REVIEW: Frontline Assembly, Monument (Roadrunner)
- Lee Graham Bridges
From rattling, pounding drum machines to the distinct sound of the sawtooth waveform emanating from the synthesizer - some of the most widely known early conventions of the electro-industrial-dance genre were designed, implemented, and delivered by Frontline Assembly. The band formed in 1986 by Bill Leeb, FLA represented a new and different sort of industrial from earlier, staple bands of the scene like Einsturzende Neubauten and Throbbing Gristle. Bands like Front 242, Skinny Puppy, and FLA brought an '80s new wave flavor to a dynamic type of music that, nonetheless, seemed very rigid and straightforward at the time.
Monument, while not delivering a comprehensive history of the band, tries to sum up the band's style with twelve remixes and rare/b-side tracks from the band, mostly during their productive early '90s era. For better or worse, the songs comprise a fairly uniform package; the same tempo, synthbass lines, and menacing vocals (reverbed and heavily distorted, of course) can, to the uninitiated listener, sound tired by the end of the disc.
Strangely, however, such constant reiteration is exactly the point of Monument - the album's tracks are not meant to represent the band's full repertoire. As the title hints at, the album is a celebration of FLA's classic style, and the songs selected are meant to demonstrate that style to new listeners. "Re-Animate" sports some catchy vocals, while remixes of "Virus", "Big Money", and "Resist" reinforce the nostalgia factor for FLA fans and, at the same time, put a unique spin on classic FLA tracks.
The sad truth is this: electro-industrial is slowly being edged out by oh-so-"sophisticated" breakbeats, jungle, and pure electronica (many Front 242 fans were recently disappointed in just such a way by the band's Reboot: Live '98). With the hope of fans everywhere riding on the revival of the genre, it seems that Monument is just as likely as anything to repopularize the unique style of music FLA constructs.
