Pyramid has been around for quite some times but he really started getting attention this year, his 10 tracks long EP "Lost In Space" is simply filled with awesomeness, that guy will seriously be big in 10 years. His songs could fit so much movie scenes perfectly, everytime I hear one of his track I just picture the whole scene instantly.
Pyramid - Behind You
Drive
Talking about songs in movies : Drive wouldn't be the masterpiece it is if it did not have such an amazing OST. Kavinsky as opening credits, incredibly good COLLEGE track that will make you remember the scenes it's used in instalty when you listen to it. And Cliff Martinez's original tracks made for the movie are really making you feel the tention.
Former half of Aeroplane Stephen became the magician for the pleasure of everyone enjoying retro synths. Magic tapes, remixes, original tracks, he did everything with talent, giving us something every month of the year...
He was already around for a year, getting recognition for his remix of The Island by Pendulum but 2011 was really HIS year. He remixed Deadmau5, Yelle (and opened for her too), made a mashup of Wolfgang Gartner for Porter Robinson. Oh and yeah he made Pop Culture Mashup who got crazy (well deserved) attention all over the interwebz.
The kind of guy who links his bandcamp page on the shoutbox, you listen to it out of curiosity and instantly fall in love with. In addition to being a very nice guy he produced one of the best album of the year, it really came out of nowhere and I LOVE THAT.
Alecks Awklr - Breathless
Here comes the sad part of the post, the very sad part. I never understood much those people crying over famous people deaths, I was a bit sad when MJ died but that's about it. But now I get it, when someone who makes music you listen to almost everyday, makes songs who go right into your heart such as Pocket Piano or Signatune, and you hear that this man died, well you seriously feel something. I never had the chance of seing Mehdi on stage, but I always heard good things about his lives and about him being a genuinly nice guy. Hats off mehdi.
I know this year's been a bit lacking in content and I apologise for that, but there's only so much blogging one can do, and we have lives too you know! Joking aside, I wanted to take this opportunity to do something I've not done for a while: A good ol' fashioned shuffle post, think of it as a thank you for staying with us through the year.
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First up is the band I have a notorious love-love relationship with, The Knife. I'm very interested in what they will bring to the table for the album they're planning for next year, hopefully more in the vein of Silent Shout than the more experimental stuff they did on the soundtrack for Tomorrow, In A Year but for now enjoy a cut from what is by far their most popular LP, Deep Cuts.
Ah, Squarepusher. I had a real lack of his earlier works before I started the Warped series, so I have a lot of un-posted gems kicking around. I'll probably do a series on 'em after the main Warped series is finished, until then have a bit from the quality Big Loada EP.
Speaking of early stuff, another track just came on that I really love. It's Aphex Twin back in his acid house days, like most of the stuff he makes it has a nice contrast in sounds from the beats to the almost orchestral stabs throughout. The opening arpeggio is pure sequenced heaven to my ears.
It was around this time last year I posted some cuts from Oneohtrix Point Never's then new compilation Rifts, he's since come out with another two albums that I've yet to pick up. I remember the first time I heard this track, it was described as a combination of tons of ambient stuff including Boards Of Canada. I was skeptical at first but this track just absolutely sold me.
Miss Kittin's first solo effort, I Com was a mixed bag of atmospheres, some tracks were clearly meant for the dancefloor, some for listening. Some even combined the two, as seen here; it's pretty slow to build but that just makes the eventual peaks in sound even more satisfying to hear, especially the amazing break at 3:10.
I think I've said before I have a penchant for liking albums that the music press at large don't, this is a great example, 100th Window was massively critiqued upon release. It's true that the compositions are even darker than those on Mezzanine and a hell of a lot sparser, but the end result still sounds great. My only complaint is that it could do without that solid 1 minute of intro.
And that about wraps this years posting up for me, I would whacked a few more tracks on but the last few tracks were quite long. Regardless, happy holidays from me and the rest of the ilictronix crew, we hope to see you in 2012! As always, stay safe and enjoy the music, wherever you are.
