EC8OR
THE ONE AND ONLY HIGH AND LOW
ALBUM DIGITAL HARDCORE RELEASE: OCTOBER 23, 2000 REVIEW: DECEMBER 4, 2000

Pop star duo Ec8or seem to thrive when performing live, but their albums have been increasingly well conceived with every release. With "The One and Only High and Low", they've largely left the compact, Amiga 500-generated sound of their two previous albums, for a more varied soundscape.
But they still produce 200 mph nosebleed noise pop, slashing and burning their ways through 16 songs in 33 minutes. And they might lack the relentless dynamics of label colleagues Atari Teenage Riot, but they are irresistibly charming. Gina V D'Orio's helium vocals clash into the throbbing techno racket Patric Catani forces out of his machines. More cartoonish calamity than political resistance, Ec8or are a digital Ramones for the 21st century. And that's exactly what I sometimes need.

KRISTOFFER NOHEDEN