Gus Gus This Is Normal CD

THIS IS NORMAL is an Enhanced CD which contains regular audio tracks and multimedia computer files, including Mixman Studio LE software which can be used to remix any song on the album.

On THIS IS NORMAL, GusGus' second full-length, the Icelandic collective shows 1995's POLYDISTORTION was just the beginning. This record brims with fun and infectious hooks, club-rocking beats, and alluring production. But the group's secret weapon might well be its undeniable spirit of optimism. GusGus makes state-of-the-art dance music, though there are enough pop elements here to appeal to a wide audience.

"Ladyshave," the opening track and initial single, is a cheekily risquT number built on a pumping organ vamp that could send a room full of fraternity brothers into a heartfelt bout of rump shaking. With an insistent chorus that sticks in the brain after one listen, the song would sound appropriate in a glam version of CALIGULA. The ecstatic "Starlovers" features a gospel call-and-response chorus that paints vivid pictures of a rapturous club crowd testifying in unison. While leaping from style to style, recalling the trip-hop of Massive Attack, the futuristic post-disco sound of Curve, and the sonic noodling of fellow Icelander Bjork, GusGus shows enough originality and flair to keep from sounding like mere pastiche artists.

Recorded at The Green Room, Reykjavik, Iceland.

Personnel: Daniel Agust, Hafdis Huld, Magnus Jonsson (vocals); Siggi Baldursson (acoustic guitar, drums, percussion); Arni Kristjansson (guitar); Porir Baldursson (keyboards); Jakob Smari, Johann Asmundsson (electric bass); 'Ymir (bongos); Gudmundur R. Einarsson (snare drum); Biggi Veira, Alfred More, Herb Legowitz, Bix Pender (programming); Jon Olafsson, Ragga (background vocals); The Icelandic Symphony Orchestra.

This is an Enhanced CD, which contains both regular audio tracks and multimedia computer files.Spin (6/99, p.136) - 8 (out of 10) - "...Throbbing with the restless psychedelia of a culture lacking any modern identity but heaven-bent on crafting one, THIS IS NORMAL is anything but..."
Entertainment Weekly (4/30/99, p.97) - "...Here, the groove science is more club-wise and less cerebral than on their debut: Accessorized with vintage soul finery, they pull back the Euro-house roof and gaze at the northern lights.....when the singers stick to ambiance, you want the tracks to go on forever." - Rating: B+
Q (6/99, p.105) - 3 out of 5) - Good - "...Gus Gus have moulded their electro/house/ambient mixture to form a more song-oriented approach....Expert chill-out music..."
Muzik (6/99, p.84) - 4 Stars (out of 5) - "...like wetting the bed, THIS IS NORMAL give you the most unexpected spurts of warm pleasure from something really rather weird and uncomfortable..."
CMJ (5/10/99, p.3) - "...Gus Gus wraps serene pop melodies and soulful vocals around a constantly shifting assortment of groovy house rhythms, dense hip-hop, ethereal ballads and orchestral overtures....THIS IS NORMAL will seep into your system like a hypnotic fever dream."
Melody Maker (4/24/99, p.36) - 4 1/2 stars (out of 5) - "...a beautiful album to lose yourself in. Simply choose your intoxicant...and, bewilderingly, bewitchingly, get lost..."
Mojo (Publisher) (4/99, pp.102-103) - "...deft synth work, atmospheric style and cooly emotional delivery. The basic gist is an improvisation on electro-soul, but there's space for everything in here, from easy 70's funk to ethereal orchestral soliloquies..."