Pendulum - The Reworks FLAC download

The comments below already said most of what is there to be said. Remix albums in general are horrible (remixes tend to be worse when you're already a fan of the original), and this one is no exception. Some tracks seem to grow on me after a few plays, but I noticed one thing that no one mentioned before: the styles on this album are not only very distinct from the "old" Pendulum sound, they are also very distinct from each other, ranging from really slow to really noisy. Although some people might like this variation, I actually think this makes it a hard to like album for most people, since there will always be tracks that fit one's taste and others that do not, opposed to the usual albums with songs that sort of fit together.My personal favourites are tracks 4, 6, 7 and 9, but I expect everyone to have a different list, due to the wide range of styles and personal tastes. As powerstone05 said, listen to the album before buying.

Pendulum is the band that originally got me into electronic music as a kid, so I got quite excited when I heard they're finally making a new album. Once I found out it's gonna be a remix album, my expections quickly dropped. And my worst fears did come true, the album is honestly just horrible.Many people probably classify Pendulum as mainstream, but they had a pretty unique sound, that they achieved by combining electronic music with real instruments, which is quite rare for their main genres. Also from what I have read, their music was usually composed using a Commodore 64 (or something similar). And the head of the band, Rob Swire, stubbornly wanted to make music that he likes, not what the masses want. I personally think it's a great attitude, but it eventually led to their second album receiving a lot of negative feedback.However these remixes are really bad at preserving the unique sound. Not that they even try. Most of them seem to follow the most stereotypical formula of mainstream EDM. Some are okay, but none are better than original. Most of them are very predictable.Track 1: The beginning is actually pretty promising, leading to a fast & adrenaline-filled build-up. But the drop ends in a horrible anticlimax. It sounds like the music just "ran out of energy". And they repeat the same mistake again later in the track.Track 2: Sounds like the typical Knife Party dubstep track, except it got this weird slowed tempo. It's like the whole track is just drunk. In my opinion also lacks the adrenaline of the original track.Track 3: Progressive house track, mild and pretty dull, like the whole genre (no hard feelings :) ). I don't even have much to say about it, it's so neutral, but decent.Track 4: Some calmer dubstep, containing elements from mainstream EDM. Includes the nonsense vocals sung by a robot overdosing on electricity, typical Skrillex.Track 5: Wow the vocals actually made me cringe. I've never understood the popularity of feminine boys singing pop ballads. I doubt this remix would be much better as an instrumental either.Track 6: Well this one actually has potential, but it just feels kinda tame. Could be pretty great if it was faster and heavier.Track 7: More progressive house, pretty much a sleepy version of the original. Flavourless and dull.Track 8: Is this even a proper remix? Sounds like the original track with mainstream EDM samples randomly stamped on it. Perhaps they realized how bad they are, and decided not to ruin the track any further.Track 9: The typical warm signature sound of Matrix & Futurebound adapted to the original track. Perhaps the best remix of the album. Smooth and enjoyable.Track 10: Sounds like the whatever track is playing when you tune in to a mainstream EDM radio channel. Sometimes I wonder if the "artists" just press a button on some EDM song generator, because they all sound the same.Track 11: Now this one is boring. Pretty much a 5 minute loop of some house music elements. Spoon-fed music.Track 12: Urgh one more bland track. These artists either aren't brave enough, or they lack creativity. Or perhaps they're just boring personalities. Nevertheless a dull remix, just like most of the album.Track 13: A tame track consisting of throbbing sounds and the occasional single synth pad press. I guess it's an OK remix, but bad compared to the original.Woah ended up writing a much longer review than I originally planned to. Well I hope someone appreciates my honest opinions, I probably made some people angry with this. And I hope this helps you choose whether to buy the album or not.