Album Description

The fifth album by one of the most important independentbands of the past ten years is a collection of remixes that rework, remold and redefine the band's original version.The 12 tracks on A People's History were mixed by friends,fans, and in some cases, folks who were just too intriguedby the idea of a band inviting such chaos. Digipak. DeSoto. 2003. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Ecclectic and Excellent
The range of the remixes on this album is staggering. From the funky "The Other Side" to the smooth "Superpowers," every style is covered, just like the rest of the Dismemberment Plan's music. I highly recommend it.

good remixes
good remixes are hard to come by. this album is actually very good. the first two tracks leave a little to be desiered but the cex remix makes up for everything. it is excellent. there is a bunch of worth while material in this, so i think its worth it ... Read more

Amazon.com

This London duo (and the founding partners in the label) has produced one of the year's more intriguing, playable and futuristic sets. Lead track "Return to Margin" is an effects-laden, multi-genre trip that works because it remains a willing slave to the beat. The going just gets more intriguing over the next hour as guests like Jello Biafra, ex-Crusader Bernard Purdie, and Montréal's Kid Koala drop in.Disc two is a CD-ROM showcase for the company's trail-blazing Hex division.--Jeff Bateman ... Read more

Reviews (10)

fun 'n' funky
Ten years on from their debut single, Coldcut's fourth album - their first for their own Ninja Tune label - is a fun 'n' funky celebration of their DIY, eco-friendly, music-for-no-musicians philosophy. The Herbaliser remixes Atomic Moog 2000, DJ Food's Strictly Kev assists the new-look More Bits And Pieces, Jello Biafra contributes a hysterical "curfew-is-good" rant to Every Home A Prison, and sampling pioneer Steinski joins CC on I'm Wild About That Thing, a leering cut and paste job on some lost sex tapes. Technology is our friend, children: if you don't believe me, check out the free CD-ROM, an interactive toybox full of videos, games, the Coldcut A-Z and more. You can even remix tracks from the album and play the Ninja Quiz, which separates the "yos" from the "dohs" - my lack of familiarity with Icelandic licensing laws marked him out as a Doh straightaway....Still, never mind, eh? All together now: "Good girls....Bad girls....Blonde girls....Oooh, oooh, oooh....."

something to say
Once again, Coldcut manages to push the envelope of electronic music. They prove again and again on Let Us Play, that not only do they have new and ever funkier and more interesting ways of mixing, grooving, and generally inspiring movement, but that they also have something to say in the process. At a time where social and politcial comentary seems relegated to the folk music of Kill Rock Stars or Alt. Country, it's refreshing to listen to Coldcut's songfs which not only take you somewhere, but have something to show you along the way. What's more, Coldcut manages to do all this with a sly smile cracking the corner of their lips, rather than the somber "I told you so" attitude that's so easy to slip into when conveying such a message.

Ambitious to a fault...
...This album just didn't hold well together as a whole. Iknow that a lot of Ninja Tune artist are deconstructivists -- but thefun in taking things apart is to rearrange them in a *cohesive* way.

This album just didn't flow at all, and is probably one of the mostdisappointing releases I own from Ninja Tune (one of my favoritelabels, btw). But I do admit that "more beats+pieces" was asick track. Otherwise, the rest is rather bland.

i don't like this very much
Too self-promoting for their own good, Coldcut undermine their talent with stentorian showmanship and novelty. On "let us play", the experimentation pays off somewhat in "beats and pieces", and the bland lull of "rubyaiyat" melds languidly with the minor melancholy of "pan opticon", but these pleasures are small and short-lived; "music 4 no musicians" gives a good numbing, but i'd prefer a To Rococo Rot disc anyday. Worst is the prime wankery of "i'm wild about that thing" and "every home a prison", which bleat the group's love of didacticism -- music's ultimate spell-breaker. These guys obviously have strong opinions: maybe they should write manifestos instead of music ...

Too mixed up...
No offence to the artists - they're musical geniouses, but the music on these CD's is a bit to hard to get into... The samples in some songs seem merely novelty, and seem to serve no purpose but to keep with the theme... Brilliant in technicality, but without that melodic and rhythmical wholeness: it's without it's charm... ... Read more

Amazon.com's Best of 2001

Snatching cohesion from the jaws of chaos can't be as easy as Andi Toma and Jan St. Werner of Mouse on Mars make it sound. Their weirdly off-kilter brand of skittery, IDM song craft always depends on uncommonly interesting melodies, even while those melodies swim in digitized madness. It's a trait that also shows up with a vengeance in Werner's other band, Microstoria (with Oval's Markus Popp). Most shockingly, with their recent work, Werner's penchant for tuneful warmth and relentless experimentation have led the band to--get this--use actual instruments. Their last proper full-length, Niun Niggung (the late 2000 release Instrumentals was originally released on vinyl in 1997) included ever-so-slight leans toward more acoustic instrumentation, and the music here continues to bring in occasional bits of French horns, clarinets, even the odd guitar chord. "The Illking," for instance, contains only the barest electronic tidbits amid the lazy lull of a lush string section. Still, the flipped-out drill & bass of songs like "First: Break" go the opposite direction, dissolving and re-emerging in Squarepusher-esque bursts of computerized sonics. Along the way, there are avant-garde-ish oddities like "Unity Concepts" and the hyped-up beat salad of "Doit," which sounds like carnival music as performed by malfunctioning robots. When all the pieces come together for Mouse on Mars like they do on this release, it's a peculiar musical beast, but one that's still absolutely lovable. --Matthew Cooke ... Read more

Reviews (13)

Why hasn't anyone mentioned the vocals?
I was overjoyed to receive, for my birthday, the much-anticipated new release by one of the most complex IDM artists that I am familiar with, Mouse On Mars. I was familiar (and I must say, in love) with the track Actionist Respoke, having the video version (which is a minute and a half shorter than the album version and yet somehow more satisfying) burned on a CD, and was prepared for some sort of vocal outing. However, I was not prepared for such songs as "Presence" and "Introduce". Flipping through the CD anxiously, I came across "Presence" and screamed literally. I was not prepared for these horrible vocals or (to me) meaningless lyrics. I don't know who told {touring drummer and in this case guest vocalist} Dodo Nkishi that he was a good singer, but whoever it was, their opinions differ from mine.
Not to say that Idiology is not a good album. "First: Break" , the albums epileptic, Distroia-reminiscent centerpiece, still sends tingliing sensations down the back of my neck, and "Fantastic Analysis" although largely a departure from the M.O.M. style that we got hooked on way back when, is still one of my favourites.
All in all, Idiology is a fairly good CD, albeit one which takes quite a great deal of getting used to. It can hardly compare to their dazzlingly intricate masterpieces "Autoditacker" and "Niun Niggung" (the latter being the album responsible for getting me hooked on these guys in the first place, thank you, thank you), but is still, for the most part, a very exceptional album. Just watch out for the vocals on the aforementioned tracks... they are simply awful. Don't quit your day-job, Dodo.

genius at work
The thing I'm most impressed w/ Mouse on Mars about is their ability to push the envelope of their sound on each album. Idiology is no exception, in fact it pushes things farther than I expected. This album shifts between bizzare, chaotic "super mario" music and instrumental, jazzlike excursions of mice and mars. While at points I find the "super mario" music to be somewhat difficult to listen to (its pretty loud and in your face), I have to admit that one can recognize the genius and innovation at work in it--these guys aren't scared to break new ground in a way that has to be respected and admired, but I have to admit that some of the groundbreaking is at the sacrifice of pop charm and easy listen-ability that was more apparent on albums such as Niun Niggung--I will listen to the album, and probably like it more with each listen, but i cannot foresee this being one of my routine listens--even though I cannot deny there is genius at work here

