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| STEVE AOKI - Wonderland |
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| Wednesday, 15 February 2012 17:31 | |||
 The description of “not good, not bad” can be applied to the bulk of the album ... but you will still enjoy it if you are a fan of the club scene and its music.
CD Review
Artist: Steve Aoki
Album: Wonderland
Genre: Electropop / Dubstep
Label: Dim Mak / Ultra Music
Release Date: January 10th, 2012
   Reviewed by Alex Hutt
With all the ventures that Aoki has on his resume, it’s fairly surprising that Wonderland is the DJ’s first studio album. He has been an active DJ and club promoter since 1996 — when he founded Dim Mak Records— and he also has his own clothing line, designed alongside his sister, actress Devon Aoki, and is the owner or a Korean BBQ restaurant. He has also remixed several songs as a solo DJ and with Blake Miller (under the name Weird Science). In addition to this newest album, in 2008 he released a mix album entitled Pillowface and his Airplane Chronicles. So it is probably only right that he has finally released a studio album, and Wonderland is a capable start.
The collection of guest stars is rich and varied, beginning with Rivers Cuomo (the lead singer of Weezer) who bookends the album with two versions of “Earthquakey People.” It’s a standard intro track that is fairly forgettable and doesn’t really make enough use of Cuomo, though it isn’t too bad.
 What is horrendous is the next song named “Ladi Dadi.” Granted, deep lyricism isn’t a must for dance music, but sounding like a 3rd-grader isn’t a great alternative either. This is what a 3rd-grader would think a date would be like; uh, there would be “a little smokey smoke” and then we would uh… go dancing in the rain, run under a tree, I look at you, you look at me. It’s much too simple, even for a club track, and it’s frightening as well, since the guest here is Wynter Gordon, a singer-songwriter. Let’s hope that she just woke up on the wrong side of the bed the day she penned this one.
Next in line is “Dangerous,” in which Aoki collaborates with Zuper Blahq, will.i.am’s side project. Apart from the autotuning, it’s a harmless track that will be a club hit. This is not a new combination, and the experience and ease with each other translate into the song, as the lyrics and beat don’t feel at odd with each other, unlike the previous “Ladi Dadi.”
“Emergency” with Lil Jon and Chiddy Bang has some noticeable rap verses, though the chorus dilutes the track as a whole, including the use of the overused slang “shorty,” which let’s be honest, even the rappers are getting bored of. On another note, though it doesn’t seem like it will happen anytime soon, hopefully we’ll get bored of LMFAO, who appear on “Livin My Love.” Though the Australian twin sister act “Nervo,” (who co-wrote “When Love Takes Over,” sung by Kelly Rowland and David Guetta) hold their own quite well, it’s a mid-road song that will probably be in the clubs for a small time.
The description of “not good, not bad” can be applied to the bulk of the album, and this continues with the instrumental “Steve Jobs,” constructed by Aoki and Indonesian DJ Angger Dimas. Though it’s not clear why it’s got the name “Steve Jobs,” it’s got a good tempo and beat to keep you dancing.
Where we find the best lyrics is in “Ooh,” contrary to the title. Robert Raimon Roy is spectacular here, rapping about rough upbringing, gang violence and high society. Sure these topics have been touched on before but Roy does it with a fresh delivery: Oh my goodness/ I should do this with a bow—tie/ turn it til it’s perfect width on both sides/sure it won’t be worth it/but it’s so mine! The beat is upbeat even though the lyrics aren’t as much, yet the contrast culminates in what hopefully becomes a club favourite.
“The Kids Will Have Their Say” stands on its own because it features punk rockers, specifically former members of the Exploited and Die Kruezen, punk outfits from the 80s. The mix of electronic beats and punk screams mesh well and aren’t annoying like the modern incarnation of technocore. These are real punks, not the autotuned screams of Attack Attack or Abandon All Ships. Lyrically it’s also richer than technocore, singing about how each generation of kids will change the world in some radical way. As such, it’s one of the recommended tracks from Wonderland.
Though there are more forgettable tracks than good ones on Steve Aoki’s Wonderland, you will still enjoy it if you are into club music. It’s a least a listen, and you will most likely hear some of it in the clubs. Though it’s not a definite buy, it does make one curious who Aoki will collab with next — hopefully he does more with Robert Raimon Roy!
Best: “Ooh”
Worst: “Ladi Dadi”
Scrap/Listen/Buy/Devour: Listen
Track Listing:
1. Earthquakey People (feat. Rivers Cuomo)
2. Ladi Dadi (feat. Wynter Gordon)
3. Dangerous (feat. Zuper Blahq)
4. Come With Me [Deadmeat] (feat. Polina Goudieva)
5. Emergency (feat. Lil Jon and Chiddy Bang)
6. Livin My Love (feat. LMFAO & Nervo)
7. Control Freak (feat Blaqstarr & Kay)
8. Steve Jobs (feat. Angger Dimas)
9. Heartbreaker (feat. Lovefoxx)
10. Cudi The Kid (feat. Kid Cudi and Travis Barker)
11. Ooh (feat. Robert Raimon Roy)
12. The Kids Will Have Their Say (feat. former members of the Exploited and Die Kreuzen)
13. Earthquakey People [The Sequel] (feat. Rivers Cuomo)
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