| UK | Germany |
| Home - Music - Dance & DJ - IDM | Help | |
| 1-20 of 200 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Next 20 |
|
|
click price to see details click image to enlarge click link to go to the store
| 1. Give Up | |
![]() | list price: $13.98
our price: $11.99 (price subject to change: see help) Asin: B000089CJI Catlog: Music Sales Rank: 144 Average Customer Review: US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France | Japan |
Reviews (218)
Dntel's Jimmy Tamborello and Death Cab For Cutie's Ben Gibbard knew they were on to something good as soon as they finished collaborating on the track "(This is) the Dream of Evan and Chan." That compelling combination of Tamborello's melodic knob-twiddling and Gibbard's literate vocals and forlorn delivery was the triumph of Dntel's acclaimed 2001 release Life Is Full of Possibilities. Not long after that first collaboration, The Postal Service was born. The relative strangers began recording in December 2001, swapping tracks on CD-Rs through the mail. Listening to the act's debut brings back the same sort of giddiness inspired in me by New Order's Low Life when I first picked it up a decade-and-a-half ago. The Postal Service expertly channels that adolescent spirit with an awkward blend of dance beats and melodic songwriting. However, the duo has updated the sound for the millennial set, pleasantly mixing Depeche Mode beats and bass lines, Pet Shop Boys melodies and Warp Records-styled twinkling tones and clicks. Orchestral samples and pseudo horns add an unusual flavor to "Clark Gable." Chunky, monophonic Casio-sounding keys tie the vocals to the beat in "Nothing Better." Two of the album's highlights appear right at the front end of the record. The first song, "The District Sleeps Alone Tonight," leads with brooding organ, before beats saunter in and steadily cruise through the first verse and chorus to a clean, ringing guitar riff. A second chorus pumps even harder and defies you to not sing along. This despite a characteristically bumming realization repeated by Gibbard: "I am finally seeing why I was the one worth leaving" (Christ, Benny, just stick a fork through my heart, why don't you?). Track two, "Such Great Heights," has already been released as a single. The catchy number apes Rod Stewart's "Young Turks," especially the beat and understated arrangement, albeit in an electro fashion. The remainder of Give Up is solid, though Gibbard's lyrics are less potent by the middle of the record, and Tamborello burrows perhaps a little too deeply into some of the thinner sounds of the cold '80s era that inspires him. "Sleeping In" stumbles a bit with Gibbard's trite invocation of the JFK assassination, but the murmured chorus, "Don't wake me, I plan on sleeping in," that drapes over a quiet acoustic guitar phrase is strong enough to carry the entire song. Perhaps the only shortcoming of Give Up is that the adherence to pop shuts out some of the more interesting electronic elements explored on Life Is Full of Possibilities. "Natural Anthem" is probably the most adventurous Postal Service tune, utilizing a relatively heavy break-beat, a looping string sample and more aggressive production, but clearly the duo's strengths are geared more toward hit-making than trailblazing. So, while the record isn't necessarily an instant classic, the unabashed embrace of simple pop sensibilities, both old and new, make it a record that is hard to stop listening to. Jay Breitling
"Smeared black ink...Your palms are sweaty and I'm barely listening to last demands...I'm staring at the asphalt wondering what's buried underneath: There I am. Wear my badge--a vinyl sticker with big black letters adhering to my chest. Tells your new friends I am a visitor here, I am not permanent..And the only thing keeping me dry is: You seem so out of context in this gaudy apartment complex/I'm a stranger with a doorkey explaining that I'm just visiting/I am finally seeing why I was the one worth leaving." "Give Up" is an excellent, warm and human example of a genre in which one's connection can sometimes get lost amongst the bleeps and blips of synths and Casios. One of last year's best!
As always Gibbard delivers with sharp, smart, and epic lyrics, turning what is obviously small events into the most important thing the world. The electronica takes some getting used to, but by the time you get past it, you see how perfect with the melancholic perfection of Gibbard. The standout tracks are #2, Such Great Heights, all for its lyrics, "i am thinking its a sign that the freckles in our eyes are mirror images and when we kiss they're perfectly aligned; #4, which is a duet played out like a tense and pleading conversation between Gibbard and a girl who is leaving him; and #8, This Place is a Prison, which is an extremely mournful song rife with touching lyrics. All in all a brilliant and lasting album. ... Read more | |
| 2. Surrounded by Silence | |
![]() | list price: $16.98
our price: $13.99 (price subject to change: see help) Asin: B0007QRAPU Catlog: Music Sales Rank: 8669 Average Customer Review: US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France | Japan |
Reviews (8)
| |
| 3. Deltron 3030 | |
![]() | list price: $16.98
our price: $13.99 (price subject to change: see help) Asin: B00004YYXL Catlog: Music Sales Rank: 2593 Average Customer Review: US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France | Japan |
|
Amazon.co.uk Reviews (154)
Still, I personally think that everyone who listens to hip hop should give this disc a spin and join the party. Now I know that's not how it will be, though, cause lots of people will think there are too many skits, some will think that the words are no good, and other folks won't like the way Deltron Z (or Del tha Funkee Homo Sapien, whatever) rhymes. Maybe some folks won't like the "positive conTACT!" overdub on Positive Contact. (Well, actually, I don't like that particular element myself.) But I think that anyone who comes to this looking at it as, album-oriented hip hop, will be pretty impressed. I sure was. All in all, this is the best thing I heard in 2000 and I look forward to listening to it in 2001, 2002, 2003...
Its soundscapes and lush atmosphere rival that of Doves and Massive Attack(no small feat) layered with Del's complex, smooth as silk delievery. The combination works like no other I've ever heard. The tracks themselves are layered perfectly, showing off the production skills of the former classical musician, Nakamura himself. Combine all these things with Kid Koala virtuoso scratching and sampling skills, and you have hip hop super group. Another great aspect of this CD is its balance. For variety, there is a balance were the music is the central focus with Del complmenting the music, and then vice versa. Then sometimes, they just come together as one to form on eccstacy inducing musical pleasure(the title track is the perfect example of this). This is something that most hip hop lacks but Automator and co. pull of perfectly. Fact of the matter is, everyone should get a kick out of this. Quality transends genre and Deltron 3030 is the perfect example of this. Fans of music should check this one out.
(4/5 mics)
And Del The Funky Homosapien kills it, as usual. Were there any doubts in your mind? ... Read more | |
| 4. Untilted | |
![]() | list price: $16.98
our price: $13.99 (price subject to change: see help) Asin: B0007VXZJU Catlog: Music Sales Rank: 13621 Average Customer Review: US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France | Japan |
|
Amazon.com Reviews (23)
A good way to tell if someone's been listening carefully to the album is if they review and suggest there was 10 seconds of silence before the first beat - there wasn't! It was quiet - if you never heard it, then I think your headphones are too low (this of course is an old trick to get people to set their volume accordingly - like adjusting the contrast on your monitor). Then the beat comes in - its fast, in control and never boring. the song changes momentum a few times and works its way through the idea. Ipacial Section operates in a similar tone - hard beat - work through the idea, get somewhere interesting. The same I suppose can be said for a number of tracks on the album, such as the haunting Pro Radii or the enchanting Augmatic Distort - the latter starting off incredibly heavy and fast but ending on a worderful even keeled note. The melody of that song in the interim is well worth the wait - like pen expers of confield, its a song structure trying desperately to break through (or at least put order to) the noise around it - clever. The second half of the album is a bit weaker, but the sound production in The Trees is phenomenal - truly making the brain dance. Sublimit is a hot, and fun closer. To those who say that autechre are just doing more of the same - I don't get it, is the music about the novelty or the unfolding of the ideas? If you're just hunting for sounds - I suppose yeah, as they do use several familiar instruments. But noone ever disses a rock band for keeping their kit. This time it seems like AE had fun with their instrumnets and came out with a consistent, measured and engaging album. Finally - play it loud on headphones - its rewarding.
| |
| 5. Finally We Are No One | |
![]() | list price: $15.98
our price: $13.99 (price subject to change: see help) Asin: B000066HH0 Catlog: Music Sales Rank: 1992 Average Customer Review: US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France | Japan |
|
Amazon.com Reviews (48)
and it's about a million times better than all those 'chill out' albums too.