5 Stars...for this fantasic 'Mouse on Mars' release
Mouse on Mars have a track record, most Electronica / Intelligent Dance Music (IDM) artists would die for. Consistently producing albums extremely worthy of investigation, and steering clear of creative 'Dry Spots' that other electronic artists can be prone to. Moving happy from the feel good Bouncy-Dub of "Doit" which sounds like Skewered 'Ska' music feed through an energetic Drum machine, or the beautiful downbeat melodies of "Fantastic Analysis", reminiscent of a distinguished ambient album. Admittedly delivered with the same playful exuberance as someone like 'Luke Vibert' (aka 'Wagon Christ'), with loads of peculiar sound & effects cut & Pasted to form some beautifully abstract music (track 7 'First: Break' fits this description perfectly), so...all in all another justifiable deserved feather in the cap for Mouse on Mars. and yet another superb release to add to the pile if you're a Mouse On Mars fan.

TOOOOOO much filler!!!
Just to get it out of the way, yes there are some strikingly beautiful tracks on this CD (i.e. tracks 1, 2, 5, and 11).

But then there are other tracks (I call 'em fillers) on this CD that DEMAND trash can attention (i.e. tracks 3, 4, 7, and 9).

Tracks like "Presence" force me to skip around on the CD to avoid all the mediocre and often torturously bland fillers.
(they did a lot better with out all the talking!)

Only about half this CD is worth your time.
DO NOT GET THIS! ESPECIALLY IF IT'D BE THE FIRST MOUSE ON MARS YOU'VE HEARD (because you prob'ly won't get another)!!

Get a winner like Niun Niggung! "Destroia" is about a trillion times better than Ideology's "First: Break" (the token hard song)! It shoulda' be named "Uninspired:...!" ha ha ha. I'm awesome. ;)

So get Kazaa Lite or something and DOWNLOAD the good tracks because there aren't very many of them! This CD is for die hard fans of MoM only!!

..btw, I've owned this CD for about a year and it hasn't grown on me one bit (dispite the NUMEROUS attempts I've made to listen to it).
Seriously, though, get their older material! It can be amazing!

An album that grows on you
My first impression with Idiology was its attention deficit disorder on methamphetimine level of energy. Its insane, even harsh at some points, but in the gentlest way possible (if that makes any sense). I bought this when it came out maybe a year ago, listened to it for a week. Nothing really gelled with me, so it became another piece of expensive plastic collecting dust in my apartment.

I rediscovered this album recently. You really must accept it on its own terms, few albums are this idiosyncratic. Its not just that MOM are in the post rock territory of bands like Tortoise, superficially blending genres for postmodernisms sake. Idiology is the opposite of what IDM was mostly known for at the time of its release, ie: self important, bleak, nihilistic, and architectural. Songs like actionist respoke and introduce are some of the most hilarious I've ever heard, amazingly without a hint of the cynical sarcasm that is typical of such outings. MOM are also capable of whimsicaly beautiful moments (catching butterflies w/ hands). Personaly I have no problem with Dodo Nkishi's vocals, they fit with the attitude of the disc perfectly. I can see why some of the prior reviewers are annoyed with him though. As for the lyrics, its difficult to tell whether they are parodying the elitist intellectualism of certain segments of the artistic community, or if they are serious. At any rate, they aren't bad. Technicaly, MOM are at the top of the game, they have an accomplished sense of nuance, detail, and a prodigious amount of inventiveness. Its a joy to listen to this album. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The musical ghosts of Gary Numan, Kraftwerk, Mantronix, and Bambaataa hover in the air as one listens to Luke Slater's Wireless, a far more focused, four-on-the-floor, electro-flavored platter than his vibrantly all-over-the-place 1997 debut Freek Funk. But don't worry--Wireless pays distinct homage to the past, yet this is one of those rare CDs that pushes the envelope of techno forward while partying all night like tomorrow will never come. It's a cheerful record that's difficult to describe without sounding cheesy; it rarely lags in energy even during the moody, deranged downtempo bits such as "Bolt Up." Created with layers of live drums and electrobreaks, and in a manner that coaxes the most emotion possible out of every musical gesture, the CD is a maximalist triumph, a study in the essential contradictions (man vs. machine; robot vs. human) that characterize life at the turn of the century. You can totally dance to it, too. --Mike McGonigal ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Love at first sight
I can't believe it took me four years to discover this gem...Wireless delivers the goods, many times over. From first go, Tracks 1 thru to 13 kept me pinned to the speakers. The theme here is TEXTURE: layer upon layer of awesome sounds. Stomping breaks, electro, tech, call it what you will -- fans of good electronica shouldn't go without this. If you're in doubt, let this review be the one that tips you over.

if u hate it...wait and REPLAY!
I was disappointed by my first spin of this disc. I really didn't give it a chance, my first impression was set by the cheesy 80's blah of track two "Sum Ton Tin". My second spin didn't get me much farther. Yep, you guessed it, my third spin was a ...It's interesting. This is noise music; or maybe "techno-noise-core". It has two or three unfortunate tracks, otherwise very well crafted noise. Music to excercise hard to, or even to zone out with. Very Buzzy and dense. Once you get accustomed to the textuaral rhythms they become highly addictive and energizing. Almost like updated versions of Revolting Cocks and Skinny Puppy's instrumental tracks. Give it a chance if interested in noise, vintage techno/synths, and 80's industrial. Cool stuff.

Serious techno; none of that spiritual trance stuff. . .
This is what techno should be: the soundtrack to a sci-fi thriller unfolding in a dark cityscape surging with the crisscrossing veins of chemical headlights and dotted with the pulse-glow of high-rise office buildings that host secret rendezvous.

I'm a white boy: I can't dance. But this CD makes me want to shake my middle-class Anglo butt. Thank you, Luke Slater.

A stumble from his previous Freek Funk
Wow, what happened here. Seriously. Slater's the artist who dropped Freek Funk back in '97, one of the sharper albums of the year and a meaty ride through funk-fueled techno. Wireless instead culls strong influences from electro and breakbeat, and a dose of odd effects for good measure; that's all well and good, unless your breaks sound instantly dated ("Sheer Five Five" plays like an 80's rap track) and the intricate rhythms take a step backward.

The bigger surprise lies in the two big club successes, mixes of "Body Freefall" and "All Exhale," were heavily pushed by DJ's, and it's safe to say serious reworking went on to make them into hits. "Freefall" in particular lies just this side of techno gabba.

Not that there aren't cuts included here that show Luke Slater knows how to work the equipment; whether you have the patience to wade through to find them is another matter.

catch the new groove...
Luke Slater turns out a gritty edged ,bass infested electronica album, flirting with the industrial sound by driving a slamming beat that will get a dead nun dancing. Interspersed with digitally altered voices and looping sound effects, Luke has created a killer with this one. I defy you to sit still while listening to it. Hard and heavy style. Enjoy! ... Read more

Album Description

Originally released in January 1987. Contains 12 tracks in all. Eleven original and a cover of Leonard Cohen's 'Who By Fire'. Marc Almond sings backing vocals on 'Who By Fire' & 'Slur'. ... Read more

Reviews (15)

an undiscovered artistic gem
This is a complex and multi-layered work of electronic music. In my opinion, this the best showcase for the artistic power of Coil who blend here music and lyrics into a powerful masterpiece of an album. One could see this as a theme-album on Apocalypse, and I think that the liner notes on the original LP release reveal that Coil had something like that in mind when they made the album.

