I was bored, so...

Tiesto - Just Be (7/10)

This is an odd one. Quite a way from the Tiesto we all know from his previous album, In My Memory. Some of you would say more commercial, but I wouldn't but it that way. I'd just say "different".

Anyways, the album starts off with Forever Today. It sounds like the terminator theme, but... not quite. It starts with 3 minutes of beautifully symphonic strings, after which it suddenly fades into a tech-trance build-up, which goes on for a bit too long for my tastes. After that, however, it's pure bliss. The main melody comes again, with a more blippy sound. And it takes you far away, to wonderland.
Then that damn tech-trance comes again and ends the song. Argh.

After this, we get the hacky song "Love Comes Again" with BT (great artist BTW), who really is what makes this song good. The build-up is great, but it has a disturbingly "plastic" element to it. Then comes the vocals. Good, but am I the only one who thinks they don't fit along with the melody at all? The vocals are smooth, giving an impression of an epic classic, but then comes the two-tone main part. Utterly average.

As Love finally ends, we get something far better, something amongst the best "dark trance" tracks ever. We get Traffic. Some of you may not like this song, some of you may even HATE it, but I just love it. Makes me feel like... well, I'm stuck in a traffic jam. A nice traffic jam. (yes, yes, i know that isn't possible in real life, but in tiesto-land it is)

After which arrives Sweet Misery. It starts off really well. Half-slow drums build up, and great synths speed the journey. Really good. But I feel the vocals could have been done better, they give me bad associations to normal pop. This song is the most commercial one on here, and could well be played on the radio.

You've probably heard the next track before. Yup, it's Nyana. And while hard to grab at first, this old-sounding song will grow on you. Trust me. Anyway, it sounds kind of like an african landscape, alternatively an amusement park. (what do those have in common? the sun burning your back.)

Now - the "WHAT THE?" track of the album. UR. Even the title is bad. You are. Usually tracks which have internet-speak words in the title are bad, and this is no exception. Really slow. I suppose you could call it atmospheric, but it doesn't go anywhere for quite a while, and even when the melody comes, it far too common to be any good.

The next track, Walking On Clouds, is a love/hate one. Either you hate those damn vocals, or you love them. I hate them (at least in the beginning), but you are free to do as you wish. I'm listening to it right now... if you rip the vocals, this track would be typical Tiesto-quality. But the way they start... I can't take it. Just random screaming. The rest is, as I stated, pure quality, with a bitter-sweet ethereal melody.

Chanting vocals in a foreign language open very mature following track. It's "A tear in the open". I know it holds some secrets I cannot grasp, but as of now, it is like a Volvo. Plain, ordinary and boring. But good quality nontheless. A too big a mouthful for me. But I know the seemingly sentient synth has something more to it.

Now, Just be! The title track! That must be great, right? Maybe. That love/hate vocalist from Walking On Clouds, Kirsy Hawkshaw (spelling?) is BACK. Luckily, her role on this isn't so huge. The rest of the song is soft, kind of summery, just like the melody. Could well be played on the radio if shortened, like Sweet Misery. Should appeal to ATB's fans. (don't flame me, please)

The album is closed off, shut down, and whatever with "Adagio for Strings". Now, this track is a classic, kids. The original that is. This is way too "screech" to reach the same status. I like William Orbit's version. But not this. Not with that GODAWFUL screech factor. The drumming is nice, though, as is the whole build-up.

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