Review (I) Fire - EP

Sloucher.org has provided a fine review of Trojan Horse's new EP.

"Trojan Horse - EP

Once upon a time, a good friend of mine observed that the two persons that have treated me the worst were Sagittarius. I’ve never believed in Zodiac mumbo jumbo, but it is a strange coincidence (disproved by the fact that I have some very good friends that are also Sagittarius).

Anways, if I were to believe in Astrology, I’d say that Fire by Trojan Horse (#IFOWONPRO!) is a Gemini.

Ah, fuck that Zodiac bullshit, this EP is actually Harvey Dent (if you need explaining, congrats, you have a real life).

Let’s toss the coin… Ah.

It all kicks off with the extremely exciting (and infuriatingly short) ‘Fire’, which manages to cram in less than 2 minutes the intensity of Trojan Horse with their penchant to deftly jump from genre to genre. Punk, rock, ambient and even some fashionable post punk for you indie lovers (love the drum attack). Just one nitpick, it’s 01189998819991197253 , not 999.

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young is such a good band and their song ‘Ohio’ is a fantastic condemnation of a horrible incident. Kudos to Trojan Horse to go for this often overlooked track and adding their own flavour to it. Some may say that the incident at Kent State is water under the bridge, but I implore you to read about the current situation in México and you’ll understand why I think this cover is something that still reflects real life. The actors change, but the brutality is still present.

‘Disciplining the reserve army’ was an amazing track from their previous LP and the acoustic version losses  [sic] all effects but none of the emotion. The odd time signatures survive any stripping and you get extra atmosphere courtesy of a melodica that steals the show.

Let’s toss the coin again.

Time for the remixes and this is where results may vary. Remixes can be like covers: you can stay to close to the original, adding almost nothing to it or you can just deviate as wildly as a meandering river, ending up with something akin to what comes out of a cocoon after a caterpillar takes a big nap.

‘Reggae’ comes courtesy of From the Kites of San Quentin and you can tell: the glitchy bits, the slightly unnerving atmospheres and the occasional industrial beat (slowed down). It’s all there and it’s the darker of the three remixes. ‘Fire’ gets a remix by DTR (the producer of the EP) and continues the dark atmosphere laid out by ‘Reggae’. The smouldering drone marches on and small variations and incidental stings swoop down, altering the mood and leave just as fast, letting the mesmerising creation continue to slowly crawl forward. That lovely synth (the one that sounds like a keyboard/Theremin thingy) does lull our senses. Chill out music with an edge.

The last remix, courtesy of Zoir is called ‘(Earth, Wind &) Fire’ and is the happier of the three, although it’s also the one having the most fun with the glitches and arpeggios. When the percussion crashes the party, the song really lifts off. If you like stuff to be less abstract (like the other two remixes), this is the meat closest to the bone.

Fire EP. One half offering Prog Nouveau loveliness (#IFOWONPRO!), the other one offering progressive electronica at its glitchiest. Which face is the dashingly good looking attorney and which one is the crusty deep fried and battered face with wavy white hair? Results may vary, but I like variety, me…"

Words: Sam J. Valdés López

Review courtesy of Sloucher.org. For the original words go to 'Trojan Horse - Fire EP'.