As we wind down once again for the holiday season, I leave you with one final helping of downtempo goodness from my hometown buddy Nightmares On Wax. After a slight stumble with Mind Elevation, the Wax man returns to form with a fresher take on that slightly more mainstream sound in spectacular style that dare I say even rivals the original Smokers Delight in terms of out and out quality. Oh, and be sure to keep an eye out for those tunes used in [Adult Swim] bumps!
Take Passion for example. I've posted it before, but it deserves it again. NoW is pretty good at killing it with his intros, and this is no different. Any doubts I had after the slightly bland intro of Mind Elevation were quelled and lost in that hazy sea of sound.
As you can tell, In A Space Outta Sound is all about the Hippty Hop, and pulls it off much better than Mind Elevation did. It's all a far cry from the dub infusions present on Smokers Delight, but parts of it return here: notably the bass booms just after the intro, and the ever present reggae style organ.
The Sweetest then flows ever so gracefully into what is right up there as one of the best Nightmares tracks ever, right from the downright brilliant intro to the final fade, it's just downright essential. It achieves everything that Mr. Evelyn wanted to do with his sound. There is no need for any more words, just give it a listen and you will hear just why.
The Wax man goes full on hippty hop for the next venture, The influences of the 1970s soul scene on this track and NoW himself an are quite obvious, it is after all where most good n' funky samples come from. It's kept fairly simple but that doesn't hold it back in any way, in fact it feels a lot shorter than it actually is.
A return to the longer tracks now, with Damn providing some Arabian sounding strings to go with the tried and tested beat formula we're now accustomed to. It's a pretty good track as-is, but the introduction of the vocals at about 2:40 pushes it even further into proper quality territory.
I have heard this track far, far too many times. Yet it's still as good as ever, why that is I do not know, the sample, the organ, the slight hint of vinyl crackle amidst it all? it could be anything. But damn if it isn't satisfying as hell to listen to.
Remember Me + You from Smokers Delight? Remember how great it was despite being about 50 seconds long? Well, this album has it's very own little sample-based track like that. Presenting Chime Out: the tune that says so much with so little.
I was unsure of this track on first listen, it was good alright, but it was missing that crucial, essential groove that makes Nightmares On Wax. The 'lil guitar bit at 1:05 had my back, and that led into that amazing chiller drop at 1:15. I don't even know if you would call that bit a drop, but who cares it sounds a-mazing.
As the album draws to a close, we're treated to another candidate for the best of Nightmares On Wax. (and it even has an 808 in it!) The best description of it was from a review which simply said "This track is like if Trip-Hop came out of Florida instead of Bristol". And I'd have to agree with them wholeheartedly there, it's definitely brighter than the moody musings from the likes of say Portishead.
Playing us out is African Pirates, which I believe we posted a remix of once. It's very bouncy and light, much like the rest of the album. The bassline for this one is just perfect in setting the mood. It's nothing like an outro track at all, so like all NoW releases before it leaves you wanting more.
This is not the first time I've had to stop myself from posting a full album, but I really, REALLY wanted to this time. I massively recommend you check this out, it's so well produced and catchy that it at least deserves a listen from you. That an it's probably the easiest NoW album to get into with it's easy going vibes.
Here is a brand new EP from Alex Awklr
Very short tracks, remembers me of Onra, short but creative tracks, Hokkaido is amazing.
It's free so consider it an early christmas gift !
Flux Pavillion and Doctor P worked together again, and the result was more than unexpected, incredibly groovy dubstep tune, very different from their usual stuff.
It's a Boards Of Canada blowout this week, this time with the Trans Canada Highway EP. It has a lot of similarities to The Campfire Headphase (Hell, the first track is Dayvan Cowboy which appeared on that album) but it is different enough to warrant it's own release. It's longer than the previous In A Beautiful Place Out In The Country EP which was only a 3 tracker, and even includes a remix! So without further ado, let's pick apart this EP.
Missing out Dayvan Cowboy, we get the first proper track. Left Side Drive, like the rest of the EP, leaves the acoustic driven direction of The Campfire Headphase behind in favour of the classic BoC formula with thundering beats with hints of synth sprinkled throughout, and even a few reversed parts in the background for good measure.
You may have noticed a distinct lack of the short ambient interludes that were such a treat on The Campfire Headphase, unlike albums previous. And that's where the EP comes in, it features a couple of them and they're a welcome return this ones a quasi-drone piece similar to Corsair from Geogaddi.
Skyliner is a bit of an interesting one, I saw a deconstruction of it not too long ago and pretty much the entire song is palindromic. Basically the melody and the synth sounds the same backwards as it does forwards, though I suppose it's not that strange when you consider BoC's track record with samples and whatnot. It seems to be uncommon as the only other palindromic melody I know of is in Sigur Ros's Starálfur.
And finally, the other ambient interlude: Uder The Coke Sign. I love when Boards do this kind of thing and this track is no exception, they cut it just short enough so that it doesn't get old, so that way it stays just as sweet on every single repeat listen. It'd be fitting to just end the EP right there, but...
Click for Huge
There's a little something on the end. A massive 9 minute remix of Dayvan Cowboy by a one Odd Nosdam. It's sort of the musical equivalent of watching a really old VHS tape, the whole thing is warped and barely sounds like what it used to, but it has that charming quality to it. The moment that airy intro gives way to the now menacing sounding guitars is amazing, and just like that they're gone again. The song doesn't start properly for about another minute and even then doesn't stick around long, giving in to another ambient bit. Overall it plays out like a more trip-hop version of Dayvan Cowboy, it's pretty great.
And finally, another first for Boards Of Canada, their very first official music video featuring footage of Joesph Kittinger legendary skydive from practically the edge of space. it's pretty much what you'd expect visually from a Boards tune, all washed out and retro like. Officially it was directed by a one Melissa Olson, though I suspect it was probably the Boards brothers themselves, considering the tracks "Melissa Juice" from Twoism and "Olson" from Music Has The Right To Chrildren it's too coincidental a name to be true.
You may have noticed not much changes between each Boards Of Canada album, that's not necessarily a bad thing, their sound was interesting and they kept it fresh enough to stretch out. So what happens when the band themselves decide to change things up a bit? well, The Campfire Headphase has more of an acoustic slant and even though it's still got spatterings of their now trademark nostalgic analouge haze on it, the album as a whole just feels different perhaps... warmer I want to say, than anything else they've done before.
And it begins innocently enough, with a little ditty that sounds like something from an old TV test card from more than a few decades ago rather than the underlying menace of tracks such as Beware The Friendly Stranger from Geogaddi
And with no hint of hesitation we dive right in at the acoustic end, with the guitar here essentially taking the place of where a synth would before on their previous efforts, contributing to that whole warmer, looser atmosphere to the album while still sounding like Boards Of Canada.
Aside from the intro, the next track takes a different approach to the incorporation of acoustics, like Chromakey Dreamcoat the guitar forms a recurring melody, but it's sandwiched between sets of BoC's usual dreamy electronics affair, with a tiny ambient piece on the end for good measure.
Now, up until this point I was thinking the album's pretty good, but it needs something to push it over the edge, something with the instant classic vibes that tracks like Roygbiv gave off in the past. I wasn't disappointed. From the absolutely sublime first chords until the very end, I was hanging on every note.
And much like the Dawn Chorus/Over The Horizon Radar combo from Geogaddi, it's followed up with another outstanding track. Dayvan Cowboy is one of BoC's most famous songs and it's not hard to see why. The track is essentially in two parts, with the woozy intro breaking off about halfway through to give way to an amazing moment at about 2:05. When you hear it you will understand why it's one of their most famous tunes. It's just brilliant through and through.
The acoustics take a well deserved backseat for now, and instead we're treated to one of the electronic based tunes that made them famous in the first place. They're still as good at it as ever, with the usual mix of emotion and atmosphere making for the quintessential Boards Of Canada experience.
It's not long before the guitars make a comeback and we're back in the now familiar valley of strings however. I've posted this track before, for a post that was just mix of summery tunes. That's pretty much it, like Dawn Chorus before it, it's practically made to watch the sun rise to, Its even in the title of both of them.
This track has always stood out as a bit strange to me, not only does it mark the end of any more acoustic elements, but it just sounds out of place considering the more upbeat nature the album, as it sounds like the more sinister ambient pieces from Geogaddi that's not to say it isn't still quality though. If Hey Saturday Sun was made to watch the sun rise to, this is for those hot and humid summer nights where you can't sleep.
And that leads us to the winding down period of the album, as always, A few ambient pieces to guide you through the last few minutes. This one's always been a favourite from just the intro alone, it's a short one, but it feels like it lasts forever. In a good way though.
Farewell Fire holds a unique niche in the world of BoC ambient pieces, it's got the usual soft pads but this time it's entirely un-sequenced, just recorded as it was played. This leads to some interesting and subtle differences throughout in regards to the note structure. Also of note is that the track almost completely fades away at about the 4:00 mark but it remains just barely audible for the remainder of the song. I have no idea why they did it but it sure does make for an interesting listen (and a bit of a fright when it ends and you have it on shuffle + full volume).
That's meant to be the last track, but just like with Geogaddi I'm gonna throw in the Japanese bonus track as well, it doesn't quite fit after the sparse and spaced out Farewell Fire. Regardless, the track itself is quite interesting and sounds quite a bit like some of the stuff that would be on the EP after this, the Trans Canada Highway EP which we'll see in the very next entry.
Boards Of Canada have yet to do an album since, there's been rumours on and off for the past couple of years that they're releasing a boatload of old unreleased material like the infamous 'Old Tunes' tapes in a box set (or BoCset, if you will), but nothing's come of it yet. Mind you if you listen to Boards Of Canada you kinda get used to waiting a long time between releases, because it's probably going to be more than worth it in the end.
Alright so here is the story, I had to spend 3 hours in a car without any way to play my iPod, so I had to listen to a french "DJ radio" who mostly plays terrible remixes of Pendulum and Lady Gaga.
Despite all the hate I have for most of the songs that were playing, two got my attention because the synths were REALLY catchy, and I love some catchy synths in the morning, so here they are.
First song I've ever heard from this guy, I know he's from belgium and that's about it.
And a farely decent track from Avicii, the vocals from Etta James really add something to this track.
Oh and because it's new, Skrillex's remix of Levels.
Made my day, and it's only 9am. Magna's just killing it one more time, that remix is really different compared to most of the other, he chopped the vocals and he did good !
So, Brodinski has been "screwing" things these days and it's pretty cool actually ! [Update: these tracks are pretty much nowhere to be streamed on the 'net and are no longer on Brodinski's soundcloud, you can find them for download if you go looking but I won't be linking them here.]
This track is a recurrent joke with a friend so it kinda got my attention instantly, and it sounds realy good slowed down.
It is a well known fact that How Deep Is Your Love is a gold mine for any remixer out there, that track is brilliant and the vocals are simply asking for it.
Cassian gave it a try, and the result is simply GREAT.
I recently received news about Kraddy, hope you guys remember him.
He released his debut album, you can catch it for free on his official website.
But that's not all !
Two contests are coming, a T -shirt design contest is already open, but in a about a week a remix contest for Black Box will start, so you know what to do !
Also, the music video for his main title is now out too.
Broadcast have always had a rocky history with their line-ups; mostly drummers drifting in and out of the band. 2005 sees Broadcast reduced to a skeleton crew of Trish Keenan and James Cargill after the departure of their long time guitar player Tim Felton. The result of this is that their third and ultimately last album, Tender Buttons, takes a much more electronic route than anything broadcast have done before, almost taking a complete 180 in terms of their sound up until this point. This is probably my favourite album by them, like The Noise Made By People before it, it completely nails the aesthetic. Except this time the hazy atmosphere of albums past is replaced by an overall much more rigid feel, while retaining some warmth about the songs themselves.
Take for example, the opener. It's simple enough, the main hook is just descending keys, but they soon get lost in the sea of now trademark Broadcast sounds. It's a short one at just 2 minutes long, but it serves as a perfect demo of how the band works without a guitar.
Broadcast haven't lost their experimental touch though, as heard on the second track, Black Cat. It's structured much like the opener with a heavy focus on the electronic side of things and I think the song is better for it, it just makes it complete.
The title track sees Keenan's cryptic lyrics lathered over the contradictory sounds of a guitar and a lone synth. The guitar is the main focus at first until about 40 seconds in, when it gets kicked to the backseat and the synth steals the show. Despite this, it flows just as well as any of their acoustic tracks from albums past. It's just a shame it's all over so soon.
I have a special place for this one in my library, as it was the first song I ever heard from Broadcast, a long time ago on a blog just like this one. The song just grabs you and is brilliant from the introductory plastic sounding drums all the way to the final fade out.
Tender Buttons takes a mellow turn as we approach the middle of the tracklist. Keenan's vocals form the backbone of the song as it's mixed much higer than everything else. Unlike the songs before it her voice remains untreated (save for an echo) and will remain so for the rest of the album, as will the more subtle merging of the electronic and acoustic.
I'll always remember Corporeal as it was my current favourite when I heard of Trish Keenan's untimely death early this year. Ever since then it's sounded bittersweet to me despite the underlying intimacy within the song itself. Still a highlight for me though.
Heading briefly into upbeat territory again with Michael A Grammar. It's probably the poppiest sounding song on here, and the closest Broadcast get to sounding almost like an indie band. That's not a bad thing though, it's a welcome change from their usual material.
Tender Buttons gets it's title from a series of poems by Gerturde Stein in which she deconstructs clusters of words and re-defines them. The inspiration on the album has been seen before on the title track Tender Buttons, and is heard once again on this next one.
Another upbeat sounding track that Keenan's vocals just shine on. That's pretty much all I can say, I just love what she does and this track is pretty much the best example of that on Tender Buttons. Even without the other 3 members around, the band makes amazing tracks.
The closing track is a different sound altogether: I Found The End is the opening keys of I Found The F re-purposed, slowing them down to create a haunting ambient piece, a bit like Sigur Rós did on Avalon from Ágætis Byrjun. It also shares the twinned opener/closer like the Long Was The Year/Dead The Long Year on The Noise Made By People. Very fitting seeing as this was the last thing Broadcast released outside of collaborations and old material.
That's it for Broadcast, when you put it like this it doesn't seem like a lot of music. Their three albums will pretty much always be in continuous rotation by me, and I hope some of you will as well.
I gave up on doing album reviews, because they were never my finest pieces of work and they weren't always well received.
However, after hearing this album, I had to review it.
It comes from Portuguese band PAUS, a 4-man band, which consists of, according to them, "A siamese drumset, a bass bigger than your mother and keyboards that make you feel things."
Gotta love that, right? The unusual dual drumset lineup means that this album is heavy with drums, which is never bad.
First track is Ouve Só (Just Listen). A very immediate starter, very quick action. Short on vocals, it bases itself on the drumming and some background synths until it all sorta blows up in a dubsteppy bass wobble, morphing back into more epic sounds, which lasts till the end,
Next comes Muito Mais Gente (A Lot More People). This one a bit more "rocky" than the previous one, and it's more vocal aswell. Very well worked here, hard but not too much.
Following right behind is Língua Franca. Once again, "rockier" than the previous one, but slower.
This instrumental is well done, however it can get a bit repetitive in the middle section, but that's pretty much the only complaint I have about it.
Coming next is Deixa-me Ser (Let me Be). Best on the album and certainly the one that causes more buzz.
The catchy guitar riff, the looping rythm, the drum solo. All of those elements make up for an extremely catchy track that reminds me of Summer festivals and good times all around.
After that is Malhão. Named after a tradicional folk song, it has nothing folky about it. It starts off a bit slow, but it soon speeds up into a very distorted track, but once again, without exaggeration and with a few vocals thrown in aswell. Not bad.
The following is Descruzada (Uncrossed). It's the drumming that makes this one really good to me. Add in some pseudo-psychadelic guitars and noises and you get a fantastic track, along with a breakdown that is perfect to be played in live shows, going back to the first half sound, with little changes.
Second best in the album.
Then we have Ocre (Ochre). By no means bad, it's the worst of the lot for me, if I had to pick one.
It just is a bit too messy and doesn't have the flow that the others have. It's a bit all over the place, both the drumming and the remaining sounds, with too much distortion towards the end aswell.
Not my cup of tea.
