Artist: BT
Title: Emotional Technology
Label: Nettwerk Productions
By: Anne Harnish | 28 August 2003
Tracklist:

1. Intro
2. Knowledge of Self
3. Superfabulous
4. Somnambulist
5. Force of Gravity
6. Dark Heart Dawning
7. The Great Escape
8. Paris
9. Circles
10. Last Moment of Clarity
11. Communicate
12. Animals
13. The Only Constant is Change

BT "Emotional Technology"

Emotional Technology is like a good summer blockbuster. It’s polished, accessible, a little cheesy and a great time. The word on the street this summer was that this would be BT’s big sell-out. He’d worked with N-SYNC after all. This record does offer music for the masses, but don’t expect to see it scooped up at the mall alongside 50-Cent and Kelly Clarkson. There’s no single even as radio-friendly as “Never Gonna Come Back Down” and the cover goes a long way to deter just about anyone who hasn’t done his homework. There’s no need to worry, new BT fans are likely to be genuine music people looking for a new experience.

Whether you’re barreling down the highway or lounging around in bed with a book, Emotional Technology provides a soundtrack for everyone. As a whole, it’s a very neat, seamless piece of work. BT jumps from wild to gauzy in the blink of an eye, and he does it well. It’s always a good sign when you have to look at the display to see which track is playing.

The first full-length track, “Knowledge of Self” is a BT dance classic, complete with long tea kettle builds and a pumping bass line that’s sure to land it in a rave scene on a television show this fall (mark my words). This song dissolves beautifully into the retro, Pac Man sounding “Superfabulous,” which itself glides into the love anthem “Somnambulist.” You get the picture. By the time the end is reached, we’ve seen an amazing array of style and substance.

There are several moments within Emotional Technology when things got so good I thought I couldn’t take it anymore. You know, when you have to close your eyes and just drink in the music. Unfortunately, almost every one of those moments was marred by ridiculous lyrics. After a few listens, it became difficult not to obsess about some of the silly, thesaurus-infused lines. If I hadn’t been able to understand the words, I would have been in love. Where are the Cocteau Twins when you need them?

Overall, this is a great, emotion-filled record. BT shows an impressive range and leaves us salivating for the promise of more to come. Without fail, the collaborations are successful and the nods to everyone from the Beatles to Leftfield all are awesome. Emotional Technology never made it into my blood, but few things do. Every track was enjoyable and some were downright gorgeous. That’s good enough for me.