2ND GEN IRONY IS ALBUM MUTE, PLAYGROUND RELEASE: MARCH 5, 2001 REVIEW: APRIL 30, 2001

Angstcore is my homebrewn stylistic label for the music of Wajid Yaseen. His barren beatscapes are covered in hazardous industrial waste and neatly packaged in grey and black. If "Irony is" somewhere on this album, it has been well hidden indeed. Perhaps in the somewhat cheesy, romantically depressed poetry cited on "Slowburn".
The harsh hip hop sound of the single "And/or" is kind of funky, in a style reminiscent of Autechre. But at some point the monstrous battering-ram beats and static noise assaults start bogging the music down, smothering its vitality. "Black Spring" brings it back to life again, using Gallon Drunk guitarist James Johnston and liberal doses of harmonica for a nice country/punk/noise-effect.
Clearly, 2nd Gen has many different sides to it. I hope I'll get to hear more of them, rather than just the kind of high powered warhead stuff I already heard on the previous EP "Against Nature".

MATTIAS HUSS