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Once a roving maverick who skipped from euphoric rave to speed-metal to ambient soundscaping as if just to prove he could, recent years have seen Richard Melville Hall relax into a comfortable--and yes, lucrative--niche. On the surface, Hotel follows a similarly laid-back trajectory to his last two albums, Play and 18; melancholic torch-songs indebted to electro-pop, gospel, and David Bowie's "Heroes." That vibe is typified on Hotel by the rousing, keyboard-drenched likes of "Beautiful" and the twinkling, optimistic "Spiders," but that's not to say Moby is stagnating, exactly. For one, he's bravely jettisoned the vocal samples that powered the likes of "Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad?" and relies instead on his own understated, faintly awestruck vocals--and, indeed,those of guest vocalist Laura Dawn, whose sparse, synth-and-drum-machine cover of New Order's "Temptation" is a low-key highlight. But there's also a return to his raving roots on the pulsing, diva-led "Very," and a touch of politics on "Lift Me Up"--a song that hides its contempt for the Bush Administration amid a dark carnival of sweeping strings and disco-noir rhythms. --Louis Pattison ... Read more

Reviews (98)

nothing ventured nothing gained
Moby came out with Play in 1999 and it was a dud. Then six months later it was like a tidal wave. People were digging it all over. When I went to London in 2000, I saw Moby posters up all over. It was one of the biggest records of the time. It was big enough that Eminem attacked him that year. Moby started hanging out with Bowie and became an international rock star. That was weird because all I remember was some samples of some Delta Blues records. His next record 18 was a real dud. Even the single "Stars" that was tacked on afterwards didn't help it at all. That was okay because Moby was an artist who put out a lot of different records. Now it's six years later and Moby is a very different cat. The first two songs "Raining Again" and "Beautiful" are great tracks. These are almost standard rock songs with Moby's vocals. There are a few guest vocals. Some of these songs sound like demos. Moby's voice starts to wear thin. What is he singing about again? Why should I care? It's like Moby did a very introspective album, but didn't find anything interesting to talk about, but was too unaware to know any better. Moby is just yanking our chain.

Not his best
The sounds of "Hotel" are simply not as thumping and exciting as anything on "Play," nor are they as sinuous and insightful as anything from "18." "Hotel" sounds less like the progress of a maturing artist than a half-hearted collection of songs that Moby may not have released except for increasing pressure to come out with something new.

"Hotel" lacks the ragged edges of Moby's earlier works and almost comes off as a prepackaged group of sounds to be chopped up and placed in Volkswagen commercials. It's still pleasant to listen to, but it doesn't have the "gotta start the whole CD over again" grab that "Play," and, to a lesser degree, "18" have.

If you are new to Moby, stick with the classics. If you want to listen to some decent but not groundbreaking dance tracks and a couple of moody makeout songs, go ahead and get "Hotel."

A mix of genres
This is the first album of Moby I bought, and I am surprised. I didn't expct 'real' songs. I mean, songs without this order: couplet-chorus-couplet-chorus-bridge-chorus. But most tracks are 'real' songs! I also expected dance and trance, but this album has many rock and many slow songs. The songs are more simple then I expected. I heard Moby was a music genius so I decided to buy this album and I hoped to hear something new. Well, I dind't. But in the end I was happy with this album because the songs are good. It fits in my CD collection and I will also buy Moby's other abums.

The album has 12 tracks and an intro and an outro. However, my CD has 2 outro's, while on the backside of the CD it says 14 tracks. A fault or was it meant to be a surprise? Anyway, let's continue. The first half of the album has many rock songs and the second half has many ballads. Moby hasen't got a great voice but somehow it seems to match the songs. Laura Dawn sings with him sometimes. She also has a whole song she she alone, Temptation. It's called Temptation and it sounds very quietly. It calms you down. Lift Me Up stays in your head with it's simple chorus, repeatig 'lift me up' all the time.

Raining Again, Beautiful and Spiders are all simple rock songs but they are all very different. Moby has got a good voice for rock. You want to sing the songs when you hear them. The melodies are good. The lyrics are simple, but not that bad they ruin the song. Track 9 is a gay track. Laura sings very high and if you are straight you will hate this song, just like me. It really sucks. Forever has a special effect. Moby's voice is low but the background melody is high. It gives a mysterious, good effect. I Like it is the best track of the album. With some sexy sounds and Moby's and Laura's voice it sounds very orginal. Dream About me really is a dreaming song. If you hear it you think about the paradise. It has a classic melody.

I could also review the other songs, but thrust me: Buy this album. If you don't like one half you could always like the other. The music is a mix of diffrent genres. You will love each song at least a bit. The intro's sound mysterious and are a perfect way to open and end the album. Moby did a good job.

one for the day, the other for night
This review is for the 2 disc version 1) vocal2) ambient.

Disc one is great for the day time with the exception of a few clunkers [New Order tune].But it also has some real winners [Lift Me Up].

Disc two is just perfect for the night... excellent ambient music to help you wind down from a tough day at work or a wild night out.Perfect as the last disc of the day, as you doze off.My favorite of the two discs.

Pick your favorites from disc one and add them to your shuffle.Leave disc two by the bedside for deep relaxation.

I live the how he split the music into 2 CDs
I got my "hotel" from amazon last week.

Been listening too both CDs equally. I would give this album 4 stars, it is not quite as good as his past two albums, but I added a star for splitting the CDs into two. He put his relaxing music on a disc labeled "Hotel:Ambient" and his faster paced vocal/music on a CD simply labeled "Hotel". So now when I studying or trying to relax, I put in the Hotel:Ambient CD. When I'm driving or working, I put in the Hotel CD. I appreciate him thinking about how his fans would listen to his music, and both of them help me get through my day.

Thanks Moby. ... Read more

Amazon.com

M.I.A.'s debut record is both intensely urban and aggressively modern. The group's sole member, Maya Arul, infuses her blend of hip-hop and chunky electro with raw, tribal overtones and a healthy dose of sex appeal. There are elements of world music here, in Arul's multi-lingual vocal as well as the tonal shifts and instrumentation (like the drone that opens up "Hombre"). Her delivery uses a variety of yelps and tics full of street-wise confidence and bratty energy. But there's also an appealing melodic sense, like early Neneh Cherry or Miss Kitten when she's not in diva-mode. M.I.A. doesn't really sound like anybody; the music is just experimental enough to wiggle out of easy comparisons. The IDM-style bleeps and beeps of "Galang," for example, give an already catchy song extra punch. The only problem with the record, a common flaw for debuts, is a sameness from track to track which robs it of the ability to surprise. Still, Arul is hugely talented and her abundant originality packs a wallop. --Matthew Cooke ... Read more

Reviews (52)

Best of 2005
For me this is the record of the year. It combines a unique sound with dramatic vocal pyrotechnics. It jams and blows up at every possible point. It is much better than Ms. Dynamite and other British hiphop records. The first songs have already influenced the music of Gwen Stefani. "Pull Up The People" is just an amazing track. It bubbles and squeaks. "Bucky Done Gun" which is even better follows this. The horn sound is just mind-blowing. Her music is a mix of hiphop, reggae, calypso and pop music. It's become some original hybrid. The album ends with two more great songs: "Sunshowers" and "Galang." This record has all the greatness of Bob Dylan and Lauren Hill. This record will be listened to for years.

URAQT
This is an album that will very quickly move into your regular rotation...that is if you like this type of fusion between dancehall, rap, electronica, tribal etc... I've read some pretty bitter reviews and I just don't understand the acrimony. If it's not for you then just get over it, but I personally think that this is an amazing work of creativity and expression. It's lucky for me that I happened to be living in Germany when I bought this record because my favorite song (URAQT) has been omitted from the US version. I don't understand why people like Lil Kim and Marilyn Manson can have their stuff released in the US but a song about kicking some girls butt for messing with your man is apparantly too taboo. The song is really great, and if you've dealt with a home wrecker then it's even greater, lol. Please try to buy the non-US version, if only for that one song. There are a few weak songs on this album (i could do without Sunshowers and Bingo) however the good ones (Bucky Done Gun, Pull Up The People, $10, Hombre, Fire Fire) more than make up for the duds. Her voice is very eclectic, going from sexy and fun on one track to aggressive and bombastic on another. Kind of reminds me of Bjork in a less evolved way but give her time. M.I.A is definately a new breed in her own right however and her unique style and delivery give her a place all her own. This is music to be listened to in your car at full volume or on a set of head phones also at full volume. It's feel good move your body music interwoven with subtle and not so subtle political messages ('Pull up the people, pull up the poor...') that are irrelevant if all you want to do is jam to some good beats. I support her views for the most part but I can see how they could detract from the music. There's a lot of violent imagery...but her father is a rebel fighter so I'm not surprised. Really though, all of the over hype and eye brow raising surrounding her background is just that. The music speaks for itself. Do yourself a favor and buy this as soon as you can.

Amazing album but there's a track missing!
First read about MIA in an issue of The New Yorker magazine in November 2004.Couldnt wait for the album to appear (scheduled for February 2005).Pre-ordered from Amazon USA.Strange delays, then order cancelled. Re-ordered and received a copy in April 2005.Amazing music but there are only 12 tracks.Heard the missing track "URAQT" in Gaslight Records, Melbourne, Australia - it is an amazing track - very strong lyrics and very bad harmonica.Why the censorship?Land-of-the-free-and home-of-the-brave?I think not!XL Recordings USA and Amazon USA, you are pretty lame.Fellow lovers of good music... if you want the un-expurgated edition (13 tracks) of this album, order it from Amazon UK or Shock Records Australia.Can the rest of us get a refund?

At least she's hotter than hell ;)
Galang is the strongest track here and I'd agree with many that it is no musical revolution. I enjoy it due to the fact it's a WORLD disc and I like World music alot. It's definitely different and I had seen the video for GALANG on the IMF Satellite channel. She's hotter than hell in my opinion so I'll give her a break. ;)

And with those criticizing Revolution, America was created on a violent Revolution so I have no idea what they're talking about. When you live under brutal oppression you revolt which none of us in America understand anymore. Thank God we don't have to revolt here like others but people need to study what goes on in certain areas of the globe.

Sometimes simple beats are good and this is better than alot of the major Rap trash here without any meaning at all.