In that sense, from begining to end it is original and breathtaking. The chiling power of impending doom can be sensed in the opening pieces, complete desctruction is described in "Penetralia", and it all ends very appropriately with the mystery and anticipation evoked in "The first five minutes after death". Listen to this album in the dark, after midnigth, and it will be an unforgetable experience!!

This album scares my friends!
And I love Coil for it. Definitely not for the weak, this album embraces all that horror and death could be. Being my first Coil album, and a highly recommended one at that, I found this to fit right into my love for the supernatural and my curiousity about all that is dark, evil. Again, a horror theme. The music is complicated, eerie, hard to really put a label on. For the scare factor alone, if not for yourself then for some of your faint hearted friends, this is well worth every minute of goosebumps! Creepy!!

You swallow one, you just swallow another...
Dark. Soul crushing. Insanity. My first experience with Coil was the "How To Destroy Angels" release. NOT what I expected, considering I bought their work for the NIN remixes they had done. Yeah, such a shame Coil were about 80x better. Anyways, "Horse Rotorvator" is the anti Depeche Mode. It's a truly gothic work. None of the makeup and glam, but just the death and atmosphere. And it doesn't sound horribly dated for a nearly 20 year old album.

An Aniversary Review
10 years ago I first found and fell in love with this CD. I have never liked it more in all that time then I do now. Its almost mind bending how creative music was when it was hard to make. In 1986 There was tape edits and noises to work with, there was analog and synth, nothing modern or digital and it reflects in sound today. I can't forsee a better experimental industrial/avant garde band to ever exsist. Coil are simply uncompromising originals.

As mentioned by other reviewers this album was known to be an extended meditation on death. Some of the commentary in a narrative "the Golden Section" speaks of death's similarity to love. I've only now found I understand that narrative. The song following "The Golden Section," track 12 called "The first five minutes after death" can lul me into comfort or into tears.

This album should hone to anyone with a learing world view, someone who lives in existentialism, someone who is filled with sadness, someone who has ever truely loved... for death like love appears all embracing and transcending.

You'd have to hear this album through every minute to understand its power, cause not a single song in the album defines it.

my fav coil
this is one of my fav coil albums. I should note that the tracks do not line up with the track listing in the back.

also, per someone else review, Tainted Love is not on this album. ... Read more

Album Description

Plaid are Andy Turner and Ed Handley, a pair of trulyinspirational producers who were part of an electronicmovement in the early nineties that helped re-invent theworld's electronic music scene. Parts In The Post is acollection of Plaid's finest remix moments, and withartists as diverse as Goldfrapp, UNKLE, Bjork, Nicolette,Herbert and Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five all making an appearance. This album is a great package that crossesall musical boundaries, and should appeal to music loversof all types, as well as the Plaid diehards. 20 tracks.Peacefrog. 2003. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Some of Plaid Remixes surpass the excellent originals...
Having been a highly regarded production/arrangement team....'Plaid' turn their creative hands to Remixing, and with the astonishing effort, should being label artists not work out for them....they'll be welcomed into the remix community with open arms, as everything here screams attention to detail, (in some cases completely stripping down the original source material, and completely rebuilding it, to stunning effect). The artist selection is diverse to say the least, with well known artists (Grandmaster Flash, UNKLE, Bjork, Goldfrapp) rubbing shoulders with more obscure acts (Nicolette, Funki Porcini, Herbert, Reflection)....suffice to say that the mixing is as diverse as the list of artist featured, and as expertly mixed....and completely does justice to each artist (and dare I say it....but in one or two cases improves on the original material.....Grandmaster Flash's "Scorpio" & Nicolette's "No Government" for instance)....admittedly they are so many exceptional eclectic mix albums, that it's sometimes daunting figuring out with to devote your time to.....tell you what!!??....I'll make it real easy for you.....get this!!!

It could have been better
Plaid is a very interesting working musical unit. I have listened to these two disc several times and do not find anything distinctly different or unique on them, but it is Plaid. I am anxiously waiting for the bands next REAL album to follow up on their Awesome EP P-Brane. The remixes are okay, but I want more.

Outstanding Intelligent Pop Remixes and more great Plaid IDM
I CANNOT stop listening to this album. I jump back to my usual large set of CD's but I seem to end the week listening to this all day.

Favorites:
Bjork / All Is Full Of Love (+++++++)
Grandmaster Flash / Scorpio (+++++)
Nicolette / No Government (+++++)
Nicolette / Wholesome (++++)

Most of the rest solidly remind me of the "world music" feel that parts of "Trainer" and "Double Figure" have.

Notable exceptions being "Relics" that has a nice erie late Squarepusher sound to it (but much more dancable), and "Street Preacher" which is more big beat (like "Uneasy Listening").

there ARE enough songs that totally rock
people keep complaining about how "parts in the post" is inconsistent, but at least it has a (good) reason for it, other albums are inconsistent because the artists and/or producers pour all their energy into just a few songs, to get them on the radio, made into singles, and to sell the album, but just throw together the rest of the songs to fill up the album, thats not the case with "parts in the post", its inconsistencies are because it spans a decade of highlights, and maybe i just prefer what theyer doing now instead of back then, so believe me, there are more than enough songs that rock to make me completely thrilled with the total package, songs like "wholesome" "spiral bit", "drop shadow", "foreign bodies", and "scorpio" are just heavenly, and yes, the bjork "all is full of love" one is great too, but weve all heard that one everywhere before, anyways, im really pleased to own all these songs in one place, youll love (most of it) too

a great collection of hard to find remixes
While the quality may not be consistent through-out the entire two cd set, one must remind themselves that they are listening to the evolution of a musical act through many years (with some remixes being from as early as 1994...and if an act still sounds the same now as they did almost ten years ago, they haven't grown much, which is definitely not the case here.). Earlier remixes such as the U.N.K.L.E. & Funki Porcini remixes remind you that ed & andy were once part of the Black Dog - still maintaining a bit more of that tribal feel.
Any & all tracks that seem to fall short of the expectedly high standards of Plaid fans are more than made up for with the remixes of Nicolette, Coba, and especially the previously very hard to find remix of Dropshadow Disease (the one & only atom heart- who is also included in his Dandy Jack moniker with the remix of Sieg Uber Die Sonne). i am disappointed at the non-inclusion of the remix of U.N.K.L.E.'s "the time has come" which blows away the "Coffeehouse Conversation" remix. I'd definitely suggest this over the "Trainer" collection of e.p.'s & singles. (although I'd really get that too, 'cus plaid is like a sountrack to life...there's always more than one mood...).In a time when IDM and the like can be overly cheeky and cynical (as well as extremely pasty white boyish & soul-less),plaid manages to feel naive & playful without being contrived. truly a breath of fresh air!
and remember, remixes are as much about maintaining some of the personality of the original artists as well as giviing them a new spin... ... Read more

Amazon.com

In the circuitous notes that accompany this release, Canadian producer Richie Hawtin attempts to explain why Artifakts (BC) should be viewed as his third Plastikman album rather than what is in reality his fourth. Instead of pondering the details, suffice it to say he regards this release as the proper close of a trilogy that started with 1993's Sheet One, continued with 1994's Musik, and got diverted by 1998's Consumed. Musically, it makes perfect sense. Artifakts (BC) picks up on the elementary bass and beat soundscapes that earmarked the debut. Once again, Hawtin strips away any trace of melody or orchestration from his songs, allowing them to form out of the rudimentary rhythm patterns and his own cool indifference. Rarely has such excessive self-indulgence sounded so mesmerizing. --Aidin Vaziri ... Read more

Reviews (15)

Great CD - you'll be left wanting more.
This album really does bridge the gap between Musik and Consumed. It oozes with Plastikman's trademark TB-303 sounds, simultaneously simple yet complex rhythms, trippy filters and awesome effects - but it's too short (come on, 8 tracks in 3 years??). That aside, this album is Richie Hawtin's most senuous and organic collection of works available in the trilogy of Plastikman full lengths. It is less harsh, yet every bit as trippy and surreal as his previous releases, and there is a sense of maturity and refinement that wasn't overtly present until the release of Consumed earlier this year.

