Amazon.com essential recording

The influence of Bristol, U.K.'s Massive crew on bringing trippy beats to the foreground is immeasurable. Not only were they the early test ground for other alterna-hop stars (ex-clansman Tricky, former songstresses Nicolette and Martina, and the lesser known productionists Smith & Mighty), they've spread their influence to everyone from fellow Bristol residents Portishead to Björk. Blue Lines is Massive's debut record and is the second musical union of Bristol's renowned collective, Wildbunch. The emotional purging and beat-driven orchestral movement of "Unfinished Sympathy" was among the first signs of life in contemporary English trip-hop culture. Other masterpieces, like "Daydreaming," which features Shara Nelson, Tricky, and other friends on the mic, throb with deep, dubby beats and soulful ambiance. Blue Lines marks the beginning of a musical legacy that is ever expanding. --Daniel Shumate ... Read more

Reviews (93)

MOTHER OF ALL TRIP-HOP ALBUMS
BLUE LINES is one of the most influential albums of the past decade. It is to dance music, what Nirvana's NEVERMIND is to grunge. For a band, whose debut album has had such an impact over music, Massive Attack is truly remarkable. This album has created a whole new genre itself: trip-hop, an offshoot of dance music. If not, this is definitely the first trip-hop album to be a big commercial as well as critical success. Though musically simple, BLUE LINES was much ahead of its time, as far as its style is concerned.

As an album, BLUE LINES is sexy, seductive and subfusc. The opening track "Safe From Harm", with its killer bass-hooks, eerie background music and Shara Nelson's mysteriously seductive vocals, is a perfectly gothic dance number. The following track, "One Love", is all orgasms galore. Instead of going overboard with sexuality like a lot of Prince's or Madonna's songs, "One Love" is as subtle and smooth as it gets, without being all loud and glaring - Only Horace Andy's vocals can be as sexy without even meaning to be.

Songs like "Blue Lines", "Five Man Army", and "Daydreaming" keep up the enjoyably livid mood built up by "Safe From Harm" and "One Love": gloomy and crazy, these three tracks wander aimlessly without any proper structure or chorus, with the band members taking turns to emcee, giving the impression of apparitions whispering mindless words in different forms - isn't trip-hop music, of the ghosts and for the dead?

Well, if BLUE LINES can be all spooky and intentionally subterranean, it can also be as positive, heavenly, and invigorated. This dual nature of this album makes listening to it even more enjoyable. "Be Thankful For What You Got", "Unfinished Sympathy", "Lately", and "Hymn Of The Big Wheel", are so unbelievably effusing with life and zest, that it is amazing that they are packed in the same album as the distressingly dark "Safe From Harm", and the others.

If "Safe From Harm" is one of the grimmest tracks ever created then "Be Thankful For What You Got" is one of the most upbeat songs ever made. With its down-to-earth vocals, and innocently simple words, this song overwhelms with its earthiness. Also, "Unfinished Sympathy", which is much more sophisticated, creates a blissful atmosphere with Shara's unassumingly sweet vocals along with the divine string-arrangement accompanying her vocals; and yes, its irresistibly foot-tapping beats are unforgettable. The closing number "Hymn Of The Big Wheel", is so unbelievably naïve and chaste, that it is only surprising that this song is in collaboration with the same person who has also collaborated in the temptingly sleazy "One Love".

An album, which is sleazy, sexy, subfusc, simple, and spirited, all at the same time, BLUE LINES is an essential album, in any collection. BLUE LINES is indeed an icon, as far as classic albums are concerned, and is undoubtedly the mother of all trip-hop albums.

Blue lines is anything but blue
Arrogant, pretentious, self-absorbed. These harsh adjectives have been used to describe Massive Attack lately. But for all of the harsh words thrown their way, they sure make one hell of a CD. This is it. The originator, the innovator, the percolator of trip-hop. And what a CD it is. At first listen, some songs are great, while others are obnoxious. Some you wish would go on forever, while others go overlong. But as you listen, the album sticks to you like white on rice.

I'm not fan of giving CD's five stars. But Blue Lines is truly a masterpeice. It takes the best elements of reggae, house, hip-hop, funk, and soul and puts them in a blender. Every song, with the help of a number of guest vocalists, sounds completely different from the last. The album has a cohesiveness that few albums share nowadays. This is truly a record that can be appreciated as an entire record, front-to-back, rather than just a compilation of songs.

High points: Too many to count. Safe From Harm is a stellar and spacey opener, with One Love following it up with a brilliant reggae vibe. Five man Army could be the mellowest hip-hop song in history, and Unfinished Sympathy evokes feelings that had not yet been seen in electronic music.

Low points: I wish I could say that there aren't any, but Daydreaming (the first single, no less) can get a little repetitive, as can Lately, but that hardly keeps it from being a perfect album. If you are a music fan and can stand to listen to equipment that's a little outdated. Do not hesitate. buy now.

Influencing the influential.
Although many have spoken of the enormous influence of 'Blue Lines' on modern music, few seem to have taken time to consider the influences that have shaped it (something the band has expressley done in the liner notes to the album). One of the major influences on the opening tracks 'Safe from Harm' and 'One Love' is Headhunters-era Herbie Hancock. The funky extended groove and the distant electric piano are classic jazz fusion sounds.

Massive attack perform their own form of fusion in harnessing Shara Nelson's classic soul-feuled vocals with the emerging sounds of British hip-hop. You can even hear the influence of Marvin Gaye on a track like 'Be Thankful For What You've Got'; or the sound of late 70's New York on 'Lately' (a time and place of obvious influence, as mention of the movie 'Taxi Driver' in the liner notes attests to).

Dub is also of major importance to the sound of 'Blue Lines', something the young Tricky uses to full effect on '5 Man Army'. Don't forget another of MA's name dropping influence, PIL. Jah Wobble's dub-heavy bass echos round the rhythm of 'Safe From Harm'. Horace Andy's vocals are just as powerful as Nelson's even if they come from a different musical genre. He gives huge emotion to the pop sensibility of 'Hymn Of The Big Wheel' and the contrast of his yearning vocal against the nocturnal background of 'One Love' is an original sound not lost on Moby.

The only thing I have to take a star off for is the dreadful monotone rapping in an English accent, which might have sounded radical in '91, but has become mildly irritating in 2004.

Unfinished Sympathy
"Bluie Lines" was Massive Attack's first album and the start of unfinnished music history. With this classic 90's album they started the UK trend Trip Hop, and lots of others were going to follow. Like all Massive album's there's a great variety of songs included, hip hop, soul, reggae, dance. Another reason to take a closer look at this album. Shara Nelson appears on this album too, the soulful voice behind "Unfinished Sympahty" her appearence makes the album even better and enjoyable. The song itself it the best of the album and perhaps the biggest hit so far for Massive Attack, it got the trip hop feeling all over it from the beats, the soulish sound and the vocals match perfect. She also sings "Safe Drom Home" which is good aswell. "One Love" is jazzy while "Five Man Army" is reggae and "Blue Lines" and "Daydreaming are hip hop. One of my favorites is the soulish pop influented "Be Thankful for What You Got" with awesome beats and scratching, very memorable song. "Lately" is slow and soulish, but passable. "Hymn of the Big Wheel" is that kind of song i can put in a specific genre, good however. Only 9 songs on this album but it's quality, not quantity. A great classic you defenitely should pick up.

Massive Attack's Track-Down Line....
It's hard to listen to Massive Attack's debut album without thinking of their extraordinary & subsequent work. Preferably, I'm a BIG fan of their collaborations with various grand artists. The real winners from this album are the tracks which feature Shara Nelson-- whom has a great yearning/vocal style which is definitely comparable to Sinead O'Connor (Another MA Collaborator)-- probably because both O'Connor and Nelson have that British mourning sound about them, plus both of them work so well with the sound of Massive Attack.

''Safe From Harm'' is definitely the best track off this album, with a over-looped and tripping atmosphere, Shara's voice sounds amazing on this track, plus there's a male vocalist over there too. As-well as the biggest hit off this album is probably ''Unfinished Sympathy'' and is undeniably one of their most popular songs along with ''Protection'' but that's on their second album.

The title track ''Blue Lines'', set's the standard for ''CLASSIC'' trip-hop. ''Daydreaming'' takes off with a sweeping pulsed beat, you hear Shara making an intro for the song, then comes more of Tricky's vocals, it takes a turn for the more rap/hip-hop side. Other great tracks are ''Be Thankful For What You've Got'', ''One Love'' and ''Lately''.

Bottom line is, this album is great and it can stand up on it's own, but I vastly prefer it's successor's such as ''Protection'', ''Mezzanine'' and recently ''100th Window''...

These guys have spread their influence over to Portishead, Bjork, Madonna a.k.a (The Queen Of Pop), Tracey Thorn/Everything But The Girl, Sinead O'Connor, Shara Nelson, Elizabeth Fraser, Sara Jay, Horace Andy, Tricky, Goldfrapp, Mos Def...etc (I could go on forever naming all of the artist's)...this just show's what a FANTASTIC group this is.--- They may not have the overexposed popularity of the unsuccessful/bland artists like Britney Spears, Beyonce and Justin Timberlake...But WHO CARES?...Massive is here to make ''MUSIC''-- not to impress public relations.

Massive Attack is just ''too good'' to be compared to anything like that... Great Album, Definitely worth every cent!. ... Read more

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The bad news is that there is no "Sour Times" to equal the first album's greatness. Lead single "Cowboys" doesn't do the trick, not with its '50s sci-fi dub vibe and the Yma Sumac stylings of Beth Gibbons. The upside is that this bold sophomore release is, even at this late date in trip-hop's evolution, still startling, thanks to the mix of Geoff Barrow's soundscapes and Gibbons's haunting wail.--Jeff Bateman ... Read more

Reviews (120)

This is the essence of trip-hop
One of the best trip-hop albums. This stuff is hat trip-hop is about. Dark, noir sounds, lounge feeling with a jazzy layer and hip-hop beats will make you want to dig out old dark jazz records. From the first track to the last, there is a sense of urgency, of melancholy which is trapped between eerie sounds and in a ghostly landscape. Excellent vocal transitions for every song. You have to check out the ol-skool scratches and the dusty record effect, giving it a vintage quality.. This is no Dummy, but it doesn't mean that isn't good. Portishead continues with this album the evolution of their crime jazz. I recommend this to all novices in trip-hop. Great album.

