Reviews (7)

Found a new guilty pleasure
I found this gem at a thrift store for $3.99 and had a listen. I fell in love with it instantly. The sound is a bit over-the-top with glossy slick production but it suits the well-crafted pop songs perfectly. In some places it gets incredibly cheezy but even then it's still well worth listening to all the way through. I think "Suffocation" could've been a radio sensation. I could just play that song a million times without getting sick of it. "Owed to a Devil" and "Submission Song" could've hit it big as well. I lost this CD when I moved out of the house but just recently bought it again. It still sounds awesome.

in hiding?
i wore this little gem out, why no follow up, very catchy pop tunes and not schlocky, i wish that they would give us another release, and soon..........your kids will like it too

teenage robots reporting for duty
Even with a heavy technology theme, this record is listenable and from begining to end! It doesn't get boring or redundant like other sci fi bands (Man or Astro Man). It's got a great indie pop feel that'll have you singin' along after a couple listens. If you like bands like Silver Scooter, Versus, and Yatsura you'll love the pulsars! If you remember Garfield Belly Fishtanks and pagers the size of a brick, you gotta have it.

Best of it's type (whatever that is)
The first four numbers can't be beat. As catchy as catchy can be, with great lyrics. What the "Tunnel Song" is about I haven't a clue, but it's great! The Trumfios did some work with The Aluminum Group, which is good stuff but entirely different. Kind of loungy.

Pulsars Pop
Great unsung cd of 1997. Everyone I have played this for or let borrow have bought it. I can't believe not many know about this ultra pop, very catchy, simple, and inventive group. I can't wait for the next one. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Junkmedia.org Review - For the beginners
This is basically "Schneider TM for Beginners." Which is to say that you'll want this record if for whatever reason you haven't been paying close attention to Schneider TM up to now; close followers of the German elektropopmeister otherwise known as Dirk Dresselhaus probably already own most of what's here. That's because 6 Peace repackages a half-dozen previously released tunes. In fact, there are only four different songs, as there are two versions of "Reality Check" and "Frogstears" and "Fruktos" are variations of the same song. It seems that the primary reason for this disc's release is because Schneider TM is currently touring and needs something else to sell.

Still, it is not like he's selling [bad stuff]. Schneider TM here delivers catchy melodic laptop fare and smears vocoder vocals over most of the cuts. The icing on the cake is that this disc includes his striking cover of the Smiths' "There Is a Light That Never Goes Out" and two pretty cool Quicktime videos. What's underneath the icing is pretty good, too: "Reality Check" is first-rate techno-clicker that will have you trying to approximate singing along with the chorus (the robotic vocals are sort of hard to make out), and jeepers, the version that closes the album was remixed by Mogwai! The Scots add a plethora of electrogrit and careening bleeps to the end of their contribution, making it the highlight of 6 Peace.

Newbies will be somewhat surprised by the unremarkable acoustic strumming and harmonica on "Frogstears," a remake of "Frogtoise" that touts a decidedly country bounce. But don't flip out, the heavily manipulated but more minimal take, dubbed "Fruktos," will satisfy your atmospheric glitch quotient for the day. The video for "Reality Check" is pretty clever and deserves the effort of popping the disc into your PC; the video for "Frogtoise" is nice but not much more than nice. Watching either one will get you extra credit toward graduating out of "Schneider TM for Beginners" to an enlightened future. Or at least "Schneider TM for Intermediates."

Jay Breitling
Junkmedia.org Review ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Robot love
Figurine's 'The heartfelt' was the soundtrack to two failed relationships, yet is also the musical backbone of a successful and loving relationship with my future wife. This will make perfect sense when you listen. It's a beautiful album juxtaposing the heartbreak of doomed romance with the jubilant pleasure of finding someone you love very dearly. Endlessly quotable lyrics to title your email flirtations with and so many situations covered that you'd almost think this album was written for you.I have sat close to the speakers and dwelled heavily on the lyrics to "Stranger" yet the next moment bounced happily round the room to "Impossible" (lyrically itself, a desperately unhappy song). My wedding is in two short weeks and we have already chosen to play (at the reception) "New mate" from an earlier album, whilst electing to go with "so futuristic" as a track for our party favor CD.

