WALTER MEEGO
Voyager
Sony BMG
Noel Wurst
I’ll admit it; I go to Wikipedia when I don’t know squat about an artist I’m reviewing. I’m not relying on it for absolute truths, I just like to see what’s there. For instance, I had no idea that the track “Forever,” which is really good, from Walter Meego’s new album Voyager was featured in an episode of “Ugly Betty.” Nor did I know that “Music writers have said they think Justin’s voice is very pleasant and unique.” Fascinating!
I can’t believe it, but Voyager isn’t half bad! I’m only surprised because I’m not an electronica fanatic. I like the stuff everyone else likes, I can’t claim any real obscure gems that only I know about. Walter Meego have put out an electronica album that’s not overly annoying, and it’s not just appealing to the drug addled rave crowd. Sure, the lyrics are as simple as standard dance club fare, but they almost fade into the blissful, really, really nice instrumentals that pound with incredible similarity to Air’s Moon Safari.
Sure there’s misses here and there, but they certainly don’t outnumber the highlights. While I can’t claim that I find band member Justin Sconza’s voice necessarily all that “pleasant and unique” (it’s pretty heavily modulated for most of the album to be honest) I can say that Voyager is technically impressive enough for the real aficionado’s, the beats are danceable enough for the club kids, and it’s not so intimidating that casual electronica fans should be scared away. Added bonus: the fist track uses the riff from “My Best Friend’s Girl.” Ric Ocasek would be proud.
