Search - 12 Rounds :: My Big Hero

Happy evil!

spellvexit | 03/08/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I was instantly enamored with this album. 12 Rounds has 3 fantastic things going for them: 1. Their utterly twisted lyrics--they're evil and, as another reviewer rightly put it, demented! At times they are even inviting, until a sudden turn is made that transforms the song into a horrifying image (as it was in 2 Miles). 2. Claudia's vocals--She has a voice that sounds edgy, sophisticated, and a bit childlike at the same time. Its uniqueness really adds to the already surreal air of the music. It can be shrill, seductive, mocking, or cold; it blends with the music perfectly. 3. The music is beautifully dark and disturbed, and for me, a couple of tracks bordered on being the platonic form of dark electronic/gothic music--most notably track 9--Me Again. This is a likely candidate for NIN fans, but I'll go out on a limb and say that Cranes fans might also like this one, because to me it felt like a magnificent cross between the two. I'd suspect that Curve listeners enjoy a considerable overlap with 12 Rounds as well. This is a solid debut album with an already perfectly-formed sound--this band can only get better!"

Darkness and its Soothing Vocal Embrace

TastyBabySyndrome | "Daddy Dagon's Daycare" - Proud Sponsor of the Lit | 01/09/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Sometimes something is released that is so utterly intoxicating in its ability to captivate and yet it is so utterly ignored that a listener finds themselves incapable of understanding the exact nature of the industry. Be it a trend spun from the straw of bad marketing campaigns (or the lack of them), or simply a lack of connection with the consumer, these little gems are treasure destined to be lost and forgotten by all save those lucky enough to find them, much to the chagrin of those wishing for a lot more. Such is the case with 12 rounds, an unfortunate victim of Nothing Record's veritable lack of remorse when it comes to any of the label's understudy acts, as can be seen with so many of their signed bands. Still, does this truly measure the worth of the performer and the wonders they generate?To say that 12 rounds has a style all their own is an understatement inside and understatement and, in some respects, doesn't go far enough into the realms of the descriptive. Here we find a combination of genres and subclassifications, going from hellbilly and blues to more solidified versions of carnival music on psychotropics. These blend with lyrics ranging from the entrancingly bizarre to the utterly sadistic that are hidden behind the mask of Claudia Sarne's extremely intoxicating voice, managing to crisscross through the sometimes beautiful and sometimes brutal while proclaiming a vast array of things that seem almost frightening to hear from such an invigorating spring. To me that is one of the perpetual beauties of this work; its ability to grant its audience servings of something that strays beyond the realm of the mundaneness often plaguing music, and one of the reasons I recommend it highly. Personally, I like to find myself enamored and shocked at the same time.If nothing else, I would suggest that a person go and look for something to listen to from this album and, if they don't like what they hear, go and ingest something else from the same work because of the complexity of it all. Also, if one can find it, I would further recommend they check out "Jitter Juice," a release that seems buried in the past and is actually hard to locate, as well as looking into their website for new releases (such as some soundtrack work) that they have planned."

12 rounds: best CD I have EVER heard

TastyBabySyndrome | 08/09/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"this is what I want in an album, moodiness, a little bit of industrial, a little goth, a little jazz and a little psychobilly.....over all my favorite cd in my collection!!"