Perhaps this album is too personal to me for me to be able to properly convey why anyone should buy it, but if you are looking for musical reference points, Figurine are most definitely new wave. They ooze the 1980's. They perhaps suffered at the hands of the success of Ladytron but that should not be seen as a negative. They do bear a few similarities; good dress sense, lots of synths, monotone English accents and a healthy interest in The human league....but this is all good, no? Earlier material would also be of interest to Kraftwerk fans based on the groups interest in exploiting the full potential of their equipment, but The heartfelt is a different beast. It combines so many styles; glitch, house, indiepop and new wave that it frequently defies categorization, yet I must say that this is an essential purchase for anyone who loves the sound of Factory (New order, section 25, Joy Divison), OMD, or perhaps fellow modern day 80's revivalists like Vitesse, The Magnetic Fields or Kanda. Buy this album now....and while you are at it, buy Kanda's 'it's a good name for you'. You won't regret it :)
... Read more

Reviews (1)

MORE MORE MORE!! and meet some new friends...
Not only is this CD a reworking of some great Takako Minekawa songs from her "Cloud Cloudy Calculator" album, but also a great introduction to other innovative artists, such as hollAnd, Oval, and Junior Varsity km.Takako has more in common with them than most Japanese artists that she's usually associated with.Kahimi Karie and Takako are so different musically.Takako is highly experimental and SMART, whereas Kahimi tends to be much more about "style" (however good it is).These remixes are fantastic, and a great resource for someone who couldn't get enough of "Cloud Cloudy Calculator" like me. ... Read more

Album Description

1999 and first new material in four years by Stephin Merrit 's main band (his side projects include Future Bible Heroes, Gothic Archies and The 6ths). Disc 3 of a three CD set f eaturing more wonderful, yet cynically skewed, pop songs as only Merritt (and a midi) can do 'em! 23 tracks. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

best of three
This is my personal favorite of the three cds. It's the most dark, bizarre and cerebral of the three in my opinion. Vol.1 is the catchiest, but Volume three excels in the lyric department with astounding songs like "The Death of Ferdinand De Saussure", "Love in the Shadows", "Wee Nae Bairn Ye'll me Beget", "Yeah! oh, Yeah!". Opening the cd with the uber-hip song "underwear", this cd establishes itself as the most unique and alluring of the three.

23 Good Songs
I dipped my toe into the 69 Love Songs set with Vol. 1, which I give 5 stars, then was disappointed with Vol. 2, which I give 3 stars, but the group redeems itself with the last set of songs (I believe it's just the way they sequenced the songs). Anyway, Vol. 3 has consistantly good songs - none are perfect - but they're all good. They skip through a variety of styles, but they are all inventive. My recommendation - get Vol's 1 & 3.

love is nice - sometimes
Stephin Merritt is The Magnetic Fields and boy does he write a lot of songs. I bought the 3rd volume of his recently released 3 CD package, 69 Love Songs, and I plan to buy the other two as soon as I can save up the money. On this album you'll find a wide variety of musical styles from eighties synth pop to baroque,complete with a harpsichord, or a synth made to sound like one. You won't be hearing this stuff in any clubs, in fact Merritt had planned to preform the music in more 'loungy' settings.

If you like GAP ads or yearn for new, less depressing, Joy Division, pick up one or all of these CD's. If not... well I really don't care. I've got better things to do than worry about what crappy music everyones into these days ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Innovative, Creative-Nothing Like It
I've heard countless artists who do the sampling thing. It's all so predictable and limited. But listen to Solex. You absolutely cannot predict Elisabeth Esselink's next move. Not only is it fresh and appealing, it's unsettling, scary, humorous, passionate, naiive AND sophistocated without sounding more artier than thou. How does she pull this off? Say what you will, but it's huge talent. She's completely mastered this genre, and if it's a genre, it's completely invented by Solex. She winds her voice in and out of these complex-yet-deceptively-simple song structures based upon samples. Yet again, I reiterate that sampling can make anything easy if you are not a musician or an artist. The music Esselink creates from samples, however, is extraordinarily clever and well put-together, and takes a mastery that involves a lot more intellect than have the usual wannabes who seek out this type of music tool. Yet, she makes it sound so simple. That, my friends, is indicative of genius. And Elisabeth Esselink is that.

Quite nice
Quite nice.

Horribly Addictive!
Short note here because I'm tired: I just want to quickly second the vote of the last reviewer. Solex is brilliant and fun and totally different than anything you're listening to now. Just buy it and surrender. You'll thank me.

Blasphemy!
This album must be done justice, I'll be damned if the people of the world take a pass on this one because of some bad review. This is the work of a genius. "Low Kick and Hard Bop" sounds like the female version of 'Odelay'. In each song Solex succeeds in blending several different musical style together perfectly, she created this all with an old sampler and her singing. I haven't come across an album this infectious since Radiohead's Kid A, The Beta Bands Three EP's, DJ Shadow's Endtroducing, or Neutral Milk Hotel's Aeroplane... I can't stop listening to it. It probably spun 6 times yesterday just driving around with friends. Go and download the first song on this album, then buy it. It's amazing.

c'mon, make with the reviews
Solex is, like, that girl who doodled all the time, that you never knew quite what to make of. Her wholesome would-be sex appeal was kind of at odds with her clothing, which was ratty and second-hand enough to qualify as thrift-store chic, but always a little too colorful. You wanted to write her off with epithets like "spunky" and "cutesy," but weren't sure whether she would reject them with an indignant glare or maybe just smile lopsided and pixie away. She's gotten a lot more self-assured, and it's clear that the coolness side of the equation is winning out, though still with that hefty slice of dorkiness which, let's face it, was what cool was all about anyway.

