Tiesto - Kaleidoscope Review
Posted by Marshall Slayton on 10.20.2009
The club-stomping Dutch DJ brings you a collection of songs to get any party started...
1. Kaleidoscope [ft. Jónsi]
2. Escape Me [ft. CC Sheffield]
3. You Are My Diamond [ft. Kianna]
4. I Will Be Here [ft. Sneaky Sound System]
5. I Am Strong [ft. Priscilla Ahn]
6. Here on Earth [ft. Cary Brothers]
7. Always Near
8. It's Not the Things You Say [ft. Kele Okereke]
9. Fresh Fruit
10. Century [ft. Calvin Harris]
11. Feel It in My Bones [ft. Tegan and Sara]
12. Who Wants to Be Alone [ft. Nelly Furtado]
13. LA Ride
14. Bend It Like You Don't Care
15. Knock You Out [ft. Emily Haines]
16. Louder Than Boom
17. Surrounded by Light
Techno’s a genre that’s completely hit-or-miss with me. Either I’m gonna love it and play it to everyone, or I’m going to listen once and toss it away. I fell in love with the psy-trance album Vicious Delicious from Infected Mushroom in 2007, but their follow-up album, Legend of the Black Schwarma, didn’t make it past listening session number two. I felt like I had been served reheated leftovers, and there’s nothing less fun than treading on already familiar territory.
Although unfamiliar with Tiesto’s work, I slipped into Kaleidoscope very easily. The album is nothing short of breathtaking, and never crosses the line into repetitive or cheesy. The Dutch DJ clearly knows what he’s doing, and proves his worth by hitting the ground running.
The first track, the seven-minute “Kaleidoscope” put me in a good mood right away. Jonsi, vocalist from the ethereal melancholy band Sigur Ros, lends his voice and sounds nothing like his usual self. Instead of ambient-falsetto Icelandic vocals, Jonsi goes full-on with English and brings the house down. “Kaleidoscope” is identical to the popular Sigur Ros song, “Glosoli.” It begins slowly, builds suspense, and unleashes at the end with a thrilling climax. Tiesto isn’t trying to get you to shake your ass right away, and that’s admirable – he doesn’t take the cheap way out by smacking you over the head and forcing you to dance. Tiesto begins and ends at the right pace, so when the throbbing dance beat finally arrives by minute five, you can’t help but feel rewarded and excited.
The possibility for singles is too difficult to decide – there’s too many good songs to be found. Tiesto works brilliantly when paired with female singers, and there are an abundance of them. Check out the first single, “I Will Be Here,” with Sneaky Sound System -- a song so good, it’s worth repeating a second time (or several) after listening to it just once. The sound is pure techno masterwork, clean electro keyboards straight out of an intense hockey game intermission. Let the big foam thumbs and pom-poms fly in the air on this one – the song has “FUN” stamped all over it. The music video is also nothing short of epic.
Meanwhile, another fabulous example, “You Are My Diamond,” a duet with Kianna, sounds like Blondie at the height of their popularity. It’s cute, but sassy at the same time. The lyrics are cheesy, oh yes – there’s no hiding that. But it works so well.
“I don’t need a ring to show me what your love’s worth,” Kianna boosts. “I am a rich girl when I’m with you, I know – You are my whole world and I’ll never let you go.”
Aww, so sweet. Maybe they dunked her in sugar when she was born. (Assuming this girl really exists.) But the song is no joke – it’s as infectious as the swine flu. (But much better for you.) The chorus is so catchy, it’s almost painful. I dare any listener not to hear, “You are my diamond, when I’m with you, I will shine!” after the track ends. It’s memorable in the way the best songs are: simple, and anyone can catch on without trying too hard.
Nelly Furtado turns in a cameo with “Who Wants To Be Alone,” a song which deserves to be on every radio station in America. Furtado has that radio-friendly voice which audiences love, so a collaboration with Tiesto makes her sound like a smarter version of Cascada – with throbbing cell phone ringtone noises aplenty provided by the great DJ. Furtado works fine with indie rock and Timbaland hip-hop, so why would techno be any different?
Ironically, the least impressive tracks on Kaleidoscope are the instrumentals – and I’ve very rarely said that about any CD. Songs like “LA Ride,” “Fresh Fruit,” and “Bend It Like You Don’t Care” did very little to excite me in the same way the collaborations with vocalists did. It seems Tiesto is trying to compensate for a lack of presence; he’s spreading a few solo tracks around just to make sure we don’t miss what’s going on behind-the-scenes. Yet, it’s clear all these songs – even with vocals – have a sound that’s unmistakably Tiesto. He shouldn’t need a spotlight on him if he’s controlling the puppets… he’s already the star of the show...
The 411: ...and he’s a great star. Kaleidoscope is worthy of many repeat listens from your car, iPod, at the gym, at the dance club – wherever this music suits best. As I’ve said before, techno music is mostly hit-or-miss… and this one’s a big ol’ hit. There’s so much music for your money, as the disc clocks in at 75 minutes worth of excellent dance music. Out of that 75 minutes, it works about 90% percent of the time. So you’ll at least have a solid hour’s worth of booty shakin' for your buck. Hmm… 90% percent… sounds like an accurate score to me.