M.I.A. announces her arrival. Moving around is compulsory
A DJ aquaintance of mine told me that 'Arular' always got the crowd up and dancing, and in a way, I can see why. Central to this electronic beatfest is M.I.A's sassy vocals, falling somewhere in between Madonna and Lene Lovich (the Neneh Cherry comparison is pretty good) all within the framework of hip-hop rhyming. There's really no need to over-analyze the music, which is basically infectious stripped-down beats, eg, LCD Soundsystem, pulsating, raw and tribal, almost hailing back to the crushing barebones approach of early hip-hop, eg, Grandmaster Flash. Also thrown into the mix is a subtle yet ecclectic fusion of analog flash, dancehall, and world music. But basically the appeal of 'Arular' stems from the charm and sexuality of M.I.A's vocals, orgasmic shrieks and brassy chants, a female touch when one expects male vocals to compliment the rhythmic thunder. Here she is now, let M.I.A. entertain you. ... Read more

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There's always been a psychedelic edge to Rob Garza and Eric Hilton's Thievery Corporation project. 2000's Mirror Conspiracy is a downtempo classic precisely because of its druggy expansiveness; sober listeners and saucer-eyed trippers alike could find common ground. Similarly esoteric and nocturnal, The Cosmic Game floats around the room on a wave of mystic beats and guest vocals from Perry Farrell, The Flaming Lips' Wayne Coyne, and David Byrne. Garza and Hilton are less devoted to non-electronic sources here than they were on The Richest Man in Babylon or The Outernational Sound, though their fascination with dub rhythms and world music remains intact. A fair amount of armchair travel is involved as you go from the late, late-night, beach-club-in-Jamaica sound of "Amerimacka," to the Brazilian percussion of "Ambicion Eterna" and "Pela Janela." But more than anything, the record feels like a return to the duo's own ethereal sonic roots. It's a nice blend of their music over the last half-decade for longtime fans, and a hazy glide down the rabbit hole for newcomers. --Matthew Cooke ... Read more

Reviews (46)

another impressive album!
Thievery has been one of my favorites for a long time now.This album is fabulous!Very smooth and well mixed.

Hat's off the Thievery Corporation
I'm going to have to disagree with some people about the only bad song of this great disc. I personally think Warning Shots is really bad. If they took out the lyrics it would be good, but it's just too out of place of this cd. The rest of Cosmic Game is pure heaven with a great mix of dub, reggae and awesome Indian vocals, percussion, and amazing sitar! It really reminds me of Mirror Conspiracy. All around good stuff, and I recommend it to everyone.

The duo's talent ages like wine!
The three CDs released by the Thievery Corporation are among the best I have listened to. While "Mirror Conspiracy", their first CD, is a classic, "The Cosmic Game" is the high point of their career thus far. Although there are many tracks that do not reflect their previous work, they are exemplary.

A few favorites:

-"Marching the Hate Machines" a song to definitely "just chill to." Every time I listen to it, I feel I must lay back casually and forget my surroundings until its ultimate blend into...

-"Warning Shots" by far the most surprising song produced by the Thievery Corporation. The most beautiful rap song I have listened to. This song is incomparable to really anything.

-"Satyam Shivam Sundaram" in my opinion, the best track on the CD. This song is music at its best. The spellbinding lyrics are so magical, I don't want to know what they translate to... it could break the spell.

-"Amerimacka" is completely and utterly amazing. Melodious poetry put into reggae terms. Notch's vocals are sure to place a anyone into an audio-induced trance.

-"Sol Tapado" a cool, refreashing brazilian tune. Though I live in Colorado, every time I listen to this in my car, I feel as if I'm driving under palm trees. Copacabana Beach compacted into a song.

-"The Cosmic Game", "Holographic Universe", "The Supreme Illusion", and "A Gentle Dissolve" are some of the most mesmerizing instrumentals ever made. The epitome of what the Thievery Corpration is known for.

The Thievery Corporation keep getting better with every CD. They have yet to let me down with their molding of sheer audio beauty. If you thought nothing could top "Mirror Conspiracy" or "The Richest Man in Babylon" then you ain't heard nothin' yet. The "Masters of Bass" (as I like to refer to them) have done another outstanding work. Don't let the stars fool you... ten stars out of five.

Best offering from Thievery Corporation yet
Although there are already numerous reviews of this CD, it's so good that I felt I needed to show support for it in some way.This is a bit of a departure from their more dub-oriented albums, but in no way does that diminish this release.

This album has more of an Eastern (Indian & Arabian) feel to it, as well as some South American influences (occasional tracks on this CD remind me a bit of the inimitable Gran Hotel Buenos Aires (also published by ESL, surprise surprise!) - an absolute must-buy if you're a downbeat/lounge/dub enthusiast).That isn't to say that they don't head back to their dub roots (see tracks like Amerimacka), but this just feels like a very mature offering from a band that has grown immensely over the years.

As some other reviews note, the CD isn't without its weak tracks, but with so many crammed onto one CD, you really cannot go wrong.I would definitely rate this as Thievery Corporations best release to date - perhaps only matched by their recent Babylon Dub Rewind...excellent in its own right, but clocking in at only about 1/3rd the length of The Cosmic Game.

Not as good as The Richest Man In Babylon
I like this album but it definitely has it's weak tracks. My favorite tracks are "The Supreme Illusion", "Holographic Illusion", "Warning Shots", "Amerimacka", "A Gentle Dissolve" and "The Cosmic Game", I think the weaker tracks are the ones with the celebrity guest vocalist. Like the weakest track on here is "The Heart's a Lonely Hunter" (Featuring David Bryne). It's just awful! Overall though the entire album is listenable so get check it out because the strong tracks definitely overpower the weak ones.

SJ
www.bestplaylists.com ... Read more

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It's an idea that never should've worked in the first place: Verve classics remixed by today's hottest DJs and producers. Yet here's the third installment in the successful series and quality control remains high. Granted, there are a few tracks on each compilation that don't work as well as others and Verve Remixed 3 is no exception. The Postal Service take on Nina Simone's "Little Girl Blue," for instance, makes for a pleasing listen, but sounds too much like the former (the Album Leaf does a better job at staying out of Simone's way). Adam Freeland's "Fever" and Max Sedgley's "Peter Gunn," however, get the balance right. Both songs have been updated for the dancefloor, but Sarah Vaughn's exquisite vocals remain front and center. Then there's Lyrics Born with Jimmy Smith's "Stay Loose," which keeps Smith's groovy organ work in the foreground, but makes a funky track funkier yet. --Kathleen C. Fennessy ... Read more

Reviews (30)

dans la même veine
Cet album est dans la même veine que les 2 précédents, quoiqu'un peu moins rythmé... Les pièces choisies sont intéressantes et bien remixées,...parfait pour une soirée cocktail, ambiance décontractée assurée!! un must pour les connaisseurs.

4 stars for the remixers - 5 for Paris under a groove
I liked hearing what some of these remixer/artists did with these original tracks.There is also a motown remix package coming out.Looks like a serious trend developing here.

The problem is that a lot of times these new mixes don't do the original justice.And they fall flat.I prefer hearing actual new funk, jazz and trip hop compositions.The artists on Paris under a groove offer up the new future sounds.I love that album.Check it out.

Same problem as volume 2: insensitivity
This third installment has the same problem as the quality-impaired second volume: it's insensitive to its source material.

Once again we are treated to songs that sound like b-sides that the remixers had sitting in their closet and, given the option of applying some new jazz samples without financial recrimination, have merely dropped the source material in at key locations.This is not a re-envisioning of the original songs, nor is it "21st century jazz music".If you want to hear 21st century jazz music, pick up a Stefon Harris record.THIS record is an electronic record with jazz samples, and not a good one at that.Very little daring here, very few chanes taken, very stock stuff.The only songs that come close to meeting the original mission of this series are the too-short "Yesterdays" (Billie Holiday remixed by Junior Boys) and "Lilac Wine" (Nina Simone remixed by Album Leaf).

The first volume remains the high point of this series.

Verve Remix, Vol. 3...NOPE!
Fortunately I did not spend the money on this one.For me, it is the worst of the series with Volume 2 being my personal favorite.Judging from the many reviews, there are those who can appreciate this latest incarnation of jazz better than I but it doesn't give the songs any type of justice.It's just my opinion and how I feel.

Are these jazz classics done justice?
When one listens to Verve Remixed, Vol 3, the first thing that pops to mind is "21st century jazz." That is exactly what Producers Dahlia Ambach Caplin and Todd C. Roberts were hoping for. With this latest installment of jazz remixes, producers are put to the test with classic jazz tunes that transcend even those from their previous volumes. That said the hand-picked artists selected to mix these songs have one serious task to accomplish.

Surprisingly, little injustice is done to these jazz classics. The worst tracks on this CD, for the main part, mediocre. In "Speak Low," Bent trades Billie Holiday's gentle groove for a distorted lullaby, which undoubtedly knights that the worst track on the CD. Following that substandard production is another of Billie Holiday's tunes "Yesterdays," which features the Junior Boys sending her immortal tune to an early grave. Besides those two crap-tastic efforts, the album shines full of passion and fervor from this point on.

Christmas cheer is shoved into listeners' ears as Nina Simone's "Little Girl Blue" is dramatically tweaked to fit the Postal Service's stimulating drive. "Come Dance With Me" retains much of its jazzy features while adding an extra Latin jive with a developing retro/funk environment. "Just One of Those Things" emits hyperactive techno rays through space and time, and RJD2's production of "The Gentle Rain" gives Astrud Gilberto's masterpiece a fresh hip hop vibe. "Peter Gunn" has never been more striking than in this revamp provided by Max Sedgley. In addition, "Stay Loose's" funky R&B is skillfully compromised for an exhilarating punk/brassy determination that couldn't have been accomplished by anyone other than Lyrics Born. Perhaps the most inspirational track on The Verve's 3rd Remixed effort is The Album Leaf's take on the Nina Simone favorite "Lilac Wine" in which they switch gears and give the song a hopeful outlook as well as a general video game theme sound, making the listener feel exploratory yet strangely settled.

The Verve Remixed, Vol 3 is a hit-or-miss for listeners. Some songs are dance hits from the get go; others are slow and artistic, and then there are the few and far between flops. In any case, this CD has something for listeners of various musical preferences and is worth some well-deserved recognition. ... Read more

Reviews (131)

A beautiful album, but too similar to AIR for 5 Stars
I first heard of Zero 7 when I saw their video, "Destiny." I have to admit that they first time I saw it I immediately thought that it was a new AIR song, so I was surprised to see a different name at the end. I just bought this album two days ago and don't regret it. I will say that they are HEAVILY influenced by AIR, which is a fabulous electronic band from France. Zero 7 almost sounds TOO much like them, which is why I couldn't give this album 5 stars. However, their sound is different because of the volcalists. There is a male vocalist as well as Sia for many of the songs. Sia has an angelic yet haunting voice that adds to the mellow and hypnotic sounds of "Destiny" and others. Electronic music is such a general term, since there are so many genres within it. I would recommend this album to anyone who has enjoyed AIR's Moon Safari. (although I still believe that Moon Safari is much more innovative and original than Simple Things).