Dreamy, atmospheric, surreal, enchanting. These are all words you're likely to hear describing the sophmore album from this Icelandic quartet. Yet, none of them will do justice in describing the sheer beauty of this album. If you liked the first single, "the ballad of the broken birdie records" from "Yesterday Was Dramatic, Today Is OK", you'll soon fall in love with the lush vocals on the lead song "green grass of tunnel" and "we have a map of piano", a hypotic melody that follows "green grass of tunnel" on the disc. Solid beats are provided by "don't be afraid, you have just got your eyes closed", "k half noise", "i can't feel my hand anymore, it's alright, sleep still", and "now there's that fear again", all of which are augmented by the dreamy soundscapes of "behind two hills,,,,a swimming pool", "finally we are no one", "faraway swimmingpool", and the stunning closer "the land between solar systems." It's difficult to create a follow-up album to a solid first effort, but mum has outdone themselves by creating an album that fits together as a whole, instead of being seperate pieces glued together as it was on "Yesterday Was Dramatic." If you have yet to hear the latest Icelandic export, do yourself a favour. Insert disc, lay back, relax, and enjoy. Jason
When I got home and listened to it, I was blown away. There are few albums ("Music Has the Right..." for instance) that leave me speechless after just the first time hearing it and make me excited to uncover new aspects with each further listen. To start, the samples on this page do no justice to any song on the album. This CD is meant to put on with headphones to get the full effect and just relax and feel the music. The best way that I can explain the music on this album is what you'd get if Four Tet joined forces with Boards of Canada. It has both the dreamy, psychedelic feel of BoC, and the more down-to-earth traditional musical sounds of Four Tet. To me this is great, because with Four Tet's music I always liked the way it was going but it never quite got the job done for me. Each song is unique and beautiful in it's own way. My favorite would have to be "Green Grass of Tunnel". This song has so many different aspects of beauty, not to mention if you close your eyes you can perfectly visualize every word. The music on this album is just unbeleivable... and combined with the soft, trippy lyrics make for an incredible listening experience. I recommend this album to anyone who loves Boards of Canada, and especially to Four Tet fans. ... Read more | |
| 6. Chaos Theory: Splinter Cell 3 Soundtrack | |
![]() | list price: $16.98
our price: $14.99 (price subject to change: see help) Asin: B00070FUG2 Catlog: Music Sales Rank: 5897 Average Customer Review: US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France | Japan |
Reviews (13)
| |
| 7. We Will Become Silhouettes | |
![]() | list price: $3.98
our price: $3.98 (price subject to change: see help) Asin: B00079Z9V4 Catlog: Music Sales Rank: 7781 Average Customer Review: US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France | Japan |
Reviews (3)
| |
| 8. Geogaddi | |
![]() | list price: $11.99
our price: $10.99 (price subject to change: see help) Asin: B00005Y0Q3 Catlog: Music Sales Rank: 2897 Average Customer Review: US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France | Japan |
|
Amazon.com Reviews (110)
i waited for geogaddi for years and when i played it for the first time, i knew my expectations would never be reached. i wanted a progression of all the best parts...the analog synths, the warm techno sounds...what i got was 23 tracks of mediocrity. its as if the cd is a replica of music has the right with no progression, darker elements and weaker tracks...track #18 is probably the greatest boards track ever, a 1 minute synth that is so beautiful and there are several good tracks but overall, its not something i expect to listen to much. chalk this one up to another case of the common sophomore slump for electronic artists (see basement jaxx, goldie, air, rae and christian, and soon to be dj shadow)...
I was both anxious and panicked at the thought of listening to their new album, Geogaddi. There was a lot of hype surrounding this album, but it's not diappointing in any way. It still has that same uneasy feeling as MHTRTC, yet the sound is much more, how should I put this, organic. While both albums are dark and methodical, Geogaddi stands out as less mechanical and slightly more approachable. Well, as approachable as a BOC album can get. It's definitely not an album you can put in a CD player for some friends and expect them to like it immediately. It's just so poignant and involved. I just don't see how it could possibly be used as background music for whatever you're doing. It deserves careful and attentive listening. My personal favorite is Alpha and Omega. The mix of smooth percussions and what sounds like a distorted flute is unsettling, surprising even. The entire album is wonderfully uneven, with smooth pieces and equally rapid ones mixed chaotically. A definite must-have.
| |
| 9. Music Has The Right To Children | |
![]() | list price: $11.99
our price: $10.99 (price subject to change: see help) Asin: B0001RVTWA Catlog: Music Sales Rank: 4554 Average Customer Review: US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France | Japan |
Reviews (5)
- BoC use various stuff to make their music more interesting, they implement mathematical formulas, the golden ratio and other things that take a while to be done - so their songs are carefully and precisely produced, with subtle details that add MEANING to the music; - references to "the birth of the satanic church, hypnotism, brainwashing, and cult movements" can only be taken seriously by a person whose intelligence is... ok, you get the point. Giving one star to this album is ridiculous - this is one of the best records ever made, and its double nature - the child-like innocence and the paranoia of adulthood is in the core of its brilliance.
