Succumb to the master

Falling under the radar this fall is the release of Scandal by Master Slash Slave. This two-man band from San Francisco, Calif., had to go through many drummers and many tours before creator Matt Jones finally settled on drummer Matt Morgan to record this album and go on tour again.

With an intriguing mix of guitar, drums and MIDI sounds this album is sometimes rough but always a good listen.

With lyrics like ”The one thing I can’t do is make you stay” in “High Heels” and “I took trains, planes and taxis to spite you” in “Expensive Goodbyes” the meaning behind most of the music comes off as a little disaffected and surprisingly pessimistic for album’s general upbeat tone.

The MIDI aspect does interesting things to the sound of the record.

Songs like “False Dichotomies” seem to aspire to an out-of-body experience powered by MIDI-based riffs while others such as “Cold Calls” and “Na Zdrowie” end up sounding like well-done old-school video game music.

In other instances such as “I Dabble in Nabokov,” the synthesizers form a futuristic orchestra in the back of otherwise typical rock music.   

At first the electronic feel can be off-putting, but this kind of style seems to be an acquired taste. The more you listen the more charming it seems.  

Even if Master Slash Slave’s sound doesn’t seem like it’s for you, just listen long enough to experience the catchy beat of “Slummin” and smooth melody of “Nastasya.” By then, you’ll be the slave to their music.