One of the best of 2001...
Simple Things, the first LP by British programming duo Zero 7 is one of the most imminently listenable albums to come along in a very long while. The whole album is layered with downtempo, almost ethereal beats that will undoubtedly take the edge off any migraine until you're awash in a sea of contentment. Zero 7 (aka Henry Binns & Sam Hardaker) say that the true joy of their music comes from the talented core of guest vocalists found on their debut album. This statement proves true as these vocalists bring out the amazing beauty of this disc. Among the standout tracks on the album is the sultry 'Distractions,' a sensual collaboration with Sia Furler, which feels just as at home in a smoky jazz bar as it does at a candle-lit bedside. Other great tracks include 'I Have Seen,' featuring male vocalist Mozez and the beautiful bonus track 'Spinning,' featuring Sophie Barker. Simple Things is more than just electronic music... it is music that creates a most beautiful atmosphere.

Unoriginal and Uninspiring
Am I the only one who sees that this Emperor has no clothes?! No new clothes, at least. This drippy cd rehashes every uninspired a.m. radio-soft-jazz tune you ever heard.

And people are saying the female vocalists recall Portishead?! What the fuzzy?!! The 2 singers are 0h-So-Pleasant, and Beth Gibbons' voice is nothing if not relating displeasing emotions!

Please, check out some real downtempo, sonic-texture artists like Airlock, Crustation or Thunderball. These artists throw in jazz, samples, djs and guest vocalists, too, while maintaining an experimental edge to create melodies you never thought you'd hear, much less heard before!

Nothing Simple About This Album...
...Except for the fact it is Simply Amazing! Its difficult to even describe the style of music at hand here - chill-out, lounge, trance, with traces of jazz, classical, and pop music throughout. Zero 7 takes you from porno music to polished, sultry and sinful to sweet and smooth within tracks and within the album. No matter what kind of music you listen to, "Simple Things" will surely relax your mind and your soul as you just take in all of the delicate yet complex songs arranged.

There are a number of styles explored on the album, which can be categorized in two large subdivisons - with vocals and with out. The vocal songs mainly feature male singer Mozez who stars on the albums opening disco-lounge track "I Have Seen", the absolutely amazingingly mysterious title track, and the sultry ballad "This World".

The two female vocalists are quite similar sounding, as noted on the stunningly addictive "Destiny" where they share lead vocals. The sound of Sia Furler and Sophia Barker's voices is accented softly with both a British sound, and almost a southern twang, but no worries their voices are like liquid on all the songs they sing. Furler returns on one of my fave tracks on the album "Distractions" a sweet love-ish ballad, while Barker is given the slightly weaker "In The Waiting Line" which shows the difference in the two girls voices as they are back to back, although Barker recuperates on the closing track "Spinning".

Within the non-vocal tracks the guys that make up our beloved band in question experiment with 1970's synthesized porno beats and keyboard sounds, mixed with smooth bass, acoustic guitars, and elegant strings, and of course that "air" sound that has led them to be labelled as "british air". But if that doesn't sound appealing trust me it is - I'm not a fan of music with out vocals but this album wouldn't be complete without Zero 7's delves into the instrumental and vocal-track worlds. Of course there are a few exceptions to the general sounds they use, including the Semi-lyrical African masterpiece "likufanele" sung by the Philanai Mothers and mixed over a xylophone (i think) driven sound. Another exception is the track afterwards, "End Theme" which is rightfully titled as it sounds very much like a song you'd find in a movie score. A beautiful and energetic, almost regal arrangement of strings is what you'll find here, and is another one of my faves on the album for its uniqueness alone, I'm proud of the guys for taking a chance and putting this song on the album.

The best thing I can say to you at this point is to definitely buy this album, if just to give it a listen, because after hearing the opening strains of "I Have Seen", the vocals of Furler and Barker, or the smooth tones of any of the instrumental tracks you will be so hooked on this album! Its great to play as background music during a dinner with friends, or when you are stressed and enjoying a drink after work, or even just to play in the car - works well for rainy or sunny days. I suppose the most amazing part of it is how simple the songs appear at first glimpse - but when examining the layers and the beauty in each track, you'll begin to realize your feelings for this album are anything BUT simple.

Musical sedative (in a good way)
I won't lie here: I origianlly came into contact with this music because i was looking through one of my friend's music collection on Itunes and thought the name Zero 7 sounded interesting. I know it's a bad way to choose, but the guy had good taste and too many artists to go through them all. So I listened to it and it took me less than 10 mins to get hooked on everything written by this group. I loaded it on my player and took on Spring Break to ski- and literally the entire time this is what was playing. I don't do that often. I listen to a lot of different music and rarely listen to the same thing non-stop for more than a day. I just don't know what to say. This music is addictive. The melodies/harmonies are so relaxing. They just make you want to sit there and contemplate life. ... Read more

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So much has been said about disco-punk's King Midas, New York musician/producer James Murphy, that it's kind of hard to believe that we've had to wait until 2005 for the debut album from his dancefloor project, LCD Soundsystem. LCD's classic triumvirate of early singles--"Losing My Edge," "Give It Up," and "Yeah"--joined the dots between punk-rock, disco, and funk in a way that hadn't been seen since the New York downtown scene of the early '80s, but these are bravely relegated to a bonus disc in favor of a suite of new material that reworks the band's influences in new, often explicit ways: take "Movement," for instance--a homage to the Fall that finds Murphy barking "It's a fat guy/ In a T-shirt/ Doing all the singing!" over punchy analog synths, or the quietly majestic "Great Release," a doff of the cap to Brian Eno circa Taking Tiger Mountain. For all his encyclopedic musical knowledge, however, it's one of Murphy's strengths that he seldom seems uptight about the practice of music-making: it's how he can get away with penning a gonzo disco-punk number and naming it something as fantastically flippant as "Daft Punk Is Playing at My House"--and more importantly, it's why LCD Soundsystem succeeds as a splendid dance record as well as a smart intellectual exercise. --Louis Pattison ... Read more

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"Brazilian Girls" is a name designed to steer you to the "wrong" sites in a Web search, and the not-so-thinly-veiled innuendo (one chorus is "Pussy pussy pussy marijuana") doesn't help. But Brazilian Girls are moreseductive than salacious. And except for one, they aren't girls. The one who is, Italian-born Sabina Sciubba, is a former jazz singer who has the hipper-than-thou chanteuse thing going: a cigarette dangling from her lips, a beret cocked sideways on her head, black-stockinged legs crossed suggestively. At least she sure sounds that way. Sciubba sits astride bass lines that insinuate themselves like a sideways glance in a smoky bar as a sensual mix of live drumming and gritty trip-hop lounge grooves skew off the side of late-night alcohol-clouded vision. The English, French, Spanish, and German-language lyrics and Weill/Brecht-meets-Baja Marimba Band horns only add to the delirious dislocation. With a sophisticated electronic palette, Brazilian Girls exude that hip retro-future sound that propelled Deee-Lite back in 1990. Hopefully they won't also be one-hit wonders. --John Diliberto ... Read more

Reviews (11)

LOVE AT FIRST LISTEN
HYPNOTIC, SEXY, ORIGINAL, COOL, & SATISFYING... PERFECT FOR A COCKTAIL SUMMER AFTERNOON!

WOW the worst thing is..
the worst thing on this cd,,, is the album cover...
PLEASE darken the whole image!!!!!!!! to look like night or red or something... or better like the web site
but hey it's the bands image....
....
But it's the best cd of 2005 so far...
VERY avant Guarde .....
superb.................

Experimental Jet-Set (Five Stars) Whatever-You-Call-It Music
One can make the case that Brazilian Girls are too clever for their own good.Bands that are blessed with sexual persona, razor sharp wit, and intellect are often dismissed by the major music labels as too quirky or too scary to market. For over a year now, Brazilian Girls have been playing their stylish brand of experimental, jet-set, euro pop, world fusion, whatever-you-call-it music at the Nublu club in East Village, NYC.

Everyone inevitably falls under the spell of the vocalist, a mysterious European expatriate, Sabina Sciubba. Sabina commands the stage in a variety of outfits that appear to have been aquired from the costume department of a Zalman King production. The black lace eye mask and fishnets worked for me. She is a femme fatale in the Parisian tradition. As Raymond Chanler put it,"She's the kind of woman that would make the pope kick a hole in the stained glass window."

Sabina's theatrical retro-cabaret performance is enhanced by the muscular groove of Brazilian Girls (who are actually men). Their improvised jams pulsate with rythyms and frenetic percussion that can fill a dance floor with or without Sabina. The music of the band explores samba, reggae, funk, French cafe musette, bossa nova, and just about any other sub-category of music beneath the umbrella of world fusion.Brazilian Girls integrate elements of both hip-hop and dub techniques to this strange array of music.The band even has ties to John Zorn and many of the downtown avant-garde musicians and performance artists who play the Bowery Ballroom, Knitting Factory and CB's Gallery and Lounge circuit.Brazilian Girls are so expansive and pluralistic in their musical approach, it is daunting to even describe their music to anyone, much less market it to a specific demographic group.

The opening song, "Home" sounds a late Sixties song from the catalog of French pop stars, Jane Birkin and Serge Gainsboro.Birkin and Gainsboro's playful musical excursions were wrought with innuendo, double entendres, implicit and often explicit sexual imagery. In 1970, Jane Birkin was demonized by the protectors of our morality by either faking, or actually having multiple orgasms on the song "Je T'Aime Moi Non Plus"....only Ms. Birkin knows for sure. Like Birkin, Sabina can be sexually provactive to the point actually raising the body temperature and steaming the eyeglasses of the modern day Puritans who label her lyrics as purient. She can strike terror in the hearts of those men fear her unfettered feline sexuality. The worst enemy of thea bible thumping, anti-sexuality police state is the pleaure of orgasm.

Sabina's provocative lyrics on "Pussy", a one-drop reggae song that praises of the aphrodisiac qualities of ganja is a gleeful tweak at the those same gaurdians of morality."Don't Stop" sounds like a sexually charged version of groove laid down by sunny trip-hop of the London based band, Saint Etienne. The swaying samba of "Lazy Lover" and "Sirè Nes de la Fête" invite comparisons to Astrid Gilberto but Sabina subverts each song by adding brusque spoken commentary in German and French, respectively. "Corner Store" transforms a lilting reggae riddim with a dark lyric straight out of Bertolt Brecht/KurtWeill opera. Sabina's obsessive, sensual and world weary lyrics are a subtle reframing of many themes that preoccupied Bertolt Brecht. Like the best Brecht/Weill songs, the Brazilian Girls' music leaves the listener with a profound sense of disorientation. Sabina's dark and edgy existentialism is a jarring counterpoint to the melodic lilt of the reggae and sonorous beat of the Brazilian puita friction drums.