Magnum Opus
Portishead's 1997 self-titled album is darker and more melancholy than their debut "Dummy". It is also a timeless masterpiece that ranks as one of the best trip-hop albums of all time. From the opening strains of "Cowboys", this CD transports you into a 1940s-style dimly-lit, cigarette smoke-filled Hollywood cabaret where dark-suited gangsters, buxom blonde starlets and trench-coated detectives mingle. This time around, Geoff Barrow and Beth Gibbons dig deep into film noir moxie to create a collection of songs that capture the decadence and tarnished glamor of that era, while retaining a hip postmodern sensibility. Beth Gibbons is at her best when her voice stretches to a screeching soprano, as on "All Mine", "Only You" and the centerpiece "Humming". Reportedly, Portishead recorded original background music based on film noir movies they admired, and then composed lyrics over them. This gives the album a surreal quality that, when uncovered after numerous spins on the CD changer, truly transcends time and space. Essential listening for a dark, stormy night in your house on the Hollywood Hills, with the fireplace blazing and a bottle of red wine.

Secrets too Tortuous to Endure
I turn on the CD player and I am wearing a slinky black dress, my mouth rouged with blood red lipstick, a trail of cigarette smoke wafts in the stale air, and I'm shadowed by a sinister figure down a seedy alleyway. I'm cornered in some dive but it's just some swaying, slobbering lush wanting to know where Albert is. As if I knew...as if I cared. My secrets are too tortuous to endure much longer.

Beth Gibbons voice is creeping emotion sputtering out those secrets in the twisted cabaret in my head. The mood is dark, the atmosphere thick with betrayal and yearning, strangers with glassy eyes litter the joint while their own desperate desires join the din of bereavement. All flesh is cold to the touch and no one speaks above a raspy whisper. Whiskey is the drink of choice and everyone is melting into their chairs.

While trying to escape the drunk, I stumble over someone who falls out of his chair. Another liquor-soaked refugee from planet Earth, I think, but no - it turns out to be a mannequin. Ahhh, that explains so much - those lifeless eyes, the cold skin, yet it still whispers, it whispers to me: "where is Albert?"

Second album
After an album like DUMMY, it appears it would be difficult to follow up such a great album. It took the group three years to come up with this second album, and it was worth the wait. Released in the fall of 1997, this album still gets quite a bit of airplay in my CD player. As a whole I think this album is a lot more darker than DUMMY. The music is mystical and dark, with Beth Gibbons emoted vocals, very layered. What's even more impressive about this album is the songwriting, which is stronger than on DUMMY. This isn't an album that sinks in right away, but with repeated listenings more is revealed in the intricate production. There are so many layers. Overall, it gets better with each listen, and overall a very unique and rewarding musical experience.

It's a trip.
All I can say is welcome to the "Twilight Zone". Most anyone who knows their previous album "Dummy", can pretty much expect the same thing on "Portishead". This is a bit darker, and there's no obvious stand-out tracks, but as a whole it's still very strong, and sets a nice mood. This is actually one of my favorites of the genre, along with "Mezzanine". "Beth Gibbons" continues to do an excellent job, and her voice really is a perfect match to the music. Overall, I'm not sure if I'd call it as good as "Dummy", but it's the next best thing. ... Read more

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The U.K.-based Sneaker Pimps combine standard rock guitar parts with trip-hop beats and clear white-soul vocals, and, when strumming an acoustic guitar (as on the first single, "6 Underground"), the trio is virtually indistinguishable from Luscious Jackson. While using electronica's signifiers--jungle's rattle, trip-hop's dark churn, ambient's synth washes, hip-hop's samples--Sneaker Pimps never stray far from the comfy world of the pop song. Becoming X's opener, "Low Place Like Home," is only one step from Alanis, while the rousing closer is as breathy and sunny as the Cardigans. --Roni Sarig ... Read more

Reviews (74)

Beautifully Dark
I bought this CD because I heard "6 Underground" and liked it. It turned out that every other song is good too, and the album maintains the 6 Underground feel. This is the CD that first got me hooked on the trip-hop/downtempo genre. I describe Becoming X as a melodic version of Portishead's Dummy. The CD creates a dark, moody atmosphere which Kelli (Vocallist) tops off perfectly.

Compared to the other Sneaker Pimps CD's, this is my second favorite, second to Splinter. It is the only one with a female voice, but the voice isn't what makes the band. I'd rate Becoming X a 9.5 out of 10 and Splinter a 10 out of 10. Becoming X is more bass line and drum heavy, while Splinter relies more on melodic guitar riffs and orchestra clips.

I's reccommend this album to anyone who listens to music to feel Zen. Buy it if you like Radiohead, Portishead, Hooverphonic, any other Sneaker Pimps, or any other Trip-Hop.

Uneven, hints at greater promise, still worth a listen.
I bought this CD on the strength of its second single (but the first I can recall hearing in the US) "6 Underground", which in my opinion was one of the best songs on the radio from late 1996 through Spring/Summer 1997. There are two versions of the song appearing on "Becoming X", including the "Nellee Hooper Edit" which was released as the single.

The truth is that the rest of the CD doesn't approach the level of "6 Underground", however...and in fact doesn't come close. That's not to say that there aren't worthwhile points of interest elsewhere on the album, though..."Postmodern Sleaze" being chief among them.

But the album never completely finds its own identity; the use of organic instruments such as the acoustic guitar among an electronic armada of sequencers, samplers, and other assorted synthesizers is a difficult mix to master (and very rarely executed to perfection...see "Personal Jesus" as the one standout example). "6 Underground" pulls it off well, but it's almost as if the band didn't want to push the envelope any further. Kelli Dayton's vocals are also hit-and-miss, ranging from sultry and soulful to aggressive and enigmatic. It seems she can't decide whether she's Tracey Thorn or Bjork. She doesn't seem quite comfortable with all the songs on the CD, but it has to be said that there are moments when she's quite inspired.

I will say that this isn't one of my favorite CD's, but it must have some hold on me as I also bought its pseudo-sequel "Becoming Remixed" when it was released in 1998. But so much of "Becoming X" seems as though it was remixed from a previous, more organic project that remixing it seems to be a redundancy. It's not the most shining example of trip-hop that I've ever heard, but any Massive Attack or Portishead fans won't be completely disappointed with it. Kelli's subsequent departure means The Sneaker Pimps now have a markedly different sound, so associating their latest efforts with their first would be an oversight that the curious music fans would do well to avoid; give it a shot.

Fan at 1st Listen
I became aware of this group about 6 years ago when I saw the video for "6 Underground." I instantly became a fan! This album infuses the lead's voice over bass, drums, synthesizers, etc. The songs make you feel something deep within your soul like "Post-Modern Queen" and "No Place Like Home." I recommend this album as an introduction to anyone who wants to know what electronica and trip hop is about.

kelly dayton
Sneaker pimps f'ed up when they kicked Kelly Dayton
now they have stupid vocals and ok beats
this is without a doubt the best album ever released by them
dispite lame attempts to progress as seen in ALL other sneaker pimps albums splinter and bloodsport and i think 1 more?? hmmm i guess it doesnt matter since I know they all SUCK

maybe one day they will work with kelly again and moke a second jewl but till then this is the 1 to get

Becoming X
I've only heard 2 songs from this album, but both are excellent. i find my self often adicted to the electronic sound, and Kelli Dayton's haunting vocals in "Becoming X". And "6 Underground" has the feeling of regret to it, and the lyrics are amazing. THIS IS THE ONLY GOOD SNEAKER PIMPS ALBUM. THEY SUCK WITHOUT KELLI DAYTON. she started a solo career i believe, and changed her name to Kelli Ali. (im not sure why) but i highly recommend this cd. ... Read more

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Air's debut, Moon Safari, solidified the French duo's position among fickle electronica music fans and earned them critical accolades throughout the press. Yet one of their most important fans turned out to be Sofia Coppola (daughter of Francis Ford), who, inspired by their moody ambiance, asked them to write the soundtrack for her directorial debut. The Virgin Suicides--adapted from the novel by Jeffrey Eugenides about the Lisbon sisters and their quest for answers in a turbulent American adolescence--includes stars such as Kirsten Dunst and Kathleen Turner, and Air make a deeply impressionistic subliminal appearance as well. Gordon Tracks sings the lush and romantic "Playground Love"; the rest is a throbbing score of somber synths and thick washes of modest psychedelic touches that recall the tranquil buzz that comes from too much staring at the lava lamp. The only complaint is that this 13-track album is only 40 minutes long; some of the cuts should have been longer. The meditative quality practically demands it. --Rob O'Connor ... Read more

Reviews (101)

Spooky, very spooky
Fans of AIR might be disappointed with this album if they buy it with the preconception that it will sound like 'Moon Safari.' In actuality, though, this album is nothing like its predecessor. While still a great album in its own right, 'The Virgin Suicides' is very dark and trippy, whereas 'Moon Safari' was more lush and dreamy. One thing AIR is great at doing is creating a sort of visual music. The kind of music that invokes scenes in your mind. 'Virgin Suicides' performs this job with ease. All the songs flow well together and you just kind of forget that you're listening to something. 'Clouds Up,' 'Highschool Lover,' and 'Empty House' are personal favorites. Even if you've never heard AIR before, I recommend this album to you. The dark feeling doesn't subside as the album plays on, either. Instead it stays consistent, then it gets deeper in the last three songs. Everyone should buy this album, then 'Moon Safari,' then 'Premiers Symptomes.' And the next album, too, when it comes out.

