Review: First Aid 4 Souls – 'Smile No More'

FIRST AID 4 SOULS
'Smile No More'
SELF-RELEASED

First Aid 4 Souls is one of those acts that should be more of a common name than they are. The brainchild of Istvan Gazdag, First Aid 4 Souls has dabbled in just about every electronic genre you can imagine across a succession of solid album releases. The latest offering sees Gazdag and a group of guest vocalists, including Balazs Frank (V.e.N.), Aaron Russell (Impurfekt), and George Mortum Turoczy (Human Vault), swing back into old school ebm territory for 'Smile No More'.

The album is solidly rooted in a combination of melodic synths, dance-friendly beats and steady paces with the occasional permeation dark and ambient textures into the mix. The end result is definitely old school ebm, but with that undeniable FA4S mark that Gazdag can't help but leave. There are the usual nods to the classic bands of the genre, but 'Smile No More' asserts itself as an independent entity throughout.

Songs such as 'Chaos Cultist', 'Alien Implant', 'No More Smile', and 'Fortress' in particular distil the best of the genre through the out-of-the-box thinking of Gazdag and into a distinct delivery that makes good use of elements such as live drums, guitars and different vocalists to add variety and depth.

The production has a distinctly old school feel to it that reflects the subject matter. While it does sound appropriate for the material, it isn't as crisp and modern as some of the previous FA4S albums have delivered, and so doesn't quite sound like it has delved into its full potential, however it works regardless.

This is a nice EP that shows off yet another side to First Aid 4 Souls as an electronic product. It may not have the big ambient, psychedelic or more complex elements that we're used to from previous releases, but it sets out to do old school ebm, and in the end it does it damn well.

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Review: First Aid 4 Souls - 'Terra Incognita – Selected Electro Works Vol. 4'

FIRST AID 4 SOULS

'Terra Incognita – Selected Electro Works Vol. 4'

ELECTRO ARC

István Gazdag aka First Aid 4 Souls continues his anthology series with another distinctly themed collection of songs. Whereas the previous three offerings have served up psy-acid, industrial-noise and dark ambient, 'Vol. 4' blends electro soundscapes and a diverse rage of world instruments to create a palette of relaxing yet rhythmically stimulating songs.

It's a shame that the band are not more well known further afield as this series, in particular 'Vol. 4', shows off what an eclectic project First Aid 4 Souls is. Songs like 'Eden', '2662', 'Neverharmony', 'Fairy' and 'Future Sound Of Asia' are perhaps the strongest examples on the album with a well balanced blend of ethnic sounds, danceable rhythms and ambient electronics that hints at the likes of Juno Reactor.

With the tracks being collected from along First Aid 4 Souls' long career there are obvious variations in the technological and mixing quality of the songs, with some sounding rather outdated even, at times, akin to the now defunct Ceefax music playlists of yesteryear. But a decent mastering job has given the album a more refined sense of unity, and the care to arrange the tracks gives the album more of a narrative feel.

This album may not have the dance floor appeal of volumes one and two, but it still stands nicely next to 'Vol. 3' in terms of experimental spirit. It is quite obvious this is where Gazdag has been at his most experimental and speculative. It doesn't always quite work, but nobody ever made any progress by playing it safe.

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