Search - Noise Box :: Nuffnutz

Nuffnutz isn?t as tough as it could be

J. Derek Reardon | KC, MO, USA | 06/09/2000

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I was impressed with industrial dance artist Noise Box's (presumably) first release Monkey Ass, so finding this release featuring remixes of songs off Monkey Ass was pretty exciting. Unfortunately, as is often the case with remixes, most of the songs just didn't live up to the intensity of the originals. There was a lot of potential to take these songs up a notch. For the most part, Noise Box instead chose to take the songs down a notch by overproducing the edge and intensity off most of them. The Clubbed Mix of "I Hate You" is still a pretty good throw down and thrash song, and the samples are more pronounced and used creatively. However, there are some musical breaks that interrupt the intensity that the original has. The Live Mix of "Monkey Ass" is actually better than the original, more filled out and very driving with the guitars and beats. "Skinner" was one of the most awesome songs on Monkey Ass, but the 13" version here is very toned down and loses a lot of the original bounce, thrash, and intensity. "Some of U" (First Take) might have a bit more length and development than the original, but I can't really say it's much of an improvement, though the thrash factor is improved slightly. In the liner notes, the band attributes OD'ing on BiGod20 and Front 242 for the Demo Mix of "Suffer," which got my hopes up. Yeah, the drums are similar, but not the orchestration, which is really bland compared to the original. And the effects applied to the vocals are just annoying. With a second chance to make it right, the Demo Mix of "Skinner" references "The Bog" by BiGod20 (one of my all time favs) as an influence, which is apparent from the string orchestration. It's definitely slammin' and thrashin', but the funky hooks I liked so much from the original are overshadowed by a driving beat. It's not all that bad for the dance floor; I just prefer the original. The Demo Mix of "Desire" starts off kind of funny, samples of someone saying Josh and Dre's (two principle bands members) names over and over. Then you get into a harsher, driving, and deeper version than the original, which makes this version very cool, tho still fairly slow. Overall, I give Nuffnutz 3 stars. It's fairly decent for a remix album, and most of the songs are still very cool if you'd only heard them and not their originals. And I just can't give a horrible review to a band that says hello in the liner notes to such bands as MC 900 Ft. Jesus, Consolidated, FLA, Utah Saints, and Birmingham 6 (among others)! For a recommendation, I'd say first buy Monkey Ass. If that throws you down on the dance floor and makes you thrash, then consider putting Nuffnutz on your wish list. I'm a fan, so it was a must buy at the time. However, had I heard the samples before I bought it, I might have reconsidered, since I do like the original versions much better."