Soothing, yet dark, provacative and somewhat disturbing
I was quite excited to hear that AIR came ot with a new album. This time, it is for the movie (which I now want to see) Virgin Suicides. AIR puts together an absolutely perfect musical score...one can picture the mood and tone of the movie just by listening to the dark, melancholy music. Every song is distinctive, yet they all flow together, which creates an eerie, haunting effect. The last track summarizes in words what the previous songs already conveyed, which creates a very fitting end....sorrowful, provacative, haunting, with a hint of desperation. AIR has not once let me down with their quality of music and this soundtrack is certainly no exception.

Good Soundtrack for Anime
I first heard this album a couple of weeks ago, when a new girl entered our office, a design department, and brought this music. I didn't know who they where or what the name of the album or the songs where, and my first impression was: This is excellent. Such desertic landscapes and situations as those in "The End of Evangelion" (when nobody was left in planet Earth and the only survivor cried for his beloved Asuka) came to my mind. The feelings of loneliness and drama are so hard you think this is the end of the world's perfect soundtrack. Excluding the first track (which is much better in the free downloadable version available right here in Amazon), this is perfectly coherent music. They sound as if they had been Pink Floyd's padawans. I felt extremely relaxed and thinked: This is Floyd's line resurrection. However, when I knew the title of this album the true meanings came very clearly. I really really love this music and would highly recommend it to any die-hard fan of Pink Floyd's "Echoes" and "Shine On". However, it is much better if you don't know the title. Do this experiment to someone: Make him/her hear this without telling what it is. Perception is much clearer when it is not obstructed by prejudices.

playground love is my first dance
I am getting married this June, and Playground Love will be the first dance for my husband and I. It is the most beautiful, elegant song I have ever heard. It fits our romance perfectly, I get all teary eyed listening to it, oh, I just love it.

Good music, but too dark for Air...
The Virgin Suicides is a really well composed album, and the music bears undeniably Air's mark, however, I was expecting something more relaxed, like Moon Safari. The foreboding tones of this album are hard to get around and let me down. However, if you can stand dark music, this album will be perfect for you! ... Read more

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After years of postmodern pop posturing from dozens of would-bePortisheads andBjorks, it'ssomething more than a relief to see Ivy's third album, LongDistance, get a U.S. release. The New York-based trio's languid butrichly emotional meld of trip-hop, classic French-pop touches (singerDominique Durand is a Paris native), and indie adventurousness shinehere, even while displaying the outfit's deepest melancholic vibe. Fewsinger-songwriters could put across a sentiment like that of"Disappointed"--Durand explains that she's bound to leave aguy--without coming off defensive or taunting. "While We're in Love" offersa similarly bleak, if enticing, future. Long Distance neverburrows so far into its own melancholy as to render the effect merelyselfish or cold; even if your situation is hunky-dory, you'll be hardpressed not to revel in the subtle empathy of these numbers. The solenonoriginal, the Blow Monkeys' 1986single "Digging Your Scene," demonstrates Ivy's ability to render alate-summer dayscape replete with slowly pushed merry-go-round andintimation of oncoming loss, all with a wink. --Rickey Wright ... Read more

Reviews (46)

Ivy - professors of Pop 101
I saw Ivy open for Kitchens of Distinction six years ago. I didn't know who the hell they were. But I consider them one of the best opening bands I've seen. I immediaitely went out and bought their debut "Realistic"(1995), one of *the* best albums of the '90s. First off, in my opinion, Ivy slips a tad from that release and "Apartment Life"(1997). Having said that, this is still one of the best CDs of 2001. Half of the album grabs you on the first listen. "Edge of the Ocean", "Disappointed", "Lucy Doesn't Love You"(great horns by Eric Matthews) keep the wonderful tradition of breezy Ivy pop going. Then other songs quickly become more prominent - "One More Last Kiss", "Undertow", and "Let's Stay Inside" to name a few. Ivy is branching out and going to more sampled and synth effects on "Long Distance" but, don't worry, the melodies are still there. Dominique's vocals also sound warmer. The thing is that there's no *spectacular* track with the effect that "Best Thing" (from "Apartment Life") or "15 Seconds", "No Guarantee", or "Don't Believe A Word" (from "Realistic") had. Those are classic pop songs - tunes that stay in your head for months. That's why I give this album 4 stars instead of 5. Buy it but make sure to buy the other two soon after!!

Digging Ivy's scene
Long Distance is a gorgeous CD, combining the lightest electronica touches with nice musical arrangements and lyrics about relationships, crumbling and otherwise ("Disappointed," "Lucy Doesn't Love You," "While We're In Love"). Other highlights include "Undertow" and "Edge of the Ocean," two songs that will sweep you away. Lead singer Dominique Durand has a sweet, sleek voice, and the songs are all incredibly catchy yet textured. I highly suggest checking out Ivy; I fell in love with every song on the album--it's soothing, and much more than background music.

Oh, and for those of you who saw "Shallow Hal," if you heard a few songs throughout the film that left you wondering "Who *was* that?": It was more than likely Ivy. The songs aren't on the "Shallow Hal" soundtrack, though, but they can be found on Long Distance.

Worry About You
I just watched The 4400 on USA network... that is where I heard Worry About You. An absolutely haunting piece of music with a magnificent musical arrangement. I only had the words to this song as the credits were so small as to not be seen while they hyped the show itself. The series seems to be good .. but this music is way way excellent. A search engine and an unrelenting will to know who sang this song and get my hands on it took on a life of it's own. I see from the picture that young miss Dominique Durand is a handsome looking woman.. if the other songs are as 'clear' as Worry About You.. this album is worth having... July 12, 2004 0345

Little known, excellent rock-dream pop
I found these tracks on Rhapsody. It was quite a revelation. This is a fun, well-put together collection. Well worth checking out if you like alt-rock-dream pop.

One Great, Mellow Album
The relaxing, mellow sounds of Ivy have gained broad commercial appeal, literally. The soporific, lo-fi dreamy "Edge of the Ocean" has been used to great, hypnotic effect in numerous commercials, and the farcical Jack Black/Gwynith Paltrow hit Shallow Hal. It's difficult to draw comparison to any contemporary artist, and even more difficult to determine how Dominique Durand has flown under the radar for so long, and not gained a prodigious following.
With that being said, this is one album for which to melt all of your troubles away. ... Read more

Album Description

U.S. edition of downtempo/trip hop duo's 1996 debut with 5bonus tracks added, 'Transcendence', 'Scene At The Open Air Market', 'Encounter In Bahia', 'Assault On Babylon' &'One'. Note - some import editions contained some but notall of these bonus tracks. ESL Records. ... Read more

Reviews (43)

Not as good as THE MIRROR CONSPIRACY, but solid
Rob Garza and Eric Hilton, a.k.a. Thievery Corporation, released SOUNDS FROM THE THIEVERY HI-FI, their debut LP, on their Eighteenth Street Lounge label. Picked up for international distribution by the influential British label 4AD, SOUNDS gained world attention. And it deserved it, this album is an impressive survey of Jamaican dub rhythms, chill-out ambience, and breaks.

Coming from Washington D.C., which has the largest Rastafarian community in the United States, Garza and Hilton are quite influenced by Jamaican traditional music and belief. Several tracks, most notably the tellingly titled "2001 Spliff Odyssey" and "Walking Through Babylon", use vocal samples from RASTAFARI ELDERS, a spoken-word CD that presents Rastafari that was issued in conjuction with the trip of seven Nyabinghi sect elders to the Smithsonian in 1991.

"Shaolin Satellite" is reminiscent of Massive Attack's PROTECTION-era work. Other tracks like "Universal Highness" and "Incident At Gate Seven" are chill-out tracks, with soothing female vocal samples relaxing the listener.

While I'm partial to the upper-class lounge of Thievery Corporation's second LP, THE MIRROR CONSPIRACY, I'd recommend SOUNDS FROM THE THIEVERY HI-FI to anyone who enjoys Jamaican-inspired dub or chill-out.

Definately A Crime
As a DC resident, I have avoided the Eighteenth Street Lounge like the plague. I like downbeat, trip-hop, and acid jazz music just fine. But it is the home of Garza and Hilton, the duo that has largely soured my taste for downbeat with this release and its many undeserved praises. I reluctantly purchased the album, as I am not one to keep a closed mind regading former opinions. I was a victim of thievery, indeed..."Sounds..." is lackluster and all hype.

Poorly programmed drum machines tinker on behind sparse samples and pseudo-reggae banter. Further adding insult to injury, the album borders on a rather immature approach to the studio, best left to the masters: Kosma, Tobin, Irresistable Force, STC and K&D. Thievery's attempt to engage the listener in so-called-ecclectic rhythms cashes in with more of a late-80's MC Hammeresque feel to it around the time that he filed for bancrupcy) while trying to go gangstah.

Downtempo fans beware! While some tracks are tolerable replicas of cool jazz, most of the CD bites the corporate dustbowl and ends up with blacklung. No originality or thought went into this piece. DC is not known for its ambient music scene, however; if this aids as an excuse for Garza and Hilton.

If you enjoy the "Band-of-the minute" or trendy music that will disappear under the passenger side of your car after two weeks, then this is the album for you. These guy should stick to what they know best...owning a lounge, not writing the music to be played in it...Thievery, indeed.

Chillout staples offer a near-masterpiece
For anyone new to chillout, World lounge or Brazilectro, "Sounds from the Thievery Hi-Fi" is as good a place to start as any. Still low-key while maintaining a driving sense of rhythm, Thievery Corporation prove themselves an essential electronica act on their first collection of original material (the band is also well-known for their remix and compilation work).

Tracks like "2001 A Spliff Odyssey" and "The Oscillator" beg for a sofa and a shaker of martinis at 2 a.m., and more insistent groovers like "Shaolin Satellite" and "Univeral Highness" are sure to breathe some life into any social gathering. Other cuts aren't so easy to peg; "The Glass Bead Game" spends almost four minutes as a mystical Bossa Nova before introducing a head-bobber of a drum loop, and "Incident at Gate 7" casts an ethereal spell that almost puts a sustaining effect on its funky rhythms.

