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Hello once again! I'm still doing reviews, but it's been hard trying to find something decent to review since. Then I remembered Spitfire. I loved this back when it was first released and it's the main inspiration behind most of my work.

NOTE: The LP reviewed contains bad language.

Spitfire is a house/complextro LP by Porter Robinson, who found fame with his Beatport chart-topper Say My Name. He invented the genre 'complextro', saying it was a mix of trance and house. And that is the feeling that many of the mellower tracks from the LP create. It starts on a fiery start with Spitfire with the more calmer The Seconds bringing the LP to the end. There are also a number of remixes included (as well as a Bonus EP which I'll review too) that each create different atmospheres based on the originals.

Original Mixes

Porter Robinson
Spitfire

The first track starts with an industrial chord that fades to a lulling melody before a bouncy intro begins. It is a mixture of melodies, basses and percussion that perfectly introduces the rampant dubstep break. It's a mixture of sounds before plus a few extra signals and alarms that perfectly creates a factory-esque song.

8/10
A great introduction but needs to flow a little better.

Porter Robinson
Unison

This time, this track starts with a bouncy beat with a few industrial sounds mixed in. A buildup introduces the main synth - which is another lulling melody that stays throughout the song. It slowly intesifies, and along with the bass and the calming atmosphere mold into another complex mash-up of dubstep. However, this is the same for the rest of the song.

9/10
Flows well but it is quite repetitive.

Porter Robinson
100% In The B****

Not for kiddies, this song does swear throughout. I actually watched the video that this song sampled before I heard the song and it's apparently a very adult commercial about Japanese language tests. However, this is very bouncy and does have alot of moombathon (extended bass wobbles, a reggae beat etc. etc.) included. To me, this the highlight of the album.

9/10
Not for sensitive ears (shamefully) but a great moombathon track.

Porter Robinson ft. Amba Shepherd
Vandalism

Still bouncy (and retaining some of the moombathon in the percussion) and vibrant, and the synth flows well with the percussion and vocals. The vocals are smooth and heartfelt - telling a story about a sudden break-up with alot of vandalism metaphors. This is how it's done, Taylor Swift. There is more though, and 7 minutes are spent wisely with calming basses and atmospheres. It also breaks down into a harsh club beat that fits in well with the theme of the song.

10/10
Mixes complextro and electro house with this heartfelt and heavy dance track perfectly.

Porter Robinson
The State

Well, this sure is different. This has paranoia-enducing vocals from what sounds like the Discovery Channel mixed with trancey synths and Indian sitar plucks. However, it then builds up to a similar mash similar to the one in Spitfire and Unison. The vocals describe a fictional state that is cruel to it's citizens. It is quite repetitive but in the second break-up, a Mario sound speeds the tempo up.

7/10
Repetitive, but has a very mysterious and paranoid theme.

Porter Robinson ft. Jano
The Seconds

This is very similar to Vandalism in both genre and progression. Both have bouncy beats and soulful vocals. The Seconds however, breaks into a more heavy synth that progresses into an electro house beat. The vocals tell a story of searching for love, a possible prequel to Vandalism? The orchestral backing track is a nice touch of introducing the heavy club bass too.

8/10
Very similar to Vandalism, but ends the LP on a solemn note.

LP Remixes (non-Bonus)

Porter Robinson
Unison (Knife Party Remix)

The most popular track on Spitfire, surprisingly, it only features the main melody and the song's alarm-sounding synth. However, there are extra added touches like violins and a heavy break. It mashes up the melody and alarm synth with extra sounds and glitches.

7/10
The apple doesn't fall too far from the tree, but maybe a few more Unison sounds would be better.

Porter Robinson
Unison (Mikkas Remix)

My preferred remix of Unison, this retains Unison's bouncy beat and entrancing melodies. It even has a similar electro house break that's similar to the one that The Seconds uses. The main synth breaks down the track and gives it a nice, calm feeling that Knife Party's failed to recreate.

10/10
Much better, and has a distinct similarity to Porter Robinson's other tracks.

Porter Robinson
100% In The B**** (Downlink Remix)

This song still retains the potty-mouth vocals so beware. However, this remix intesifies the moombathon break and replaces the main line with a vocoder voice. This is more energetic and wobblier than the original - but it misses a few things. Like a more distinct bass and maybe less repetition.

8/10
It's more like a more intesified version of the original, if you think that's necessary.

Porter Robinson
The State (SKiSM Remix)

This speeds things up from the start and adds a few more oriental sounds to make this a dubstep killer. It wobbles the main synth and sprinkles bass wobbles and growls, giving the original a heavier kick. Extra synths have managed to keep the sound fresh and the all-glorious Mario sound is still prominent.

9/10
Sounds a bit messed up, but the best things are kept where they should be.

Porter Robinson
Spitfire (Kill The Noise Remix)

Yay KTN! This version is sped up to give a more thrilling start. Whether it's drum n bass or brostep - the bass growls keep to the quick-paced remix like butter on toast. Many features from the original are kept like the synth and melody in the intro. Another great thing is that in the second break, the tempo rises to break repetition - it works for me though.

10/10
Avoids repetition well and Kill The Noise gives the song a good mixing.

Bonus Remixes

Porter Robinson ft. Amba Shepherd
Vandalism (Lazy Rich Remix)

Lazy Rich ruins the track from the start with a bad beat. It's not bouncy at all and the snares hurt my ears. The vocals flow in well and mix well with the horrid beat and the bass quitely comes in. A piano breaks the intro down and generic club beat silences the vocals. Not Lazy Rich's best work. Then the break comes in and it sounds even more ear-piecing than the beat. Where is Porter when you need him?

5/10
The vocals are the only redeeming feature, everything else is ear-piercing.

Porter Robinson ft. Amba Shepherd
Vandalism (Dirtyloud Remix)

The intro start with a 2-step beat and quick bass - all that a dubstep intro needs, then it speeds up and bass growls and a strange melody than break in and the vocals are sampled along. Pretty cool but sounds like a generic dubstep song.

8/10
Uses generic dubstep sounds but is very nice. It's better than Lazy Rich's lazy effort anyway.

Porter Robinson ft. Amba Shepherd
Spitfire (Bjorn Akesson Remix)

This is very different from Kill The Noise's remix. It is a very fast tech house song and uses the melody and synths from Spitfire quick sampled in as well as the lulling break-down. It's Spitfire in the intro! The build-up uses the break and mixes the both well. It then goes back to good old 90s house and is very chilling. The longest track of them all and ends it really nicely.

9/10
It may be quite 90s, but is the best of the bonus remixes.

OVERALL SCORE:
9/10

The bonus remixes are a bit dissapointing - so the main LP is where it's at.

Last edited by NeilWest (2013-04-04 06:48:52)