BYOB

BYOB

Everything In Moderation

reviewer: Tom Crowther

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BYOB is an interestingly complex artist, who is hard to brand with one particular genre as he combines elements of dance, indie, grime and electronica. Based on that description you could easily assume a rip off of The Prodigy or that this artist has simply flung a bunch of genres together with the hope that it appeals to everyone. Unlike others, BYOB is an exception and his debut album Everything in Moderation illustrates how simple it can be to stand out as an artist.

The album contains a mix of what you�d initially expect, bass lines being thrown about and a cocky swagger in the MC Ash Hamilton�s lyrics. The key difference is the work that has been done instrumentally, noticeably the drumming throughout the artist�s album leads proceedings rather than being shunned and chucked into the background. The song Young Living is laced with catchy beats and drum rolls and a simplistic yet catchy synthesizer, whilst Sunshine Highway is completely different with more of a techno theme. Overall it makes BYOB more than your usual artist; the album doesn�t have a distinct theme of sound throughout so it avoids the usual pitfalls of dance (in my opinion) of each track sounding like the last.

The whole album isn�t perfect though. Chillin did make me contemplate the pros and cons of suicide a fare few times and his cover of Peaches is well, interesting at best.

BYOB is definitely worth a listen. It won�t be for everyone�s taste and I doubt it will result in Everything in Moderation replacing the bible as an item of holy importance, however music fans with experimental ears will appreciate this work and take to him quickly.
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