You'll love Artifakts(BC). It makes me sad that the trilogy is complete. I want more...

*presses Repeat-button*
First came Sheet One (1993) with the first sounds and beats ever produced by Richie Hawtin (Plastikman). Then came Musik (1994), which made electronic music a new thing and feeling. Shortly after, Richie planned his third album, Klinik, but after his world tour, he dropped it. In 1998 came Consumed, and only about a month after, Artifakts came.

Artifakts contains some tracks from Klinik, and the others like Are Friends Electrik? and Hypokondriak. Richie wanted this album to be his third album, since it has another old sound than Consumed. Korridor is just a non-beat-track with no really concept. Just a sound repeating over and over again. Psyk is much better; starts with a kick and then moves on with cymbals, snares and much more, until a synthesizer is repeated and repeated, but actually it sounds good. Dong, dong, dong, dong...that is actually what Pakard sounds like. Over 12+ minutes, it repeats and repeats the same sounds, when a kinda siren playing in the background. I think, it's kinda boring, but it's sounds good in the end. H Y P O K O N D R I A K is OK, but it's a little annoying, when you hear it many times (especially when they're after each other), and that's why this is my hate-track on Artifakts. So......Rekall is very nice made. I like the synthesizers used in this track, and the beats are perfect. Skizofrenik is also good - enough. It's an OK beat, but it's not the best. Are Friends Elektrik? is really good, just as good as Psyk. Then it goes with Lodgikal Nonsense, just a 2:17-track, but it's really funny! I laughed, when I heard it. Just letting Richie spin the normal conversations into funny talk!

Artifakts is an okay album, though it could be a little better. But as the ending of the trilogy with Sheet One and Musik, it's really good. Sheet One does the movement and trips, Musik goes into funkier beats and melodies, and when we get to Artifakts, it's a flashback to Sheet One and the long endless ambient style. My tip is to buy this one before Consumed, to get the real feeling, that Richie is getting better on the way. Anyway, it's a nice album. *presses Repeat-button* :-/

Laid back
This whole album is nothing but undertones. This album is very quiet (if you listen to it you'll understand). It is not %100 ambient. I wouldn't even know how to describe it because I have heard nothing like it other than his other album, Consumed (although a little louder). I listen to this when I want some background noise, ie sleeping and working.

I hope my brief review didn't sound negative, because I do like this album.

Plastikman at the top of his game
Simply put...if you like electronic music that defines a genre...then pick this up. I disagree with a lot of the reviewers on this piece. If you listen to the first three tracks only for eternity...it's worth the price. There are some interesting pieces from tracks 4-7...but they are nothing compared to the conceptual slowmotion groove apocalypse that is set by the first three tracks. Korridor...although beatless...sets up Psyk, an all time speaker crusher which melts into the ultra-chill Packard. [Which you must bow to the sheer largesse of instantly.] Total preludes to the entire "Consumed" Record from a conceptual standpoint. Which I would recommend any interested party pick up as well. Minimalism at it's best. Artifakts B.C. is what good electronic music should be...timeless. [In an age where gear upgrades occur on a daily basis and the hybrids of style have already created endless new classifications.] This one will never be lost. It defines...it delivers. It would do so if it only had the the first 3 tracks. It get's 4 stars based on those tracks alone.

Working the less is more theory very nicely!
It seems like even when I don't think i'm in the mood to hear something off this album, it only takes me about 1 minute of listening before it takes me back into it's zone. It's nice to see people alive in electronic music nowadays that realize the importance of techniques like what Hawtin is using in his work. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A Collection of Remixes that Showcase DJ Food's Talent......
This is a collection of Ninja tune remixes that, have been collected together by 'Dj Food', and sequenced & mixed by Dj Food (although several of his Ninja Tune label mates are on hand to provide additional support & contributions)..the album has as an undeniably strong 'Jazz / Breakbeat' influence throughtout the album, with elements of funky breakbeat samples & upbeat dance-orientated Jazz samples, to create wonderfully eclectic mixes......and providing support with their own contributions are artists such as: "Fila Brazillia/the Herbaliser's/Squarepusher & Autechre, who all hand in incredibly sturdy performances with not one of them letting the side down. (Even the usually unpredictable "Squarepusher", hands in a mighty performance). There's so much agreeable material here to choose from that it's hard to pick out favourites, but "Freedom [Fila Brizillia Mix]", "Scratch Yer Head [Squarepusher Mix]", "Sexy Bits [Autechre AE9V Mix]" & the star of the show "Turtle Soup [Wagon Christ Mix]", lift this album way beyond any Cashing-in Remix Album comparisions, and make these essential for anyone that enjoyed "A Recipe for Disaster". ... Read more

Album Description

Reissue of 1992 album by British industrial/ experimental/ ambient/ electronic outfit led by John Balance & Peter Christopherson (ex-Throbbing Gristle, Psychic TV). Standard jewel case. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Meta incognita
If one word can sum up this album, it would be: Arty! Originally planned as a limited edition for mailorder distribution among Coil fans only, "S&C songs" finally gained an official release and became one of the band's better-known albums (in fact, at the time this review was written it even had the status of being the best-selling Coil item at Amazon.com). Like some of the prior reviewers have stated, this is a collection of remixes, outtakes, and other obscure stuff, but I really do not care about the fact that this is not a "regular" album because little of the music Coil compose is made available for public consumption (a quite common thing when you know about Aphex Twin, Autechre and other '90s composers), so it's almost impossible to find the dividing line between their official releases and obscurities. On the other hand, I'm quite a bit surprised that none of the other reviewers noticed the strong ethnic leanings and the Arabian flavor of many tracks here: Combined with the latest studio technology and Coil's ever-evolving production skills, "S&C songs" walks a fine line between tradition and innovation and has some parallels to Peter Gabriel's famous soundtrack "Passion". Unfortunaly, there is no information about the origin of these ethnic sounds and how they were integrated into the music. Overall, this compilation covers a range that you could simplistically describe as "ambient music mixed with some occasional techno rhythms and lots of quirky noise", but as you might expect from Coil, "S&C songs" is certainly an avant-garde affair and does not follow any structural pattern, continually creating semi-abstract soundscapes with a cinematic quality - just check out the quiet chamber music of "Original chaostrophy" or the wonderfully eerie and melodic "Who'll fall?", which features various guitar lines that swim in an ocean of delay and reverb. The aforementioned track is built around a message left on an answering machine and tells about the suicide of a close friend, which again confirms the band's fascination with this topic. Also, the idea of cut-up and sampled vocals is truly taken to the extreme on some of the tracks since in most cases all that's left are fragments of word, sentences, and nonsense ("Futhur", "Her friends...", "Omlagus garfungiloops"). The latter, in particular, offers some of the best moments on this album by combining jazzy, shuffling rhythms with short saxophone parts and shimmering ambient melodies. More conventional rhythms surface on the 11-minute "Nasa Arab", which may be compared to Biosphere and Warp's famous "Artificial intelligence" compilations due to ist intelligent fusion of space-age atmospherics and bass-heavy beats. The textured violins and decidedly Arabian sounds of the 7-minute „The original wild...", the pearling piano tinkerings of "Inkling", and the menacing noise loops of "Wrim wram wrong" also manage to attract the interest. Beyond that, however, things are more hit and miss; the crystal-clear production and the flawless audio quality are certainly something which set Coil apart from the flood of bedroom producer, but even the best studio treatments do not save songs which are melodically weak or underdeveloped. Even in these tracks, such as the fairly static "Who'll tell" or the rhythmically weak remix of "Love's secret domain", one can find interesting flashes and lots of odd sounds and atmospheres, but these numbers just tend to wash over the listener without making any impact. All in all, however, this is a compilation the more seasoned ambient listener should miss, and even if this is your first Coil purchase then you won't be disappointed because this is one of the band's most accessible and listenable ventures so far. Arty and intriguing.

