" He wanted the project, called Egoist, to be a mixture of the progressive,rhythmic,arythmic and melodic with some electronic elements, everything he likes…"
The above describes a disc which never saw the light of day, but can also be used to describe Ultra-Selfish Revolution by one-man band Egoist. The one man in question here is Polish-born Stanislaw Wolociej. Friend and ex-bandmate Patrick Mameli lays down a couple of guitar solos on the tracks "These Strange Things" and "(Not) The End", but the rest of the music is played solely by Mr Wolociej.
The music on this disc is primarily jagged, abrasive, angular, choppy, heavy, and actually quite enjoyable. I'm reminded a little bit of latter-day Gary Numan with elements of Kevin Moore's solo works (especially in the slightly processed vocals), but pushed and pulled into different directions all at once. The tracks oscillate from testosterone-injected New Wave to frenetic post-punk, to even some mellower modern indie-band sounding material. Wolociej shows a certain proficiency on all instruments, but always within the context of the song. There's no self-indulgent wanking as is sometimes expected on a one-man project of this nature. The tracks are primarily beat-driven, giving the album a thoroughly modern feel.
I didn't know quite what to make of this one when I first saw a rather dapper-looking Stanislas on the cover, but I must admit to having been pulled in upon first listen. There are a lot of interesting ideas crammed into the relatively short tracks. I wouldn't be surprised to see this disc find a niche with a younger prog audience.
Track Listing:
- The Rest Will Follow
- Lifeless Love/Loveless Life
- On
- Just Ones
- These Strange Things
- Near Warm Fireplace
- (Not) The End
- Bright Shift