Having become something of a fixture on the live scene, As If...'s
debut, Forget Me Not, garnered them some acclaim and worldwide radio
play but didn't quite break them through to the top of the UK Christian
music scene. This follow-up aimed for a slightly more commercial
sound while maintaining their distinctive techno-pop-rock sound.
Phil Heard's percussion is supplemented by quite a selection of
electronic drums. I'm not quite sure what to make of them. They differ
from most recent releases, tending more towards the synth-pop end of things
than the current dance scene. They are augmented by spacey keyboard sounds,
guitar, bass, and a metal detector. The vocals are very flexible and are
mainly delivered by Phil Goss, with some help from guest backing vocalist
Nancy Sawyer. The group is officially a three-piece, with Goss playing
guitars and keyboards and producing the album, Phil Heard on drums and
percussion, and Steve Rothwell on bass.
Lyrically, the album is simple and direct; those looking for lyrics
steeped in metaphor or poetic twists will be disappointed. There is a little
interesting imagery, and unfortunately, a few couplets were misjudged,
but if it's direct evangelism or exhortation that's wanted, it's here aplenty.
As If... can be an impressive live act and this album is sure to please their growing fanbase and help it develop further. I don't think this will be the album to break through, but it's a pleasant listen.
James Stewart (12/17/98)
On their second proper album and follow-up to 1995's Flame EP and 1996's Forget Me Not, As If... have blended sounds both old and new to create a brand of music rarely heard in the CCM community. Their experimental techno-pop-rock sweeps the spectrum from near rave-styled songs to more commonly accessible electronica rock hybrids. They are at their best with the latter. Actually, their songs are generally more structured and less ambient than most rave material, but some similar sound shades are favored here, resulting in song-driven pop smarts in a range of techno rock environs. Guitars crash, jangle, and crunch along to a more electronic-based bottom end, with lead vocalist Phil Goss's voice and keyboard compositions wafting over the mix.
Over the course of these thirteen diverse tracks, the musical textures
fluctuate from delightfully fuzzy and cluttered to more crisp and clear.
Early listens suggest an eighties vibe that actually grows less apparent
with repeated listening. Thoroughly faith-focused, their sound is certainly
darker than New Order but never as dour as Depeche Mode. Neither is it
as aggressive as Under Midnight or Prodigy, nor as ambient as Moby's mellower
work, and gratefully not as peppy and dismissible as Erasure. In fact,
their overall sound is closer to an even more modern spin on early nineties
work like The Farm, E.M.F., Jesus Jones, and even some of Duran Duran's
more electronically driven moments. The members of As If... cite bands
like Genesis and Queen as influences, but the creative spirit of electronic
pioneers Howard Jones and Thomas Dolby seem more likely. Regardless, the
result shows ambition, creativity, and pop sensibility and proves to be
a good listen. As an added bonus, the production is exceptional and the
album artwork has pages and pages of well done computer generated images
that accompany a complete set of lyrics.
Speaking of which, the lyrics are primarily of the straight-forward,
faith-encouraging variety and prove to be carefully constructed without
being obscure. They rarely verge into sublime cleverness, but manage to
keep from the abyss of utter triteness. One of the best songs on the album,
"Area 51," uses the supposed site of the USA's UFO stash as a vision of
hell in a song that also paraphrases both Shakespeare and William Blake
liberally:
