Picked up Emotional Technology today and have finally gotten around to listening to it. It's more poppy than his other works, featuring a lot more vocals and rock flavored music, because of this this album is more introspective and explorative. He's always explored love and this album continues that exploration.

Starting with a throw away intro track it dives right into the break laden Knowledge Of Self. Continuing the work he has done on Movement in Still Life and the soundtracks to Tomb Raider and Blade 2 to this album it features a heavy hip-hop influence mixed with traditional break and synth work.

Superfabulous is a contender for my favorite track on the album. It's a fun track with catchy vocals and music. Somnambulist, being the first radio single, is a cathy tune with heavy vocoder use for the lyrics. These tracks start the exploration part of the album. Starting out with love of self which carries over until the last third of the album.

After SomnambulistEmotional Technology moves into more traditional territory with bigger more traditional trance-style tracks. The Force of Gravity, number 2 in race for my favorite track, features JC Chasez of *NSync on vocals is a primer for the toned down portion of the CD. Dark Heart Dawning is a drastic change from the rest of the CD. A slow rock song that transforms itself to an almost religious gospel, punctuated by the chorus near the end, it's a striking song that lulls you into a sense of security then opens up with the chorus bringing you back to life.

The Great Escape is easily an evolution of the style that made BT famous. Wonderful female vocals over a trancey beat. The inclusion of strings elevates this song above being just standard BT trance. Paris, not sure what to say about this song. It's very scattered. Has the vocallist from Mad Skillz-Mic Cheka in a supporting role and I like him, I like this song, just can't express the reasons.

Next up is Circles a short rock song with Richard Fortus, of Psychedelic Furs fame, on guitars.

Next up, and beginning the expansion of the love theme, is the lovely Last Moment of Clarity another “traditional” BT track, driving dance track, female vocals and organic samples, and in case you forgot what you're listening to it picks up near the end and morphs into a harder edge dance song for a few seconds before tapering off again.

Communicate is the last of the old style BT tracks, and features Jan Johnston on vocals. The most “traditional” of the traditional tracks through no use of breaks and harder beats that permeate the rest of the album and solely focusing on offering a musical platform that is the perfect accompaniment for the beautiful vocals of Jan Johnston. This track would be just as home on ESCM as this album.

The album closes with two songs, that are really separate parts of the same song. Animals and The Only Constant is Change. Both of these songs are an exploration of the human experience and what we are, the marks we leave upon the world.

Overall I like this album, though what are the chances I'd hate it? It may seem a drastic change from his earlier work but it's the culmination of his musical evolution. Create. Expand. Explore. A solid 8/10 with no weak tracks.