God Lives Underwater Albums (4)
'Up Off the Floor'
Release Date 1/1/2004
Tracks 10
Label Locomotive Music
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What The Critics Say
Marilyn Manson was really up to something, concocting a formula that combined the sounds of Kurt Cobain with the Love It to Death/Killer phase of Alice Cooper. God Lives Underwater understand that and work the concept to good effect though they don't take many of the interesting ideas presented on Up off the Floor as far as the potential demands. Modern techno colliding with grunge is what toys with the high end of your speakers on tunes like "1% (The Long Way Down)" and "Slip to Fall" -- the trance taking hold the louder one turns up the latter tune. "The king of insensitivity" in "History" advises you to put your "thick skin on" -- which seems like the ultimate excuse in a dysfunctional relationship. John Lennon's notion of slipping his other song titles into the lyric of another song is picked up here, the word "positivity" seeming to be a favorite. This music picks up where Spitfire artist OhGr left off, another band that had interaction with producer Rick Rubin at some point in their career. The ten tunes are written by the duo with some collaboration on "White Noise" and "72 Hour Hold," and though they are on the right track, some great riffs get lost in the production (or lack thereof). The late Jimmy Miller could turn a waterfall of noise into a defined party as he did with the Rolling Stones' "Tumblin' Dice." Over 30 years after that condensed explosion, musicians seem to have lost the art of putting all their anger and message into a vacuum-tight package which pops out of the radio with authority. "No Way (You Must Understand)" has an interesting enough riff but it is a road in need of a destination. "72 Hour Hold" works better as the plodding rhythm oozes between the haunting decadence and lost vocals. Jeff Turzo and David Reilly inject more eeriness into "Miss You More Than Anything" while closing track "Positivity" has that ominous Black Sabbath buzz helping the pair continue to unleash its nonstop train-wreck audio barrage. ~ Joe Viglione, All Music Guide
'Life In The So-Called Space Age'
Release Date 3/24/1998
Tracks 11
Label A&M
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What The Critics Say
If it wasn't clear enough before, God Lives Underwater fully nailed their colors to the Depeche Mode fan mast in 1998 with not one but two nods to that band's astonishing Black Celebration album. Besides covering "Fly on the Windscreen" for the Music for the Masses tribute album, the group named its full new album after the slogan found in Black Celebration's artwork. Unsurprisingly the record itself had that connection in the music as well -- "Rearrange," the first full track after a brief introduction, has a synth line that's just as obviously in debt to Depeche as the closing synth break on Nine Inch Nails' "Closer," say. None of this is to belittle the album; if anything, rather than simply cloning Depeche's own style in the fashion of bands like Camouflage, the integration of that approach with God Lives Underwater's own murky rock is even better than before. "Alone Again," possibly a thematic sequel to the debut EP's "Lonely Again," though it doesn't immediately sound like it, plays down the guitars in favors of the beats and wiry, edgy keyboard lines, a balance repeated to even more haunting effect on "Happy?," with its acoustic guitar-touched intro and distanced, echoed feeling. Many other songs similarly let the electronics take the fore, while more than once the band fully drop the guitars entirely in favor of melancholy soundscapes and melodies, though nearly often with the band's own brand of full-bodied rock/funk rhythms. Reilly's singing is much less forced than before (and it should be noted he's never tried to simply ape David Gahan, likely due to his higher register), while more explicit hip-hop approaches (scratching, not just breakbeats and loops) add further to the overall flavor. One of the odder but more enjoyable tracks, "The Rush Is Loud," explicitly talks about the songwriting and recording process against a rough electro/industrial arrangement, Reilly's hushed singing an interesting contrast to the music. ~ Ned Raggett, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
The hints of what would become an even clearer influence over time -- Depeche Mode -- start coming to the fore on Empty, God Lives Underwater's full length debut. There's little immediate change in the overall elements -- heavy, clipped feedback slabs, experimentation with keyboards and loops, Reilly's slightly whiny, ghost of Layne Staley singing style. But there's a subtle sense of studio exploration, finding new ways to process and play the guitar parts, playing with the mix. Consider "All Wrong," which makes the vocals much more prominent than the drums, while flattening out the guitars in the middle, then adds some sudden midsong breaks where it's nothing but Reilly and some very low-key beats indeed. Again, God Lives Underwater aren't breaking any new ground, but in their own way they're finding a reasonable balance between hard rock and electronic arrangements. "23," based around a heavily swirled, endless guitar loop and a slow, steady pace, not to mention some of Reilly's most affecting singing and lyrics, is a definite standout, even allowing space for a brief vocal/acoustic guitar part. That touch is expanded in full on the concluding "Scared," which reverses things to bring in the full electronic assault only for a brief moment. As for the Depeche Mode touches, there's everything from the multiple quirky sample-based melodies to the sheer elegance and beauty of some songs, such as the wonderful cascading chorus of the title track. Not everything is perfect -- sometimes Reilly's more extreme yelling disrupts rather than works with the music, especially when quieter keyboard parts are added. But on balance, God Lives Underwater started finding their feet fully with Empty, with the future looking ever brighter from that point on. ~ Ned Raggett, All Music Guide
'God Lives Underwater'
Release Date 1/1/1995
Tracks 6
Label Onion/REP
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What The Critics Say
The band's debut EP is quite clearly that of a young band at work -- especially since it's such an obvious if enjoyable fusion. Take Nine Inch Nails-styled industrial/rock music, blend in Alice in Chains' take on grunge, behold -- God Lives Underwater. There's the tech obsessions and sampler/amplifier abuse of the former, the singing style and some guitar lines of the latter, a variety of hip-hop-inspired loops and breaks for further effect, and all together it's perfectly state of the art music for 1995, when it first appeared. This said, the heavily compressed production on opening song "Drag Me Down" lacks the more full-bodied beat and bass punch of the remainder of the EP. "No More Love" sets things to rights, while "Lonely Again" is the best song on the disc, with an echoed, beautifully epic guitar intro and a moody melancholy captured in both the singing and the slow music. Nothing on the EP is a great surprise, but it's still a good starting point for where things would go next. ~ Ned Raggett, All Music Guide