Actually, Solex is the nom du disque of Elisabeth Esselink, whose approach to sample-based music is, if nothing else, unique. For her third long-player, the satisfactorily titled "Low Kick and Hard Bop" (it sounds right, don't bother about what it might mean), she has apparently abandoned her working method from the last record, of bootlegging her own copyright-free samples from live performances, and returned to salvaging bits from "unsellable" CDs at her Amsterdam record boutique, along with found sounds and folderol. We're talking about tiny snippets - a few xylophone notes here, a fragment of a horn riff there - culled wittily, but wielded musically. Whereas someone like Beck might use a sample for its humor value, but fall back on live instrumentation, Solex sculpts Beck-like music beds with nothing more than a live drummer and an array of carefully placed samples. Take the album's opening title track as an example: Esselink's oddly Asian-sounding voice (reminiscent of Cibo Matto's Yuka Honda) intones "Elisabeth!" repeatedly, as though to renounce the first two albums' excessive reliance on the Solex moniker as a source for wordplay. Then we get a percolating drum stutter, jumpstarted by a bluesy harmonica blast, which repeats and is soon followed with a slinky guitar slide, before the drums burst into a funky loping groove. The drums here strut and shuffle, but later on they're just as likely to swing or bossa nova, and the musical accompaniment might be equally varied.

Complementary, but somehow also in opposition, to Solex's modernist-retro sound collages are her loopy lyrics. Take the full text of the tune "Ease Up You Fundamentalist!": "They were all using the mirrors to study their mouth movements for themselves/They were all learning that the curve is the thing when making up lips." These are absurd nonsense stories delivered with an earnestness and quizzicality that we usually associate with children or foreigners. Esselink does fall into the latter category (and her pride in her Dutchness is evident in titles like "Amsterdam is not LA" and "You Say Potato, I Say Aardappel"), but there is certainly something self-consciously childlike here as well. Is her English accent really as awkward as her bizzarely stressed deliveries would have us assume? Doubtful. No, she's a crafty one. Odd, because a lot of the appeal of Solex's music is it's charming disingenuousness. Clearly, a lot of it is calculated. Come to think of it, that doesn't make it any less charming. (6/10) ... Read more

Reviews (5)

getting better and better
With every new Laika the odds of having another great album seem to get slimmer, but they managed yet again. As always, 1 or two tracks fall out of favor soon, but the other are excellent.
Main difference this time is the sound. This cd sounds way better than the previous ones. Hard to put a finger on it, but it is more open, spacious, etc. I like it better, although it takes away some of the charm of the earlier works. So, if you're new to Laika, save this one for later. To everyone else: highly recommended.

a great ambient sci-fi trip set to groovy beats
This is the soundtrack for a science fiction movie that never was -- that's probably the best explanation I can give for Laika's new LP. Other reviewers have done a fine job describing the actual music on this LP already, but if you like later Everything But the Girl LPs like "Walking Wounded" you'll probably love this.

uplifting downtempo
Outer space has never looked so good as when lying on Earth's grassy topsoil, sparkling with chips of mica and quartz. Laika have managed to capture that sound, taking a more melodic journey towards alien territory, leaving behind only trace elements of the inner city, training their eyeballs and telescopes on the night sky instead, and their hearts and minds towards inner space. With lyrics like "I look for the silvery moon, but there's no one but me and my lonely key, a bare bulb rented room," and "believed in a young man, that's where I went wrong, now I'm in the gutter and I ain't got long," this is one of Margaret Fiedler's most personal explorations. Whether the lyrics are about her or she speaks from another's perspective, she's looking further inside.

This is a simpler, more melodic album, a new texture of sonic wizardry creating space and sparkles within Laika's bustling soundscapes. Margaret's also singing more, her sticky whisper making room for a sensual croon. As usual, "Girl Without Hands" is another memorable opener. It croaks and creeps from your speakers, growing into a twisted vine of fragrant blooms with a poisonous hook at the center. Margaret's eerie chorus of "home safe & sound" sneaks into your system like a drug, addicting you to the song. "Leaf By Leaf" floats on lush pillows of synths and percolating beats, as lovely as "Glory Cloud" from Good Looking Blues. "Dirty Bird" is a stellar example of Laika's lonely magic, haunting you with Margaret's bereft chorus of "what went wrong/shame on...", as Rob Ellis's busy drumming and Guy Fixen's shimmering synths uplift the downtempo.