The only thing that could have been shaken up a bit is the disc's range of tempo...sometimes the tracks are better appreciated when played in a changer rather than taking on all sixteen at once. But either way, "Sounds from the Thievery Hi-Fi" is solid proof that between their own fantastic work and their forward-thinking Eighteenth Street Music label, Thievery Corporation are clearly here for the long haul.

The Beginning of a Legacy
This is the first Thievery Corporation CD, and a monumental one at that. A groovy blend of Dub, Jazz, and Drums is the only way I can describe this CD. Thievery Corp nowadays has added more instruments and progressed their sound more but still; any Thievery Corporation fan should pickup this classic. Lay back and enjoy this amazing CD.

You'll be hooked...
...on Thievery. It is rare to find an album where every single track is equally AWESOME. There are few tracks in the whole of the chillout genre that are of the same quality as Thievery Corp's, and this album shows their very best work. If you liked "Mirror Conspiracy", this is a must-have. I cannot say enough good things about this album! ... Read more

Amazon.com

Bristol's Massive Attack released a classic with their first album, Blue Lines, but only those who were paying careful attention noticed; soon, they were overshadowed by the likes of Tricky and Portishead, who were colleagues. But not so after the release of Protection, which sported a massive hit and was just as critically acclaimed as their first album. (The hit was the title track, for which Everything but the Girl's Tracy Thorn lent her divine pipes--a move that made the act's name, and also presaged EBTG's move to the dance floor.) Eschewing the showmanship of their scene mates, Massive prefer subtler soundscapes and using a diverse range of vocalists (including Horace Andy, Nicolette, and Tricky) who give them a number of flavors and moods with which to work. Protection is an understated album with a rich palette; it reveals more of itself on repeated listens, growing better--and deeper--each time. --Randy Silver ... Read more

Reviews (73)

"Protection" left vulnerable by high expectations
When you release one of the most influential and unique releases of the past 20 years, what do you do for an encore? This is the no-win situation that Massive Attack had to face with their follow-up to 1991's seminal Blue Lines debut. Whereas that album simultaneously combined smoky hip-hop, inspired soul, and laces of "rasta", this album eschews many of those hip-hop and reggae elements in favour of soft jazz ('Weather Storm', 'Better Things', 'Heat Miser') and electronic-pop (such as the title track and 'Spying Glass'). Soundwise, it's a slightly uneasy mid-point between the raw urban flavour of Blue Lines and the unsettling bleakness of Mezzanine. Overall, Protection is another high-quality release, but it falls well short of these two benchmark albums. Musically and creatively, it is solid as expected (with the exception of their grating cover of 'Light My Fire' - but I didn't like the original either so there you go). However the combined danger and sensuality that marks Blue Lines and Mezzanine is conspicuously absent on Protection. Even Nicolette's raspy voice on 'Three' and 'Sly' rings somehow hollow. The album also fails to set a consistent groove: of the 10 songs, there are 2 jazzy instrumentals (both of them superb), 2 poppier tunes sung by Tracey Thorn, 2 eclectic cuts rapped by 3D and Tricky, 2 loungy rhythm-based grooves by Nicolette and 2 disappointingly un-reggae tracks by Horace Andy. This grab bag of vocalists and styles overall simulates the disjointed feel of a compilation disc. It not only lacks the cohesive flow of Blue Lines and Mezzanine, but is a bit bumpy in terms of quality as well. The cuts by 3D/Tricky, Tracey Thorn and the instrumentals are absolutely ace, while Horace Andy's usually amazing voice grates on both 'Spying Glass' and 'Light My Fire'. Nicolette's tracks are kind of in the middle, highly listenable but not the CD's bread and butter. Overall this is not the Massive's strongest release, but mediocre Massive Attack is better than 90% of other bands at the top of their game. It's a very good album that, however unfair it may be, is forced into comparison with their near-untouchable debut. If taken on its own merits, Protection will not disappoint.

Hits and Misses
Well, Protection has its hits and misses. I think the female vocals and lyrics are more impressive than the male vocals (except for Horace Andy, he's always good) in this one. Tracey Thorn shines in "protection" (bold lyrics) and "better things" and Nicolette, sounding like a modern day Billie Holiday, twinkles in "three" and "sly". Craig Armstrong's piano over the rubbery, slip and drag instrumental in "weather storm" is awesome. Tricky and 3D in "karmacoma" and "eurochild" are ok but lacks something that I just can't put my finger on. Martina sings a better version of "karmacoma" on Tricky's first awesome album, Maxinquaye, but under the title of "overcome".

I think more could have been done with "light my fire (live)" or it should have been left out completely. It just sounds like a space filler. Still, this CD should not be over looked by any trip hop enthusiast. Check out Massive Attack: Blue Lines and Mezzanine, Portishead: Dummy and Tricky: Maxinquaye for a better time.

Music to take a bullet to
The only thing I got out of listening to the title track, Protection, is fleeting remembrances of the movie The Bodyguard. This was not a good film. I am a great admirer of Tracey Thorne's voice and, as I said elsewhere, would listen to her sing the phone book; but this is not the phone book. This is teenage emotionalizing. Though I resonate with the idea of self-sacrifice, the whole point of self-sacrifice is to actually DO it, not to talk about how you would or should or might do it should the situation arise. The track is basically like listening to somebody saying, "You know, I'd like totally run in front of a bus to save somebody, knowwhamsain?" The whole point of self-sacrifice is that it is difficult to do. It certainly is not difficult to talk about doing, though. I don't know Tracey Thorne, but I am not really uplifted by the thought of her hypothetically jumping in front of someone to take a bullet for them.

Underrated 90's trip hop
While "Protection" might not be as good as their first album "Blue lines" and a bit overshadowed by other albums it's far from a bad apple in any way, actually one of my favorites with a distance. It's a bit unever though, some songs are close to perfection but some feels forgettable by now. The first song, the title track "Protection" is sang by Tracy Thorn from "Everything But the Girl" it's this albums best song and was a hit back them aswell. Tracy's haunting lyrics and voice fits the hip hop beats and samples perfect. The hook is also memorably good. "Karmacoma" is the normal Horacy Andy trip hop with rapping. "Three" is rather odd, decent song sang by Nicolette but could have been better. "Weather Storm" is a song to remember since it's slow jazz, completely diffrent from the rest of the songs here, it really showed the many influents Massive got. "Spying Glass" is reggae. "Better Things" is another Tracy Thorn song, it sound like a train, it has good beats and beautiful sound. Defenitely one of the highlight to not miss out. "Eurochild" is yet another rap song. "Sly" is with Nicolette, beautiful sound. "Heat Miser" is another highlight, it starts with fast piano playing and the sound of someone breathing deep. It got this mysterious feeling, great for a horror movie. Those kind of song is partly what makes Massive so pleasant. The album closes with a live remake of the Doors "Light My Fire" quite allright actually. Overall this is a very good album, forgotten by many but it has many highlight's worth taking a look at. A very good variety of sound and genre's and many songs with the great mysterious Massive sound. Recommended for anyone that likes something diffrent.

ANOTHER M.A. CLASSIC!!!
"Protection" is another classic Massive Attack album that breaks the mold in what trip-hop/dub music is. Not as strong as their debut "Blue Lines" or the phenomenal "Mezzanine", "Protection" still impresses with its sinsiter grooves, nigh-disturbing lyrics and poignant vocals. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The U.K.-based musician, film director, andFaithless cofounder JamieCatto and producer Duncan Bridgeman coproduced this impressive multimedia CD,which boasts an eclectic array of artists ranging from Senegal'sBaaba Maal and NewZealand's Maori artist Whirimako Black to the king of ambient,Brian Eno. This project,the fruit of a six-month, five-continent recording spree, is a funky, folkloric,and futuristic mélange of sampled indigenous instruments and electronica."Braided Hair" teams the rap-country vocals of Arrested Development's Speechwith the daring pop diva Neneh Cherry. The South African mbaqanga vocalsof the Mahotella Queensprovide the Afro-rave underpinnings for vocalist Ulali's poetic pleas forAfrican unity. The tantric trances of the South Asian syncopated tabla drumspepper the synth-laden "When You Dream," which featuresR.E.M.'s Michael Stipeand the Indian star AshaBhosle. Boundaries of nationality, time, and musical genre meld into groovesfor the head, hips, and heart that need no translation. --Eugene HolleyJr. ... Read more

Reviews (24)

Brilliant Effort!
When I first got hold of this CD, I thought it would be just another off-the-shelf world music album. How wrong I was. This CD has surpassed all boundaries and contains some of the best fusioned music ever released in recent times. From Kenya to India, it fuses an array of diverse musical talents and sounds from around the world. All 76 minutes of this CD is sheer listening pleasure. Listening to each track, takes you on the journey it was intended to. And Duncan & Jamie have released & produced a superb craftmanship in 1 Giant Leap. This album truly proves that indeed there is, Unity in Diversity. And thanks to Duncan & Jamie, that gap is bridged. Let the music speak to you as the sheer delight of the great musicians and thinkers involved in this project transcend you to an elated bliss. To sum it up, 1 Giant Leap is taking it's greatest leap ever!

Spiritual & musical journey - easily the best album of 2002
1 Giant Leap is a stunningly ambitious, moving and uplifting project featuring some of the most amazing musicians on the surface of the globe. It takes you on a spiritual and musical journey, evoking and stirring emotions, bringing a sense of unity and joy for the great artistic creativity in the world. 1 Giant Leap has a message; a purpose.

The album opens with Baaba Maal evoking sunrise over his native Senegal on 'Dunya Salam'. The spiritual, prayerful, soulful vocals are stunning and truly beautiful. It then moves into single 'My Culture' featuring British popstar Robbie Williams and rapper Maxi Jazz, whose unlikely pairing results in a strangely moving track with urgent lyrics, a sense of joy and fantastic production, with funky bass, trumpets and ethnic percussion. When all the music stops and Maxi says 'If I don't see that I'm strong then I won't be' it is a spine-tingling, affirming moment.