Unlike anything they have done before
This is a good album, it actually has some cool tracks, too bad Gold Is The Metal wasn't to Horse Rotorvator, as this is to Love's Secret Domain, then again Horse Rotorvator wasn't half as good of albums as Love's Secret Domain was.

Solid, but Sub-Par for Coil
_Stolen and Contaminated Songs_ is a re-mix album of sorts for the far superior, now out of print _Love's Secret Domain_. It contains songs(or in some cases, mixes of songs) that didn't make the cut for LSD, and in some places it's obvious why.

A number of the tracks just meander along, without the usual zeal Coil injects into their music, like "Omlagus Garfungiloops",a dark, slow-jazzy piece that, although is hardly uninspired, just kind of drags along for four minutes, wallowing in its goth-noir atmosphere, neither boring nor intriguing the listener. "Inkling" and "Futhur" are guilty of the same misdemeanor.

The Coil "classic" contained on this album, "Nasa Arab" does the goth-noir-jazz atmosphere a whole lot better than the two aforementioned tracks, managing to hold attention for its entire eleven minute duration.

Writing a review for this album is rather frustrating because there are not necessarily any "bad" tracks to it; all the songs seem very much inspired and capable of the great things I expect of Peter and John, but it seems almost as if many of them were incomplete in some way, as if they were stolen away from artists only halfway done, like the potentially interesting but merely disappointingly abrupt "Wrim Wram Wrom" and "Corybantic Ennui". Some of the tracks do escape this hindrace "The Original Garlic Memory", for instance, begins extremely strong, the mix of orchestral samples generating feelings of mysticism and Rennaissance...then come in these springy, carnival-like noises that clash wonderfully with the previous soundscape, making for a beautiful, developed song. The "original" versions of both "Love's Secret Domain" and "Chaostrophy" are contained, and, although they are inferior to the versions on LSD, they are nonetheless well-done, thoughtful selections on this release.

Due to the nature of the album, the flow from song to song is very disjointed; there is little or no continuity or closure to the LP itself and the song order is rather arbitrary. Thus, what we have here is very much a collection of oddities the band had lying around in the wake of their masterpiece, LSD(which I advise everyone to obtain, beg, buy or Napster-steal). Probably not the best bet for Coil beginners(that is, not something upon which to evaluate the band itself) but a definite welcome addition to the collection of anyone who has already enjoyed their music.

Quirky, experimental pop
Formed by a former Throbbing Gristler and a buddy, Coil is difficult to describe as anything but "experimental" and "electronic." Some of their albums consist of little more than curious drones, while others are swirling with noises the hearer's mind cannot contain. *Loves Secret Domain*, released on the now post-indie WaxTrax label and currently out of print, collects a number of melodic, pop-based "songs" (they actually are coherent, with beginnings and ends) that are at times profoundly dancey ("Snow"), goth-y (as with the title track), meditative and pleasant or just plain WEIRD (the rest of the album). This their most accessible album tends to be their best, in my opinion (proof enough that these bois are capable of good, unpredictable, thoroughly enjoyable "pop"). *Stolen and Contaminated Songs* consists, literally, of songs ripped from the WaxTrax album and reworked. This album is not as good nor accessible, but remains an enjoyable, second best. Don't expect the sonata form!

Wonderful And Scary
Alchemical music that strikes the dark, clear, dreamlike vein. Not for small children or falling asleep to (dreams may be affected). It is nice to listen to in rain or driving or when you want to impress/freak someone out. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

It really describes what chillout is supposed to be
It is by far the best Chillout collection i've ever heard. It really describes what chillout is supposed to be... Ultimate Chillout Classics is perfect for an afternoon sitting on a terrace, after a tough party night, trying to get over a bad hangover, or just to relax watching the seashore... ... Read more

Amazon.com

The second landmark release from the collaboration between Markus Popp of Oval and Jan St. Werner of Mouse on Mars offers more of the band's techno-ambient experimentation. Popp injects Oval's sense of technological subversion (painted and scratched CDs, digitally deconstructed samples) while St. Werner offers ambient textures that seem to soothe the more brusque, chilly components of Popp's constant subterfuge. Heady, intellectual stuff, yes, but a hatful of intricate, detailed, and often beautiful experimental composition. --S. Duda ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Digipack standout.
Maybe you've stumbled on to Microstoria, as I did, through Mouse on Mars and Oval, who make up the two parts of this quiet emotional little outfit.
I had a friend who loved Oval, and I loved Mouse on Mars, and one day we were looking around and discovered Microstoria's first album, Init Ding, and thought to ourselves when we got home and listened to it: Oh my.
This is not regular ambient music. This is so warm, so organic, it is like hearing nature unfold. It is full of deep earthy melodies that grow and pollinate in natural ways.
Of their albums, this one is maybe the best. A completist would obviously want to own them all, for in each one lies subtleties not found on the other albums.
But for your Amazon dollar, this one is surely their greatest achievement. The song titles, the album art, everything fell into place.

wonderful
recommended .. very odd and great at the same time .. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

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Fans of Boards of Canada, Prefuse 73, & Funkstorung should check out Machine Drum. This is a good album, but i recommend "Urban Biology" (www.m3rck.net). Anyone interested in the artist should check out the Syndrone records and the forthcoming Tstweart records (also available from merck)

Awesome
When I listen to machine drum I truly am taken away to another world. This is some of the most brilliant music i have ever heard. How he takes sounds and puts them together in such ways I will never know. I wish I could write something to truly describe his music, but words really cannot even begin to capture its beauty. This is just musical gold.

