According to their Facebook page, the influences for this album include French house, disco, and minimal techno, and it really shows.
For a duo who are signed to Hospital Records, and who put out the monster 'Cross The Line' LP almost two years ago, I was expecting something a lot different. I'm still deciding what I really think of it.
It wouldn't be fair to compare 'Zeitgeist' with 'Torus' but bear with me for a second - both belong to notable Drum & Bass labels (Hospital Records and RAM Records, respectively [though Torus was released with Virgin Records]); and, both had major successes with their first albums, mostly consisting of Drum & Bass/Dubstep tracks. Now, both release their next album on the same day and people have certain expectations. Up until now, both have had fairly parallel careers in terms of production - maybe not touring.
'Zeitgeist' leaves me feeling the same way that 'Random Access Memories' did - a cherished production team putting out something different than what I wanted, or expected, and I have to learn to accept that. I still haven't gotten over 'RAM,' though.
After finishing the album, a few tracks stand out. Rock Paper Scissors, Journey Through Sound, Vice, and Dreamcatcher. These tracks alone represent to me what direction Camo & Krooked should have gone in, if it were up to me. They all have some similarities to 'Cross The Line,' which I like, but they are more sophisticated and show the depth of production that the Austrian duo possess. Journey especially stands out - it starts with some funky guitar and bass riffs, with a some rolling drums; then about a minute in, it starts to build... and build... and build... and it DROPS. My first impression was what the 'Tron' soundtrack would have sounded like if it was produced by Deadmau5 instead of Daft Punk - which I guess is where the French house influence comes in. Otherwise, most of the tracks are far too minimal for me. If you were expected a heavily laden, bassline-driven album with DnB breaks and crazy synths, I'm sorry. If you're in it purely for the music, then the album is not that bad. See for yourself - they've uploaded clips of each song to their soundcloud.
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