The closing tune "Ships In the Night" opens with the eerie sound of a solitary whistler. The theme of "Ships in the Night" embodies the French attitude of "C'est la Vie"; the idea that life seldom turns out the way we expected. "Ships In the Night" is a parable of "C'est la Vie"...Two lovers agree to end the illusion of love over a drink at last call...Closing time is often the darkest hour of the night for disenchanted lovers. The hour of "C'est la Vie", finality, closure and sad farewells. We can only hope that the abundantly talented Brazilian Girls don't become an object lesson in the meaning "C'est la Vie."Let's hope the Brazilian Girls' ship in the night finds their audience and a safe harbor to launch their promising musical career.

This album is the music equivalent to your first Mojito
Earthy, Urban and Gritty, Brazillian Girls are the right answer to all the navel-gazing, self-ironic post-millenial dance music that we just can't seem to shake of late.Combining only the best elements of jazz, lounge, hip-hop, euro-cabaret, samba, reggae and fusing it with a 21st century vibe, this band makes even dancing-impaired indie-nerds like me want to groove.Sabina Sciubba delivers like Debby Harry did with her forays into world music - giving us an infectious, sexy summer soundtrack.It's like when you first tried a Mojito - unexpected, fresh and fun!

Unique and cool
Brazilian Girls are hard to pin a genre on.There are definitely various types of "world" music at work here, as well as a lot of elements of trip-hop and reggae.There are lyrics in several different languages on the album as well.The overall feeling I get from this is very cool, laid back and sexy, but with a sense of humor (to get an idea of what I'm talking about you can look at the album's cover!).The vocalist has a really beautiful voice but doesn't sound like she's trying to hard to get a certain sound.Her vocals just are, fitting in perfectly with the music.I can't get enough of this album, I definitely say get it! ... Read more

Reviews (31)

A State Of Trance 2005
This release is a solid mix in my opinion.It features pure AVB style trance.

Favorite tracks:

Disc 1:
3. First Time - Markus Schulz
4. I Know You're Gone - Max Graham/Jessica Jacobs
5. Space Guitar - Mike Foyle presents Statica
6. In The End - Ave Mea

Disc 2:
3. Halcyon - Andy Moor
8. Twelve (Max Graham Remix) - Tilt
12. Perfect Silence (E-Craig 212 Vocal Mix - Blank & Jones

BOTH CDs ARE PERFECT
This is simply an exceptional set... incredible classic armin style on cd1. and CD2 is a pure genius work of art. if its simply not your style or are not that "open minded" to appreciate this music thats another story. But it is nevertheless a great piece of work. the most original set armin has created to demonstrate his incredible musical talent. I have all of armins productions and this is truly one of the best. a trance voyage at a peak. keep it up ARMIN.

AVB has done it again. You have to buy it!!!
2003, Van Buuren launched his big hit album,'76', and in 2004, he released 'State of Trance 2004', and that was an absoulte mind-blowing CD, and now, 2005 and AVB has done it again in three years in a row. State of Trance 2005 shows what the future holds for progressive trance. With his new smash hit single, 'Shivers' the beats are still alive in this young dutch DJ. Many other songs are listed in this great CD, and that are jam packed in this collection. Adam White and Kyau vs. Albert have played in hugh roles in this CD, producing 3 hits and they are just some of the best featured in this smash hit CD. So if you pass by it, go back and buy it, you won't be disappointed.

Disc 1 is perfect!
This CD is an exquisite mix of vocal (50%) and melodic trance (50%).Some of the tracks are a bit Progressive (at least in their starting.)There isn't really an Epic Trance song here. (Though Armin can make some of them fairly Epic when he is playing them Live.) There are no filler tracks, and the flow is good.Furthermore, it's difficult to pick a 'weakest tune' on the CD.

The first 4 tracks are lush with sensuous female vocals with track 2 "Wasting" being THE STAND-OUT track on the CD followed closely by track 4, "I know you're gone"which contains a lovely quieter/simpler passage.Track 3 "First Time" is also quite good.Can't say I've ever heard a better set of romantic Trance tunes one after the other like this on a CD... ever.[Thanks Armin!]You're almost guaranteed to have these first four tunes on high rotation.(Unless you consider ANY Trance song with vocals cheesy.To me 'cheesy' is fairly meaningless and simplistic lyrics(e.g. some songs by Scooter.)This here is quality Vocal Trance... that is NOT cheesy.Anyway... that is mainly cultural differences between continents... this would not be considered cheesy in Europe or for people with discernment in North America.As an aside, I might add that I think it is because of the heavy (predominantly non-vocal) House music present in North America that any Trance with vocals is often derided.That, and the fact that it is easier for North Americans to dance to House because House music generally maintains its 4/4 beat whereas there is more variety in Trance.)

Track 5 "Space Guitar" is a good instrumental that starts increasing the pace and mood.

Track 6 "In the End" is a thumper that may be a bit off-putting at first, but it changes and draws you in. And the last quarter of it has some sunrise-beckoning "Ahs" on vocals.Sweet.

Armin kicks it up a notch in tracks 7 "Ocean Rain" and 8 "Aerospace" with the songs starting somewhat like Progressive Trance tracks before their true trance nature shines through(I consider Progressive to be faster and harder and with less synths.)Track 8 "Aerospace" takes a wee bit of getting used to before you are comfortable with how it fits on the CD.Maybe it's just its placement.A couple listens of the CD, and you should be fine with it.

Armin's tune, track 9, "Shivers" is solid. There are some nice female vocals in this one.

Track 10 and 11 are good, though 11 is better than 10.Armin takes things back down a notch in track 11, "Falling Anywhere".

After you listen to track 12 "Intertia", it will become clear how track 8 fits on the CD.(It's something to do with the piano-like sounds they contain.)"Inertia" has male vocals... and it's very good.The song nicely takes the pace and mood down a bit to setup the landing in the final track.

Armin ends the journey with "Call of tomorrow" on track 13.Often DJs (particularly when they are playing Progressive Trance or Tech or Hard Trance or House) end their sets in a blistering fury.This is not the case here.Think of a parachute landing and you'll get the feel here.This song is a fitting end to a splendid CD.

The mixing is superb... he did it with software and he takes portions of one song and overlays it later on top of another song.So the carry-over is really multi-faceted and not just the standard merging of the ending and beginning of tracks.He explains it in the liner notes.Just know that it works well on the CD.

This CD is true to the type of Trance you expect on a CD like this, and hats of to Armin for that.Take the other stuff and put it on a separate CD (Disc 2)... but keep the price as it was for a single CD.Enough has been said about disc 2... it's not my style at all.But CD 1 is SO good, and given that the two-disc set has the price of a single CD, it almost makes up for whatever you get on disc 2.

I hope Armin gets with the 21st century and releases his stuff on iTunes.

In closing, this is definitely one of the best Trance CDs I've listened to.

What happened?
This is by far the worst cd I have ever purchased. AVB needs to not off the star playing and get bback to his fan base. The transitions are terrible-the selection of tracks are aweful. What a waste of $20.00!!!! Oh well-live and learn ... Read more

Amazon.com essential recording

The naughtily titled Immaculate Collection culls 15 of Madonna's Top 10 singles from 1984 to mid-'90, plus 2 new ones that continued the run (the dirty, trunk-bumping funk of "Justify My Love"--a Lenny Kravitz production that justifies his entire career--and the danceable desperation of "Rescue Me"). Rooted in disco and classic AM pop from girl groups and ABBA to Strawberry Alarm Clock, Madonna made savvy, touching music throughout her first golden era. These tracks retain their sonic and historical significance while, like "She Loves You" or "Rocket Man," still brightening any space they're being played in. Far more than just a wise, irreverent image-maker--like the Beatles or Elton, come to think of it--Madonna during these years was the gift that kept on giving, forever fresh, sexy, hooky, and joyously sharp. --Rickey Wright ... Read more

Reviews (259)

An amazing collection of Madonna's career (1980-1991)
"The Immaculate Collection", the first collection of greatest hits to come from Madonna, is no doubt an incredible array of Madonna's career. Filled with infectious and familiar tracks, "Immaculate" boasts the best single collection of Madonna's most popular songs.

Opening with "Holiday", her first hit back in the early 80's and cascading through her early works in the beginning of the album, it offers the nostalgic sense of seeing her for the first time. "Like A Virgin" and "Material Girl" soon come on, popular numbers that can only bring back the image of her groping herself on MTV's stage in 1984.

Flying through the years, we see her seemingly anti-abortion song "Papa Don't Preach" and her most incredible ballad to date, "Live To Tell", a strikingly powerful and beautifully constructed song.

Ironically, the true treat of the package is the at-the-time-of-release new songs, "Justify My Love" and "Rescue Me". "Justify", an amazing hypnotic mix of strange percussions and whisperings, proves that Madonna can offer up something new without destroying its popularity. It's highly sexual attitude creates a serene mood that is truly amazing. "Rescue Me", a quite rhythmic dance track, has that deepness that Madonna incorporated into her voice that adds a large bonus to the value of the performance.

This album also includes large hits like "Into The Groove", "Like A Prayer", and her largest single of her career, the two-times platinum dance track "Vogue". Truly recommended for those who enjoyed the 80's/early 90's as well as Madonna's career.

The best pop singer of her generation
Here are just some of Madonna's early classic hits. When this compilation was assembled, Madonna already had too many hits to include them all on a single CD, hence the omission of Angel, Dress you up, Gambler, True blue and all the hits from the soundtrack, Who's that girl? Because of her continuous success in the years that followed the release of this compilation, a comprehensive Madonna hits collection would now require a triple CD. That is a measure of her brilliance, sustained over a very long period of time.

The set begins with three hits from her debut album, of which Holiday is the best but Lucky star and Borderline are also wonderful. Then come Like a virgin and Material girl, two of the singles released from her outstanding second album. Crazy for you, an excellent ballad, and Into the groove, a superb dance song, come next. Although the title track is omitted, four other major hits from the True blue album (Live to tell, Papa don't preach, Open your heart, La Isla Bonita) can be found here, each one of them a classic but very different from each other. Three major hits from Like a prayer include Express yourself and Cherish. Vogue (from I'm breathless) and two tracks not available on any previous album (Justify my love, Rescue me) complete the set.

