Prior to listening to Pulse, I was not sure what to expect and upon first listen, I was not sure what to think. Pulse is a very unique and deeply thought out album, and is definitely the type of album that takes some time to sit and reflect on. This is an album devoted to individuality, with each of the tracks sounding different than the others. Pulse is one of those albums that you wish artists would release more often, because the difference in personality and style on each track makes it one of a kind. Pulse is one of those albums that is very hard to give an accurate description of. It covers so many boundaries and styles that there is no true, set genre to put the music under. If anything, the music on Pulse has a very strong Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails) and Thom Yorke (Radiohead) influence in it. These influences are noted because Reznor and Yorke have always released diverse albums with such musically individualistic tracks. This is the approach that Tommy Rogers sets forth in Pulse. From start to finish, Pulse shows off Rogers' versatility and explores various musical areas that will be a shock to most fans of the heavier side of his work with Between The Buried And Me, but this will be a good sort of shock. Pulse is by no means a metal album, but it takes some influences from the metal genre and numerous other genres including indie, acoustic, folk, progressive, jazz, industrial, and electronic.
Thomas Giles' Pulse begins with the track "Sleep Shake", which starts off with an ambient guitar riff that is very reminiscent of early, classic space-rock (David Bowie, Pink Floyd, King Crimson). The chorus then comes in with distorted electronics, guitars, and thunderous, pummeling drums. This track is definitely a memorable experience and a great way to begin the album. Although "Sleep Shake" is spacey sounding with its electronics and keyboards present, it stays more along the lines of apocalyptic, crescendo-driven rock. The more spaced-out sound is present on the next track "Reverb Island". This track is jam-packed with acoustic guitars, electronics, keyboards, and even a bridge section where Roger's repeats the words "can't stop" over and over again, while a trance-inducing dance beat is layered underneath of these vocals. This track could be described as Pink Floyd performing an acoustic song at a rave, dance party. "Mr. Bird" is mainly a piano-driven track, with a little lead acoustic guitar work thrown into the mix. This is a dark and eerie sounding track and shows how unique and different each of the tracks are on the album, especially because of the track right after it. This fourth track, entitled "Catch And Release" is, without a doubt, the album's wildest track by far. This is the most industrial, metal-driven track on the album and is somewhere along the lines of Chicago industrial noise and Radiohead's "Fitter, Happier" programmed vocal style or Skinny Puppy-esque screams. "Catch And Release" is a very noisy track and is pure genius, in my honest opinion.
The fifth track, "Hamilton Anxiety Scale", is one of my favorite tracks on the album and is a very melodic and progressive rock track that starts off acoustically and then leads into a full-blown distorted rock masterpiece. This track also has sparse elements of funk and space rock undertones throughout its four minutes and nine seconds. "Scared" is a beautiful, heartfelt, soulful acoustic folk song about hope and being there for someone, but also being sad and scared about what the outcome of a certain situation might be. Some people have compared this track to The Beatles at their heaviest. "Reject Falicon" is the second strangest track on the album (the first being "Catch And Release") and is a spooky, futuristic sounding, electronica track, complete with distorted synth beats and dark piano melodies. This track would fit perfectly in a sci-fi film and is without a doubt of the most unique sounding songs written by any artist in many years.
"Medic" is the heaviest and most metal-driven track on Pulse. If there was a track on Pulse that could be compared to Between The Buried And Me, "Medic" would have to be it, "Suspend The Death Watch" is a genius track and reminds me of Pink Floyd at their most spaced-out. Towards the middle of the track there is an atmospheric effect anda voice recording of a man talking about time machines. If anything, this piece sounds like it would be the perfect soundtrack for time travel. "Armchair Travel" is another folky, acoustic track that is very similar to "Scared". The final track, "Hypoxia", is a very slow song complete with harps, strings, woodwinds, keys, and guitars. This track slowly builds throughout and harmonizes beautifully until the epic crescendo sends you into another dimension.
Overall, Thomas Giles' Pulse is a true masterpiece of an album. The album combines a perfect blend of space-rock, industrial, folk, electronic, metal, and progressive, and is a truly entertaining and legendary album. The most incredible part about Pulse is that it was completely written by Tommy Rogers himself and this shows true talent and skill. Even though each track is completely different, they all seem to work together perfectly and flow into one another smoothly. This album makes for one epic adventure and is sure to be a rewarding experience for whoever chooses to listen. Do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of Thomas Giles' Pulse, you will not be disappointed with the outcome.
Check out the music video for the track "Sleep Shake" off of Thomas Giles' Pulse:
Check out the track "Medic" off of Thomas Giles' Pulse:
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