Bad Guys Get Dead - WORK

Review by Karl Magi

Overall Album Impressions

Bad Guys Get Dead’s “WORK” explores the modern dystopia of corporatized workplaces as they seek to commodify human labor and turn everyone into passive consumers of endless digital trash. Bad Guys Get Dead combines his varied and complex synth sounds with compositions that emphasize discomfort, ragged edges and an ever-present sense of pressure and anxiety. His melodies are fractured and sit uncomfortably with crushing bass and drums.

As “WORK”unfolds, one is drawn into the frigid pressure vessel of corporate conformity and unceasing, insincere expressions of achievement and purpose. The end result is a concept album that spikily drives home the utter banality and meaninglessness of modern corporate jobs, even as they cause unrelenting stress.

Anchoring “WORK”, Bad Guys Get Dead’s choice of synth tones and textures adds to the feelings of threat and emptiness that permeate this music. He weaves together some guitar sounds along with the synths to create sharp edges and unsettling soundscapes. The end result is an exploration of the damage done by corporate visions of the world, full of alienation and feelings of disconnection. I am drawn to the way in which he weaves these different musical components to create a picture of exploitative corporatism.

Melodically speaking, “WORK” creates further feelings of discomfort and broken emotion. The melodies written by Bad Guys Get Dead are full of unsettling musical turns and touched by feelings of digital darkness and far too polished smoothness. The contrast between jagged edges and computerized tones creates a distinct atmosphere of tense anomie. His compositions carry all of the shadow and crushing power of the corporate world, pressing down on the drones that make it up.

“WORK” has themes that hit home given the current state of the world. The way in which Bad Guys Get Dead examines corporate domination and the formation of monopolies and extreme concentration is intriguing and enjoyable. His exploration of the disruption and harm caused by the proliferation of mega corporations draws me into the music while also making me think. This album demonstrates that synth-based music can create contemplation as well as musical pleasure.

My Favourite Tracks Analyzed 

“Timeclock” kicks off as a springy sound wriggles and a rapidly oscillating, open-voiced synth tumbles before Stygian bass adds terrifying weight. Ticking percussion moves with metallic noises that chitter and drift into blackness while rounded sounds bubble in a hypnotic pattern.

Distant noises hover in the void while tremulous, nervous notes flicker with an unsettling sensation. A feeling of foreboding permeates the music as metallic sounds vibrate in a cacophonous pattern. A minor-key melody fills me with uncertainty and anxiety while the relentlessly ticking, gleaming synth moves with disconnected, uncomfortable noises.

The growing feeling of unstoppable pressure moves as angular sounds slice before a percussive pulse emerges. Minor-key notes seethe with worry and vague senses of approaching danger. As the springy sounds writhe, the endless ticking returns like a clock that will not stop.

The minor-key melody washes through with a feeling of disconcerting motion while trembling notes mix with an elevated piano that cries out with a broken feeling. The bass underpinnings are extremely dark while the melody drifts into the openness around it before silence falls.

Hollow bass explodes into rushing life to open “The Search.” The underlayer is rapidly charging while blinding notes above it pulse in a steady motion. A twist of sound spins past as the guitar cuts with haunting melodic energy, calling out with a feeling of disconnected, ghostly force.

The underpinnings move with blurring speed as dark percussion pulses. Tightly shining notes move above the trembling percussion while reverberant tones exude manic energy and the guitar slashes with a feeling of spectral seeking. The drums and bass form a bubbling weight as the foundation seethes with barely contained ferocity.

Flickering notes illuminate the heavily battering low end while the drums move in hammering lines. I enjoy the way in which the track skitters and heaves, capturing sensations of urgency and searching within the scintillating synth. The low end is full of menace while washing sounds move past and the track ends.

“Officeplex” begins with a colossal, slowly arpeggiating synth moving with deep deliberation. While the synth undulates, lugubrious calm spreads through the music as the drums begin to slowly add shape. The gigantic arpeggios are joined by a flashing melody that slides through with coruscating light, full of reverberant dynamism.

The bass is a rich depth while slowly trickling notes are joined by synth tones full of warm shine. The melody it transmits is laid-back but full of brilliance while the slowly beating drums create a hypnotic sensation.

A springy sound vibrates as a vocal-sounding synth exudes playful shimmer and the low end continues to rumble. A sense of technological sophistication and efficiency is mingled with a surprisingly gentle feeling, creating an enjoyable contrast for me.

The foundation is strong and even while the arpeggios continue to spin and notes ring out with trembling meditation. Flaring sounds spread through the music with intense illumination while the foundational pulse moves on. The continually oscillating sounds flex while robotic tones float, and the track ends.

With one baleful burst, a bubbling, computerized mass rises to start “Thermal Runaway.” Jagged tones slash at the music while seismic drums smash and accelerate with terrifying force. The percussion dribbles and slaps with a plethora of different sounds while the surging underpinnings ram forward with nuclear force.

Active percussion skitters and the looming low end charges while a steadily throbbing tone moves through the music, adding feelings of discomfort. Hollow notes move with certainty, and a feeling of ever-expanding strength pours through the music. I feel myself anticipating something exploding with tremendous energy.

