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Gettin High on Your Own Supply

by Apollo 440

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Apollo Four Forty have nothing if not a preponderance of raw, frenzied energy going for them. Whether they're channeling Van Halen on "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Dub" (off 1997's Electro Glide in Blue) or indulging in goofy Fatboy Slimesque big beat on songs like "Stop the Rock" off of this disc, there's no denying their good-natured, infectious enthusiasm. While the empty-headedness that such manic tendencies often breed can be exasperating, their willingness to experiment keeps everything so fresh that you barely have time to notice. Rock-god guitar riffs mixed with scratch samples and pumped-up bass lines ("Cold Rock the Mic") give way to light drum & bass-influenced noodlings with trance atmospherics ("For Forty Days") without skipping a beat. Even when the whole thing starts to get a bit hokey, the band's creative drive makes it audibly palatable. Apollo Four Forty end up walking a techno-rock tightrope with a safety net made of cheese. --Matthew Cooke