This is what Laika do best - organic electronica: live drumming mixed with sampling wizardry, synths and the occasional guitar effect. Guy and Margaret add in some new elements this time, like the funky bassline around which "Alphabet Soup" shimmers. "Diamonds & Stones" tosses a Carribbean backbeat behind Margaret's sorrowful sing-song tale of another relationship gone awry ("gave him my hips, offered my lips, stop your cryin' child"). It's business as usual with "Fish for Nails," but with a beat so large it crashes through your speakers, and a synthesized sample of Margaret's voice that weaves its way through the song like an alien sex kitten. Yet her lyrics speak of desolation: "all is ash in my mouth, I can't live here anymore."

Not every song on this album is an exploration of hopelessness. "King Sleepy" spreads some hope, "we can be hurt a piece at a time, 'til the curtains of night draw back with the light." And "Leaf By Leaf" glows with lovely imagery: "gliding by on water wings, leaf by leaf, starlings sing..." But, as evidenced by the title of this album, "Wherever I am, I am What is Missing," taken from a Mark Strand poem, hope is hard to come by. Laika may dazzle you with sampled effects, make you wanna tap your toes or shake your bon-bon like you're in some lunar spaceport cafe... but there's a human soul at its center. And we humans are notoriously questioning beings. Who am I? Why am I here? Where do I fit under the stars, above the earth?

Ten new tracks = ten new drum patterns
I've enjoyed the music of Laika for quite some time. I own a copy of each of their albums so I thought I'd point out what's new in Wherever I am . . . , and what's stayed the same.

Returning are the playful, sometimes frantic drum patterns in unorthodox time signatures, spooky distant-sounding keyboard, reverberating marimba or vibraphone (or whatever that is), added-in vinyl hiss and pop, and Margaret Fiedler's intensely personal lyrics.

She's foregone the dense rapping style of previous outings and uses her very lovely mellow singing voice to deliver her simple lyrics. She even sounds very "pop" as she warbles about broken hearts on "Alphabet Soup." The lyrics easily fit into the booklet whereas they had to be crammed in on the first two album's liner notes.

The CD packaging is new: dual-fold plain white textured canvas, with a pocket for the booklet, sparsely decorated with rough sketches of human figures. It's very nice compared to a jewel case. And it's an apt analogy for a lot of the contents: the textures of drums as the canvas upon which rough song ideas are hastily rendered. Well, maybe that's a bit harsh. The songs aren't so much rough, but sparse and preliminary. Too much of the time it seems like she's singing to a drum accompaniment. As with "Dirty Bird," the songs have a promising beauty about them but end quickly without expanding on it. The album therefore just flies by in under 42 minutes.

I still give Wherever I am . . . 4 stars because their music is no doubt more rewarding than 99% of the tripe played on the radio. And Laika makes you feel cool just for knowing about them.

If you've been following Laika like I have you'll definitely want Wherever I am . . . But if you're new to the band I would suggest Good Looking Blues ("Badtimes" is so amusing) or Sounds of the Satellites ("Spooky Rhodes"! ) You won't regret venturing spaceward with Laika.

An electronica gem
Fourth proper album from this brilliant electronica duo, Laika weave aspects of funk, acid jazz, rap, dub, ambient, and traditional rock into a unique and impressionistic electronic driven musical tapestry. This latest effort sees Margaret Fiedler and Guy Fixsen scaling back the sound a bit; largely absent are the the guitars and horns of earlier releases such as "Good Looking Blues". The album on first listen seems rather minimal, with songs driven primarily by bass and percussion, seemly devoid of the rich production of earlier releases. Though, the album definately rewards on subsequent listens, as the layers of sound become apparent with repeated listenings. Fiedler's voice is in the forefront on this release and lyrically the songs seem to be more personal. All ten tracks are fantastic, but the last track - "King Sleepy" - is a truely moving piece of music, and an example of how Laika is in a league of it's own in electronica. A sad piece, Fiedler sings over a bass line that seems to be out of time with itself, "with aches and fears sighs and tears...we can be hurt a piece at a time." ... Read more

Reviews (1)

dis eer geezer
Booby birdman, 'dis cant, right, ees a real deuce knobhead, ya get me? dis record, yeah, its the boom lick, ya get me? ees really up for it, yeah? ees really havin' it large, ya get me? ... Read more

Album Description

2003 album is an instrumental from member of Deep PuddleDynamics with guest vocalists Markus Archer of The Notwistand the Pedestrian of Anticon. Anticon. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Undescribably good Lap-Hop, (Future music)
I had never even heard of this guy, until someone sent me a copy in the mail. This is the epitome of great "i'm hard at work on the computer" music. Every song is so well layered, with just the right amount of beats, sounds and melody...it is amazing. If you are a fan of DNTEL (the "lay the beatdown" part the postal service) or a fan of NOTWIST, or if you dig hip-hop or "lap hop" (it is an anticon release), or even if you HATE rap, but you want people to think you are cool in a few years when this guy is a household name,and you can say you say "i knew him when..."
Sorry, look, just buy this cd now. It really is good. ... Read more

Album Description

The brainchild of guitarist Brad Laner, Los Angeles trioMedicine play a melodic, rhythmic style of noise-rock thathas been tagged 'dream-pop.' Laner began performing in hisearly teens in such local bands as Vox Pop and NervousGender after developing a taste for such avant-garde rockperformers as Captain Beefheart, Throbbing Gristle, YokoOno, and the Residents. The band released 3 albums starting in 1992, and now return on Astralwerks, inspired by Kid 606 and vocalist Shannon Lee, a classically trained vocalistand daughter of Bruce Lee. 12 tracks. Astralwerks. 2003. ... Read more

Reviews (13)

The 90s are over and rightly so....
Within a space of weeks I got familiar with the Medicine discography. Surely, with 93's Buried Life CD a great shoegazer/noise album was accomplished. What remains to this day are -the weirdness, -sensuality, -occasional pop sensibility. Shannon Lee's vocals are frighteningly sexy and I think that her voice fits in better with this formula than Beth Thompson's, who was on those great feedback driven tunes of yesteryear. Let's face it: it's almost 20 years that Psychocandy from the Jesus & Mary Chain heralded the fusion of 60s melodies with wonderful walls of noise. Now Brad Laner surprises us with a fusion of 60s melodies with current day electronica with makes for a pleasant psychedelic audiotrip. It doesn't seem like The Buried Life, but I can understand that it's made by the same person. Medicine is Brad Laner. Check this out, full stop.

duh !
If you're not quite sure of what it is and you are confused by it being " all over the place" why don't you try listening with an open mind and not fretting about whether it sounds like a 10 year old album ?
It's really appalingly lame to give a one star review here just because it doesn't sound exactly like you expected it to.

but really, the stupidest thing about these petulant haters is that this absolutely carries on from "The Buried Life" and "Sounds of Medicine" in the most interesting and creative of ways. Were not both of those fine discs also "all over the place" ? yes indeed they were.

Beautifully Executed harmonies noise with a hint of love !
Beautifully Executed harmonies noise, and sound. I don't know if it's just a new sound for Medicine or maybe a new growth of creativity, ether way I think its amazing continuation of the sound development. I do like the older sound but if an artist can't grow with there work then there just another top 10 pop band with no music ability. This is not only new but it still has that Medicine aftertaste. This Album ROCKS !!

warp9drive is an idiot
dunno what album the below doof is listening to, but it ain't this one.
this is not a techno record and it most certainly couldn't have been created with Acid 1.0 (though it would be hilarious to hear someone attempt it).
please someone, tell me the late 80's album this sounds like and I will buy it for all of my friends.

the searing guitars and beautiful harmonies are present on every tune. try cleaning the sh*t out of your ears before displaying your stupidity in this space in future.

as for the waste of your cold hard cash, prejudiced false expectations are expensive. sucka !

Bad Medicine...
Medicine was once renowned for beautuful vocal harmonies blended with melodies of brutal feedback, crunchy pop-hooks amidst shimmering walls of molten sound. Medicine was screeching yet sensuous, horrible yet ethereal--"Shot Forth Self Living" and "The Buried Life" were timeless masterpieces of pop noise, some of the most creative contructions of feedback ever. This long-anticipated effort has none of these qualities. With the exception of a single track, the seventh ("Astral Gravy"), this CD sounds like a late '80's Casio keyboard/drum machine recorded with Acid Music 1.0. It's not that Laner has gone techno; I'm a huge techno fan. It's that this is not even very good techno. Nor is it the Medicine we all knew and loved, once upon a time. But this is what I get for not previewing this first BEFORE laying out my cold hard cash. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Gorgeous, but not for everyone.
I fell in love with Khaela Maricich's voice when I heard the song "Oh Anna" by The Microphones, years before I had any clue who she was. Then one night I met a girl, and played "Oh Anna" for me, and she played "Jet Ski Accidents" for me, and I was euphoric. Her voice is gorgeous and weird, and so are her lyrics and her melodies.

This album has a couple of great tracks on it, but most of them are just too weird even for me. Still, it was worth it to me just for "Jet Ski Accidents" (actually a cover of a song by Wolf Colonel) and "Some Chocolates." I'd highly recommend you go to www.kpunk.com and lyrics to Khaela's music before you buy it; it's great, but it's definitely not for everyone.

Her stuff isn't like anything else I've ever heard, but if you like The Microphones, this album is probably for you.

