Soft Verdict - For Amusement Only

agentbond007

Review by Angela Bond

For Amusement Only by Soft Verdict: A Noisy, Minimalist Trip Worth Your While Let’s get one thing straight—Soft Verdict’s For Amusement Only ain’t for everyone. Released in ’84 under Les Disques Du Crépuscule, this Belgian-Japanese oddball of an album slams together noise, experimental vibes, and minimalism like it's daring you to hit eject. But if you stick around, holy crap, does it pay off. First up, Gust De Meyer and Wim Mertens are pulling double (hell, triple) duty here as writers, performers, producers—you name it. They’ve got Marc François on engineering, which is good because someone had to wrangle all that chaos into something listenable. And yeah, listenable doesn’t mean easy. This record punches you square in the ears with its weirdness but leaves enough crumbs to keep you hooked. Now let’s talk tracks. “Fireball” is a freakin’ standout—it’s like they took arcade game sounds, threw ‘em in a blender, and pressed play at max volume. It’s disorienting as hell, but there’s this hypnotic rhythm that grabs hold of your brainstem and won’t let go. You’ll find yourself zoning out while also being hyper-aware of every bleep and buzz. That tension? Pure gold. Then there’s “Insert Coin,” which feels like walking into an empty arcade after hours. The track starts off cold and mechanical, all hollow clicks and distant echoes, but then BAM—it flips into this lush synth swell that hits you right in the chest. It’s haunting yet kinda beautiful, like staring at a broken-down carousel spinning slowly in the rain. Weird flex, I know, but trust me, it sticks with you. The rest of the album keeps the vibe going strong—“Gorf,” “Mystik,” even “Dog-In”—all these tracks feel like fragments of some half-forgotten dream where technology meets humanity head-on. Sometimes it’s ugly, sometimes it’s mesmerizing, but it’s always raw. Here’s the kicker though: listening to For Amusement Only feels less like entertainment and more like therapy for people who hate small talk. Like, what were Gust and Wim trying to say? Were they commenting on society? Making fun of electronic music itself? Or just screwing around in the studio until something stuck? Who cares! It works. And honestly, isn’t that the point? Music doesn’t need to have answers; it just needs to make you feel something. Even if that feeling is confusion mixed with awe. So grab your headphones, crank the volume, and dive into this gloriously messed-up masterpiece. Just don’t blame me when you can’t stop thinking about it days later. Oh, and P.S.—arcades might be dead, but damn if this album doesn’t bring ‘em back to life in the weirdest way possible.

Download Soft Verdict - For Amusement Only
Artist: Soft Verdict
Album: For Amusement Only
Rating: 3.67

Table of Contents

Download

Filename: soft-verdict-for-amusement-only.zip
  • MP3 size: 40 mb
  • FLAC size: 371.2 mb

Tracks

TrackDurationPreview
Insert Coin
8 Ball
Invader
Deluxe
Mystik
Gorf
Fireball
Dog-In

Video

Wim Mertens - Mystik & Invader
Soft Verdict - Invader

Images

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Catalog Numbers

  • TWI 049
  • twi 048
  • SC-17, TWI 049

Labels

Les Disques Du Crépuscule

Listen online

  • online luisteren
  • lytte på nettet
  • kuunnella verkossa
  • lyssna på nätet
  • online anhören
  • escuchar en línea
  • ascolta in linea
  • ouvir online
  • écouter en ligne

Formats

  • Vinyl
  • LP
  • Cassette
  • Album

Companies

RoleCompany
Published ByBruits Essentiels

Credits

RoleCredit
EngineerMarc François
ProducerGust De Meyer, Wim Mertens
PerformerGust De Meyer, Wim Mertens
Written-ByGust De Meyer, Wim Mertens

Notes

  • Sub-title: "The Sound Of Pinball Machines"
  • Sleeve note: "For Amusement Only" is using electronical potential of pinball machines' micro-processors as a creative force of music, structuring the sound produced by the course of a pinball into an original electronical language.
  • Later issued on CD as a Wim Mertens solo release.
  • Les cassettes du Crépuscule
  • published by Bruits Essentiels-1981
  • courtesy of Bally International Antwerp
  • Recorded in Brussels, May 1981.
  • Made in Belgium.
  • Japan import edition with Obi.

Barcodes

  • Matrix / Runout: (Scratched) TWI-049-A
  • Matrix / Runout: (Scratched) TWI-049-B
  • Rights Society: SABAM
  • Matrix / Runout (Side A runout etched): TWI 049-A1
  • Matrix / Runout (Side B runout etched): TWI O49-B1

About Soft Verdict

Group set up by Belgian composer and musician Wim Mertens.

Real Name

    • Wim Mertens

Name Vars

  • ½ÕÈûô¡üÇ£¯È

Members

  • Wim Mertens
  • Herman Lemahieu

Interesting fact about Album

Here’s something cool: The album *For Amusement Only* by Soft Verdict is like a time capsule from 1984. It blends electronic sounds with experimental vibes, almost as if it was made for an arcade in another dimension. Tracks like "Gorf" and "Fireball" feel like retro video game music but way weirder. Belgium and Japan teamed up on this one, which explains the mix of quirky minimalism and sharp production. Oh, and get this—Wim Mertens and Gust De Meyer not only wrote and performed the whole thing but also produced it. You can tell they had fun experimenting with noise while keeping things strangely catchy.

Comments

krupashah91
krupashah91
2025-03-14
@marthwithablackheart who ever defined what a "song" is ... or you can consider it as something experimental, which is
calvinjiangsf
calvinjiangsf
2025-03-14
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_k0qYdhtGPLiZr-abA_HTLIj0ppgALTQGk this is the full album
paznobolso
paznobolso
2025-03-14
@marthwithablackheart You're a song.
jiwajawa
jiwajawa
2025-03-14
Che Sun Ra lo possa illuminare!!!
stepherz
stepherz
2025-03-13
thank you
daphnecarl5589
daphnecarl5589
2025-03-13
so this is a song?
irfanaffr
irfanaffr
2025-03-12
Je veux jouée
Je veux jouée
…
Je veux jouée
…
Dit le robot
Dit le robot
…
Dit le robot
…

Réjean Desrosiers © 2015 02 09 ☮ 002
martinbeld
martinbeld
2025-03-11
First, never imagine that this song, and the complete record have one video at least. Really amazing!. Pezzipez you are doing good work here, men. Thanks a lot.