Next is 'The Way You Dream', another amazing track which again sees an unlikely pairing in REM's Michael Stipe and Indian superstar Asha Bhosle. It begins slowly with aromatic drums, atmospheric acoustic guitar and ethereal vocals from Bhosie, then a darker sounding guitar comes in with synths giving the track a mysterious feel. Michael Stipe sounds right at home in the ambient surroundings although it sounds nothing like REM, and then the music quietens before building into full on rave with trance keyboards, very fast drums, but still the vocals of the two singers sounding perfect.

Fourth is 'Ma'Africa', beginning with Ulali's sweet backing before moving into a fast, funky global dance track with the energetic vocals of the Mahotella Queens and a beautiful poem by Moseo calling for African unity. This is very powerful. Braided Hair is next, probably the most straightforward pop song it features Speech and Neneh Cherry who offer nice vocals and fantastic lyrics. Its great though not as ambitious as other tracks.

Ta Moko opens with a sample from Tom Robbins who offers very important advice that our regrets are over not spending enough time with who we love, not over work or money. When the track proper begins its a slow-burning, darkly mysterious track with vocals from Whiri Mako Black of New Zealand. Bushes again features vocals from Baaba Maal and while not quite as stunning as Dunya Salaam his vocals are always delightful.

Passion features a beautiful poem written and read by Michael Franti in his deep voice and then spiritual vocals from Uganda. Daphne opens with the great quote 'music is proof of the existance of God' and suitably is a spiritual track with jazzy bass and guitar. When the track gets into full swing its Eddi Reader, a UK folksy singer who takes the main duties.

All Alone on Eileen Shore is a mostly Western track, mostly because of the fact that Duncan, one of the two British instigators of the project, takes vocals. The track is the most similar to Faithless on the album (Faithless being the band that Jamie and Duncan are involved with). Although the vocals are vocoded, something I don't usually like, it makes them strangely sweet and ethereal and perfect here. The backing is mellow, ambient acoustic electronica. It the middle of the track it gets darker and we get Ram Dass, a philosopher, reading important, touching words. Parts of the track then are more ethnic. It is one of the album's best.

Racing Away is fantastic as we get the reggae vocals of Horace Andy over an ethnic electronica canvas which is amazingly effectively, and it has the spirit of peace and nature that is important in reggae. Grant Lee Phillips offers more conventional American pop-rock vocals but the melody and lyrics are still groundbreaking. Overall it is again one of the best tracks. The album closes with the eerie 'Ghosts' again featuring Eddi Reader which is haunting and a perfect closer.

Overall, this is a perfectly constructed album. It is for everyone, not just fans of world but of dance, electronica, funk, rock, pop, philosophy or just great music. Its message and ambition are so huge that it is enormously important. Its a true spiritually uplifting experience. Its the best of 2002 and one of the great world music albums ever. 5 stars.

If you buy only one DVD this year, make it this one!
Amazing. Vast undertaking, superbly realized. Spiritually moving. Shows the interconnectedness of all people, places, things. If you buy only one DVD this year, make it this one.

My only wish is that the music was available on a recording device other than CD, so that i could purchase it for my sister the luddite who eschews modern technology but would LOVE this!

The World Dreams in Music
Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born. ~Anais Nin (1903-1977)

The first time I listened to this CD, I listened to "All Alone" obsessively. I became so intoxicated with a feeling of immense completeness as every sadness in my soul dissolved into pure love.

The world could have disappeared and I would have been standing in the middle of a field of crimson roses all blooming to the sound of Duncan Bridgeman singing: "If you stay or if you go." The friend who sent me the CD said to listen to the track before I went to bed and I've never experienced such a healing gift. In life, you often meet people who will give you gifts your soul needs and then at times friends can work together to heal the world.

When Jamie Catto met Duncan Bridgeman it was a random moment in time. Like most creative friendships they found they had so much in common. Once they started talking they realized they had similar beliefs about the state of modern music. Jamie was the singer and keyboardist in the UK band Faithless and Duncan Bridgeman had been mixing albums for big-name artists. Together they have created a CD I can hardly believe exists.

I had no idea the impact it would make on me. I also didn't realize you could fall madly "in love" with a CD. ;) Once "My Culture" takes off, you are going to understand the meaning of "primal high on a soul level."

"I'm what I feel, what I'm feeling is surreal
I'm a mass of spinning wheels
Always digging in my heels
Now I've got the faith to

Fall back again
Crawl from the warm waters
Don't ever forget
You're on your feet again
Your feet again" ~My Culture

This CD is a spiritual journey into a land where you can escape from ordinary consciousness. You will feel you connect instantly with the universal wisdom in the lyrics. There is a richness of culture in the freeing dance of philosophy and world music. Multicultural voices mingle with beautiful intellectual tangents. Visual images dance through your mind as the music creates a deep soothing soul vibration that radiates through you like the most comforting feeling you have ever experienced.

"The Way You Dream" is one of my favorite songs as it blends the mysterious voice of Indian star Asha Bhosle with the completely intoxicating voice of Michael Stipe.

This CD also features Dennis Hopper, Kurt Vonnegut, Robbie Williams, Tom Robbins, Senegal's Baaba Maal, Ram Dass, Gabrielle Roth, the South African Mahotella Queens, Neneh Cherry, New Zealand's Whiri Mako Black, Revetti Sakalar and Eddi Reader.

1 Giant Leap is a fusion of sound and word captured through travels in Senegal, Ghana, South Africa, Uganda, Kenya, Bombay, New Delhi, Calcutta, Bangkok, South East Asia, Los Angeles, New York, India, Thailand, Australia and New Zealand. This CD is the result of recordings from 25 countries.

Jamie Catto and Duncan Bridgeman literally spent six months traveling across the globe with a mobile studio and crew. Together they recorded storytellers, shopkeepers, authors, artists, philosophers and even cabdrivers. Each song contains a mixture of sounds and lyrics from various parts of the globe.

The chants, ethereal cries and primal rhythms will at times send chills up your spine. When Michael Franti sings "We are alive with the spirit of our passion" you can't help wanting to live, and live for a long, long time so you can see all your dreams become a reality.

The entire CD really represents a unity humanity could strive for if they could find peaceful resolutions to the issues haunting us all. The themes of the album are death, confrontation, sex, money, blasphemy, faith, happiness, inspiration, time, masks and unity.

Healing, loving, intoxicatingly spiritual and poetic beyond words. Perhaps the most beautiful music I've ever heard. 1 Giant Leap shows our humanity, the wide diversity of cultures and the beauty of unity through music. ~The Rebecca Review.com

dreamy
I bought this cd because there are 2 members of faithless on here and i adore those folks. The music is just dreamy and add vocal cobos by the likes of Robbie Williams & Maxi Jazz(god i love his voice), Micheal Stipe & Asha Bhosle, Grant Lee Phillps & Horace Anday....What a great concept! Every track is perfect, but i have to admit i can't get enough of My Culture with Robbie WIlliams & Maxi Jazz, the guitar riff sounds almost like a sample from pink floyd, and the track The Way You Dream with Micheal Stipe and Asha Bhosle is just inspiring. Check out the track called Racing Away with vocals by Horace Andy, what a beautiful song and touching voacls. Oh, and by the way, be kind to animals, don't eat them.......go vegan! Peace! ... Read more

Reviews (36)

So rich and full of color
Well,I'm not an expert in "chill music",I'm just starting to explore it,but this cd has the quality of reminding me of a vacation I had when I was a teenager,were everything was sofisticated,wordly,charming,we would spend all day at the beach,chill out at sunset,and then spend all night in hot spots and cool nightclubs.
When I listen to this cd and close my eyes,I can see my self on a beautiful beach,having a great time,and I think that sometimes,that's more than enough to make a cd worth it's price,when you can be transported to a great place and relax a little,without leaving your place beside your stereo!!.
I recommend speacially the songs "Talking with myself '98" and "Transfatty acid".

A Must Have
This kind of CD you just need to have. Picture this: Room with dimmed lichts, fireplace,Wine,Cheese and the lady you love arround you! Cafe del Mar Collection, in total 6 cd's is a Must Have, buy without listening. Nice songs, instrumental pieces, always with the smooth sound of synths.

It's Not lounge
If you surfed your way to this page, chances are you like Downtempo, Lounge, Chill style. This CD plays in a different register. The tempo is more on the outskirt of Dance music. Jose Padilla's vocal choice on songs # 9, 13 and some others is anything but original. It even emphasize the Dance tempo. I wish if it was more subtle ...

Cult following
This is a CD that a German DJ (Caterina) gave to David Smith on the finale episode of Joe Millionaire 2 (it took a sharp-eyed viewer to recongnize the CD cover from a brief showing). Many followers of this show REALLY want to know about this woman- she is from Berlin, Germany and is involved in the DJ/music industry there. This is my introduction to this type of music and I look forward to listening to this CD many more times. I like to make my music fit my mood- not vice versa. Definitely good relaxing music!

soft chilling
Great music to unwind to on a weekend day. I own most of the Del Mar series and Volumes 3,4 and 5 are where its at. Takes me back to the poolside bars in the Greek Islands where I was first introduced to this series. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Goldfrapp's Black Cherry inhabits a dark alley, bristling with urban menace and throbbing with a deep electronic pulse--a far cry from their breezy debut, which gently led the listener to a fairytale aural utopia occupied by Parisian pop, whistling divas and baroque masters. Having given up the countryside for a neon-lit studio, Alison Goldfrapp and Will Gregory have infused Black Cherry with an intensity and brooding claustrophobia that's both exuberant and sensual. Simultaneously mellifluous and mechanical, tracks such as "Train," with its fiery industrial rhythm, steer Goldfrapp dangerously close to the ailing electro-clash scene, before veering back to more familiar territory with the likes of the sultry, downbeat "Black Cherry" and languid dreamy ambience of "Forever." Elsewhere our Hampshire-bred heroine gets deep down and dirty on "Twist," an ode to oral that finds Goldfrapp waxing lyrical to a fierce driving Kraftewerk-esque synth. No Felt Mountain to get lost in, but at least there's "Hairy Trees" to make up for it. --Christopher Barrett ... Read more

Reviews (57)

This black cherry is sweet.
Ever so the hybrid band that Goldfrapp is, they are really a success creatively (if not commercially). If you like their debut Felt Mountain, Black Cherry will definitely be on the top of your CD purchase list.