Anybody who does not understand why Madonna has such a huge fan base only has to listen to this compilation to find out why. Catchy pop tunes with interesting lyrics (for those that bother to listen to the words) are Madonna's trademark, yet she manages to avoid becoming formulaic. Madonna has continuously changed her style, so you don't hear the same sound over and over again.

There is no definitive Madonna compilation yet but we may have to wait a few years for that. Until that time, this is the best introduction to her music that is available.

Madonna : The Mother of Re-Invention
This record was the first Madonna album I bought , and I have been a fan ever since!! This woman has to be one of the most influential artists of the eighties , ninties , and the new millenium. She always re-invents herself , reflecting where she is in her life , what issue she wants to tackle , and what it is she wants to say. The album covers her first four studio albums : "Madonna" , "Like A Virgin" , "True Blue" , and "Like A Prayer". Songs she did for movie soundtracks are thrown in the mix also. Such as : "Vision Quest" , "Desperately Seeking Susan" , "At Close Range" , and "Dick Tracy".

"Madonna" was the first album she recorded. It was released in 1983 and included the hits : "Holiday" , "Lucky Star" , and "Borderline". Madonna was a busy gal during this period. She filmed her first two films : "Vision Quest" and "Desperatley Seeking Susan". That meant two more hits were released : "Crazy For You" and "Into The Groove".

"Like A Virgin" , her second album , included the hits : "Material Girl" and the title track. A year after the record was released (in 1984) , she went on tour. And met Sean Penn , they married that same year and that was what inspired her third studio album , "True Blue". In 1986 , songs like "Papa Don't Preach" and "Open Your Heart" shot straight to the top of the charts.

Sadly , they divorced in 1989 and Madge wrote , recorded , and released her fourth studio album , "Like A Prayer". Her Blonde Ambition tour was launced a year later in 1990. Performing hits like : "Express Yourself" , "Cherish" , and "Vogue" , Madonna lit up the stage and released the legendary film that documented the backstage view of that concert : "Madonna : Truth or Dare?".

In addition to all those triumphts , two more songs are included : "Justify My Love" and "Rescue Me". The video for "Justify" (which features Lenny Kravitz doing backround vocals) was banned from MTV & VH1 for its pictures of gay and lesbian couples , Mo kissing another woman , and her fine lover , model Tony Ward , getting down and dirty!!

Don't pay attention to the negitive reviews who says that Madonna isn't cool anymore. She will always be interesting despite negitive critics , they're just jealous!!! Buy this amazing album now!

One Of My All - Time Favorite Albums
By 1990, Madonna had scored an impressive string of hit singles that few artists have ever matched. By this time, she collected 25 of the 49 hit singles she has scored since 1983. And while it does leave some stuff out, it's a brilliant collection.

"The Immaculate Collection" contains many Madonna favorites, from "Like A Virgin" to "Material Girl" to "Like A Prayer". These songs, along with "Open Your Heart", "Cherish and "Express Yourself", are among the greatest songs in popular music. Anyone who deosn't like these songs does not have a good ear for good music. Also, there's a few not so recognized songs included here, like the beautiful ballads "Crazy For You" and "Live To Tell" as well as the eerie "Rescue Me"

As I said earlier, the immaculate collection does leave some stuff out, and only one of these omitted songs failed to make the top 10. The songs not included here are:

"Angel" (number 5)
"Dress You Up" (number 5)

"True Blue" (number 3)
"Who's That Girl" (number 1, the most telling omission)
"Causing A Commotion" (number 2)
"Oh Father" (number 20, the song that broke her top 10 streak)
"Keep It Together" (number 8)
"Hanky Panky" (number 10)

Still, what's here is an amazing legacy of music created in such short time by an artists who remains an icon of the 20th century and an influence on so many musicians. Purchase this today.

ABOVE ALL THE REST!!
SCREW! TO ALL THAT WRITES ANYTHING NEGATIVE ABOUT THIS ONE.
WHAT!!!!!!!!!!! ... Read more

Reviews (13)

I like this
The Crystal Method have become an elite force in techno music. My intro to them was many years ago. They are still going strong. They are from Los Angeles. They make me proud. Five years ago I got burned out on these remix CDs. There were just too many of them. But The Crystal Method have made the format interesting again. PMT "Gyromancer" is a great opening track. Most people will be digging "The Crystal Method Vs. The Doors." The LA ties are strong. Other tracks by Uberzone, New Order, UNKLE, and Smashing Pumpkins make this record unique and diverse. Most of these songs are remixed and tweaked. Most of the tunes are totally reworked. The music sounds like a totally new experience. "Bizarre Love Triangle" is a track that has rocked the dancefloor for almost twenty years. This new Hyper Mix is solid. The Crystal Method rules. They are pure genius.

A mixed bag
I really don't go for the remixes of Doors, Evil Nine, Dylan Rhymes, New Order, or Smashing Pumpkins.For one thing, I'm not really a fan of that music, to begin with.Beyond that, I really think most of those mixes just didn't come out very well.I'm also not big on tracks 13 or 14, or some of the vocal samples scattered throughout the other tracks (especially the otherwise impressive track 10).

As a point of reference, I'd rate Vegas (the only other TCM album I own) a 4.In electronic music, my tastes range from older Chem Bros, older Orbital, and Kruder & Dorfmeister, to RJD2 and Dieselboy.I only mention that, because the large number of 5-star reviews mislead me, slightly.So, maybe it will be of some use to someone in determining why my reaction differs from so many others.

Anyhow, balancing out this album are some good beats and some very infectious riffs.In fact, a few of the tracks do work quite well.

They've done their "Community Service" well
The Los Angeles DJ duo, the Crystal Method, have just released a follow up to their 2002 mixed album, "Community Service."Scott Kirkland and Ken Jordan's latest album, "Community Service II," is boss!It has great mixing, awesome beats, and a nice selection of club tunes.I'm never embarassed to play this out in public.

There are 16 tracks on this mixed compilation (including an intro track).Songs include Uberzone's "Octopus."I like how this track sounds like an undersea laboratory song.I wish it were longer though.It's only less than three minutes long.There's also Evil Nine's "We Have the Energy."It's one of my favorites on here.It's wicked!I could work out to this song and go non-stop.Even if it were an hour long song instead of five minutes, the length of the track on this CD, I still won't stop.I should request this song to be played at the local gym I go to.The New Originals' 1799 Remix of the Smashing Pumpkins' "1979" is also in this mix.I used to listen to the original "1979" from 1996 very often.I loved this track.Looking at the tracklist, I didn't know what to expect from this remade version till I listened to it.The middle of the track had the lyrics, "Shakedown 1979," sung over and over nine times.It doesn't beat the original, but it's still a nice track overall.There are other remade tracks on this compilation like New Order's "Bizarre Love Triangle," and The Doors' "Roadhouse Blues."The new version of "Roadhouse Blues" is referred to as "The Crystal Method vs. The Doors (Roadhouse Blues Remix)" by The Doors.When I go over to the RV lot at the New Hampshire International Speedway this July, I'm going to play this track at full blast!I have the very urge to do it because this tune gets me pumped, and I wanna be pumped for the Nextel Cup's New England 300 up there."SpeedFreak" by Koma + Bones could also work for the race that weekend."The question is not 'When he's gonna stop.'But 'Who's gonna stop him?'"Other tracks featured in the mix are "Come With Me" by Hyper, "Ghetto Fabulous" by Elite Force, the Crystal Method's "Kalifornia," and "Keep Hope Alive," U.N.K.L.E.'s "Reign (False Prophet Mix)," and more.

This album is just what I needed to get me through summer.This CD's excellent!I should see what "CSIII" would be like if it ever comes into existance.

Crystal Method is back: A must have
If you are a fan of techno/trance/dance, this music will not disappoint you. The first track sets the pace and you are taken on a journey that culminates with one of the best tracks on the album, 1979. There are 1-2 selections in the middle that I thought were boring but, overall, this album is a gem.
Buy it and you will keep it playing as I do. Never mind the neighbours--Its crystal method!!!!

If there is such a method, it IS the Crystal Method....
How surprised was I to see a new release for TCM when browsing amazon!Went right out and bought it that night and has not left my CD player since.I first thought it was slow in picking up, but once track 5 hit (The Doors), it caught me.....and then track 6 was just sick.....one of my favorite tracks on this album.After that, the rest flowed consistently running thru track 16 (pumpkins) which is a very nice remix of 1979!There isn't really much I can tell you except to get the album. It is a GREAT compilation and especially following the great Community Service 1 album, it won't disappoint.Also, if you ever get a chance to see these guys on tour, by all means, get a ticket.I went to the Legion of Boom tour last year and the remixes of Busy Child and Keep Hope Alive was unlike anything I can put into words.Needless to say, the energy was felt!!!! Can't wait for TCM's new album to hit again!Keep it up guys! ... Read more

Reviews (63)

Can't wait for the Remixes to Come Out
Zero 7 is for everybody but that doesn't make it commercial music or the junk that is rated by idiots for Charts and mega platinum numbers. If you appreciate the chillout/ambient/deep house genre, this has to be in your essential collection along with SIMPLE THINGS. Its amazing how the enchanting voices of veterans Sia Furler and Sophie Barker pick you up and comfortably seat you in that much awaited and promised "Heaven" in advance. Tina Deco steps in to remind us how voices can connect the heart to the eyes and the tear glands; and should have her beautiful vocal chords insured. I don't care too much for MOZEZ, and although his voice isn't bad but the ladies proudly carry the Zero 7 flag higher.

The Space Between (Tina Deco), Passing By (Sophie Barker), and Speed Dial No.2 (Sia Furler) are my favorite songs in the order of choice, and I highly recommend a 5 year old red wine or Single Malt to accompany the audio session, along with an Ottoman and a Wing chair.

I can't wait for the remixes to come out and the Third Album. But for now, ZERO 7 is the benchmark for this genre of music.

Warm sound
I can't really say I liked Zero 7 when they first hit the downtempo scene. I didn't and still don't like "Destiny" so I didn't bother looking into their first album "Simple Things". Normally I love chill out music but I could not muster up a tolerance for "Destiny" which was overplayed too death on the majority of chill out albums a couple of years ago. I decided to give Zero 7 another chance. I got lucky when I found a promotional copy of the group's new album "When It Falls". Thankfully there wasn't one song on this album that sounded remotely like "Destiny". "When It Falls" is a lush, subdued album filled with intricate melodies and hypnotic vocals. There were moments when I was reminded of Olive, Hooverphonic, and Supreme Beings of Leisure. Although Zero 7 can't really compete with my beloved "Buddha Bar" series in the downtempo department, they definitely put out a really solid album with "When It Falls". I liked how acoustic guitars was incorporated with the music, giving the music a live, organic feel as opposed to a cold, mechanical feel that a lot of chill out albums project through their music.