A fearsome eruption of energy pours through the music as a voiceover speaks about growth, productivity, and work. The hectic rhythm goes along with corporate propaganda that pushes continual action, motion, and effort without cease or respite. Radiant notes add a hint of positivity to the terrifically speeding, razor-sharp low end as it continues to slice.

Breathy pan pipes exhale with an energetic melody that floats above the rhythmic motion below. Drums cascade with unstoppable strength while robotically airy notes levitate smoothly. After a sweeping sound, the voiceover begins again with its endless insistence on productivity and forward motion while the foundations roar ahead.

Raging tones tear forth from the guitar while the hammering low end insists on propelling the music. Another expanding sound rises as the low end presses on with portentous darkness. After another round of corporate pep talk, the track ends with the maelstrom below tearing into the music.

“Happy Hour” commences with the clink of ice in a glass as the funky low end rumbles and slides. The percussion grooves along while a metallic synth carries a sharp-edged melody that cuts with angular sensations.

Actively gleaming notes burst with energetic, chiming sensations while the continually throbbing drum beat is matched with the sound of ice cubes in a glass and a cacophony of voices. Even in a moment of supposed relaxation, I enjoy the way in which tension and a sense of pressure permeate the music.

Bell-like, unevenly tangling tones ring with discomfiting emotion while the drums continue to cut cleanly. A feeling of rushing nervousness rises as the snapping beat is accompanied by digital-sounding, wildly wandering tones and an ominous presence gathers in the distance. An impression of forced bonhomie touches the music as the underpinnings rumble and roar to an end.

Leaping into life with a synth that roils and thumping bass, “Betrayal” accelerates with fearsome energy. In the distance, menacing notes rise with shadowy force while a computerized synth lacerates in madly leaping lines. The background creates rising worry while the drums hit hard.

The computerized melody flies again with sinister import, tearing through the music in a barely controlled cascade. The pounding underlayers press forward while the wildly twisting tones create a sense of hectic power which adds to a feeling of unease within me. The low end keeps hitting hard while the bass growls and high notes ramp up the stress.

Scraping, flowing sounds move past as the seething bass snarls and a feeling of impending doom permeates the track. Jagged sounds tear into the music and the brightly digital-sounding tones flicker and intermingle. The entire track creates a feeling of danger and irresistible power while the driving percussion rushes on.

In the distance, haunting tones levitate while the continually bursting foundation drives forward. The feeling of approaching terror is joined by echoing notes that ripple with smooth light before silence falls.

“Hope” begins with waves lapping on a calm shore. Expansive notes wander with tender sensations while the varied percussion creates shaping balance. The main synth gleams with delicately caressing light while the percussion adds a more powerful sensation.

Arpeggios slowly trickle, serene despite the surging sensations moving around them. Rougher noises contend with the easily gliding tones that move through the music, combining delicacy and weight. As the chiming notes sparkle, roaming sounds are supported by the heavy underpinnings. Luminosity washes from the music before the track slides to an end.

A locked-in groove of gargantuan drums and heavy bass opens up “Halt and Catch Fire.” A volleying synth bounces back and forth in time with the trance-like rhythm, which has a funky quality as it shifts. Tightly wound notes reverberate with quick, flitting sounds while the low end thuds with unrestrained strength. A twisting synth shimmies above the beat, which dominates the music with forceful but catchy energy. A broadly reverberant synth creates a more dynamic throb to match the spinning tones above it.

A stutter-step motion adds to the sensation of a pattern of repetitive work, which keeps me interested. A wobbly synth comes in to carry a melody that is spectral and full of uneasy sensations above the huge underlayer that heaves underneath. The way the track moves, with its continually pulsating, repeating groove, is hard to resist in terms of its dynamic motion. A raging guitar tears into the music to add an element of danger above the unending beat. As the track comes to an end, all of the elements combine to create something deadly and unrelenting.

“Timeclock (Shift End)” comes to life as a clock ticks, joined by springing notes before an underpinning of spectral bells cries out with minor-key shadow. The guitar churns with barely contained rage while the beat continues to press home the feeling of unstoppable time. The rhythm is void deep and full of anger while the sawing guitar moves with the echoing underlayer. The guitar begins to stride with battering dynamism while the drum beat is urgent and the bass is full of insistence.

The guitar takes hold of me and carries me with its lacerating energy above the hammering beat while the ghostly notes trail. An open voiced synth floats through the music while the heavy bass lessens and the ticking drums continue. A synth pattern continues to contort while minor-key chimes jangle and the low end growls with menacing weight. The percussion doesn’t stop ticking, the feeling of pressure intensifying as the beat continues to smash with crushing muscle. As the track ends, the minor-key melody vibrates with worry before the music closes.

Conclusion

“WORK” unfolds in a way that captures me with its intensity and ability to touch on the emotions which Bad Guys Get Dead seeks to explore and express. I would say that, so far this year, this is one of the more unique and fresh approaches to synth-based music, and it’s one that I quite enjoy.