Brighter and more sensual than their 2000 debut, the duo comes back with an album that perfectly blends the new wave 80's sound with a touch of industrialism that's seldom seen. On the excellent debut single, a mechanical experience is created while the vocal of Alison Goldfrapp adorn the hyper rhythm. Elsewhere on the album, a dreamy landscape unravels with Forever.

On Black Cherry, you'd get a little of everything without ever losing sight of the road ahead.

Sexy, Stylish, Superb
Amazon.com's house reviewer seems to imply that Black Cherry is a weaker effort than its predecessor Felt Mountain. Not so, grasshopper! Different, well, yes, but that's the idea isn't it? Although Felt Mountain might have higher highs, it also has lower lows. You can throw Black Cherry on and listen right through without a single weak or "off" song on the entire album. ... Alison Goldfrapp vamps and vixens and uses that golden angel voice of hers to slither and sex-ate all over the place. The most powerful single song is Goldfrapp's soaring, pulse-pounding riff on Donna Summer's "I Feel Love," with Alison doing her fave Giorgio Moroder honor with the S/M anthem "Strict Machine." Following that is her best ballad to date, the ethereal "Forever." Both "Forever" and the title song "Black Cherry" give us a deeper and more direct Goldfrapp, far more affecting than anything on Felt Mountain. She's not hiding out behind lush instrumentals here. The album generally seems to revel in a kind of retro late-1970's decadence: it is straight synthesizer and drum machines from beginning to end, none of those John Barry-esque horns from the first outing. But it really doesn't matter. Black Cherry is a more mature, more stylized and, ultimately, better work than Felt Mountain. And, come on, given how good Felt Mountain was, that's really saying something. Get Black Cherry and make your ears happy!

Kinky in L.A.
There are already well written, articulate reviews here so I'll just say that Black Cherry grew to become my favorite of the two Goldfrapp albums. In fact, I made "an emergency" copy to keep in the office, for "difficult times"... Deliciously kinky and decadent (LA style) it always brings a smile to my face, all the more so since I've recently been to LA (1st time in America!) and absolutely LOVED it. Not much of a review, this, but I just couldn't resist expressing my delight and I note I'm not the only one to do so...

Sonic Excellence
This is one of the best CD's I own. If you must compare it to Felt Mountain then think of it as a comparrison between sex on bottom and sex on top, both are great. I don't even want to try and over-think this album because the sheer joy lof listening to something so powerfully transportational cannot be eclisped by fumbling analysis. Listen, just buy the record and if you want you can name your first-born after me as a small way of saying thanks fer the heads up.

Excellent Black Cherry!
Experimental ElectrobeatZ meetZ wonderful and nature talented Voice. She definetely needs no vocal coach. "Train" is a lil bit 70s glam-influenced and "Strict machine" can be a dancefloorfiller. "Black cherry" is such an great album, I love it! To see "Goldfrapp" live is also very interesting to watch. ... Read more

Album Description

'Pass In Time' is a collection of songs taken from BethOrton's three previous albums. Most noted for her subtlevocals reminiscent of 70's singer/songwriters such asCarole King & Carly Simon. Her music is a fusion ofgraceful acoustic folk, melancholy country-blues,down-tempo trip hop & dubby electronica. Includes thesingles 'She Cries Your Name', 'Someone's Daughter' &'Touch Me With Your Love', alongside B-sides, remixes,collaborations, & rarities. 24 tracks. Heavenly. 2003. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Definitive collection?
How can you have a definitive collection of Beth Orton, she is just starting out, she is amazing and I don't see her slowing down quite yet; but whatever.

OK so the record label took Beth's greatest moments and put them all on one CD, PERFECT! Then the found 10 remixes, rarities, etc., and put them on a bonus disc, EXTRA PERFECT! All the Beth anyone could want, right? Wrongo! There is never enough Beth.

But Pass in time is perfect, for true fans and obviously for newcomers to her music. Its the perfect staring point. Once you hear this you'll run out and buy up all the other stuff. This 24 song compilation is worth the purchase though for long time fans, if just for the bonus CD alone.

You may already have her 3 previously released CD's but all her best are here, "She Cries Your Name," "Galaxy of Emptiness ," "Stolen Car," "Central Reservation."

The bonus CD includes the first-rate collaboration with "the Chemical Brothers" on "Where do I begin," She teams up with "Terry Callier" on "Dolphins," and "William Orbit" on "Water from a vine leaf." A reworking of "It's Not the Spotlight" just for this release.

But the biggest bonus here are 2 tracks from her "Superpinkymandy" album (now out of print), John Martyn's electronic "Don't Wanna Know 'Bout Evil" and the delicate "Where Do You Go?" . Both tracks give you a quick peek at her beginnings.

Beth is an undeniably gifted artist who has been copied by many (Dido and Sarah McLachlan, etc.). Her voice and vision cannot be duplicated though. I am sure this collection is far from conclusive, I eagerly await future releases from a shining star among clones.

Currently my favorite CD
I have heard of Beth Orton but never heard her music. One of her other CD's was on the listening station at the musis store and instantly fell in love with her voice. Pass In Time was on sale that week so I picked it up. This has been the only CD in my CD player for the pass two weeks. I haven't gotten tired of it yet. It a refeshing mix of folk, upbeat and very listenable tunes. Both CD's in this package are excellent. Now I need to go buy her other CD's.

Pass the time with Beth
This double CD collection of Beth Orton songs is for anyone who cannot get enough of Beth Orton's wonderful music. I guess that includes me. It can be summed up as a greatest hits record with several remixes included. Disk one includes arguably her greatest tunes of all her three preceding albums with a previously unreleased song called 'The Same Day'. Side one also includes my favorite song by Beth, 'The Sweetest Decline'. I never seem to tire of the song and every time I hear it is like listening to it for the very first time. Disk two is even better. There are several remixes of older Beth material, a completely different version of 'Central Reservation', and older stuff by Beth with William Orbit. Also, there are some songs from Beth's very first album, 'Super Pinky Mandy'. This record is super hard to find, it was released only in Japan and only in very limited copies. I would definitely recommend this CD to anyone wanting to get acquainted with Beth's music. Buy this record and you will find yourself buying all the rest of her stuff. A winner! ... Read more

Amazon.com

You might expect the debut album from a woman who has collaborated extensively with Tricky and Orbital to be both wondrous and strange--and you'd be right to. What you might not expect is the depth of Alison Goldfrapp's beguiling, distracting 21st-century noir visions on Felt Mountain. She and her fellow composer Will Gregory can mix in Brechtian cabaret; classical instrumentation; left-of-field electronics; decadent, Gainsbourg-style French pop; and the odd piece of whistling on just one track ("Felt Mountain"). "Oompa Radar" almost reaches Tom Waits heights of infamy from the way familiar instruments come together in such a simultaneously comforting and alienating style. The baroque "Paper Bag," meanwhile, uncannily recalls Joe Meek's toy-town visions of 1960s grandeur. All this and a seductive vocal to die for. --Everett True ... Read more

Reviews (82)

Layers Of Quality!
One word to describe this c.d. would be interesting.The combination of part time Orbital vocalist,Alison Goldfrapp and film music composer,Will Gregory have certainly delivered a weird and wonderful(at times) c.d.I have to say it's certainly way more film soundtrack then Orbital this c.d.

The tracks themselves are very moody and atmospheric and they are very rich in sound and texture.Think of Portishead at their most moody meeting the grand string sweeps of John Barry.Golfrapp herself has a voice that is sometimes Beth Gibbons and on other occasions a sixties sounding Shirley Bassey.It is not a conventional c.d. this at all,I hadn't heard of half the instruments used here.So guitars,drums and bass are nowhere to be found on this c.d.You'd imagine that with music of such a vast and sweeping style that you'd have long,marathon tracks that slowly build up in atmosphere,but no most of the songs are the conventional 4/5 minutes in length.Many of the songs have absolutely no lyrics but consist of orchestral sounds to back up and enhance multi-octave vocal solo's.In fact I think a lack of lyrics actually enhances these songs as they are songs that create and build on an atmosphere,leaving the listener a very broad possible amount of moods to explore in these pieces of music.You never know are they sad or happy for instance-to take it at it's simplest level.In fact the mood of the tracks will almost certainly be dictated by the subjective mood of the listener.My own particular favourites are "Paper Bag" and "Lovely Head";yet these change regularly.This is an album of great depth and I have to say when I first heard it I thought it was pretty bad-but on each subsequent listen it was like a vast video role playing game where you constantly discover new elements and almost 'windows' to each track.

Yeah it would make the perfect film soundtrack-and this would be my only fault with this c.d..You really have to be in a certain mood to sit down,listen and appreciate this c.d.It would be a great c.d. to unwind or destress-if you ever felt the need.It certainly is not the sort of c.d. which makes you want to jump up and party!But it certainly provides for an interesting listen.Just wonder how they are going to follow this one up?

4.5 stars...float away, but beware of the undertow
It just takes one listen to Alison Goldfrapp's seductive voice to fall under her spell. It all sounds nice and comforting, but once you notice the lyrics of the songs and hear the unorthodox musical flourishes on Felt Mountain, you realise you're in for a slightly more twisted musical journey than you had expected.

A spectacular combination of myriad styles, ranging from Shirley Bassey, John Barry, Bjork, Portishead, Angelo Badalamenti, Burt Bacharach, and Kurt Weill, Goldfrapp and composer Will Gregory have put together an album that sounds oddly familiar, yet highly original. When Goldfrapp starts singing the jazzy chorus to 'Human ("are you human/or a dog"), it sounds like a lounge act from another planet.