Tiffany
Truly a masterpiece!!!! Listening to this CD makes me no longer compare Zero 7 to Air. The music of Zero 7 has a soul that separates them from other artists. This CD hangs with Simple Things, their debut. I would have to rate them as one of the best groups out there right now!!!

Warm, Not Warmed-Over
"When It Falls" is the second album from North London's Sam Hardaker and Henry Binns. The duo achieved worldwide success with their 2001 debut, "Simple Things," and continue their clever synthesis of jazz, downtempo electronica, and folk-pop on this new collection. The band's sound brings up warm memories for those who spent part of their childhood in the 70s. When guest vocalist Tina Dico croons the lyrics to the outstanding track "Home," one is reminded of family car journeys accompanied by the easygoing sound of AM pop radio; in that aspect, it's not unlike Joni Mitchell's seminal work "Hejira." "Somersault," with vocals by returning singer Sia Furler, continues the theme of domestic comfort, extolling the virtues of a lover who "feels like home." The addition of subtle string orchestration and well-placed acoustic guitar help ensure "When It Falls" remains a truly organic listening experience from beginning to end. Unlike many other artists in the downtempo category, Zero 7 seems to understand that slower beats and technological tricks are no replacement for emotional warmth.

Not all that good
This is one of those bands that you hear one of theirs tunes on the radio or see a video and you can hardly wait to get the CD. Then you find that it's listenable but very superficial and after one or two listenings you feel cheated and it goes into your mass play for boring parties or "romantic nights." There's a disconnect between the music and lyrics that bothers me a great deal. I believe that these guys tool around with music and get a good sound then add lyrics, I hate that style of writing. If you're considering buying this CD, buy an Aaron Copland collection too and I promise you that you'll listen to Copland 10x more than this CD. ... Read more

Amazon.com

A greatest-hits package sampling four Enigma discs released between 1990 and 2000, LSD splendidly documents the influential output of Michael Cretu, a techno-bohemian who successfully creates cinematic, otherworldly New Age-like musical suites. Now, more than a decade removed from the arrival of Sadeness (Part 1) and its eyebrow-raising mix of sacred and sensual subplots, people can debate whether Cretu's music represents savvy commercial calculation or satisfying art. LSD suggests a split decision, though tracks with intriguing blends of atmosphere and rhythm, such as "Gravity of Love," "T.N.T. for the Brain" and "Morphing Thru Time," reveal an inventiveness that demonstrates Cretu is capable of more than sophisticated novelty tunes. Two new songs, neither especially noteworthy, open this package. Meanwhile, remastered older tracks segue beautifully to exude a satisfying, seamless unity. Big bonus: run time exceeds 76 minutes. --Terry Wood ... Read more

Reviews (73)

to jerry fry. advice
When Enigma started to sound in Spain I must say I didn't like at all. I hated Sadeness. Now is one of my favourite songs in the history of music. I started apreciating 1 or 2 years later listening to my dad's CD. I rate 4 out from 5 cos there are some changes I would do in the best songs album. As I've read from you, jerry, the 2 songs you like are instrumental and more or less soft, relaxing. 1st cd, MCMXCa.c. has 2 "strong" songs (Principles of lust, which contains Sadeness and Find love, and Mea culpa), 1 intro as every Enigma cd, 3 more relaxing (Callas went away, Knockin on forbidden doors and Rivers of belief) and the other one is like an intro (The voice and the snake).
2nd one, Cross of changes is, perhaps, stronger (Return to innocence, I love you...I'll kill you-which I love-, Silent warrior, Age of loneliness and Out of the deep). There is one long instrumental (Eyes of truth) and 2 short "melodics" (Dream of the dolphin and the cd closing Cross of changes).
3rd, Le roi et mort, vive le roi (King is dead, Life for the King in french). More calm songs (Morphin thru time, Shadows in silence, Almost full moon and Odyssey of the mind), and 3 stronger (Why, TNT for the brain and Roundabout). The other 3 are relaxin I think (the single Beyond the invisible, Child in us and Prism of life).
Finally, The screen behind the mirror: 5 strongs (Push the limits, Gravity of love, Modern crusaders, Camera obscura and Silence must be heard). 5 relaxin (Traces, Screen behind the mirror, Endless quest, Between heart and mind and my favourite Smell of desire).
I think four of them are very similar in that way, maybe second is the strongest and could be worse for you. Try with 1st or 3rd, but if you have the oportunity make yourself a mix with the calmest songs I recomend you: Callas went away, Knockin on forbidden doors, Rivers of belief, Beyond the invisible, Shadows in silence, Almost full moon, Traces, Between mind and heart and Smell of desire. Take into account that there are not breaks between songs in the cd's if you want to mix them. It seems me a bit unfair not to include my 2 favourite songs: Principles of lust (12 minutes) and I love you...I'll kill you (9 minutes). They mix strong and calm passages.
ciao

Stunning and enchanting
I'm a huge Enigma fan. I find Enigma's music soothing and comforting to relax too. Although I own all four of their albums, I wanted to buy their greatest hits especially after hearing one of their new songs "Turn Around". I believe that "The Landing" and "Turn Around" are the two new tracks on the cd, or never been released. I particularly dug "Turn Around", such a breath-taking epic. "The Landing" made for a good opening track to lead the listener into this enchanting album. All the well-known tracks on this cd is found such as "Sadeness" and "Return to Innocence". My personal favorite songs were included on this cd such as "Gravity of Love", "Mea Culpa", "Beyond the Invisible", and "Morphing Thru Time". Over 70 minutes long, I was not disappointed in this cd. This cd is great for casual listeners interested in hearing only Enigma's more familiar songs. Definitely one of the best greatest hits compilations ever to be released in my honest opinion.

stunning
a highly adventurous and pioneering success of a collection.

Enigma has always deftly combined a mind expanding and enlightening sound with a pop sensibility - not such an easy task.

A MUST FOR ALL ENIGMA FANS!
i have to admit that at first i didn't think that it would be necessary to purchase this enigma greastest hits compilation. i mean especially when you're a fan who already has all their cds, what would be the point of doing so? well i have to say i was wrong! i purchased this cd and was not the least bit disappointed! for one thing, it has various remixed tracks, such as "tnt for the brain" and i must say the track on this cd far exceeds the original one found on enigma's third album "le roi est mort, vive le roi." in my personal opinion, "tnt for the brain" is reason enough to buy this greatest hits compilation, so amazing this song really is!! i also love how all the songs flow nicely into one another, so you feel as though it is one long ride through time; no pauses in between to distract you from your voyage! :) i'd have to say, the one thing that usually "bothered" me about enigma cds was how they never really exceeded an hour... well this cd definitely surpasses that time period, and does so wonderfully... if you are a true fan of enigma, you won't regret making this purchase! enjoy!!
+ in nomine Christi, Amen +

I'll be quick to the point here.....
I;ll be quick to the point here...this is a great CD to have great S&X to. Get it, and use it. ... Read more

Amazon.com's Best of 1999

Those who have followed Moby's career are familiar by now with his deep convictions and spiritual connection. On his 1999 release, Play, he celebrates his faith in a masterful, unobtrusive way, channeling gospel and other inspirational samples through beats so earthy they could grow grass on a cement dance floor. It's impossible to separate the joy of the message from the joy of the grooves. --Beth Massa ... Read more

Reviews (641)

Amazing
Moby has changed the face of music with this album by mixing techno, church spirituals, and classical music. Moby can be really creative with this album and can perform great instrumentals along with mixing. My favorite tracks are Bodyrock, South Side, Natural Blues, Porcelain, Find My Baby, and My Weakness. It isn't really a dance album, it's more of an electronic soundtrack. On a 12-hour road trip I went on, I listened to this entire CD and enjoyed most of the songs as I was bored in the car. If you truly like music, do not miss the opportunity to get this album. This album is absolutely amazing from a man that produces REAL music. I recommend this album to good music listeners who have tastes in all kinds of music and for those who have nothing to listen to on a long car trip.

5 stars is my rating and there is no good reason why you cannot rate this album one star. (Unless you are a big fan of grunge rock music or boy band oriented pop)

A Hands Down Must Buy
When you say the word "techno", people tend to imagine loud, obnoxious electronic dance songs with loads of annoying sound-effects. Rest assured that if that's your defintion of techno, this ain't techno.

Moby takes 18 tracks and tackles multiple genres: rock, hip hop, blues, gospel, accoustic, and many more. Many tracks contain samplings of other songs (ranging from Love Rap by Spoony G and The Trecherous 3 to Run On For A Long Time, a 1937 gospel piece), while others are true original compositions with Moby doing the vocals himself. It creates for a rather confusing effect: you won't know exactly who you're listening to--but believe me, you'll be enjoying yourself too much to care.

Moby is a devout Christian, and his spirituality shines in every one of these 18 tracks. It would be wrong, though, to call this religious music--it's not looking to convert anyone, if that's a worry of yours. I'm an Agnostic myself, and I loved the spiritual, empowering feelings of these songs.

I've noticed other reviews say that some songs are great while others fail, but I honestly believe each and every one of these songs has something to offer. Some, like "7", "Down Slow", and "Inside" don't have any lyrics and do resort to a more traditional techno sound, but are enthralling nevertheless.

So go on and add it to your shopping cart. If you don't absolutely love it, then--well--feel free to write me an angry e-mail.

Takes Electronica to new heights!
This is one of my favorite CDs of all-time, along with mr.deviant's "Techno Obsession". With "Play", Moby takes techno and electronica into a whole new place, a more emotional place. For years critics have panned electronica because they claim it can't "have soul, or feeling", Moby shatters this myth with virtually every track on "Play".
Believe the hype surrounding this one. It's a classic, and belongs in everyone's CD collection. Just buy it, and thank me later.