| |
| 10. Selected Ambient Works 85-92 | |
![]() | list price: $16.98
our price: $13.99 (price subject to change: see help) Asin: B00005Y1TL Catlog: Music Sales Rank: 7229 Average Customer Review: US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France | Japan |
|
Album Description Reviews (25)
I have no easy explanation for why Selected Ambient Works is as good as it is. Here's what I've got it down to: this music is possessed of a remarkable spontaneity and unpretentiousness. The best talents always made their work seem like play, like it came effortlessly to them, without taking themselves seriously. The songs on this album are like that. They are marvelous in their simplicity. It's as if Aphex Twin sat himself down and peeled off great song after great song with complete abandon. It's the work of someone who simply loved making sounds - in fact, you can tell when you're at a sound AFX liked particularly, since he tends to linger on his favourites and extend their playing time. That's not a flaw. The sounds are so good that you'll want to linger on them as well. On this album, Aphex managed to take many a cliche of electronic music and give them all a completely original, unworldly quality. Most of the songs are built around groovy, but more or less conventional dance beats; however, they are bathed in soft feedback and melodies of unearthly beauty. The end result - the waltz-like "Xtal," the exultant "Pulsewidth," the eerie "Hedphelym," the blissfully wincing "Ageispolis," the flight above- and underground of "Green Calx," and so on, and so on, and so on. Electronica is often accused of being emotionless, and more often than not rightly so, but Selected Ambient Works is anything but that. This is beautifully emotional music; it's the music your subconscious plays in your sleep. It's music that for all its simplicity has a richer vocabulary than language. I find myself at a loss for words. I don't want to use this as an opportunity to practice my adjectives; I only want to get you to purchase this record. Aphex Twin's achievement was aped by many much-touted "electronic wizards," most of whom fancy themselves musical geniuses because they can slap together a beat and a bassline on their computer in their parents' basement, but of course bettered by none of them. James himself never did (though he came close in some later songs such as "On"). Then again, it might not even be possible.
This is a very different Aphex Twin from the one that I was familiar with. The album is atmospheric, subtle and intricate - entirely unlike the watered-down Muzak sound that so horribly plagues most so-called "ambient" music out there. Actually, "ambient" is a bit of a misnomer; most of the tracks have a subtle, but persistent beat, so perhaps "intelligent techno" would be a better term. If you like Orbital, Boards of Canada, Future Sound of London, then you will love "Selected Ambient Works 85-92". If, on the other hand, you are a dance-happy trancer who walks around with lightsticks, then you probably won't have much fun with this ablum.
While there isn't much in line of traditional song structure here, this album has a real something special not present in most electronica. While not actually ambient, Selected Ambiant Works finds a niche comfortably between IDM and techno and kicks back. Fans of IDM will enjoy the very interesting and enticing atmosphere and beat progressions and fans of techno can dance themselves limp. Very rarely can an (almost completely) instrumental electronic album be so appealing to both intelligent and dance music fans, especially with no real lyrics to ponder. Perhaps it's hard to imagine dance beats with substance for the uninitiated, especially coming from a hip-hop and art-rock background like mine, but I really do enoy this album. While it's a fantastic chill out album, I can kick back, close my eyes, and actively listen to this without being bored whatsoever. I give it 5 Stars...for me it's something fresh and new, like nothing I've personally ever heard before.
| |
| 11. Such Great Heights (Single) | |
![]() | list price: $3.98
our price: $3.98 (price subject to change: see help) Asin: B00007L7ET Catlog: Music Sales Rank: 7408 Average Customer Review: US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France | Japan |
|
Album Description Reviews (2)
It starts off with the shimmery trip-hop "Such Great Heights" ("I am thinking it's a sign that the freckles/in our eyes are mirror images and when/we kiss they're perfectly aligned...") and slips into the lower-key, murmuring "There's Never Enough Time." Then we get a cover by the Shins, a catchy cover of "We Will Become Silhouettes," finishing up with Iron and Wine's slow, sleepy cover of the title song. Both the song from "Give Up" and the new song are the sort of sweet indie pop that Postal Service is known for, with Jimmy Tamborello's (Dntel) sweet voice and Ben Gibbard's (Death Cab For Cutie) electronic shimmers and flourishes. The covers are also nice, especially since the Shins and Iron and Wine give individual touches to them: The Shins choose a sound heavy on acoustic guitar, while Iron and Wine have guitarwork so slow and soft that it seems like a totally different song from the upbeat first track. Fans of the quirky indie-trip-hop album "Give Up" will want to check out not only the stuff by the Postal Service, but covers of their work too. A solid release.