Along with 'Human', the dark, sultry 'Lovely Head' ("Frankenstein would want your mind/your lovely head"), the bitter 'Paper Bag ("brown paper bag makes for a hat/when it rains on your head mate/cheers for that"), and the more conventional-sounding 'Pilots' kick off the record in fine fashion. However, the next three songs, the spacy, often indecipherable 'Deer Stop', the gentle, processed yodeling and dreamy scat singing on the title track, and the bizarre brass band flourishes on 'Oompa Radar' all take you into a musical twilight zone, where no musical influence, however odd, is safe.

Felt Mountain's brief sidetrack into the realm of the extremely eccentric sets you up for the album's finest moment, the utterly beautiful, yet sinister 'Utopia'. Over a steady beat and lush instrumentation arranged by Gregory with operatic backing vocals, Goldfrapp sings "I forget who I am/when I'm with you/there's no reason/there's no sense" before gently intoning "fascist baby" in the chorus. Just when you think the song is about a lover's emotional dominance, Goldfrapp returns with stranger lines like "my dog needs new ears" and "I'm super brain/that's how they made me". The song is amazing, both in the way it sounds, and how hard it is to pin down thematically.

Both Goldfrapp and Gregory shine equally bright on Felt Mountain. Gregory's musical arrangements have a definite cinematic quality to them as well sounding electronic (sans samples) while still emanating warmth. Goldfrapp's vocal talents are second to none; at times I thought wrongly that a theremin was used on the record, but it was in fact Goldfrapp's stunning voice. As she closes off the album in eerily gorgeous singsong-like "la la la"'s that slowly fade out, it's like seeing a beautiful girl run off giggling mischievously right after showing you something disturbing and grotesque. Felt Mountain overflows with unsettling beauty.

Truly an amazing experience
I had been EXTREMELY into Goldfrapp's singles Twist and Strict Machine for about 9 months before I even considered checking this CD out. People told me this album was really really strange - and while that's not a reason to avoid it, I did. However, I listened to Utopia which had originally been just ok in my opinion, and it COMPLETELY envloped me in it's beauty. I watched the video for Human and fell in love with Human. I had to buy this CD - so I did. I must say, in my opinion this CD is one of the best CD's out there. It's truly amazing.

Lovely Head (9/10) - The first single with a very strange video (it has 2 videos, both very strange). Great opening track. The whistling in the beginning really does add to the song. Overrall a great chill song.

Paper Bag (10/10) - Absolutely gorgeous song with a genius intro. This is probably tied with Horse Tears for the most emotional song on the CD. Very very chill song that could easily induce tears. One of the best on this CD.

Human (10/10) - Another genius intro (GREAT video too!) - This track really builds up over the entire course of the song, climaxing at the last chorus. It's the most upbeat song on the CD with a mix of electronica and big band sounds. The big band sounds have a very James Bond quality to them, mixed with the violins of course. It sounds like it could actually BE IN a James Bond movie. An AWESOME track and one of the best songs on this CD.

Pilots (10/10) - At first I didn't really like Pilots but now Pilots is seriously one of my favorite Goldfrapp songs. Accompanied by a very original (and great, of course) video, this song has strange lyrics that fit extremely well. Very, very chill song. The chorus on Pilots is beautiful. The violins in this song are eerie, alluring, and gorgeous all at once. Also one of the best on this CD.

Deer Stop (6/10) - One of the weirdest songs on this CD. Possibly THE weirdest on this CD. The vocals here are very... different, specifically near the end of the song. The violins here are very very nice but the rest of the song is just ok. This song is strange and not exactly in the best way... I mean the whole CD is strange but this song is strange in a VERY different way...

Felt Mountain (6/10) - This song is even weirder than Deer Stop. Yet again, strange in a VERY different way, and not exactly the best. Allison is singing on this track but it's either in a different language, or she's using her vocals as an instrument. At some parts it sounds like a different language, but during the verses it sounds more like she's using them as an instrument.

Oompa Radar (5/10) - Easily ties with Deer Stop as the weirdest song on the CD. Or maybe this one is the weirdest song by itself. Deer Stop is actually very pretty whereas this song is... very drug-induced sounding. So eclectic you may actually look at your speakers with that "wtf?" facial expression for the entire duration of the song. At least Allisons vocals are great as usual. The end of the song is actually pretty trippy too.

Utopia (10/10) - My absolute favorite song on the CD, and my favorite Goldfrapp song pretty much. This song is so AMAZINGLY gorgeous, genius, and unique. Also it has a beautiful video. Try driving around in nature during the twilight hours when the sun is setting and blast this song. It's literally an experience - a wonderful one at that. SERIOUSLY one of the BEST songs on the CD, and one of the best Goldfrapp has ever made. This song is reason enough to buy the CD in my opinion.

Horse Tears (8/10) - A piano-driven ballad that makes a great closing track. It's a really good song with a very lovely chorus. Great song - the violins make the song along with Allison's vocals.

Basically... BUY THIS CD! (if this is your kind of music that is). It's an amazing experience. This CD will continue to be constantly played in my CD player for many many many years to come.

mediocrity at its best!
Sorry to be the dissenting opinion here, but this album is not that great. Allison Goldfrapp is unconvincing, and lacks the charisma to be heard over this overproduced and highly derivative mess. High-tech glitchery and slick production (yes, even horn sections and strings) can never make up for weak songs and a weak performance. Must I remind you all of some of the formerly successful members of this lame music genre; Deep Forest, Enigma, Dead Can Dance, Enya, and Portishead, to name a few. This is commercial pop music for the middle-aged. Yawn. Skip this and go strait to Bjork's album Vespertine.

Talk About Your Androids' Dream...
I got this album after hearing one of her tracks on a TV commercial. At the first listen, I thought, "This is a nice enough album. A little eccentric in spots, but I like that." At the second listen, I already had gotten hooked on certain parts of some of the tracks. By the third listen, I was completely addicted. Now I can't stop listening to it!

It's mellow *and* dramatic without being >ahem< melodramatic. The vocals range from extremely intimate, for-your-ears-only, and childlike, to operatic and machine-filtered. The lyrics are somehow very affecting despite (or because of?) their frequent nonsensical quality.

There is a nice blend of organic and generated sound in the instrumental layers. (It's often difficult to tell which is which.) There's probably nothing that would have prepared me for the eclectic mix of styles, such as the tuba/polka sounds of "Oompa Radar."

Overall, a perfect album for summer listening. ... Read more

Reviews (13)

This is a story about a musician named Amon Tobin
Once upon a time, the only video games that had soundtracks worth buying separately were Japanese RPGs.Occasionally, a Western game would come along with a great compilation soundtrack (see the Grand Theft Auto series), but for the most part, music composed specifically for games was unable to stand alone as an artistic work.

Fast forward to the end of 2004.UbiSoft was making the third installment of their popular Splinter Cell series, and the need for some creepy, paranoid music naturally arose.Some inspired soul (whose name is lost to history) suggested that the job be offered to electronic artist Amon Tobin, perhaps thinking that his bass-heavy groovalicious style would adapt well to stealth based gameplay.The Powers That Be agreed, and gave Amon a lot of money with which to score their still-developing game.

When Amon returned after completing the soundtrack, the results were better than anyone expected.CHAOS THEORY struck a perfect balance between spooky ambience and jackhammer beats, often shifting rapidly between the two, but throughout it all there was an undeniable sense of beauty which did not exist in spite of the chaos but rather arose from it.Indeed, this chaotic beauty led many who listened to make comparisons to another artist, Aphex Twin.

But CHAOS THEORY was much more than an Aphex knock-off.Amon had put UbiSoft's money to good use, hiring an all-star lineup of studio players to make the soundtrack the best it could be.These studio session gave CHAOS THEORY a very organic feel that is usually missing from video game soundtracks, and was definitely absent from Aphex Twin's 2001 album, DRUQKS.

The album started off with "The Lighthouse," and while it wasn't necessarily the best track off the album, it was still pretty darn close, with a jerky bass riff that immediately created a sense of paranoia in the listener.It was the perfect setup to an album which cultivated a wide range of emotions, most of them disturbing.CHAOS THEORY never really let up on these emotions, instead, Amon simply switched from one emotion to another, from paranoia to panic to uneasiness and back to paranoia, often within a single track.

All involved with the project were so pleased that it was decided that Amon's soundtrack would be released several months ahead of the actual game.The reason for this was simple: where most consumers hear music in a game and then would desire to purchase the soundtrack, hearing this soundtrack actually made people want to play the game.Reviewers across the land encouraged everyone they met, even those with no interest in video games, to purchase the album, and all who heard the free MP3 of "The Lighthouse" provided on amazon.com were more than willing to fork over the cash to hear the rest of CHAOS THEORY, with the result that Amon Tobin became obscenely wealthy, and nobody payed any attention to the drivel that MTV played anymore.

And they all lived happily ever after.

Let Down
Amon Tobin, in the course of five months last year, became my favorite musician on the planet. Discovering his albums one by one (in a disjointed order) was such a delight that they were the only albums I listened to for weeks on end. I eagerly waited for word to come from Ninja Tune about when his next album would be released, and had a countdown when I finally had its January release date.
Months later, I am still somewhat disappointed. I was highly intrigued with the concept (especially seeing as how he would be the perfect candidate to score a futuristic sci-fi world-from-hell movie), but once I listened to it several times, the gimmick still stunk: a score for a computer game just does not translate into a full-lenght album. Granted, I haven't played the game itself, so I can't comment about how the music fits into playing it (though I imagine it would work rather well). You can still count on Amon to create an amazing soundscape with only samples (and here, live samples), but whereas his first four masterpieces took you on a real musical journey, this one is more monotonous, and arguably better fitted for a video game than the others would be. Here's hoping his next album is much better - what am I saying, of course it will be!