Finally, we have Tronco Nu (Bare Chest). A fitting finisher, it gives that ending sensation that you want from final songs. The organs halfway sure help, along with the choir-like vocals in the background.
Proper way to finish the album. I could do without the fucked up 8-bit noises after the end of the track though, but you can edit those out easily.
In conclusion, I give this album a solid 8. It's short and entertaining, which is want you want from debut albums. The fact that most tracks have little or no vocals helps to get the internacional appeal.
I want to see where these guys can go, because Portuguese bands that make this sort of music, and do it well, are very rare and the ones who do it right deserve recognition.
Released today, I present you Magna's brand new EP, Scar !
It starts with an intro that will remind you of Mr Oizo's weirdest creations, distorted notes, mashed up samples, high piano notes and most important of all, an ending that will make you know what's going to happen to your ears for the next 12 minutes.
Paranoia has been in my ears for about half a year now, I heard a LOT of versions, and this one is by far the most impressive one. Dark and crazy electro, with a touch of dubstep.
Do It Right will definitely catch your attention, that's exactly the kind of song you want, to hear when someone's Djing, powerful progression and amazing drops.
Thrust is by far the discoest (and my favorite) track on the EP, a bit more like his first tracks, I'm having trouble thinking about anything to say as I'm banging my head too hard, seriously, STRONG song.
Magna really worked hard on this EP, he achieved to go past his usual progression style to give songs that sound even more achieved than they usually do. The result is brilliant. He is more than ever a guy to follow.
Surkin finally releases his much much MUCH awaited new album, I would almost say debut album because Action Replay felt more like a big EP than a LP, anyway, that's not important.
The album is a sweet combination of 90's electro with vocals that will make you feel like you're listening to 80's pop. An exemple ?
The other good news is that the album is almost only filled with new tracks, the few exceptions are White Knight Two, Silver Island and Ultra Light, but it's understandable because well... White Knight Two might be one of the best track he ever produced and Silver Island and Ultra Light were the main titles of his two previous EPs.
So, what are those new tracks, and how do they feel you might ask, well, as usual Surkin likes oldschool sounds and proves it in I.N.Y.N (who uses the most overheard Wooh ! of all times, but in a cool way for once.), but he's not only about big beats, he also creates some smooth as hell tracks, Never Let Go proves it.
I can't think of Surkin without thinking of Bobmo, as their Udon / Work EP was a true bomb. Good news is, they worked together again on the LP and made two great tracks. I love the influence Bobmo has on those tracks, they are as good as his tracks Rock The or Control.
I really recommend this LP if you enjoy Surkin, he did really well here once again. Unlike Justice for example, he kept his style so no big surprise but a nicely done LP. The only thing that could have been better is if those two (I'm not counting the intro) "shorter than 2 minutes tracks" were a bit longer... Rock It diserves an extended mix !
I know the album will not be available until next week for americans, but when it is, grab it; you won't regret it, trust me. There is everything an album needs, bangers, smooth relaxing tracks and the most important thing of all, TALENT.
Because of his remixes of Shark Simple, Voodoo or Sha! Shtil! L-vis 1990 always stayed under my radar.
I will give you my top 7 (yeah, that's not usual, I'm an edgy guy) out of this 15 tracks long album. Why do I do that ? Because the album is not ground breaking, it has its moments but it also has a lot of downsides such as being a bit too generic sometimes.
The album is way too eclectic, it seems like L-vis does not really know what crowd he aims for so he makes a bit of everything, some electro pop, some hip hop influenced songs with a bit of jungle.
All in all, I was disappointed, a lot of tracks were pretty flat and weak in comparison to his remixes or a track like Compass. But the album has a few gems, like Forever You, Play It Cool or Cruisin' that will stay in my playlist for a while.
I would give it a 5 or a 6 out of 10, because it's not bad, but it's not good either, some songs are just not working.
It's that time of the month again, time to review (some of) the albums that came out !
The first is the obvious one, Justice - Audio Video Disco.
Let's get something straight before I start talking about the album. The Justice we know from Cross changed a lot, this album is pretty much nothing like their previous work even if we obviously recognize their style. "These guys are the new rock'n'roll" someone once said, well, they heard him.
