Sometimes it just doesn’t matter what the critics think. No matter what anyone writes about In Silico, second album from Australian drum ‘n bass superstars Pendulum, it’s going to sell in the hundreds of thousands. On the first weekend after its release, the album went in at #2 in the UK album chart- only just missing out on being the most popular album in the country for that week. It’s an astonishing level of success for a drum ‘n bass act, one that surpasses anything achieved by the likes of Goldie or Roni Size back in the mid-90s heyday of jungle. Even if they do nothing else, In Silico has made Pendulum the most successful drum ‘n bass act of all time. And that is despite the fact that the majority of discerning drum ‘n bass fans hate them. 

Once scene darlings with tracks such as Vault, Pendulum began to be ostracised by the scene that spawned them in the aftermath of debut album Hold Your Colour, which became a slow burning but very definite hit with the masses. Unfairly criticised for its friendliness when it should have been praised for its innovation and diversity, the album broke away from the insular, protective drum ‘n bass hardcore and appealed to a new crowd. Pendulum found themselves as the electronic act of choice for the rock crowds- a fanbase that couldn’t tell their LTJ from their Shy FX but who loved the extrovert, melodic sound of a band comprised of ex-rockers. Pendulum’s high-energy cross-over sound between disparate camps led to them being widely dubbed “the new Prodigy”, a not-unfair comparison. 

For better or worse, In Silico is the sound of a band thoroughly embracing a lucrative new fanbase. The complex rhythms and power-house basslines of the early days have long since been dumped. In Silico is electronic music at its most rock-ist: concepts of layering, subtlety and density are nowhere to be found. The polyphony is low: there are rarely more than three or four key elements in play at once, hooks are brash and in abundance and almost every single track has rock-friendly vocals to sing along to. The genre experimentation that was so welcome on Hold Your Colour is also absent. Where as that album veered wildly through ideas and directions from track to track (Orchestral! Jazz! Breaks! Latin! Ragga! Rock!), In Silico is resolutely monotone, with genre-fusion appearing around the edges for the most part while the meat and veg of every tracks remains a rocky blend of “clownstep”, as critics have sneeringly branded it. Defendants will doubtlessly say it’s a product of Pendulum “finding their sound”, while detractors will say the lack of one definable sound was what the band good in the first place. 

Of course, this is an unfair argument: Pendulum fairly obviously never intended to make an album that should be judged on drum ‘n bass or electronic criteria. And can you blame them from turning away from the jungle massive that snubbed them so voraciously when they had the temerity to go out and sell some records? Attacking In Silico for being a rock album is setting fire to the strawman because it wants to be a rock album. 

How much you enjoy the album will depend greatly on the perspective with which you look from. Junglists will hate every single second; contemporary rock fans will probably be in heaven. Everyone else will probably find some pleasant moments but remain despondent at the lack of variety or nuance. Big rocky numbers like the opener Showdown and hit single Granite set the pulse racing and rain fire down on the moshpits of their live shows, but they lack the depth to hold up to repeat listens at home. The one true standout is the more innovative Visions with its vocoded vocals and chunky, funky break that suggests an influence from classic electro. Closest runner-up is 9000 Miles, a predominantly instrumental opus that fuses a widescreen synth riff with acoustic guitar layers to create a piece that would have fitted neatly onto their last album. 

There’s nothing wrong with making a rock album with electronic techniques, but it doesn’t free Pendulum from two main criticisms: a lack of invention or daring that used to be their strongest asset, and a distinct lack of subtlety. Assessing them on rock terms, meanwhile, results in the conclusion that we should be comparing them to Linkin Park rather than Pink Floyd: loud and visceral but immature and lacking in longevity. Good up to a point, but once certain vocal passages bring the word “emo” to the lips you might find your limits tested. 

In the end, it doesn’t even matter. They’ve sold out, they don’t make drum ‘n bass anymore, they’re for the kiddies: take your best shot. Pendulum won’t care. They’ve soared higher in the charts than any drum ‘n bass act ever has, they’ll play to thousands of people at every gig they put on for the rest of the career and they have a dedicated fanbase who will play these tracks over and over. In Silico is a rock album and a distinctly mediocre one at that, but that’s hardly a bad thing for a band to release these days. 

Originally reviewed by Jack Moss for www.trancecritic.com

Date Added: Sunday Jun 1st, 2008