(I'm disappointed that she rechristened herself The Blow; her old moniker, Get The Hell Out Of The Way Of The Volcano, was cooler and more fitting. And it's really hard to find her by searching for "The Blow" here on Amazon. You'd probably have to find her full-length by searching for it by name: "The Concussive Carress.")

go buy the blow
This is a very good little album. It is very spare and simple and sweet, but has a lot of underlying sexual undertones and weirdness to it too. It doesn't really sound like anything I have, it is folkish in it's simplicity but isn't folk... I would recommend it if you were into K Records artists like Calvin Johnson and Beat Happening and Little Wings, but really is you need a breath of fresh air from horrible commercial music. It's too bad music like this doesn't get played on the radio. The world would be a better place.

Go buy it from the K Records website. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Freaky
Does anyone else find it extremely freaky that a group named I Am the World Trade Center had a cd out before 9/11 but the 11th track of the cd is titled "September"?!?!?!?!?

I can't stop bouncing off the walls!
Some bands seem to have the worst luck. When I first heard the band I Am the World Trade Center, I felt like I was bouncing around at a Japanese rave dressed as a trendy Fruit fashion
victim. Their sound is simply put - fun! The tunes are jam-packed with cheerful, looped keyboard melodies and jolly, bleepy sounds.

But when Sept. 11 happened, their band name became rather morbid. Without a World Trade Center, what would the band name really mean to an audience who didn't know them before the terrorist attack? The band (Dan Geller and Amy Dykes) is well aware of this since moving to Brooklyn, NY from Athens, GA. And so out of a show of respect, I Am the World Trade Center is donating a portion of the proceeds from the sale of their record Out of the Loop to the United Way of New York's September 11th Fund.

That aside, Out of the Loop (distributed from the ever-addictive Kindercore label that Geller co-founded) is something quite extraordinary. The duo record all their songs entirely on a single
laptop computer. Seriously! They don't need any fancy-schmancy studio. And this proves that no one has an excuse not to make funky music.

Songs like "Metro" and "In Your Head" are good enough to listen through a decent pair of headphones. Trust me, midway through the CD you'll be fighting the urge to bounce around your apartment. Don't fight it! Boing! Boing!

In the 'Loop'
There's always something unabashedly childlike - not childish - about Kindecore's releases, and I Am the World Trade Center's "Out of the Loop" is no exception. Imagine some ambitious and plucky sixth graders filching dad's laptop and proceeding to imitate in their innocent way the repetitive robo sounds of St. Etienne and Stereolab. In actuality, the slightly more grownup duo of Dan Geller and Amy Dykes cobbled together this album of bloops, bleeps and beatific melodies entirely on a Gateway notebook computer. Throughout, the homemade rhythms and readymade dance tunes make for dizzying aural gratification. Dykes' pleasing wisp of voice is nestled nicely amid the honeyed shuffle of "Look Around You," the tripped-out "Light Delay" and the Euro disco of "September." All the while Gellar lays down squiggly synth effects and an out of the loop racket - careful, the post-modern pyschedelia of songs like "Flute Loops" and, especially, "In Your Head" might just blow your mind! Shove this in your Walkman, and step lively. Much like the way it was crafted, this is portable music for a portable age.

a bombshell of a record
electronic indie blows my mind, and this band is definitely it. i downloaded a only two songs prior to buying this cd, and i knew i would like it. despite the fact that some songs (but not ALL, trust me on that) may sound alike, their sound is amazingly original. they are hailed by many because they recorded the entire album on a laptop computer, and i'm sure that was difficult, but i don't see it to be so hard to the point that they need to make it a very noticeable statment in the insert of the cd. this is definitely a cd i could listen to while getting ready and driving on my way to a club or just out in general. i put it my cd player as my alarm in the morning. it's the perfect sound to cheer you up and get you on your way to a fantastic day. my favorite song is probably "september," mostly because it's impossible for me not to vision myself dancing at an awesome club with a really perfect guy. you can definitely listen to it anywhere. i listen to it while running, dancing, just sitting in my room, whatever. simply amazing.

Sounds so pleasant
Curiousity piqued when I saw a tiny write up about the duo in the new Alternative Press. When I saw that there sound was compared to Saint Etienne I automatically had to check out this duo.

