REVIEW: Cause & Effect, Trip (Zoo)
- Bob Gajarsku
Cause & Effect's lead vocalist Robert Rowe has a voice which resembles that of Depeche Mode's Dave Gahan and their latest release, Trip, will further those comparisons.
Whereas the first album, Another Minute brought listeners back to the early 1980's and D.M.'s light, synth-pop sound, Trip packs a meatier punch and closely parallels Depeche Mode's career. The first single, "It's Over Now", has a bit of Depeche Mode's "Never Let Me Down Again" in it, although it was composed by new member Keith Milo several years before in his former band, Practice Faith.
Milo joined the band, which also consisted of Rowe and keyboardist Keith Milo, after the untimely death of keyboardist and founding member Sean Rowley. The band refused to submit to the easy way out - disbanding - and continued their American tour. In addition, they completed three songs which Rowley had been working on at the time of his death - "Stone Girl", "Sinking" and "You Are The One", all of which appear on the latest release.
"It's Over Now" isn't the only top notch track on the album. Other songs which stick to the Cause & Effect trademark of catchy, keyboard-based sounds include "Soul Search" - with an intro similar to the classic "Spirit in the Sky" and a dance beat in the middle; "Inside Out" and "Crash". These songs, like others, combine the Depeche Mode style of live drums/guitars and keyboards with a modern trance touch, similar to the Shamen meeting the Orb.
One other song deserves special accolades, "Alone". Recounting the tale of a young woman's fears, the track carries haunting melodies with revealing lyrics. The ending to the song, with the woman saying "Could we leave the lights on tonight?", offers a listener many answers to the track's meaning, but with no firm conclusions.
Trip was produced by Martyn Phillips, who has also worked with Erasure, Jesus Jones and the Beloved.
The second release of Cause and Effect shows lead singer Robert Rowe and drummer Richard Shepherd overcoming the difficulty of their deceased partner, the addition of a new member and the "sophomore jinx" to produce a highly addictive second album. What a short beautiful Trip it is, with Cause and Effect.