Well-known now!
Moby has come along way from his very first album entitled 'Moby' which was his early techno works to his most recent album 'Play'. We got a taste of what Moby can really do with ambient music, pop-techno, dance, and rock in albums such as: Everything Is Wrong, Ambient, Rare: The Collected B-Sides 1989-1993, etc... Now, Moby takes another step up and brings a lot of gospel and soul music into his keyboard and electronic music works. 'Play' gives you a wide variety of different styles of gospel and soul. The song "Honey" starts with a simple catchy and rhythem and builds in a nice and light techno beat. Others like "Find My Baby" and "Why Does My Heart Feel so Bad?" combine more of a soul feeling into melodic piano and light dance beats. His most successful song in the album was "South Side" which features Gwen Stefani (No Doubt) leading Moby in the chorus. The song also became a hit single along with it being a hit song all by itself. 'Play', towards the end of the album, steps into more slow and ambient textures in songs like "Down Slow", "Inside", and the poetic-like songs "If Things Were Perfect" (I think that's one of them that he just TALKS in) and "The Sky Is Broken" which is very visionary-like with its slow and soothing melodies and beginning beat throughout. The ending song "My Weakness" starts off with a beautiful choir background and later builds in a beautiful orchestral texture in. This makes the song, with it's orchestral sound, a most remembering moment in what Moby can do...My Weakness makes for a fascinating ending for the entire CD.

'Play' was a platinum-selling album worldwide. He later released "Play The DVD" which includes numerous videos of some of the hits off of the CD. It also includes a MEGAMIX that gives you a variety of industrial, rave, dance, and trance mixes of songs off of Play. These are both things that one should own if you are a fan of Moby.

That's my review, Thanks!

If things were perfect, this album would be among them
Moby is more than a genius of techno, he is a genius of music. What he does in this album is so joyful and depressing simultaneously, I just want to listen to it over and over again. The best tracks are Porcelain, Why does my heart feel so bad?, Southside, Natural Blues, and Run On. And the rest are still amazing songs. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Washington, D.C.'s Thievery Corporation purvey a very mellow, deliberately international mixture of sounds that might be called "lounge music"--not in the kitschy sense, but in the sense of a laid-back local bar (much like the one the duo happens to run) with no dance floor. Rob Garza and Eric Hilton are professed admirers of Brazilian music, and they're determined to inject as much warmth into electronic music as possible. The Mirror Conspiracy is quite a musical travelogue, starting in Jamaica with "Treasures." This dubby opening track, which features vocalist Brother Jack, is quite reminiscent of the start of Swayzak's Himawari. Next up is "Le Monde," a quiet, wah-wah-inflected song featuring a chanteuse named Lou Lou. She reappears later on the somewhat more uptempo "Shadows of Ourselves," which, despite the title, is also sung in French. "The Hong Kong Triad" sounds like a tip of the hat to Shaft-styled soundtrack music. Elsewhere, it's off to India for two sitar-flavored tracks with a similarly laidback groove that gets a bit closer to techno, one of which, "Lebanese Blonde" (hash? a woman?), has been released as a single. Brazil gets its due on the densely percussive "Air Batucada," the more bossa nova-like "So Com Voce," and an instrumental titled "Samba Tranquille." Fans of this style are sure to be pleased. --Bob Bannister ... Read more

Reviews (108)

Continental Groovey Lounge Music For the Modern Man or Woman
Mirror Conspiracy is the latest international down-tempo musical offering from "Thievery Corporation" otherwise known as the dj/production team of Rob Garza and Eric Hilton. Like their earlier releases; "Sounds From The Thievery Hi-Fi" and the inspiring "DJ Kicks", the duo presents a sexy collection of international beats seasoned with an array of jazz, easy listening, lounge, bossa nova, samba, sound track samples and more. Tropical beats and Afro Brazilian rhythms drive the overall late night groove. "La Monde" is a seductive slice of loveliness mixing breathy French vocals with a distinctive Jamaican dub. "Lebanese Blonde" a mysteriously international spy film soundtrack peppered with Baleric beats. "Samba Tranquille" a bit of breezy tropical turntabalism. "Illumination" easily the standout builds hypnotically with its driving indo-pyschedelic drum beats and mysterious middle eastern chanting. These are djs as mixologists, interpreters of world beats, tour guides to a jet setting audio travelogue sampling global styles, genres, cultures and languages. Hip modern day exotica for the modern world. A Must BUY for hip cats!

The blueprint...
This album is by far the best "chillout" or "lounge" album yet made. If you read all these hundreds of Amazon lists for "Top Chillout CD's" or "Music for dinner parties", etc. this cd is usually in 2 out of 3 of them. For good reason too. An essential cd...and I don't use that term lightly. GET IT NOW!

I Don't Know Why You Don't Have This
Do you know?

You'll need it.

Seminal Lounge Relaxation
When I want to relax to something that won't put me to sleep, this CD is always the first one I reach for. You can pick out dozens of influences from one track to the next, and the musical composition created from this fusion really flows. I recommend this CD as highly as I can and if you at all have the opportunity, don't miss the chance to see them perform live.

Can I say they're "Cool"?
Wow! Ya'know, I hear a disc like this and
ask myself "where the *bleep-bleep* have I been?!" - its
2004 and I'm just hearing of the Thievery Corp! All
is not lost however: let this baby spin a few times and the
newbie's ears will find a new best friend in the Corp.
Your speakers will ripple many dispinsations of 'coolness'
from these talented chill-out meisters. And though
I'm just now hearing them, I'm glad - there is all
the more to explore. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Aqualung is Matt Hales, a Brit popster whose ethereal, plangently lovely stateside debut is all knotted up in the sounds of now. Cribbing from Keane, Coldplay, Radiohead, and the Beatles, Hales is a U.K. sensation who staves off staleness by way of his exceptional talent. (Volkswagen dropped the title track into one of its uber-hip European ads in 2002, sparking a who's-the-artist frenzy not seen since the company revived the catalog of Nick Drake.) "When the sun sets around me/my daydreams confound me/and the long night surrounds me," he whimpers compellingly on "You Turn Me Round," a brief ache of a song. Though we feel for him—here's an artist with a gift for getting empathy in a chokehold—we can't help hoping his long, melodic night meanders endlessly. Fans of "The O.C." and Garden State soundtracks should dip in. And don't worry: all Jethro Tull ties end at his handle, meant to evoke the strange and beautiful murkiness of the music. --Tammy La Gorce ... Read more

Reviews (9)

2 good songs... the rest is fairly boring
Don't review many, but this CD is fairly bland with the exception of Brighter than Sunshine. If mellow ballads are your things, then maybe you will care for it more than I do.

I'm in Love!!!
Short and sweet: I LOVE this cd!!! I love Matt Hale's voice, love the music and lyrics--love Aqaulung!! It's definitely reminiscent of Coldplay (whom I also love)--yet it doesn't come across as merely a "Coldplay clone," and has it's own style.There truly isn't a bad song in the bunch. Hurry up and release your next cd, Matt!

Move over Coldplay...
It was pure luck that brought me to Aqualung's website (aqualung.net)."Aqualung" happens to be an extremely gifted singer/composer by the name of Matt Hales.I decided to listen to his new cd, "Strange and Beautiful", after laughing my head off while reading Ben Hales hilarious Tour Diary.(By the way, Ben is Matt's brother, who backs Matt up on stage and co-wrote some of the songs on this cd).
From the first track I knew I was listening to a star in the making.I was immediately seduced by Matt's soft, smooth and honest voice.His tender yet intricate piano playing is mesmerizing.At first I thought of "Coldplay", but Aqualung's music has a much wider range.Although all may be simple love songs, each have their own style and personality.Some are melancholy (Another Little Hole, Extra Ordinary Thing), some inspiring and hopeful (You Turn Me Round, If I Fall), while others are rockin' (Brighter than Sunshine, Left Behind).Matts' background in classical and rock music enable him to blend the two genre's and come up with a variety of music for a wide range of listeners.Matt isn't afraid to experiment either.You will hear some interesting instruments including harpsichord (Extra Ordinary Thing), and a paper-clip piano (Good Times Gonna Come, Another Little Hole...you're just going to have to listen for yourself).This cd has something for everyone.I personally LOVE every song on this cd. I believe we'll be seeing a lot more of "Aqualung" in the future.

Oh what a feeling...
OMG. i absolutely LOVE this album. yes, it's nothing life-changing. and yes, it's got that whole travis/coldplay british sound. but i love that kind of music. and it's a really great collection of songs. i fell in love with him immediately and have been listening to the cd nonstop for days. i had the pleasure of seeing him in concert. and it was beautiful. i love listening to his voice. his songs may be sad at times, but the way he sings them makes me just...melt.
favorite songs on the album: strange and beautiful, brighter than sunshine, left behind, easier to lie, and you turn me around. yea...i actually like all the songs. it's kinda hard to pick favorites. :)

not bad, but nothing special
Aqualung sounds like Coldplay if Coldplay weren't really all that great of a band.If that description isn't clear enough, here's another one: Aqualung's first album is entirely composed of slow emo-rock songs about love, love gone bad, love that hasn't happened yet, and love that will probably never happen.I love that type of music, but only if the songs are distinguishable from one another, which these are not (I've listened to the album in my car for a solid week, and not a single one of the songs sticks in my brain).

Don't get me wrong; the songs aren't bad.They just aren't anything worth getting excited about.I don't regret having bought the album, but I won't buy the next one from Aqualung unless his song-writing skills improve. ... Read more

Amazon.com

This album arrived shortly after singer Andy Bell's revelation that he had been living with HIV for more than six years, suffering from debilitating pain. It's no wonder the music carries a more somber tone than the sugar-smacked synth-pop of '80s hits "Chain of Love" and "Blue Savannah." But it's hardly a gloomy affair. Yes, there is a more ominous tone to lyrics like "The tears that are falling, there's no room for doubt." And yes, the choruses aren't quite as chaotic. But for the most part this is vintage Erasure, right down to the Casio-sounding keyboards that permeate tracks like "Here I Go Impossible Again" and the ABBA imbued cheek of "Don't Say You Love Me." Erasure is clearly a band too engrossed by life to be knocked down by its mundane realities. --Aidin Vaziri ... Read more

Reviews (82)

20 years too late?
Oh please. This is a very good album (perhaps not great). I hardly think that the correct criterion to apply to it is whether it fits in with the crap music that rules on the charts these days... And before you lump Erasure in with cheesy 80's Top 40 bands, you must be too young to remember that Erasure hardly got lots of radio play. They have a lot more cred than that, which is more than I can say for the played out rap, American idols, boy bands, and the like that seem to be ruling the charts these days. About the only time a song seems to have any staying power at all is when it's a cover of a decent song from the (gasp) 80s or earlier. This album is very good as I said, and the boys have proven they are still capable of writing some decent songs.. I guess that would be an alien concept to you "oh i'm so hip this is like OLD stuff" children.

Does it come Sugar Free.
Man, my teeth are stinging form the sugar.Put me in some neon colored clothes and drop me right back in the 80's. This would have been great it's just 2o years late.Move on.

WHO KNEW.....?
I had long ago given up on buying anything from Erasure...but for some reason decided to give "nightbird" a try....i have to say i was completely floored by how incredibly good this CD is, easily one of their best, if not their best. The songs are so catchy, yet somehow steeped in a feeling of melancholy which makes them even more effective and resonant. I cannot stop listening to it....

