Review - Following up the 2003 conceptual debut Now & Them, which featured the club hit We want your soul, Freeland are back with their second album.



Cope is filled with paranoiac, satirical wordplay and skewed political commentary that complements the futuristic yet dissident sonics. Featuring an all-star list of guest contributors: Joey Santiago (The Pixies), Brody Dalle & Tony Bevilacqua (Spinnerette), Jerry Casale (DEVO), Twiggy Ramirez (Marilyn Manson, Nine Inch Nails), Tommy Lee (Mötley Crüe), drummer Hayden Scott (Pop Levi) and US vocalist/bassist Kurt Baumann.

Do You opens the album, with electro break beat grooves, minimal repetitive lyrics, Do You, Do You, Do You, Do You think you could stay and sounding reminiscent of Leftfield. New vocalist Kurt Baumann launches into a more heavy drum and guitar based industrial sound on the first single, Under Control. The band explore a more darker sound on Strange things and continue to experiment on the electro-trance-funk track Bring It.

Under Control:



Whilst most of the album is filled with breathtaking uptempo tracks, Freeland aren't afraid of mixing in a few more mid-tempo tracks, including Mancry - well placed almost halfway through the album to break the pace with an atmospheric instrumental anthem featuring Tommy Lee on percussion; mixing into the psychedelic Borderline co-written and vocalled by Brody Dalle of Spinnerette and The Distillers.

Rock On is a harsh cover of a 1974 David Essex track, whilst New York band Soundpool guest vocal on the ambient rock-out Silent Speaking. Best Fish Tacos in Ensenda wins the award for random song title, which features electro beats and 80's synth.

Gerald V. Casale AKA Jerry Cascale, a founder member/vocalist of the new-wave band Devo, and video director (Devo, Foo Fighters, Silverchair, Soundgarden) guest vocals on the album's stand-out track Only a fool (can die). Strangely sounding like the Chemical Brothers/Flaming Lips track Golden Path meets Human League singer Philip Oakey. The album closes with the dark electro track Morning Sun, and the more dreamy Wish I was here is the perfect end to a DJ set.

Do You:



Co-produced by DJ Adam Freeland (remixes include Kelis, Orbital, Pink, The Orb, and the Grammy nominated Sarah Vaughan track Fever), Alex Greggs (Lilly Allen, Justin Timberlake, Beck, Duran Duran, Pink, Michael Jackson, Lady Gaga) and Alex Metric (Ladyhawke, Hard-Fi, Alphabeat, Reverend & The Makers). Cope manages to push the boundaries of the dance genre, encompassing varying styles of electro, rock, trance, punk, psychedelica; whilst at the same time creating well-written and sometimes meaningful lyrics, which is not expected of most dance acts. Billboard have said that this album "proves once and for all that the genre - when done right with a little bit of good, old-fashioned creativity - can be quite an artistic expression."

The album has also been recorded with the band's live performance in mind. "I always saw Cope as a band album more than just another DJ slapping together a bunch of random club grooves. I wanted to create songs I could play live, not just spin," says founding member and producer Adam Freeland. "The new songs combine electronic grooves with shoegaze guitars, real drums, and songwriting, so they begged to be performed live."

"I've always mixed rock into my sets anyway, so having a band is just a natural progression from that," adds Adam, "Freeland has all the hard-hitting grooves of my DJ sets, but played live they're even more raw, personal and in your face. This is the sound I've always heard in my head, so now I want to hear it as loud as possible!"

Cope is out now.

Catch Freeland live on tour:

June 24 - 9.30pm Cargo, London
June 25 - Midnight - White Rabbit, Plymouth
June 26 - 9.50pm - East Dance Village - Glastonbury Festival, UK
June 27 - Midnight - Arcadia @ Trash City - Glastonbury Festival, UK
June 30 - 10.00pm - Canada Day @ the Drink (DJ SHOW), Toronto, Canada
July 2 - 10.00pm - Sonar (DJ SHOW), Quebec, Canada
July 3 - 10.00pm - Webster Hall (DJ SHOW), New York, US

More on Freeland:

MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/adamfreelandmusic
Official: www.freeland.fm