Freeland - 'Now & Them' (Marine Parade) Released 15/09/03

In the midst of post war in the middle east, increasing tension in the west, and an intensified hatred of the American government, Brighton born Adam Free*land has managed to capture the despairing voice of America's useless consumerism in fiercely designed beats, and to accommodate politics with non other than…wait for it… the dancefloor.

Free*land’s message gets through no louder than on the album opener; ‘We Want Your Soul’, featuring the classic line “Your pills, your grass, your tits, your ass, your laughs, your balls, we want it all”. This song is about the destructive side of consumer culture, a lesson on how we’re force fed meaningless crap which distracts us from the things that really matter. Moving on, its raw angst that propels the attack of ‘Mind Killer’, inspired by the line, ‘Fear is the mind killer’ from Frank Herbert’s Dune. This song is rocky and hard. The kind of song where its almost impossible to tell whether he’s using fuzzed up synths or fuzzed up guitars. Sheer positivity runs through the Electro-shudder of ‘Heel and Toe’, featuring Juice and Toastie, but ultimately it becomes apparent that the songs of ‘Now & Them’ viewed collectively, are a product of an all-encompassing passion for music and life. With the albums highlight, ‘Supernatural Thing’, with Alison David’s spine licking vocals, it’s hard to detach it from being anything other than a love song, despite the raw basis of production which creates an interesting conflict throughout.

This album was created by a man who know's he has a limited voice as a DJ, but in ‘Now & Them’ has sculpted a product of pent up aggression and troubled thoughts. Free*land are a living/ breathing band and, quite possibly, the real thing.