Deadmau5 – “while (1 < 2) – Disc Two" Album Review

When I talked about while (1<2)’s first disc (see the review here) as being this perfectly paced venture into a non-traditional deadmau5 album, I meant it. Everything about the first disc brought new light into the way that house albums could be played, and if it was just kept at the first disc it would’ve been more than enough. I’m only saying this because the second disc does not bring the same punch as the first. I’ll explain why in a minute.

When you hear a deadmau5 song, you think of the pumping bass, the kicking hooks, and sometimes the screaming voice of Gerard Way in the background while watching him fight in a giant robot amongst a crowd of thunderous fans… just me? ok. You don’t think of the piano interludes and the “gentle” deadmau5, you think of the “bursting with personality, assaulting” deadmau5. And although the first disc was a huge change of pace for Mr. Zimmerman, he still retained the house tracks throughout and kept that punch like Floyd Mayweather. BUT, when the second disc comes into play, it shouldn’t have to take 8 tracks (SERIOUSLY, 8 TRACKS) to get into the full Tron-like prog-house jam that we’ve come to expect.

The second disc is paced and laid out like a soundtrack to a movie about a DJ who can’t make it like his friends can or something to that effect. I can praise the instrumentals for the use of piano and even acoustic guitar, but it’s not house, it’s not progressive house, it’s not even resembling anything close to what Zimmerman’s put out in recent years. “Acedia”, “Errors in my Bread”, “Mercedes” and “Pets” are the only house-like tracks on this disc, and I say “house-like” because they’re surprisingly underwhelming and dare I say, nice. I don’t follow most house musicians for their “nice” music, I follow so I can be punched in the face and ask “please, may I have another?”

That being said, the piano tracks are beautifully arranged and have a somber tone to them, just like in the first disc. A track that really piqued my interest was “A Moment to Myself” which incorporated little glitches and ambient synths that make it seem like a lost M83 track that’s great for taking a load off from a long day. The remix of Nine Inch Nails’ “Survivalism” was decent too, but it’s not like the How to Destroy Angels’ remix in the first disc. And the final track “Seeya”, has the grooves of Disclosure, but like most of the album, it’s NOT. DEADMAU5. (And more importantly, it took 14 tracks to get to this REALLY GOOD TRACK?).

Anyway, as a whole, the album is a crazy change from > album title goes here <, and it is refreshing to hear a new take on house music. However, the name deadmau5 has a lot of weight in the EDM world and if it was put under another name it would be just a decent album. The instrumentals are nice, but it’s not house. The whole album is nice, but that’s not the style we’ve come to love. There are a few tracks that leave you wanting more, but what you get is not what you wanted. Joel Zimmerman, if you’re gonna make a new album with a new sound, don’t make it musical whiplash next time.