I was quite impressed that "Out of Loop" was made all on a laptop computer. The sound generated from the laptop didn't sound like it was all done on a Gateway notebook computer. I can hear the similarities to Saint Etienne but with more loops and samples. The music is part indie pop, retro pop, with a smatterings of electronica music. I do like the Brooklyn mix to "Metro" but I find myself preferring the Athens mix. When I first listened to the cd I wasn't sure what to make of it but on the second listen I found myself starting to enjoy the album. Not really one of my favorite cds of this year but it definitely is quite pleasant to listen to and deserves at least an honorable mention. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Competent, but not up to their usual standard.
Compared with the shimmering dub and sampledelic landscapes of their previous albums, Tarwater's latest is something of a lacklustre disappointment. In fact, precious little of their trademark hypnotic basslines remain and the music is reduced to fairly standard synthetic techno. The album is still a cut above most releases and some of the tracks have glimpses of Tarwater magic, but overall it's a less engaging and more sterile offering. First check out "Silur", then "11/6, 12/10" and finally move on to this album as a last resort.

boring music is still boring
Lethargic, detatched spoken vocals over drab, uninteresting tracks, sound good? Knock yourself out. I don't know what you might call compelling on this thing. Certainly not the melodies (god forbid), or the lyrics or the 'atmosphere'. This record practically defies you to pay attention to it, or to remember anything about it once it ends. Maybe it's the sobriety talking, but this is [boring]

A Sweeter and More Trip-hopish Music made in Germany
Oh Damn Stereotypes! We have this human tendency to label everything, from values, to music to people.

Latin Americans are usually identified as passionate and lazy; British are classified as cold and reserved. And the people who concerns us on this review, Germans . . . They are considered to be so cerebral and cold (even more than the British, for that matter).

When you listen to Tarwater, if you have these kind of stereotypes in your head, you hardly can believe that this record was made by Germans. Their most recent opus, Animals, Suns & Atoms confirms once more that it does not matter where you are from to create music this warm and emotional. I doubt people can perceive music like this as cerebral. And this is just what they wanted!

In Animals... Tarwater seems to use the same methods they had used in Silur (burning rhythms, experimentation with samplers -somewhat decreased, though - and new technologies, quotations of excellent writers, visionaries and philosophers...) yet the group's music sounds completely different, with the (natural) exception that it has Tarwater' s personal trademark. This record is less atmospheric and dense than its predecessor, perhaps sweeter, softer, more gentle and rhythmic. But, definitely, Animals, Suns & Atoms has the same sense of risk and cleverness that made Silur wonderful in the first place.

It is really difficult to name the standouts here. But it is good to mention some of them. The peaceful Somewhere has an ocean-like sound that makes it ideal for a brief meditation. The danceable At Low Frequency, has a catchy phrase: "Man is the most adaptable machine in the world, they say".The trippy Noon, my personal favorite, has a couple of other catchy sentences and a beautiful and wisely chosen female voice (courtesy of a girl called Justine Electra). This easily recalls some of Moby's greatest moments (particularly, when he goes downtempo), or Massive Attack. The upbeat and danceable Early Risers, is as close to dub as Tarwater can get, but with a futuristic glimpse. Finally, The Trees and Seven Ways to Fake a Perfect Skin are themes created in the most sensual trip-hop tradition, but (like occurred in Silur), with a very German touch.

This record is one of the best of the year 2000.

Simple and beautiful
Tarwater's last two albums were mainly very atmospheric and relaxed, and apart from a few exceptions, there were not voices. This album is different. The music is somewhat more agitated, and somebody is singing or rather talking. Imagine a relaxed Lou Reed minus all the stupid rock'n'roll attitude and minus the wasted NYC personality - that is actually what I was reminded of when I listened to this album. It is great. You will like it if you liked their previous albums. If you haven't ever heard their music you might like it if you like relaxed and atmospheric music or if you like Lou Reed and can't stand his attitude. Ah, yes, I gave their last ablum five stars, and that's why this one only gets four. It is not as great. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Splintering Soul
I'm not familiar with Oval. I know OF him, since I'm a fan of much electronic music, but have never given him a chance. Some have described him as "difficult listening," advising that he's trying to appeal to some mysterious demographic. So, when I heard that he teamed up with a Japanese folk singer (and a woman, which further insures its prettiness) on his new project So, I figured there would be a better sense of attraction upon listening to this album.

Listening to the sound samples provided by Amazon.com, I was able to at least get an idea of what I was in for. That's really all I got, one single idea. Listen to the hazy vocals, warped under with sweeping digital effects, on the second track. Those haunted me until the next morning when I was able to obtain the cd, which, upon further exploration of the track, the mood only intensified. What did they remind me of? God only knows. Screechy synthesizers stumble drunkenly into the track, threatening to overbear it, until realizing their own intrusiveness and agree to help things out by leaving. Only to forget why in a few short minutes.

The following tracks offer much of the same, with a consistent stirring mood but coming up with very different ways of playing it out. Some feed directly off of a repetitive guitar line while stirring in tin whistles and decelerated sirens, others draw breaths from the vocalist, deciphering her lyrics with feelings and textures while synths freefall into rockpiles. None of this is unpleasant, either. In fact, it's quite sublime.