Even Pitchfork liked it.
And if the people at Pitchfork are willing to bow and say that they do indeed enjoy something, then you probably want to at least give it a quick listen. At any rate, this release is quite an accomplisment - it's a very smooth listen; though a bit loud for some tastes, it's not overly so - a welcome addition to my collection - the kid has heart.

you may not care to know
I'm a big fan of prefuse73 and I was interested in this because a friend recommended it to me..well I wasn't really disapointed...I just wasn't that interested. It's true he has some cool melodies and samples...but his drums just weren't what I was looking for, as they came off sounding to loud and much more in my face than I was hoping for, think more "Push Button Objects" rather than Prefuse...the cd is growing on me little by little, I was just turned off by not getting what I at first expected, okey dokey I give it 3 stars...try the Caural CD it was what I expected and you can give a listen to on Amazon! ;)

now you know!
after some great reviews and recommendations from some of the people on the warp forum, i decided to check this release out. i was not really sure of what to expect at first, since i had little experience and knowledge of machine drum, or the m3rck label at all. but, after listening to it a couple of times, i must say i'm thoroughly impressed. if you know prefuse73 on the warp label, then you get the picture. this is the sound of what hip-hop SHOULD sound like, in my opinion. mellow beats, samples, lush melodies and prime use of the clicks, cuts and squeeks every electronica fan so love. to be general - it's cut-hop.

most of the tracks are instrumental pieces with an occasional vocal sample edited into the mix (usually cut-up or edited in some way or another), but track 7, my visuals, and track 11, fury, features the lovely vocal work of poly-sci. this adds a bit to the total atmosphere of the album, and makes it a varied and exciting listen, even at repeted playings.

if you're into prefuse73 or any of scott herren's stuff, check this out. if you're at all into electronica - make sure you make a mental mark of m3rck records. they're brilliant.

enjoy! ... Read more

Amazon.com

With a clutch of album releases under his belt and a growing reputation, it seems a little strange that Tom Jenkins still feels obliged to include a lengthy synopsis of his musical standpoint in relation to popular culture (hence Do You Know Squarepusher). Maybe this is the result of a bad review or confused audience feedback, or maybe it was simply about that time when justification was finally met. Logically, it follows that the musical template remains a hallmarked cacophony of splintered beats and fractured sonics that find an aggressive medium of balancing melody in and around contorted backdrops. Lyrically, it's a pastiche, with "F-Train" coming across as the Streets played off and out by the Anti-Pop Consortium. Not a particularly comfortable thought, but then, Squarepusher doesn't necessarily do easy listening. The closest to that comes on the latter half of the album ("Mutilation Colony"), where the beats are dropped in favor of soundscaping, which again combines abstract parts (akin to Carlos and Richter), but still finds a path for more accessible pieces, too. Rounded off with a passable version of "Love Will Tear Us Apart," it's another astute album with a hint of aging and acceptance. --Found Sounds ... Read more

Reviews (24)

Do you?
I think squarepusher has probably gone insane. From rumours of going deaf, to owning a new unnamed label with Aphex Twin. To releasing jazzy drill n bass to pure fusion jazz to hardcore noisy drill n bass. And he pulls it off fantastically! but I wonder if tom jenkinson even knows squarepusher anymore... this album is all over the place...first track is the future of pop songs gone beserk, second is the new autechre type beat with tom rapping (not very well imo) over it. more drill n bass insanity follows until we get to a long dark ambient track and a beautiful finish up with a beautiful cover song you might not recognize (i didn't)...I wish the album had stuck in more of the same direction throughout but individually...each song stands on its own very, very well...(with the exception of track 2...sorry Tom you just can't rap, next time get Kool Keith!) Buy it now, manijelro

Do You Know Squarepusher Needs to Release a Longer LP?
This album displays all of Tom's styles plus a new one- vocals. Unforunatly, it's so short you get a small fraction of what you like. Songs 1 and 3 are what I expect from Squarepusher. They're fast but mellow beats that sound really "crunchy". Like Tom sampled pine cones getting stepped on. Track 2 I don't understand. It's too disjointed for me and I can't figure out what he's saying underneath it all. If I want to learn about metaphysics I'll read a book.
Track 4 is a great example of why I enjoy Squarepusher. It's a non-stop nuclearythmic explosion set in fast forward with a goofy Atari-like melody following it. The perfect song to blare out your car with the windows down at a stop light.
You will like the rest of this EP if you
A) Are asleep
B) Are really high
C) Like ambient music
Three out of seven songs ain't too good. The live Cd helps but I have those tracks with better sound quality on the other LPs. I want to give him four stars because what is good on this is better than 75% of all that's out there, but I felt a little insulted by the last song which sounds like music to a GAP commercial, so three stars it is. I just hope a full length is on the way soon.

Lets get this straight
Alright, let me just say Pithy Commentz is a f*ckin moron! Just 4 the hell of it I checked out the other reviews this idiot did, and (lol) he likes Jay-Z, Marilyn Manson, and thinks Bill O'Reilly is the best reporter! LOL!!! What a tool.

Do I Know Squarepusher?
Yeah i do, this guy can't spit out a decent album if his life depended on it. Another product of Warp Records' "Let's Sell Music Without Melody; Just Make It Weird So All The 12 Year Olds Eat It Up!" campaign. Ignore it, the only decent things this guy dropped were the Dragon Disk and that Untitled EP.

pushin' all squares... pushin' all squares...
I enjoyed this album much more than "Go Plastic". I can't stop listening to track 2 - it's like some dark, futuristic, electro, euro rap... i love it. Track 1 is a classic of course. Track 3 and 4 are insane (and 4 is so friggin' speedy gonzales on coke). Not sure how I feel about the Joy Division cover... but it is certainly refreshing after all that ambient, 2001:Space Odyssey crap. I've only listened to the live disc once so far... no comment. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

don't skip it...
I don't know why, but of the five or so reviews i have seen for this album on Amazon, none of them mention the fact that this CD is really well produced! Even if you don't like the tracks, which are excellent, just check out the mix!! Go on, turn it up, its okay! This CD was made for listening at a higher volume as the mix for the most part is very subtle and deserves closer attention. I find this CD to be just as interesting and absorbing as any other u-ziq CD out there. Bravo to Mike P. for launching into yet another new musical genre and blasting it into the next level!
As far as the music itself goes - well, it's 2002, and I still haven't heard anything quite like it, which means that this CD is still innovative, fresh, dancable, funky, and just plain WICKED!!!

A wonderful album
There are a lot of things in life that people either love or hate. This album is one of them. I happen to love it. It contains hints of Mu-Ziq's signature style, but is different enough to be intriguing. It is more drill'n'bass than drum'n'bass by all accounts, but not so much that you can't listen to the whole album in one sitting. Like most of Mike Paradinas' work, hauting melodies can be found buried in every song. Mike also makes good use of his broad palette of sounds (ranging from electronic, futuristic bleeps to warm, analog jazz samples) to give each track great texture.

Urmur Bile is an experimental album, and is different from Mu-Ziq's other works. That said, I think Mike should be praised for not limiting his stylistic boundaries, and for jumping into a whole new music form with so much style and confidence.

Well done!

blah, bile is right on
this cd is not inventive or creative; the tracks sound like paradinas' efforts at making straight-ahead club tracks that didn't work because he was not inspired. i'm sure he made these tracks in about two hours at the most, and without the aid of a computer which would at least have produced some interesting sounds. many of the repetitive sounds are not only boring but quite annoying. this guy's other material is far better, yes; but so is the material of better artists working within the same general area (as all his stuff, not just this cd of course); such as aphex twin, squarepusher, speedy j, autechre, datach'i...i picked up this cd for $4 in a discount bin, and sold it a couple weeks later. (the obligatory annoying personal story that's in too many of these 'reviews'. true, though).

