Published on Mar 11, 2005
Shirtlifter’s music is unusual for the place he comes from. He
hails form Ontario Canada, but
Fans In The City, Shirtlifter’s third effort, is as European
as any house-music record could be.
Each track on
Fans In The City has all the typical attributes of what
defines “house-music.” His beats aren’t too addictive, but have a
strangely attractive tempo to them. His songs do lack the sense of
melody that is commonly associated with music driven by the synth,
but this is house music, which isn’t supposed to be melodious.
Though Shirtlifter’s music strongly adheres to the rules of
house music, he thankfully doesn’t integrate two key elements,
which make the music of this genre painfully monotonous, not to
mention annoying: eight-minute songs consisting of a cycle of
thudding beat-pattern, repeating again and again, with nothing else
happening to the song; and “synthesized” vocals that sing a couple
of lines in, which go unnoticed, due to the boredom-driven beats
that seem to last for eternity.
Fans In The City, with a total of ten tracks, is less than
fifty minutes in long, with each number having some identity of its
own, differentiating from the others, which is saying a lot for an
album that could easily have been fraught with unbearable
ennui.
Fans In The City is more than decent as a whole. But it has
weak points, which don’t ruin it, but could have been improved to a
great extent. “God A Relax” — a song about Shirtlifter’s
frustration on not being able to find a parking spot — and
“Violation” fall into the category of songs that lack any basic
structure. Such songs, however, if treated in a right way, could
also be the an album’s best; for example U2’s “Mofo” (from
Pop) or New Order’s “Fine Time” (from
Technique). But, on the other hand, if not treated right,
these numbers could sound slapdash, which is the case with “God A
Relax” and “Violation.”
Fans In The City lies somewhere between the hardcore house
music style of the likes of Daft Punk and the rather accessible
form of house music like that of Dirty Vegas, with a stronger
inclination towards the latter style than the former one.
Shirtlifter’s music could do with further honing and polishing;
nevertheless he is a mature artist who aims to make dance records
for serious listeners.