sexta-feira, janeiro 30, 2009

909. Erlend Øye - Unrest


This solo disc from one of the Kings of Convenience is a great study on pop and geography. Each track was recorded in a different city and you can feel the shifts and imagine the differences as the album progresses. "Sudden Rush" is still one of my all time favourite electro/sould/pop singles. I also like the disc because when ellen and I worked together I let her borrow it - years later she told me how from that point on she started to 'respect me' musically... awww.

8.2 out of 10

quinta-feira, janeiro 29, 2009

908. Junior Boys - so this is goodbye


I didn't think I'd say this but I actually like this cd more than 'Last Exit' and for some reason that wasn't the case before... if "Last Exit" was cold, complicated, unsure and distant this cd is still considerate and deliberate but confident, filled with as many strong melodies as "Last Exit" but warmer, closer.

9 out of 10

quarta-feira, janeiro 28, 2009

907. Junior Boys - Last exit


"Last Exit" requires many listens to fully appreciate - it's methodical yet natural, cold but endearing. The vocals sound foreign but utter words we've all felt or said. It's a cd I still think I have not fully undone.

8.4 out of 10

terça-feira, janeiro 27, 2009

906. Justice - Cross


Well I am getting old. I like Justice (or 'Juusteece' as my friend Daniel likes to pronounce their name) - the French duo truly fall right in line with other French electro nationals - but listening to the whole album is a bit much at times. After 5 tracks or so I feel as if I am stuck inside an old school Centipede arcade game, manipulating the sounds myself, wanting to say so much more but having my vocabulary limited to sound effects...

6.9 out of 10

905. The Faint - Danse Macabre


This doesn't really belong here, but I'm lazy. I know I talk about Respectable's a lot and that it doesn't mean much to people but if that club had a house band it would be the Faint who seem to grab everything good from 80's electro pop, goth and industrial and blends it all up into one frothy tasty drink.

7.4 out of 10

904. Slicker - We all have a plan


Here's another wtf was I thinking moment - I had heard the song "Knock Me Down Girl" and really liked it (you can download it here) and decided to get the CD used... mistake, mistake, mistake. The cd has maybe 3 worthwhile moments but none of them warrant having this.

3 out of 10

903. St. Etienne - Sound of Water


I have a soft spot for well done adult pop (Kate Bush, EBTG, etc.) and I am not sure why, maybe because I find it endearing to be old and creative at the same time. St. Etienne start of on the right foot, but run out of steam towards the middle of the album. Nonetheless there a few bright moments that keep me uneasy about ditching this.

5.8 out of 10

segunda-feira, janeiro 26, 2009

902. Sneaker Pimps - Becoming X


The Sneaker Pimps scored massive hits with this cd but never attained the pioneer status that Massive Attack or Tricky achieved which isn't fair because above all the deep beats, random blips and lingering bass are some of the best melodies in the genre.

7.2 out of 10

901. Josh Wink - Higher State of Consciousness


The original version of this song had quite the impact on me - just ask Meadows. We were at Respect's and the time was right, this came on and the entire place erupted into what will probably be my closest experience to a rave ever.

Sadly this disc has nothing but hideous remixes.

.5 out of 10

sexta-feira, janeiro 23, 2009

900. Daft Punk - Digital Love [Single]


This is a perfect example of just buying something because it felt good - this single has a radio edit and album version of the title track, along with an instrumentals/remix and two b-sides... fun for about a minute.

3.8 out of 10

899. Daft Punk - Homework


Now here is a band that I love for so many more reasons than just the music: their videos, album covers, super singles and costumes make Daft Punk a force to be reckoned with. "Da Funk" and "Around The World" are some of the best dance tracks ever made. Unfortunately there are only so many beats per minute, per hour I can handle - nonetheless I love Daft Punk.




6.5 out of 10

898. Royksopp - Melody A.M.


I bought this after hearing "Poor Leno" with erlend oye on vocals. The rest of the disc is instrumental and you don't miss the vocals actually - the songs serve as a narrator on some sort of drunken euro trip, which partly culminates with "Röyksopp's Night Out".

7.4 out of 10

897. Notwist - You, Me and the devil


I also really like this follow up to Neon Golden - the catch isn't as instant but it is a steady, slow grower. The instrumentation is more pronounced and the vocals more front and center but you still attentively listen to every word and wonder where the melody will take you.

8.7 out of 10

quinta-feira, janeiro 22, 2009

896. Notwist - Neon Golden


There are only a few albums a year that get put on repeat often and this was definitely one of them. I got into this only a few years back and it came to me at a perfect time, so I really immersed my self into it. There are pure perfect pop gems in here, sandwich between digital interludes that only enhance the overall album. It is a solid piece through and through.