| |
| 12. Selected Ambient Works, Vol. 2 | |
![]() | list price: $19.98
our price: $14.99 (price subject to change: see help) Asin: B000002MNZ Catlog: Music Sales Rank: 13137 Average Customer Review: US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France | Japan |
Reviews (166)
Sometimes something so fantastic and wonderful comes along in life, it just has to be experienced, or life just wasn't what it could have been. That's what I can tell you if your wondering about getting this. I love everything by 'The Twin', and after hearing just about all of his stuff, I liked this at that time but didn't love it yet because of 'RDJ Album', 'ICBYD', and others taking up the majority of my music time. I just couldn't get over the melodies. I recall a conversation with my friend that has splendid taste mind you, about when an artist is going to come out that will strike you as brilliant. I thought that not since 'The Beatles', 'Pink Floyd', etc. has there been artists that will strike you as brilliant. The time is now, with 'Aphex Twin'. Take this album in for what it is. Cherish it. You will be rewarded. Like being in love, eating wonderful food and drinking wonderful wine, or any other great experience, this album will make you feel glad about being alive......Peace.
| |
| 13. Summer Make Good | |
![]() | list price: $15.98
our price: $13.99 (price subject to change: see help) Asin: B000228EL8 Catlog: Music Sales Rank: 9015 Average Customer Review: US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France | Japan |
Reviews (13)
Summer Make Good opens with "Hu Viss - A Ship" and "Weeping Rock, Rock," a song reminscent of Godspeed You! Black Emperor's Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas To Heaven and sets the pace for rest of the album-ominous and brooding yet offering a small ray of light. This anchor of hope is provided by Kristin Anna Valtysdottir's tender vocals moving in and out like small waves of tranquility while treacherous floods capsize you to the ocean floor. It's no coincidence these songs sound more like melancholic water lullabies than the jubilant ditties found on Finally We Are One and Yesterday Was Dramatic Today Was Ok. The songs were written in a remote lighthouse in Galtarviti and then recorded in an empty weather station and a lightkeeper's cabin below another lighthouse. Sounds from these eerie locations are dispersed throughout Summer Make Good creating a level of natural atmospheric bliss amongst spectral electronics. While Valtysdottir does sing in English, like fellow Icelandic musicians, Jonsi Birgisson of Sigur Ros and Bjork, there is no need to know what is actually being said. The vocals are used more as an instrument than as a poetic device. Emotions are evoked without any sad tales of broken hearts and slashed wrists-just soft whispers spoken in the most innocent, delicate soprano voice.
Hu Hviss- A Ship, Weeping Rock Rock and Nightly Cares start the disc off with the promise of something exciting just waiting around the bend. A sense of anticipation is created as you wait for the blissful climax, the one track that sums up the entire disc, the one track that gives you goosebumps but sadly, when the disc closes, it is anticlimactic. Summer Make Good is a fairly even listen. Most, if not all, of the tracks are interchangeable and almost indiscernible from the next. Nightly Cares, the first single and rightfully so, is the only track worth its weight in salt. It's hard not to compare this with past efforts because their last two were brilliant. This falls short of past brilliance and one cannot help but think that it has something to do with the departure of one of the twin sisters. Now, instead of running on a full creative tank they're running ΒΌ empty. Even the inclusion of guest musicians can't fill the void that is evident with the departure of Gyda. Summer Make Good is not remotely close to emotionally touching me in the way that Finally We Are No One did. At best it is an interesting listen. I can appreciate it for what it's worth but at the same time I'm left longing for something more substantial.
I'll admit, when I first listened to "Yesterday Was Dramatic..." I absolutely HATED it. About 3 years later, it made it's way to probably my 2nd favorite album of all time. Strangely, I have no recollection as to how this came to be. I suppose every "click", "blip", "snap" and "woot" was implanted in my brain. "Smell Memory" to me (and many others), is a standout track on this release. However, I was somewhat disappointed after the release of "Finally We are No One". It is still definately a worthwhile release, and shows progress from the previous. The first half of the album caught me, it nearly always lost my attention through the second half. It seemed to have "lost" the originality of the instrumentals in " | |