Artist: BT

CD Review

Label: Nettwerk Records

by Orren Merton

The album title is, in my opinion, geeky. The picture of him sitting on a bench, in a white suit that doesn't quite look tailored to fit, looks a little geeky. And while he does collaborate with Brain and Tommy Stinson from the current Guns & Roses band on this album, as well as a few friends here and there, this is mostly a very private album, just a man and his Macintosh. Then again, give BT a Macintosh and he'll give you the world...

Let me come clean. I do not generally like pop music. I find it shallow and boring. It tells me very little about my life and experience. Music means more to me when it has grinding guitars chipping away at the very fabric of life, howling their rage into the night. There's not a whole lot of that in pop music. Somehow, BT has managed to make pop music that I can like. Maybe it's because you can tell he means every line he sings. Maybe it's because his unimaginably creative programming gives his pop an edginess that most pop can't touch. Maybe it's because its based in techno and hip hop styles that are not mainstream, which gives the songs a texture and structure that are not common in most pop music. Maybe its the often cinematic atmospheres.

Or maybe its because the songs are just good.

Some songs run a few minutes longer than I'd prefer. While I'm glad he sings as many of these tracks as he does, I wish he wasn't so reliant on effects to smooth out his voice. He sounded much more natural on his last record. Sure, turn Rose McGowan into a digital singing box, but BT's voice can stand on its own as a fine pop voice. I think "Circles" is my favorite track, both because the lyrics seem particularly heartfelt, and because that's a song where both the programming and the G&R sidemen come together to take the track to an almost techno-rock pitch. But all these songs are at the very least interesting slices of electronic music, with "Knowledge of Self," "Somnambulist," "Dark Heart Dawning," "The Great Escape," "Communicate," and the techno-organic-acoustic numbers "Animals," and "The Only Constant Is Change" perhaps standing out.

Overall, this album holds together very well, and for those into electronic pop music with edgier programming and deeper lyrics, Emotional Technology will not disappoint. For those looking for a primer in how far you can push digital recording technology, this album may very well stand as a blueprint for the future. BT is definitely growing with each album, and this album will without a doubt win him new accolades, and pick up more fans for him.