9.2 out of 10

quarta-feira, janeiro 21, 2009

895. The One AM Radio - A Name Writ In Water


I remember hearing a track online and being intrigued - it must have been "What You Gave Away", because the rest of the cd is unfortunaely uneventful and a bit lost. It's so desolate at times the cd can actually bring you down if you aren't careful. I got it used and don't regret it because it isn't bad, but it's just not for me.

5.2 out of 10

894. DNTEL - Life Is Full of Possibilities


When this came out in 2001 I'm sure it did make you feel as if life were full of possibilities - great electronic music can often do that since so many alien sounds, rhythms, and song structures bombard you at once only to have a heavenly voice pull you out of the wreckage. This is a dense intricate album that still sounds great.

9 out of 10

893. The Crystal Method - Vegas


As a young adult there was something very seductive about the girl's voice in "Trip Like I Do", which I guess is what made it such a hit... that song still sounds decent but the rest of the cd is a bit predictable and boring. Since I have the filter 'trip' version too I think this will be hitting the bin...

5 out of 10

terça-feira, janeiro 20, 2009

892. Lo-Fidelity Allstars - How To Operate With A Blown Mind


Boy this is an oldie - and it sounds it too. I remember what first piqued my interest in these guys was the track "Battle Flag" that had a vocalist that sounded a lot like the vocalist of Brad to me... turns out it was a guy in Pigeonhead, who also happens to sing in Brad. That song is still somewhat interesting if not nostalgic, but the balance of the cd sounds like mid nineties brit techno - cockney accents rhyming about whatever, mixed with a few soul samples and a billion bpm...

4.8 out of 10

quinta-feira, janeiro 15, 2009

891. Orbital - In Sides


It was the late nineties and electronic music was at its commercial peak, the internet had begun to show social signs, and everything was developing an electronic component... that's when I got In Sides, a cd by a well established electronic artist. This two disc set includes the album and a bonus disc with b-sides. The actual album is very methodical and 90's sounding, more preoccupied with sounding cool than poppy (and pop always trumps cool). The second disk is the real winner here showing a band that can be creative and fun in a live setting and not taking themselves too seriously.

6.9 out of 10

890. The Avalanches - Since I Left You


The Avalanches produce a crazy mix of sounds into a perfect collage of sounds - part DJ Shadow, Dust Brothers and part Go Team, the album is a steady stream of beats, voice overs and sound effects... not for every day of the week put if you're in the mood it's pretty good.

7.9 out of 10

quarta-feira, janeiro 14, 2009

889. The Album Leaf - In A Safe Place


An exsentential soundtrack if that makes any sense - if not then picture how you feel when things don't work out and you are trying to figure out how they will in your head.

7.4 out of 10

888. M83 - Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts


M83 churn and stream out the most amazingly lush synth anthems you can imagine. With minimal vocals the band manages to capture the sound of urgency and map it out for you in a calming manner.

8.1 out of 10

887. boards of canada - Music Has The Right To Children


I picked this up due to all of the positive write ups, inclusion in multiple end of year lists and non stop word of mouth this lp got and I must say time isn't always the kindest to electronic music. Is the album still great? Yes, but back when it came out I can see how and why this disc was held in such high, unattainable by others, esteem. Now however it sounds more familiar and I think that's its main handicap - it has lost the tension and fearfulness of unfamiliarity.

7.9 out of 10

886. Caribou - The Milk Of Human Kindness


Manitoba were forced to change their name but fear not, their sound didn't change too much... this cd is less glittery than the previous release but it is equally as big in scope and ambition... you're never bored with Caribou, always anticipating the next song - so much that when the album ends it's almost abrupt.

7.8 out of 10

quinta-feira, janeiro 08, 2009

885. Manitoba - up in flames


I got this shortly after Fourtet while visiting seattle. The disc has a higher energy and often it sounds like you're listening to minerals being shaken up in a kaleidoscope and for the most part what you see is pretty great.

7.6 out of 10

884. FOUR TET - Rounds


EJ let me borrow this ages ago and I fell in love with it pretty quickly. This all instrumental cd coming from a one man band holds your attention pretty consistently track after track, filling itself with perfectly placed cracks and pops over sweet melodies and steady beats... it is near stellar with only a few moments of slight, occasional boredom.

8.7 out of 10

883. Moby - Animal Rights


This was my first (and last) Moby album - I picked it up on the basis of the "That's When I Reach For My Revolver" video - I liked the song (believe it or not I wasn't familiar with the original). The disc is an odd mix of punk and electro ambient stuff... the punk tracks get old quick mainly because Moby can't sing and he's even engineered the fuzz - the most appealing stuff are the instrumentals (such as 'Alone') which is what he should stick to...

4.8 out of 10

quarta-feira, janeiro 07, 2009

Now SERVING: Casio Pop


I had one of these back in the 80's and I never made much music with it, but it still represented an infinite amount of sonic possibilities. The next set of albums are different here and there but they are all electronic...