With their second album Everybody Lies, halovox brings the seductive sound of urban risk and venture. Somewhat reminiscent of Depeche Mode, most of these heavily electronic tracks waste no time in gathering energy.
Despite the heaviness of the actual music, the vocals are clear; every lyric is accessible. And the lyrics are steeped in cynicism:
“There’s a woman, I know you’ve seen her. Her favorite hobby is wrecking lives…He doesn’t stand a chance. She will leave him empty and wanting more. And the truth is that she just doesn’t care.”
This bit comes from the track “Miss Wrong,” which is a rather catchy title, something Lady Gaga might like to steal. As sardonic as the lyrics seem, they are sung without any real gloom or malice. The tone is so matter of fact, that it creates a hauntingly detached feel.
Just as some listeners of “Miss Wrong” may be tempted to apply the term “misogyny,” halovox evens the gender scales with the ensuing track “Mr. Wrong,” which quickly drops a vicious beat.
Seconds later, wildly different sounds are scattering through one’s ear, like particles in some rogue scientist’s atom smasher. “I’m a man on a mission. I search through the crowds, until I make a decision.” Sounds like the American Psycho just came to from a nasty coke binge!
“Once you’re in my bed, I’ll whisper in your ear whatever you want to hear… Are you a model? Well, baby you should be.”
These are deceptively profound lyrics that satirize those among us who view courtship as something akin to advertising copy, just reading off a list from some intangible, but instinctively understood, manual on how to get laid, and then scatter, galloping off to the next amorous adventure.
Speaking of amorous, the suitably titled “Grind” oozes with promiscuity. “I think she wants to. I think she wants to grind, grind me into tiny pieces, treat me like a piece of meat…Grind until there’s nothing left.” It seems the land of Nymphomania has found its national anthem.
The album’s most intriguing track is “iGod.” Its lyrics address one of the most pressing questions of our modern world: Does technology do more harm than good?
“You’re on Facebook and MySpace too. Thousands of friends are connected to you. You log in Twitter everything you do.” Here halovox has given a voice to those who perceive a spiritual barrenness in our ever-more-simulated days of rising technology.
Throughout the album, halovox has borrowed industrial echoes from a bygone era to create an ultra-modern, utterly urban aesthetic — intelligent, unpredictable, and dangerous.
By: Ray Cavanaugh