Could be better...
Well, I'll admit I have only given this album about 5 GOOD listens. But I find that this album is nowhere near the interesting, evolving melodic soundscapes that I have come to expect from U-Ziq. I can't imagine why Amazon customers have rated this CD as U-Ziq's best. It is good, but FAR from his best. It is essentially two EPs worth of extra, leftover music from Mike Paradinas crammed together to make 1 'album'.

These songs strike me as too abrassive, and are less complex and melodic than U-Ziq's other releases. If you are looking for intelligent beats, interesting sounds and great melodies, check out Lunatic Harness or In Pine Effect first.

While I'm at it, I will also suggest Aphex Twin's releases I Care Because You do, the Richard D. James Album, and Selected Ambient Works 89-92. These are all worth 5 stars, as is U-Ziq's Lunatic Harness and In Pine Effect.

Probably a friend of Tom Jenkinson...
Perfect experimental drum and bass or free electronic jazz with psychedelic breakbeats! ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Political Autechre?
This was Autechre's answer to Britain's draconian, stranger-than-fiction Criminal Justice Bill that would have outlawed music with repetitive beats. The electronic music community, understandably outraged, fought back in a number of ways; Orbital, for example, took the passive resistance route with their "Criminal Justice Bill" remix of "Are we here?," which contained nothing but silence. Autechre's response was wilier and more creative: craft a catchy, dance-floor-friendly track with no repeating beats of any kind. Remember this prefigures Drill and Bass, so this ranks with Aphex Twin's "Hangable Autobulb" Eps in its visionary power. And I suspect even non-Ae fans will find "Flutter" sounds fresh today.

Part of the reason is this is an angry Ep, Ae's version of "Sunday Bloody Sunday." This makes it unique in the electronica genre which, with it's psychadelic, prog-rock leanings is profoundly apolitical; it also makes it unique in Ae's ouvre as perhaps their most peppy, unclouded release. The purity of the melodies stands in stark contrast to the worm-ridden mulchiness of Confield, for example. On display is not self-destructive rage, but focused anger. It is a call to arms, and a positive affirmation of the dance lifestyle from a band not known for its positivity. At least that's how I read it; as always there are no lyrics so you're free to interpret the music any way you like.

As far as the music goes, I'd give it five stars, but the second track Djarum is throwaway. Is there some rule that second tracks on eps have to stink? The first track, Lost, sounds to my ears like Milk DX from Ae's first Peel Session release, and reminds me of Brown Album-era Orbital. Pretty cool, but you're buying this for one track, Flutter. And it's a doozy.

Good starting point
As most of you know who have skimmed through various Autechre reviews, this group has generally been classified into early "accessible" Autechre and late "difficult" Autechre. Understandable since the band's early output was generally a bit quieter than recent material and less concerned with "noise". Personally I find some of the later stuff, EP7 , for example, just as good as Amber: my problem is one of concentration. I often find it hard to sustain any kind of concentration for more than about 35 minutes, before my ears want a change of music. That's why Anti EP is probably the most often-played Autechre disc. Its three tracks are all great, although the fade-out to Flutter is a thing of extraordinary beauty. Musically, Anti EP also fits somewhere between the early and late Autechre, which means it's a fairly lively affair but is stilll pretty laid back. A good. consistant release, then.

Perfect
I find this to be just about perfect. The first two are merely brilliant, but Flutter is the absolute pinacle for me, of Autechure, of anything. Stunning, haunting, emotive and non-repetative. unconditionally guaranteed, a perfect little politically motivated E.p. Danceable too in a funny sort of way, which is the only way I can anyway. way.

antipop
As someone once correctly put it "Autechre makes dance music you cannot dance to" but you cannot stop your soul dancing even if you are sitting peacefully at home! In the first of the three tracks here "Lost",there's a relatively simpler,fragile tune over mad banging percussion.Brilliant! The standout track is the second one "Djarum",which on first listen sounded to me as an collage of (earlier) Autechre.It makes you feel strongly of something which is usually indescribable.It builds up layer by layer until it reaches a climax midsong. The third song "Flutter" may be put here for a good cause but musically it's not very attractive. Anyway this is a good record to start.If you like this,you'll love "Amber" and "Tri Repetae++".Be sure that you'll be easily addicted to this uneasy listening.And if you're already addicted to Autechre,this one will be another gem in your collection.

Autechre at their finest
These three songs represent the best of what Autechre has done. I think it's more accessible than tri repetae and what followed, and represents the full realization of their sound on Amber. "Flutter" is absolutely amazing, as are the other two. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Old and dated but still very good
This is a double CD set that has about 30 long tracks. I used to buy Volume's label because I had too little money to buy much else. Volume gives really good value for the buck. There is some great stuff on this(like Cosmic's Spacetrack and the best System 7 mix ever) and some not sogreat stuff. Volume gives you a lot of variety so there will be at least acouple tracks that you'll like.Listening back to the sounds of 1992-3really shows how synths and technology have changed over the years. Thesetracks just feel different from a lot of the oversampled and un-intelligentmixes of today. A quick note, if you like the DJ Humpty Vision / JuniorVasquez sound, then don't buy this. However, if you're more into Moby, TheAphex Twin, FSOL, etc. etc. you'll wear it out. Finally, if this CD set isre-released, buy it. I had my original copy stolen in Seoul 3 years ago andhave been looking for a replacement ever since. It's been a frustratingsearch. -JR ... Read more

Album Description

1996 reissue of their long deleted classic 1988 album with anew eight page full color booklet, a two sided insert &clear inner tray. All 18 tracks are in their original formand have not been remastered or remixed for this vitalre-release. Features 'Chickenskin', 'Hellraiser' & 'Minutesafter Violent Death'. ease. The full title is 'Gold Is TheMetal With The Broadest Shoulders'. Both the originalrelease & this reissue are releases from the Threshold Houselabel. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

'Excuse me?' or 'What is that Sound and why am I tied up?'
This album doesn't make much sense.
Coil are incredible musicians/soundscape artists/those who screw with headmeats, but the flow of this accentuates the disjointed and unfinished nature of all of the 'songs', and it can be less than pleasant. The whole album feels like a found-object art project, really, and while I like it, it's not up to their usual standards.

Orchestrated Beyond Known Boundaries
Of all the Coil CDs so aristicly cocieved and constructed, this one just scratches me where I itch. It is so many things and none. It is ethereal, dark, raw, complex, simple, evolving, dilluded, and imaginative all at once. These are more than songs, they are soundscapes which can lead you so effortlessly, mold and shape what you hear/feel, and bring you full circle. Coil are simply music geniuses whose sound always stays fresh throughout several generations. "Thump" is quite beautiful in taking sounds from a Thai boxing ring and overlapping them with a rhythmic synthesized verse/beat. "For Us They Will" is exquisitely dark - very ominous lyrics, and oppresively, unpredictable echoing beats. "The Broken Wheel" is my favorite here, because it starts out with a very unpredictable sample- (lyrics: "one, two, three, four"- followed by a short explosion of the sampled beats, then a long pause and repeat) This creates a very spontaneous sound, and when it leads to the full sample, you hear a sample of rapid-fire beats and pyrotechnic guitar that astounds. "Cardinal Points" is a blissful soundscape that has a classical asthetic to it, with angelicly high voices and deep baratones that crescendo together very hauntingly. "Aqua Regalia" is an eerie death march for the soul. "Chickenskin" is another favorite that takes simple rythms and sounds and builds upon them by overlapping, tweaking, and fluctuating them and creates a cacophonic wall of sound. "Hellraiser", as you might have guessed, was used in the Hellraiser films for its superbly haunting drone and spine-tingling tinker toy effects. This is a must have album for anyone who likes Coil, and an essential goth/industrial classic. (I reccomend starting with "Musick to Play in the Dark 1,or 2"; "Love's Secret Domain" ; or "Horse Rotorvator" - Be patient with this music, and it will be worthwile.

