Emotion is not always at the core of electronic music, where synth and machine-like percussion often produce an industrial, futuristic vibe. But Madison's Stochastic Theory (Chuck Spencer) makes it clear on the opening track of Opposite Extremes that he has no intention of leaving emotion behind. The somber, dreamy piano chords that accompany the mechanical beats recall the melodrama of Coldplay, set to the robotic pop of Depeche Mode. Spencer's lyrics have a reflective quality: "Stand still in a sifting landscape/With old markers that will not translate."
This album also features an awesome electronic cover of R.E.M.'s "Losing My Religion" that takes no back seat to the original.
Opposite Extremes branches out beyond the traditional boundaries of electronic music and, in the process, establishes itself as one of the most innovative local CDs of 2006.
