Frontline Assembly: "State Of Mind" (a review)

“State Of Mind” was always “my” F.L.A. album. Back in the earlier days when D(r)ave and myself had first discovered the band, “The Initial Command” was always “his” album (“No Control” being “his” song) but I was always a bit more partial to this one. At first I thought it was strictly because of the song “Testimony” which, at the time, was one of the first non-rhythmic ambient pieces I could really get into (just before I discovered Of Tanz Victims), but the whole album flowed so cohesively that it almost worked as a concept album. Intriguingly enough, the vocals on this one were a little more on the forefront than the first album, something which I think I may have picked up upon more or less consciously back then.

With over 30 years of “recul” to look at this album in a less subjective way, I do see it now as the first ever-so-subtle move towards the sound they would go towards afterwards (i.e. a more user-friendly commercial variant of their stuff), although back in those days, this album was still as “anxious”-inducing as “The Initial Command”, however perhaps with a slightly more “human” feel to it than it’s previous.

If “First Reprisal” doesn’t quite get you into the proper mod of this album, the follow-up “Consequence”, in conjunction with the opener should give you a clear indication where this album is at. It is however into the third piece, “Burnt Soul”, which shares more stress-indusced paranoia with “Initial Command” than the previous two songs. A wonderfully little eclectic piece which seems both out of place and yet perfectly sequenced, now firmly positioning the listener to where the artists really wanted to bring them.

“Testimony” is perhaps a prototype of their earlier Delerium (or is it Delirium?) material, a strangely more emotional and dare I say even human approach to the album’s general thematic? It’s actually a very intriguing piece which seems as though it could have been from an entirely different album, but it works quite well to end side one.

Side two starts off with another kicker entitled “Landslide”, which may be the very first time we hear Bill Leeb’s voice rather quite clearly (i.e. not completely drowned in effects). If there ever was a “single” to pick out from this album, this would be it. “Terminal Power” follows and can only be described as “the” creepy track from the album. It starts off mostly without a rhythm but develops one slowly amongst the rather disconcerning elements it presents and assaults the listener with. Another great example of the “anxiousness” developed from “The Initial Command”.

“Malignant Fracture” feels a little bit as a filler. It sounds a bit like a demo, or a rejected song from their earlier days, with it’s very syncopated rhythms which at times do seem out of sync which each other. Thematically it fits the album quite well, although it does seem to suffer a little from a less polished production than previous tracks, but it is still there, a part of the whole, and another instrumental.

The album closes out with “Eastern Voices”, which I can only describe as a wonderful end of the album, and a not-so-twin partner to “Testimony”. A decent offering using a well-known Mirage DSK sample (it’s no secret I myself re-did this song many times, albeit in a much more minimal manner) coupled with those wonderful early FLA out-worldly strings, and some disembodied voice recordings. The result is great way to bookend the album, effective and final.

 

The cover artwork was also of note, a very basic yellow and black “monochrome” image of a doll’s head, something which would prove to be quite iconic for me for the years to come. “State Of Mind” was perhaps the “last” great FLA album before the beginning of the downfall (in my opinion of course) although the band would continue to offer many re-listenable offering throughout the remainder of the decade and the early 90s, although beginning with the following LP “Corrosion” and more so with the EP “Disorder”, the “change” in FLA’s sound would become more apparent.