It's not a dance album,unless your music dances in your head
For many consumers, "Gold is the Metal With The Broadest Shoulders" won't be easy to digest, if you swear by Coil's "Love's Secret Domain". However, for myself, this album was very easy to digest (in which I do consume this album quite often). I would also call this particular re-release refreshing. As you would expect it, Coil makes repetition interesting and unpredictable, as in "The Broken Wheel" and "The Wheal" (1,2,3,4,...1,2,3,4,....). "Red Flux's" grazing hypnotic beat, structured noise from the beginning to end. "Either His, or Yours", the music is definately on a mission, just where is it going and what story does it have to tell? I couldn't name any favorites, but I do recommend the entire album. My God, Hellraiser - a good song, a great cult movie classic. Gold is Metal - another masterpiece, unadulterated and re-released.

Not a very good album
The only tracks I like on this album are Chickenskin and Soundtrap, those don't justify a purchase.

AWFUL!
Coil's own description of this album helps underscore its abject inferiority to their other works: It is composed of "discarded shards, distortions, disappointments" and "remnants of what once was."

This is a woeful piece of work--a lopsided mish-mash of incongruous and uninventive jaunts.

STAY AWAY FROM THIS TRASH! ... Read more

Reviews (2)

East Flatbush Project
Good beat, good song. Like the lyrics. Sounds good? Good

This song has one of the beats I have ever heard.
This song comes from the underground routes. It has just been discovered not long ago. No one knew about it until local radio deejay's started playing it. With the chinese instrumental and the sharp bass beat, this song is just phenomenal. You will be devoured into it. For all you underground lover's, this is a must buy. I give this song 10 stars. Peace. -=AcE=- ... Read more

Amazon.com

Despite their reputation as that rare techno artist who thinks in terms of albums, not singles, Work 1989-2002 makes it obvious that a retrospective like this from Orbital is well overdue. At one time, Orbital was one of the biggest, if not the biggest, names in techno, a result of their willingness to tour like a rock band and put on performances with light shows and improvised DJ work. Hence, tracks like "Halcyon and On and On" (from Orbital 2) and early ravers like "Chime" have so imprinted themselves on our collective techno memory that it seems odd they haven't been packaged together already. Still, as a definitive collection, Work is less than perfect. First off, the tracks here are relatively bland 7-inch versions of songs that have all been mixed to hell and back; "Nothing Left" from 1999's underrated Middle Of Nowhere should be a monstrous mix of swooping melodies and fat chords, not the tepid radio version used here. Surely, another four minutes of "Halcyon" or "The Box" (from In Sides) would be preferable to songs like "Illuminate" off last year's disappointing The Altogether. Similarly, it's a mystery why the record includes not the brilliant, original 1990 version of "Satan," but instead the inferior retread recorded with Metallica's Kirk Hammett for the Spawn soundtrack. But even though Work isn't perfect, it's tough to discount a record when at least half the tracks are classics of the genre. --Matthew Cooke ... Read more

Reviews (10)

O
As is stated in other reviews... Orbital is brilliant, but unless you are a completist (as I am) there really isn't much of a reason to pick this up. I wanted this for the single version of "Halcyon," which I did not already own. Unfortunately the mix on here can't even compare to the epic full-length "Halcyon + On + On," which appears on the Orbital 2 album. The one new track, "Frenetic," appears on their "Rest" and "Play" EPs, issued about the same time as this retrospective. The Kirk Hammett collaboration of "Satan" is dreadful. Most of the other tracks here are edited versions of songs taken from their catalogue. I won't even bother to get nitpicky about which omitted songs should have been included on this CD, and vice versa. In general I would give Orbital 5 stars, but I would recommend picking up their other albums instead.

Good starter
Basically, this is a good cd to get if your new to Orbital as it samples most of the singles on their other albums, but don't stop with this album.

You can't please everybody...
This album gets a bad rap, and I can understand why. To arrive at a banquet only to be promptly sent back out the door with a snack tray would be considered by most to be an unpleasant experience. To top it off, when artists are as dynamic as the Hartnoll brothers are, you run into subgroups of fans of their music that have widely different tastes concerning what the "best of" should entail.

Most of the tracks included on Work are great. I do, however, question the judgment to include the David Gray collaboration, Illuminate. I like the track, but for many (in the U.S., anyway) Gray's distinctive vocals were too much of a departure from Orbital's bread and butter tracks. The exclusion of the Green Album version of Satan is also a puzzler.

Without a doubt, many quality tracks were overlooked when compiling this disc, but then again, the tracks that are included are by no means bad. Personally, I think if they had taken a page from Björk's book and simultaneously released a "best of" and a Family Tree style album, people who wanted a little something more out of Work would've been happy, and those just discovering Orbital would've had a better starter kit.

Just To Get Your Attention
I have to say, growing up listening to rap music (2pac) mostly, i never thought that any other type of music would touch me like 2pac's powerful words did. I listened to 2pac alot as a teen. Fighting you know, anger, depression and all that other adolescent stuff which i am still going through, I would just go to my room, be alone and be one with the music. What can I say, I have a very deep appreciation for music that I think most people do not have. I have now grown to like all types of music as long as it moves me. I will end this by saying, Orbital are musical geniuses. They are really what true music is all about. I have a lot of songs by them and each one though different is truly a masterpiece. Get all of their albums

solid introduction
Although it is rather frustrating that whoever compiled this cd devoted 10 minutes to not-so-great songs like 'Impact' and 'Belfast' while giving 3 minutes to great songs like 'Halcyon
' and 'Are We Here?', this collection is still a great way for Orbital rookies of the sort I was a few months ago to see what Orbital can do. I also believe it is a testament to Orbital's talent that even though many of these songs have been drastically shortened, they still sound great on their own. My only other complaint is that they should have kept the Spawn version of 'Satan' and either Belfast or Funny Break off and put on another more songs from Snivilisation or some of Orbital's remixes, which can be hard to find. Otherwise, a useful starting point for the group's work. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Buy this CD immediately
This is hands-down my most valuable CD. An absolute CLASSIC. Ni-Ten-Ichi-Ryu is one of the most addictive dnb songs I've heard yet. It never gets boring. The Hidden Camera makes you feel sinister and voyeuristic. Buy it now!

Mathematical drum & bass for the motivated.
Photek is the end-all-be-all in this genre. He concocts vivid sound/imagery with beats, tones and subtle bass lines. This, to me, is the express purpose of drum & bass, and no one comes close to matching his skill. Minimal, yet complex, astounding, yet refined, this is the perfect introductory album to drum & bass. Die-hards may want to pick up the full-length "Modus Operandi," but this six-song collection will suffice for the just-curious. (Careful listenings may induce utopian illusions.)

Fantastic!
Photek can get a bit too loopy for me sometimes, but Risc vs. Reward has his best, especially 'The Hidden Camera' and "Ni Ten Ichi Ryu', both on top 20 UK lists throughout '97. A must buy, especially if you don't plan on picking up Modus Operandi. ... Read more