I'm not thrilled to be reviewing another Euro-trash techno album, which most people call "dance music". Since I expect Cross to be filled mostly with heavy electronic effects and no vocals there will be very little to talk about. The opening track "Genesis" has some neat sounds and as usually would probably be pretty cool as a video game soundtrack. It leads directly into the next song "Let There Be Light". The melody, if you can call it that, alternates between a gurgling robot chihuahua and the most horrendous alarm clock you've ever heard. The last 1:30 or so of the song isn't too bad and reminds me of Oxygene. Something about those over-synthesized horn sounds works for my brain.
Much of the album is done using heavily truncated samples. "Newjack" is a particularly egregious example. It sounds like a radio station your car can barely pick up as you go through a mountain pass. The cuts aren't even very clean, so between every hacked up sample is a tiny popping noise.
"TTHHEE PPAARRTTY" sounds like an anthem for the girls on The Jersey Shore. It actually features lyrics, and apparently all the girl wants to do is get drunk, dance, and call people bitches and sluts. "DVNO" also features lyrics, this time sung by a man who wants everyone to know how cool he is. Sounds like a total douche to me, especially since he named himself DVNO.
One thing I will say in favor of Cross is that it moves pretty quickly. I usually think dance albums take forever to get through. It might have something to do with the songs staying in the 3 to 4 minute range verses the often gaudy 5 to 6 minutes of other albums I've heard. To me, with dance music, shorter is much better. If this songs were about 2 to 3 minutes I might consider liking them. Eh, Cross wasn't really that awful. Not that I even sorta liked it. 2 stars.
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