Red Emprez - On the Leash

What do you sing about most often? I dare claim the answer is love. Sometimes also death (actual or metaphorical). And all kinds of suffering. Sometimes you juxtapose it all (for better or for worse), combining it with melodies – slow or fast, lyrical or aggressive – to get… just what exactly? A universal product like a ready-made meal? Watch out – when it comes to Red Emprez, that kind of approach will get you nowhere. True, On the Leash talks a great deal about emotions, but it’s certainly not as simple a creation as some sentimental romantics would like it to be.


I have to admit I like the way Red Emprez sound, I’ve come to like what they do since Clubgirls and Poofs; and yet, while listening to them, I sometimes think I’m not mature enough to fully understand their music. I mean, Mike and Adam are the kind of musicians to classify whom is pretty much senseless – they just use so many sources of inspiration, they choose motifs so carefully, that the end product is utter proof of the artists’ maturity and of the thorough thinking that accompanied its creation. You’ll find nothing out of place on their albums; and if you hear elements of metal, club music, pop, punk, or electro, they’re definitely in the right place and not without a concept. Add to it the lyrics: slightly harsh, open and unsentimental (I won’t say “masculine,” because I fear the bests of political correctness; besides, seeing how liberal the roles and humours of the sexes have become, it would be risky anyway :-). Finally, there’s the vocals – which can sound like a voice from hell, hit you like straight punch, ripple like dark waves of smoke in a club, or shroud you with warmth and smoothness like best quality velvet.

To make a long story short, the court of the Red Empress has its own rules, and my impression is that you need some knowledge (and maybe a little experience, too) to move through its rooms with ease.
The rooms are twelve. Most are in red silk, but here and there you’ll also find a tint of black, steel or some pastel colours. Still, crimson is dominant.
As to my favourites: all have a bit of a “feral” feel to them, they’re very dynamic (and by “dynamic” I don’t just mean “great for dancing”) with some really fantastic fragments, perfectly arranged, kept somewhere between sophisticated dry and dance floor madness.

The first would definitely be “Time to Say Goodbye” (owing especially to the speeding tempo that’s suddenly unleashed somewhere around the second minute, plus the evidently distorted rhythm). Apart from that one, I’d name “The Circle” (synth-style, sharp, loud – sometimes to the point of screaming; if you have long hair, you can let it loose for the chorus), “Fix Me Up” (slow, neurotic, a little hypnotic and trancelike) and ”Everyone’s Girlfriend” (great tempo, this is one hell of a dance floor killer, no doubt about it; additional points for the mad, devilish vocals).

Other tracks are no worse than the above: the edged “Red Blood Running;” the pop “Today;” the subtle, delicate “ballad” “Don’t Forget Me,” the feral, psychedelic “In the Wonderland;” the Small-Town-Boy-like “So Alone” (the vocals are darker than “Small Town Boy,” of course); or the instrumental “Broken Toy.”

This is more or less my reception of On the Leash; yes, the leash definitely holds firm, if you’ve allowed it around your neck. But it doesn’t hurt or choke (too much), so it may be worth it.
It’s got my recommendation.