*******
I HAVE BEEN AN ERASURE FAN SINCE THE BEGINING...BUT I HAVE NOT LOVED TOO MANY OF THEIR ALBUMS IN THE 90'S. "NIGHTBIRD", I THINK IS THEIR BEST ALBUM SINCE "CHORUS". THIS ALBUM JUST FLOWS SO WELL FROM BEGINING TO END. I CANT TELL YOU HOW MANY TIMES I'VE LISTENED TO THIS ALBUM IN THE PAST 5 MONTHS. AT LEAST A COUPLE TIMES A WEEK IN ITS ENTIRETY. THAT SAYS A LOT ABOUT HOW GOOD THIS CD IS. THEIR LAST ALBUM, LOVEBOAT WAS SUCH A DISSASTER, THAT I DIDNT THINK THEY'D EVER GET IT RIGHT AGAIN. THIS CD CONTAINS SOME SONGS THAT I LOVE AS MUCH AS MY FAVORITE ERASURE SONG, "SHIP OF FOOLS". BUY IT AND ENJOY IT.

Nightbird
I just love Nightbird. Our son got us interested in Erasure years ago and we own every one of their cds and most of the singles. Their music has the ability to put me in a better mood no matter how bad the real world is sometimes. Don't know if we are their oldest fans at 55, but hey, we are going to their concert on May 18 and I'm ecstatic.Buy this cd,you'll love it. P&D ... Read more

Album Description

Ravin and David Visan have again served up a luscious, alchemical brew in which the purity of traditional sounds blends with pulsing electro in the holiest of unions. "Sarod", the first disc, serves up a harmonious yet assorted platter of Brazilian, Vietnamese, Hungarian, Indian, and Malian sounds. "Sarangi", the second disc, is a homage to Ustad Sultan Khan, elegantly riding a joyful electro-ethnic wave, alighting here and there to be serenaded by such artists as Mabagaya Project, Tito Rodriguez, or King Britt. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Not as good as past Buddha Bar's.
Well it's not as good as Buddha Bar 6 or others on the list but there are many great tracks on this set to justify for the weak tracks. So still definitely worth adding to your collection.

SJ
www.bestplaylists.com

There are better options.
I have to say I was dissapointed by this last Buddha Bar CD. I have all of them,all chill out in Paris, All Claude Challe records, Nirvana Lounge's, Siddharta's , etc.This CD lacks passion, lacks "punch", it doesnt make a statement like other do. If you want to buy good chillout music look the Nirvana Lounge collection and the Siddharta collection. From the Buddha Bar series I stick with number III, IV,and VI.This last compilation is just "nice" but falls short of being among the best of Buddha Bar.

Don't spend money on this
This is by far the worst issue in the Buddha Bar suite. 1-3 is brilliant but after that I would not recommend bying any of them.
Instead spend your money on Nirvana Lounge 3 or Bar de Lun's Bombay Beats.

Lush, flows nicely -- rates with v4 and 5 in this series
I own almost all of disks in the Buddha Bar series (as well as a lot of other downtempo and chillout from all over the world) and have sipped drinks at the real deal, and I think this newest Buddha Bar release was captivating from the first listen. If you prefer Buddha Bar IV and V in this series or if you can't get enough of the "Chill Out in Paris" compilations, then you'll probably like this one, as well.

While I already knew and owned a few of the tracks (notably, Federico Aubele), quite a few of them were new and a pleasant surprise to me.Very relaxing and upbeat at the same time, with a seamless flow...as the discs in this series should be.

An excellent addition to the Buddha Bar series
Chillout music nowadays is a dime a dozen. Most of what I have heard (Ultra Chilled, Ultimate Chillout, etc...etc...) are predictable. My favorite chillout series is Buddha Bar. Inspired by the European bar/nightclub of the same name, Buddha Bar has provided this music lover a soundtrack to my weekends.

I must admit that I wasn't impressed by the last volume in the Buddha Bar series after I heard a sampler of volume 6. I like Ravin's work on the Siddharta series but I felt his work on "Buddha Bar VI" lacked the same magic of its predecessors. Maybe because I felt that Ravin focused a bit more on Indian influences and not other forms of Asian-influenced music which Dave did on volumes 4 and 5. My favorite volumes were mixed by Claude Challe(volume 1) and Dave Visan (volumes 4 & 5). I was thrilled to say the very least when I saw that Dave Visan was going to mix volume 7 along with Ravin.

Like the other Buddha Bar cds, "Buddha Bar 7" is split into two cds. This time disc one is called Sarod and the second cd is Sarangi. The first disc is usually, if not always mellow while the second disc contains more upbeat, dance-orientated songs. "Buddha Bar 7" is perhaps the most diverse compilation in the series so far. The influences ranges from Brazilian to Vietnamese on the Sarod disc. Beautiful songs. I felt like I was transported to another country. The Sarangi disc is very interesting. I thought it was as good as the Sarod disc. There are some really tasty jams on disc two such as Ryukyu Underground's "Mo 'Ashibi" (Jason Bentley remix) and Supervielle's "Perfume" (remixed by Campo). The music has a good house beat. Normally I usually find the first disc slightly more interesting but in this case, I think both discs are excellent. The mixing is on both cds are masterfully done by Ravin and Dave Visan. They flow together harmoniously from one song into the next song. Most chillout compilations are either not mixed or mixed well. The Buddha Bar series are mixed to sound like you were at the famous Parisian bar/nightclub.

It is rare for me to be willing to shell out more than $20 for one cd/compilation but in the case of the Buddha Bar series, I feel I getmy money's worth. The quality is vastly superior than any chillout compilations that I have heard and makes buying these cds a worthy investments but you have to be willing to spend that kind of money on these cds like I am. There are a lot of Buddha Bar knock-offs on the market today that are cheaper but they can't compare to the mother of ethnic chillout music otherwise known as"Buddha Bar". ... Read more

Amazon.com essential recording

The third full-length release from Massive Attack is a taste of the future of pop music--a future where precisely engineered events can be seamlessly partnered with the subtle complexities of a human voice. Since their first album, Blue Lines, they've been making similar magic happen with any one of several guest vocalists, but nothing like the way it happens on Mezzanine. This time they take the union further, moving it into a darker space in which the individual elements become less discernable. Guest vocalists are Sara Jay, Horace Andy (who also appeared on their debut), and Elizabeth Fraser (of Cocteau Twins), whose amazingly articulate and distinctive voice works so very well with the music of Massive Attack. --Paul Clark ... Read more

Reviews (310)

simply unbelievable
its now the year 2000, and two years after this album's release, it still remains the first and foremost in musical innovation and just downright grooviness. i am a big fan of complicated music. when a sound, riff or melody seeps into my listening experience even after hearing it numerous times before, i think it is the mark of true music genius. and this ablum does seep, crawl, stalk, flow, seethe, and pulse with sounds, vocals and beats blended into a never before accomplished masterpiece. the music is as layered and complicated as the new NIN cd, but with a groove known only as trip hop. this music is cool, cutting edge, dark, erotic and hypnotic. play it loud at a party for its sheer sound, or low in the middle of the night with your siginificant other. a few of the songs with the female vocalist remind me much of the gothic sound of switchblade symphony, only with sexier, less dated musical support. this album never stops, it'll never leave your cd player. be prepared. leave the boy boy bands and all the mtv trash behind, and come into a world of intelligent, sexy, and challenging music known as massive attack.........

Massive Attack Outstands Trip Hop Genre
Year after year of the same music, artists copying of one another, some artists try changing their taste for music. But there's one group that outstands them all. The group is called "Massive Attack". Massive Attack is a Trip Hop group that has been around for years. The Mezzanine era ranges from deep Trip Hop "Risingson", to classical, jazzy, trip hop "Teardrop".
The album contains 11 tracks, one bonus on the Japanese Edition. The top hit singles were "Risingson", "Teardrop" "Inertia Creeps", and "Angel". This tpe of music is good for strolling in your car driving, or in a dim sun room with your shades on drinking and talking with friends.

Introducing this album in 1998, it seems that the 90s were only for pop artists such as "Madonna", "Janet Jackson" and "Britney Spears". Massive Attack broke the ring of the pop, making Trip Hop the best, outstanding from every other genre there is.
That's why I believe why Massive Attack, and Trip Hop is so popular today. So from reading this review, I HIGHLY suggest you purchase the Mezzanine album. If you are a TRUE fan of Massive Attack, buy the Japanese Edition. It's worth the extra money.

Groundbreaking and breathtaking
I guess I just need to put in my two cents in this sea of reviews (most of them good, obviously) for this album. I fell in love with this album in the summer of 1998. I listened to it while reading the 4th book in the Dark Tower series by Stephen King. They meshed perfectly. The dark, haunting synths, downbeat droning guitar, and spine tingling vocals on this album are simply amazing. I had never heard anything quite like it before, or since. Massive's earlier works are not as dark and moody, and their later work is a little too innaccessible for most people (though I absolutely loved it!). Buy this album! Dont hesitate! Do it NOW!!! SPEND, YOU AVID CONSUMER YOU!!!!

Whew! 'Nuff said. Bye!

too good!
This is by far the best album ever released, not only by massive attack, but i'm talking about the best album ever released in the music world. angel, rising son, mezzanine, I couldn't stop listening, it crabs you and doesn't let you go until the last sound. it's just hypnotising. God, I wish I could listen the album for the first time again!!forget blue lines, this is the album you should get!

I Wish I Could Use More Stars...
This is, flat out, (in my opinion) the best album ever released. Massive Attack is an utterly awesome group, and by far the best Trip-Hop band out there.
The album begins with some of the best songs ever created by any artist of any kind, starting with "Angel", sung by Massive Attack's honorary member, Horace Andy. With his wonderfully haunting voice and the song's slow beats and humming bass, the song becomes dark, desolate, and completely otherworldly.
The second song, "Risingson" is probably the best song Massive Attack has created. It's yet another dark song, filled with paranoia and doubt. I love it.
The third track, "Teardrop" is one of my personal favorites. The song is sung by guest vocalist, Elizabeth Fraser of the Cocteau Twins. It's Ethereal, dreamy, and utterly wonderful.
And, of course, there is "Inertia Creeps". A truly great song and one of Massive Attack's bests. Eerie, paranoid, and hypnotic: it's a great song to lose yourself in.
The rest of the album cannot quite keep up with its first four epic tracks, but none the less, it's other half beats out most albums without ever even trying. A truly wonderful album. I highly recommend it. ... Read more