I haven't stopped listening to this in days. It is better than any Pole album, lap-top folk attempt, or clicks-and-cuts track I have ever heard. This is sincere, soulful emotion bleeding through an unnatural auburn gauze, looking for someone to listen to. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Five Stars For Fantastic
I've been listening to Ronnie's music for at least 8 years. Each time he releases a CD, you are sure to hear something that is different than his last. This CD is no exception, however he really seems to blend a lot of styles from his older stuff while experimenting a bit. Ronnie seems to try a bit more with vocals and more eerie and warm synth riffs than his recent CDs. This takes me back to Robot Rock, with a bit of We Are the Music Makers and White Songbook all blended together. There seems to be more cohesion in the synth melodies, and while it lacks the "rawk" appeal of Robot Rock's tracks, the tracks seem to have more complexity and seem to be more inspired. I was disappointed by Ronnie's last CD, Tick-Tock Treasury, to a point of where I only listened to it a few times. He seemed to be in a rut or was burned out after working so hard on The White Songbook. Hello Mannequin seems to represent a comeback of sorts, in my opinion. It's sad that Ronnie has always been his own worst critic, almost seems ashamed of his old CDs (even though they are great), and takes things so seriously. It almost seems as though he finally realized that he could have fun while making Hello Mannequin, and just write the kind of music that he really wants to write. While it may not be my favorite of his CDs so far, it probably best sums up Ronnie's sounds, and shows how he's really mastered his own style and sound, pulling things together over more than a decade of writing music. In the process, he ultimately accomplishes what he seems to have always wanted, by making music that is totally unique. Don't be fooled by the "Christian" orientation. I'm not a Christian, but I can appreciate good and unique music. This is definitely one of JE's best.

Joy Electric's Latest Masterwork!!
Joy Electric has been the driving vehicle for California-based musician Ronnie Martin since 1994. In today's world of guitar-oriented, larynx-shredding alternative rock and monotonous gangster rap, Joy Electric brings in fresh synthesized pop music that draws heavily on the likes of Erasure, Kraftwerk and early Depeche Mode (ala 'Speak and Spell').
"Hello Mannequin" is Joy Electric's 17th release overall and its third in a series of conceptual albums subtitled "Legacy". The musical approach to "Mannequin" is the same as previous Joy-E releases in that it was performed with analog synthesizers and vocals only. The overall sound is dryer than the band's more recent efforts but still is loaded with Ronnie Martin's ear-catching melodies, inventive lyrics and trademark English-accented vocals.
Standout tracks include the aggressive danceable "Disloyalist Party", "The Works of Unknowns", "Song for All Time" and a tribute to early electronic music pioneers entitled "I Am A Pioneer" (what else?). Indeed, every track on "Hello Mannequin" is something special and are among the best Martin has written yet.
Joy Electric continues to grow with each album they release while retaining their trademark sound. "Hello Mannequin" is no exception. It is simply Joy Electric's best album to date (until the next one comes around).
Highly recommended for fans of Melodic Synth-Pop. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Not entirely bad... but leaves much to be desired
The Auteurs, vehicle for singer/songwriter/guitarist Luke Haine's curmudgeonly poetic vision, received quite a bit of praise over the past decade. And rightfully so, emerging as they did in an era overrun by moronic grunge and insipid Brit-pop, since Haines focused on the one thing many bands in the early to mid 90s completely overlooked: subtlety. And for that, they stuck out. Not quite like a sore thumb, but enough to warrant some attention. "New Wave" isn't quite that, but it does strive for a certain subtlety, maturity, and erudite sophistication with its attention to detail, i.e. - evocative and moody melodies, semi-baroque arrangements, intelligent, acid-tongued, college-prat lyrics, etc...

When the album works, with some of the prettier songs like "Junk Shop Clothes", "Bailed Out", "Starstruck", "Show Girl", and "Housebreaker", you've got a sound that approaches an attractive combination of early 70s Bowie, the Go-Betweens, and the Beatles (yet witout ever equaling the brilliance of said artists). When the album doesn't work, as with "Valet Parking", "Early Years", and pretty much the rest of the album, you've got uninspired dross that could've been created by any run-of-the-mill indie-pop band, i.e. - aimless riffing, pleasant but very trite chord progressions, overt preciousness, glaring holes where melodies should have been, a pointless need to rock out just because it's '93 and grunge is everywhere, etc. So, it's a mixed bag. But if you're into the brand of subtlety and sophistication that only bands like the ever so brilliant Go-Betweens know how to pull off, you *might* like about half the tunes on this album.

Fantastic Sinister Pop Album
What Luke Haines and the Auteurs acomplished here was an erudite, melodic, largely acoustic set of songs that perfectly capsulated the early brit pop scene in a way to which only the Auteurs could. This album is fairly perfect and is a wonderful treasure of simple, yet wonderful songs.

Anything with Lenny Bruce on the cover can't be bad
Great pop record, not quite as refined as later Auteurs releases, but a good record nevertheless.

Highly recommended if you already own the other two full length CDs. ... Read more