Maybe it's Xavier's work on Jamaica's album or Gaspard's on Rubber, maybe they just did not want to make a Cross 2.0, maybe they simply wanted to do something they like even if it changes from their "usual" style.
Let's play some music now.
The album starts with Horsepower, a good progressive and powerful track to begin with. It keeps those dark synths Justice are known for but also has this retro rock feeling. Very enjoyable track if you ask me.
Next is Civilization, the track that made everyone know that Justice changed, it's the kind of song that grows on you, Ali Love's voice fits very well with the song. I would have prefered Jessy Chaton, singer from Fancy who gave voice to D.A.N.C.E. (If you don't know Fancy and enjoy 70's rock with a crazy singer, check them out).
What do we have now ? Ohio, the song starts in a strange way, and keeps growing in a weird way in my opinion. Not bad at all but a bit too slow and the melody is really not that good for a Justice track, I don't think the vocals are good either... My least favorite track on the album.
Canon (Primo) is an intro to Canon, not much to say, it's an intro you know.
Canon, now we're talking ! The kind of songs that screams play me louder, that's the new Justice I like, strong drums, good chords... the perfect mix of electro and rock, the downside might be the end of the song, a bit weak. I'm starting to wonder what it will look like to see them live now, will they be playing actual instruments ? Mainly after seeing the Audio Video Disco video.
On'n'On. That perfect song you bought the album for. It has everything Justice has to offer, even the flute (?) who could have ruin the mood feels good. And those lyrics... I don't know who's singing, it's not referenced anywhere that it features someone so it might be Gaspard or Xavier, but damn, I'd like to hear that voice more often.
Brianvision remembers me of Rubber OST a lot, that atmosphere, the whole retro feeling of the song is amazing, it would have been a perfect fit for Rubber... It works great here too anyway so that's not a bad thing.
Parade. Call me geek but it feels like a battle theme from Final Fantasy hooked up with Queen - We Will Rock You and The Beach Boys - God Only Knows. Mind blowing track.
New Lands continues what On'n'On began, the only downside I can find is that without knowing it's from Justice, I would probably not have guessed it. But once you accept the turn they have made, it's an awesome song too, that ending... oh well.
The album ends with two already known songs.
Helix, I love this song, but it has a strange feeling because I first heard it they day DJ Mehdi died so it's always a bit weird to listen to it, especially because I think the vocals sampled would match a lot of Mehdi songs. Anyway, great great song even if my judgement is a bit biased.
Audio, Video, Disco is still what it is, I know a lot of people who don't find it good at all, I for one think it's not as bad as a lot of people tend to say it is.
But wait, why is the track 10 minutes long ? Yup, unnamed bonus track at the end ! Lovely lovely bonus track.
Alright, time to give my opinion about the album itself. While almost every track is good, it does not (and I don't think anything will ever again) have the same power as Cross. Once you accept the fact that it will be more of a 70's rock meets electro album than a Cross 2.0 the album is good, great actually. Fans might be disappointed by it, it's understandable, but it's a good album, with well made tracks and no "old remixes from 2003 renamed to fit in the album".
I'd say good move Justice, everything turned out better than expected even if it lacks of something here and there sadly.
Talking about songs in movies : Drive wouldn't be the masterpiece it is if it did not have such an amazing OST. Kavinsky as opening credits, incredibly good COLLEGE track that will make you remember the scenes it's used in instalty when you listen to it. And Cliff Martinez's original tracks made for the movie are really making you feel the tention.
He was already around for a year, getting recognition for his remix of The Island by Pendulum but 2011 was really HIS year. He remixed Deadmau5, Yelle (and opened for her too), made a mashup of Wolfgang Gartner for Porter Robinson. Oh and yeah he made Pop Culture Mashup who got crazy (well deserved) attention all over the interwebz.
The kind of guy who links his bandcamp page on the shoutbox, you listen to it out of curiosity and instantly fall in love with. In addition to being a very nice guy he produced one of the best album of the year, it really came out of nowhere and I LOVE THAT.
Alecks Awklr - Breathless
Yes, another name... You might not know him, we only posted once about Rei, but he made some very relaxing ambient tracks. A man to be remembered.
