this is a metaphor for something it has been lost.

The Edge - This is probably my favorite song on the album. If you listen to the music with headphones you can tell there are a lot of layers to this song. The beat is strong and although the lyrics are simple, they're better then a Playstation advertisement. This is a solid song.

Now Is Forever - This is a slower song which is actually rather good. This is the best part though, I actually think the lyrics are really good. I know it seems crazy but its true. Well done!

Silicon World - As near as I can figure this is the follow up to Duran Duran's "Electric Barbarella". Seems to me that its about some guy with a fetish for some robot girl. Eeeewww... The song is catchy but hardly anything groundbreaking.

Europop - Well, I like the chorus but the verses aren't as great. It's one of the more musically interesting songs on the album, thats for sure. It isn't as formulaic as the other songs. It's pretty good all in all.

Hyperlink (Deep Down) - I've never been a fan of sub-titles for songs. I figure if you are going to call a song something, thats what you should call it. You shouldn't put something in brackets in case people forget what the chorus sounds like. The song is alright but his voice is starting to get to me. I'm wondering if he plugs his nose while singing. This song is pretty standard.

All in all, this isn't too bad. I mean, its pretty original for techno but they need more really good songs if they want some more respect in the music industry.
And to be honest, the lyrics in here are total crap. I serously have no clue what the heck they're talking about most of the time. I mean, I suppose it could be worse. Most techno is just one line repeated over and over again, so at least they wrote lyrics! But I see it like this, if you are going to do something, do it right. Hire a lyricist if you guys can't think of anything. Eiffel 65 can afford it considering how much "Blue" was overplayed.
They do have some good pieces of work in here though. They have talent but I'm just not a big fan of bands who do all of their work on a synthesizer. I love watching drummers exercise their talents and guitar solos can improve songs substancially. But I have to remember that this is the style of music.
Actually I wouldn't even call them techno. I'd put them under "Electronica" which is a little more broad. This still means that most of it is synthesized but its not as formulaic.
The thing is although they have had one hit in North America, they are almost worshiped in certain parts of Europe. Well, certain things appeal to certain people.
Finding a quote is going to be hard...

Rating: I want to see more talent from these guys. I'm giving them a pretty generous 3 stars.

Quote: "It started out as something pure and sincere, but now I see, the evil within"

Reviewed on Friday, October 1st, 2004