Stimulator

Does that not say it all? - Self

“Untouchable” is a heavy song laced with an electronic groove that just bores its way into your brain. This is a great track that would fit nicely on a James Bond soundtrack. The title track is another one that really digs in. Stimulator is sort of a Franken-mix of Fergie, Evanescence and the Chemical Brothers. “Saints Or Strangers” channels Sinéad O'Connor. “Me And My Rhythmbox” comes off a bit kitschy but should do well with teenage boys and girls. “Blow My Mind” sounds like the Go-Gos 2010. All in all this is a pretty good album. Not real sure they should have covered “The Beat Goes On” but I kind of like it as well.
- Ear Candy

Lovelier In Black? Well... one's things's for sure, Stimulator's Susan Hyatt (ex-Pillbox) is lovelier in her black hairdo, that's really not relative to the music, I guess? (sorry - my bad!). Their 'comeback' CD and gothic title refer to a dark time in Hyatt's life when she went through a lot of betrayals and disappointments. Stimulator fell apart as they lost the record deal when the label went defunct. To quote Susan from my interview with the band: "The concept of the record and the song was about me. I was a broken girl, I lost tons of weight and I was heartbroken and devastated. And people kept saying to me "You never looked better." I thought are you serious?? To me it was like being at a funeral and telling someone 'You Never Looked Lovelier In Black", end quote. Read the Interview and find out much more about Stimulator and Susan 'here'.

I do like Stimulator, their at times damn near perfect goth/electronica sensibilities, their poppy experimental lust and their alternative fuelled angst. It's sort of a twisted and slightly disturbed CD with a lot of heartbroken honesty and matching lyrics. Geoff Tyson (ex. T-Ride, Snake River Conspirancy) once again back as the guitarist, producer, co-songwriter, and they're once again the Stimulator team which scored big tours with Duran Duran and The Go's Go's on their first CD. Chad Stewart of Faster Pussycat is the drummer. However, don't expect too much of any of the two gentlemen's previous acts into the music of Stimulator. There's obviously hints and pieces of T-Ride and Snake River Conspiracy as Tyson lays down a carpet of heavy blows to the body (ehh, that's 'Mike' Tyson). It's goth adrenaline and infectious beats and the surprise inclusion of a cover of Sonny & Cher's 1967 hit "The Beat Goes On". I can't say that I enjoy the sixties tune even if it was sung at Sonny Bono's funeral, and the phrase also appears on his tombstone. Pretty sappy actually and not the best of cover really.

Susan is the real heroin of the story and she's good at blending electronic grooves with 80's nu-wave pop and goth rock. From the opening James Bond-ish electric chords of "Untouchable" to the closing original "Chasing The High" this duo lets us know we are in for a shock treatment. I also hear elements of Pink and Fergie by way of Pillbox with some nice chordal surprises and some way cool guitar rock. It's not really pop, not quite punk overpowering, Hyatt and the two geezers have found a skewed mix of musical elements to draw from for these songs. Every song seems like a new story, and comes out something twisted. No two songs sound alike. However, there's a James Bond sort of theme going on as the mentioned opening, "Just Be A Man", and "My Science", are all movie soundtracks somehow. "Blow My Mind" is a mix of Garbage and Fergie. "Saints Or Strangers" is a nice semi-ballad that just as easily could have been the work of Kim Wilde. By the way, Hyatt's vocals are sort of like a cross between Wilde and Sharleen Spiteri of Texas. "I Won't Let You Down" is punky and dangerous while "Chasing The High" is very much in the style of The Prentenders (Chasing The Hyde, huh?).

The Bottomline: Lovelier In Black? Definitely!!! The title track is actually the real winner here with its dark and gloomy agenda. Hardly the perfect Stimulation though as there's a couple of really weird tunes on this CD. Solid work though - very solid! - Rock United

On their third studio CD, Lovelier in Black, Los Angeles-based Stimulator delivers a mostly fantastic collection of modern rock songs with a big ‘80s new wave influence. This band could most simply be summed up as Berlin revisited but with heavier guitars. The similarities in style, from the songwriting to the vocal delivery, are striking, and we couldn’t be happier about that as the former was a band that had a sound all their own which encompassed a variety of styles. But if the only song of theirs you knew was “Take My Breath Away” (the worst song Berlin ever released) then you won’t truly appreciate the similarities that I’m citing.

Stimulator have songs that range from alternative rock with heavy guitars and synth pads to new wave dance tunes with drum machine beats. The musical influences extend beyond Berlin though, and include artists ranging from Duran Duran to Garbage to Prince.

Songs like the opening track, “Untouchable,” and “Live Like Gods” have a big arena rock sound that you just want to crank up the volume on, the first one with an almost James Bond-like cinematic musical movement running through it. Rock tunes like “I Won’t Let You Down” have an Oasis vibe with their acoustic guitars layered behind electric guitars with delay and some heavy power chords in the chorus. “Chasing The High” tastefully blends a little bit of Red Hot Chili Peppers guitar work with some Shirley Manson attitude.

Production on the CD is a mixed bag, with some exceptional tracks, like the ones mentioned as well as “You Think You’re Sorry Now” and the haunting, dark ballad that is the title track. But some of the tracks, like “My Science” and “Blow My Mind” sound like they came from a Brooklyn, NY-based bedroom musician happy to produce lo-fi indie crap. Variety is great, but tracks like these detract from the rest of the album and should have been dumped.

Musicianship is excellent, with obvious kudos to producer, guitarist, and co-songwriter Geoff Tyson. But the star in the mix is vocalist Susan Hyatt, with a voice that combines sultry and sexy with angst and power. It’s refreshing to hear such a great female vocalist who is also a musician and co-producer that is not limited to the ranks of typical singer-songwriter.

Stimulator loves remaking classic songs. We were big fans of their remake of the classic Olivia Newton-John hit, “Magic” — awesome modern production and guitar work, though less excited by their remake of RUSH’s “Tom Sawyer” (they sucked the prog rock element right out of it). Lovelier in Black has a very cool remake of the classic Sony Bono song, “The Beat Goes On.”

In short, this will be definitely make our list of best albums from 2010.

- Music Players.com