Gravity Kills - My Introduction (90's Era)

My initial reaction to Gravity Kills reminded me of a mixture of Depeche Mode, Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark(OMD), Nitzer Ebb, Camoulflage, Erasure, and Kraftwerk. I feel that right here is a wide swath of textures channeled aptly, and confidently by Gravity Kills.

Gravity Kills I felt made a mark by employing a figurative quirkiness in a field unsure of itself during the 90's. Part of the problem with radio for me (then) was it wasn't as a reliable staple for new music artists. Many stations chose to go the route of a more domineering facet, rather than encourage up and coming artists. Most of the exposure in Utah was by way of employees of the now defunct Sam Goody record store a the no longer there Ogden City Mall.

Since I was already following Machines Of Loving Grace, and was acutely aware of their struggles, the one component here is that these bands of the 90's either a hit it big with that hit song, while trying to build up on a second hit and so on, or struggled often, and mightily.

My exposure to Gravity Kills was off the path. Someone had given me a CD of theirs to check out, and one evening, I took the plunge. At that time I wasn't sure of what to make of them. I was on the fence with my terse acceptance, but later came to appreciate their work as one of many 90's bands whom tried to keep the mantle going, i.e. Stabbing Westward, Garbage, Sponge,  Machines Of Loving Grace, MC 900ft Jesus, etc.

Their first album Gravity Kills (r. 03/05/1996) definitely pulsates, as each song grabs a hold of the listener.

I felt there is similarity to my early listening experiences, I feel that Gravity Kills tried to infuse a distinctly 90's attitude with a surprise or two along the way.

I thought it worked for the presentation. From the first track onward Gravity Kills employs calculated modulation with an ever evolving ambiance throughout.

I feel this record has a dance mix vibe going for it. Again, like with my other posts I try to cover as many different sounds, gauging what is/was current to the period.

Their next record Perversion (r. 06/09/1998) was bridge between familiarity whilst tackling other soundscapes which made its intended audience either accept it or miss the point entirely.

I for one had no idea this was even available. I had heard rumblings that there was a second record, but in 1998, most artist whom were trying to establish a brand in 95/96 were pushed out of the periphery for a quicker more (throw away) formats.

Part this thinking arose from a lack of promotion, and while I could chose and elect to blame certain paradigm shifts, I'm choosing to write here that I was glad to have found this in my travels.

I felt that Perversion gave a different texture to Gravity Kills. Though most would prefer the palatable over experimenting, I think Perversion works very well in the scope presented.

My favorite of the Gravity Kills is Superstarved (r. 03/19/2002). The most pronounce are the vocals (Jeff Scheel) are pissed off,  and intelligently focused.

This record has the guitar tone being front and center compared to the electronic construction of the prior two records.

I have not heard anything like this since, and this record especially really does pitch and poke at the status quo in a very curt, and deliberate means.

I like that the Depeche Mode is covered in the Gravity Kills way, and for what it is worth this album kicks ass.

Though I was not a diehard ardent fan of the remix albums, as I still feel what is released first stands out more. I've come to appreciate Gravity Kills for one specific thing: evolution. I think they evolved with each release, and my soon to be write up of Machines Of Loving Grace, are crucial to pushing ahead when the music industry didn't know what to do. Give these records a spin, thanks for reading.
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