Everything But the Girl: Fuse Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		0.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		4.0

Everything But the Girl: Fuse Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov December 15, 2024

It is impossible to overstate how massive of an impact the enigmatic duo Everything but the Girl had on the music scene during the 1990s. Their tracks were played by radio stations all across the world, while DJs, including several superstar DJs, could not stop remixing them. Among people who knew quality music, there was a universal consensus that what Tracey Thorn and Ben Watt were doing was top quality music.

But as the 1990s ended, it became obvious that Thorn and Watt were heading in different directions, which was a great shame because the final of their big three albums, Temperamental, was a legitimate masterpiece. Thorn recorded several solo albums, but they only occasionally reminded of the glory times of the 1990s. Watt also worked on solo projects, but routinely collaborated with other artists, too. (According to this writer, Watt’s best work outside Everything but the Girl was on the Lazy Dog projects).

Fuse reunites Thorn and Watt as Everything but the Girl and is their first album in twenty-four years. It has ten tracks, several of which match the quality of their work from the 1990s.

While all tracks are wonderfully produced, four stand out from the rest. “Nothing Left to Lose”, “Caution to the Wind”, “No One Knows We’re Dancing”, and “Forever” blend Thorn’s rush vocals with outstanding electronic harmonies and instantly reconnect the mind with the timeless brilliance of the duo’s work in the Amplified Heart, Walking Wounded, and Temperamental albums.

The Deluxe Blu-ray/CD release of Fuse presents all ten tracks in Dolby Atmos (48kHz, 24-bit) and LPCM 2.0 Stereo (48kHz, 24-bit). The album’s total running time is 0:35.47.

TRACKLISTING

1 Nothing Left to Lose
2 Run a Red Light
3 Caution to the Wind
4 When You Mess Up
5 Time and Time Again
6 No One Knows We're Dancing
7 Lost
8 Forever
9 Interior Space
10 Karaoke

Everything But the Girl: Fuse Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

There is no video content on this release.

Everything But the Girl: Fuse Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Fuse is a Blu-ray/CD combo release. On the Blu-ray, all ten tracks of Fuse in Dolby Atmos (48kHz, 24-bit) and LPCM 2.0 Stereo (48kHz, 24-bit).

As a massive fan of EBTG, I own all of the duo's previous albums on CD and was eager to go through Fuse while sampling the Dolby Atmos and Stereo tracks. In Dolby Atmos, the simple yet very rich electronic harmonies and Tracey Thorn's voice sound nothing short of incredible. The clarity and depth of the audio are of what I can only describe as 'reference quality'. (The Temperamental album, which has the most diverse electronic harmonies, must see an identical release). "Caution to the Wind" and "No One Knows We're Dancing" are my absolute favorite tracks, and I could not be happier with everything that I heard on my system. The Stereo versions of these tracks sound equally impressive, so regardless of how you choose to enjoy Fuse, you are in for an ultimate treat.

Everything But the Girl: Fuse Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Booklet - 8-page booklet with lyrics and technical information.

Everything But the Girl: Fuse Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

What would have the 1990s looked without the music of the enigmatic duo Everything but the Girl? It is difficult to tell because Tracey Thorn and Ben Watt's music was transformative. This is not an exaggeration. Their three big albums from the 1990s -- Amplified Heart, Walking Wounded, and Temperamental -- produced monster hits that are still played by radio stations and remixed by young and old DJs. These albums are linked to a lot of special memories, too. Fuse, the duo's first studio album in twenty-four years, is a nearly perfect nostalgia fix that is impossible not to praise. It is available as a Blu-ray/CD combo pack, featuring 'reference quality' Dolby Atmos and Stereo tracks. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.