Audio Riot (SF) - The Rules Of Your Sin (Demo)

Hear The Track Here

San Francisco based Patrick Lew has been hanging around on Soundclick since 2005, so despite his obvious youth he obviously committed to what he is doing. Along the way causing many reviewers (including yours truly) to wish that they could be committed too - although not in the same way. Patrick is the brain (?) behind Pretendo Game Project and of course the infamous original Audio Riot.  Regular readers are still reeling from that one. When I reviewed Fobby Asian Girl (August 2007) it went down in history as one of the worst reviews I have ever given to any track. As if once wasn't enough, Patrick put a new version of it up in April of this year and my comment on that review pretty much sums it up 'What happens on this track? Everything fights everything else, the music, the instruments, the arrangement..' As I mentioned before, different strokes for different folks, if this is what Patrick wants to do with his life, who am I to say he is wrong about it?

Besides, anyone who wears a Motorhead Tshirt is OK by me ;)

So you really must understand that Audio Riot (SF) is probably going to be a very personal taste; especially musically because Patrick seems to have his own rules about what fits and what doesn't. More to the point, he doesn't seem to take anything onboard that me and other reviewers have said about how can improve his tracks, and again that's OK. Maybe he wants a collection of the worst reviews ever written for some obscure purpose. Essentially the track comprises of one electric guitar and Patrick's vocals and is every bit about as much of a demo as you can ever get. Bare bones doesn't even begin to cover it and for a track that stretches out to over five minutes it's sorely in need of some meat on its bones.

To the rest of the world, music is very structured; written as as time and tone. Pretty much ALL music (including some of the wilder reaches of the experimental scene) works to that centuries old, tried and true system. Instruments have to be in tune with each other, and that includes any vocals going over the top, and timing ensures that whatever flourishes and/or drama that you add to the peice builds correctly to achieve an emotional/intellectual response from the listener. Well, not on Planet Lew they don't. So don't expect anything in the way of structure, tone integrity or even tunefullness. The vocals won't quite work with whats being played on the guitar and the segues from section to section are yawning chasms of indecison and uncertainty.

Can you hear me Major Tom? Can you hear me Major Tom?