In 1 word Awesome!
Having always been a fan of the Splinter Cell games, I never really noticed until last night playing Chaos Theory, how good the actual music from the game was. I listened to the soundtrack and could not believe how awesome it sounded. Music for video games has evolved so much. I am a huge fan of this kind of music as well so kudos to Amon Tobin!
This soundtrack is put together very well. It does not sound corny or anything it sounds really great!

very well done
this sound track is very well done especilly like the little guiter riff in the Lighthouse

BRILLIANT
This CD is incredibly immersive.I listened to some of Tobin's earlier stuff and thought, yeah it's cool, but it's missing something.It's all here.He put an amazing group of international musicians together, and it shines amazingly.Tobin mixed, conducted, and produced it.Amazing talent.The drummer is amazing, especially on Ruthless.My favourite track is Kokubo Sosho Stealth.It's dark, has nice drum and bass, and harmonics.This is just like HALO 2.Not as good without the music.Now we just wait for the game. ... Read more

Amazon.com

With dark shades of dub and songs that stretch with patient grace, 100th Window finds trip-hop legends Massive Attack seeping through your speakers with the same eerie intensity they mined on 1998's revelatory Mezzanine. The burden of high expectations has been a constant for this band since they released the classic Blue Lines in 1991. Under pressure to produce yet another record that changes the playing field of dance music, the collective has turned in a brooding, orchestral work that profits greatly from collaboration. The breathy, distinctive voice of Sinead O'Connor elevates a song like "What Your Soul Sings" into a deeply affecting, candlelit nocturne, while Horace Andy's stylized vocal washes through the string-laden "Name Taken." O'Connor also shines on "A Prayer for England," a remake of "Safe from Harm" off Lines, as her barely contained emotions artfully collide with Window's stark, distorted production. It may not turn the world upside down again, but Massive Attack retains the power to keep you transfixed and blissfully off-balance. --Matthew Cooke ... Read more

Reviews (227)

Brokenhearted
As I sit writing this review of Valentine's Day, I am brokenhearted for various reasons. One reason is the brand new Massive Attack album, which I bought three days ago mere minutes after it was officially released. I've been waiting excitedly for this album for five years, but sadly, nothing lasts forever. I won't argue with those fans who claim Blue Lines as the best Massive Attack album, but I am a ridiculous fanatic for Mezzanine which is certainly one of my favorite albums of all time, in any genre. But the group tension that made that album so mindboggling and gutwrenching are gone. The true musical mastermind of the group, Mushroom, quit due to creative differences, and Daddy G announced a "vacation." So now Massive Attack is made up of the last original man standing, Robert Del Naja (3D), plus new songwriting collaborator Neil Davidge. Del Naja is certainly a good songwriter and is qualified to keep Massive alive, but this album is probably the beginning of the end.

The big guest vocal star this time is Sinead O'Connor who sings three songs, reminding us that once upon a time she was known as the incredible singer that she really is. Sinead also gets to unload some of her politicized lyrics in "A Prayer for England." Reliable Massive friend Horace Andy lends his always breathtaking and crystal-clear voice to two songs this time, but not even he can save the bland material he's working with. And "bland" is the key word here. Four songs are dragged down by the atrociously poor singing (a better word is vocalizing) by Del Naja. You already knew he has a flat voice, though on previous albums he actually functioned well as a counterpoint to Tricky or Daddy G. But here he just can't carry a song on his own. Musically, the super-advanced Massive trip-hop is still in effect, though without the punishing grooves and creeping dread of Mezzanine. Especially missing are the dope basslines, which are only present in the album's two best songs - "Special Cases" and "Butterfly Caught." Otherwise the music is still innovative, but heartbreakingly bland and featureless. Also, the album closes annoyingly with a basic synthesizer loop that repeats ad nauseam for eleven minutes (after "Antistar"). This can be ignored. The Massive magic still peaks out occasionally on this album, but we're seriously headed for light ambient territory here. Oh well, they've had a good run.

A brand new Massive
I've just recently became a huge fan of Massive Attack, and I nearly died when I heard they were releasing a new album. I was anticipating this CD and it delivered all the goods. This is a new Massive and it's an amazing one.

The songs are completely modernized. Massive Attack started from the roots of Hip-Hop, and Hip-Hop has influenced almost every song they've released. But with one member gone, the remaining two Massive members have to struggle through to get a good image of Massive Attack out to the new age, and they do it well. With sounds from Radiohead and Portishead influences, Massive Attack changes their image completely.

"What Your Soul Sings" is delivered well by Sinead, mixing with the synth sounds of 3D and Daddy G. The song has a very mellow, calm sound, which Massive is known for. "Everywhen" is another amazing accomplishment, with smooth sounds, hard beats and a very serene sound from Massive native Horace Andy. "Prayer for England" is a modernized, beautiful remake of "Safe From Harm" from their Blue Lines CD. And "Antistar" shines with a huge Radiohead influence.

This is Massive Attack for the new generation. Their wisdom and knowledge in the music business has brought together an amazing CD. Any Massive Attack fan must check this CD out, along with fans of Portishead and Radiohead. And being a Massive Attack fan, it's sad to say that there are no vocals from Daddy G in this CD, as well as no Hip-Hop influence from the great Mushroom. Let's hope this is not a farewell CD to the great Massive Attack.

OK at Best.
The fact that fans of Massive Attack are comparing their latest work (favourably) with Madonna's wretched music sums up very nicely everything that is wrong with this album. It adds absolutely nothing to their catalogue and Sinead O'Conner was a singularly uninspired choice for a guest vocalist. Finally, this is a "Massive Attack" album in name only, as two of the three absolutely essential bandmates left, leaving 3-D to his own devices to inflict this turgid dross upon us.

I'm a long-time fan of Massive Attack and have given this album many chances. I was a bit on the fence regarding it, but seeing so many desperate 5-star reviews from people with such obviously low expectations reinforces how far this band has sunk. My copy is already residing in the trash-bin.

Simply beautiful
Massive Attack does not fail on their fourth release with an album very similar to their third release Mezzanine. The songs flow very well from beginning to end and has a very haunting feeling to it. If you are a fan of Massive Attack and loved their previous release this CD is definately for you. Do not be fooled by bad reviews, this album is grossly underrated!

A Unique Vision of Electronica
"100th Window" is Massive Attack's forth album release to date, released in 2003. Though they've been well-known for a decade in the UK, this album gave them their biggest US success to date though still lowkey. This often overlooked group is one of the leaders in electronica/ techno music. Their unique style gives listeners an unforgettable experience through every listen. Whether their music is through deejaying and/or live instruments, they've always stayed on top. Though they've always been an incredible act, "100th Window" may be their best to date. They prove that they've wonderfully evolved as artists.

The dark and eerie theme displayed in these tracks give new meaning to electronica music. All of the sounds and instruments combined wonderfully give listeners the intended sensation. The variety of haunting styles keep listeners interested in every song, starting with "Future Proof". The intimacy is always present through the darkness. As the theme becomes deeper, the heartpounding effect becomes stronger. The strong and personal lyrics blend wonderfully with the background. The only other artist to accomplish such emotional words with electronica music is Madonna on her "Ray of Light" album. Their performances wonderfully express them soulfully, including guest vocalist Sinead O'Connor ("Nothing Compares 2 U", 1989) in "Prayer For England", "When Your Soul Sings", and the hit single "Special Cases". Despite the songs clocking in at over five minutes, Massive Attack never lose contact with their talents.

"100th Window" is great for several occasions, especially great during sex. Such tremendous music quality will surely continue pleasing listeners for a long time. If their musical evolution continues in the future at their past rate, their next album should have exciting expectations. ... Read more

Reviews (53)

Good...but could be better
Richard Dorfmeister takes a short hiatus from K&D to collaborate with Rupert Huber on their second effort, "Suzuki." I have not listened to their first("Opera")so I cannot compare the two. What I CAN do is compare it to Dorfmeister's collaboration with Peter Kruder. In this respect it falls short.

Unlike reviewers before me, I think Pearl In (track 1) is entirely appropriate. It pearls in (pun intended) to the rest of the disc and at the end (Pearl Off) is the perfect backdrop to the music, creating a well-rounded sound.

The Disc itself showcases the innovative and mixing talents of the two artists (now I know who contributes the dubbing/echoing sounds on K&D's music). The tracks are mostly average with a few standouts: Suzuki, Honey, Boss on the Boat, and Ocean Beat. Others fall short of the completely mellow sound that we, or rather, I, have come to expect from talents of Dorfmeister's caliber.

I like the CD, but I was expecting more, hence the 4 star rating. Still, if you want the complete collection of the artists' work, go ahead and buy it. In retrospect, you will come to enjoy the entire experience.
:-)

More like 4.5 stars...
A great downtempo album, full of minimalistic bass and beats that have grown on me as I continue to listen. Thoughtful pinches of jazz and bossa flavor the album throughout.

I first heard of Tosca off a compilation album with the track "Honey", a very pretty song. When I read that Richard Dorfmeister (of K&D Sessions fame) was behind this music, I knew I had to check it out.

The tracks are nice and consistent, but sometimes too similar; you won't find yourself always able to easily distinguish tracks from one another. You may not easily remember the names to too many songs.

Tosca's first work, Opera, seems a lot more jumbled and much less smooth than this music.

SUZUKI
The best relaxing music journey that will take you to another world like the white sands of the tranquil beach where the ocean's whispers embrace your soul.

Tosca's best work
The smoothest treble, the funkiest bass, and all manner of silky, sliding beats and noises in between give this Tosca album a style and quality yet to be reproduced by the duo.

After hearing tracks from this album and "Opera," on the internet radio station Monkey Radio, I felt it was my duty to find out who this mysterious 'Tosca' was. Turned out it was made up of Richard Huber and the latter half of Kruder & Dorfmeister, a duo for which I already had much respect. The choice of Opera and Tosca was a tough one, but after listening to both, I can say Tosca is the more solid effort.

Though not as gritty as Opera, Suzuki effortlessly moves through many worlds of sound, keeping a consistently funky beat going for each song. Each song on this album has a beat that will creep into your head without knowing it, and before long you'll know which beat, rhythm, and theme goes with each song on the album.

Even though Dehli 9, Tosca's next original album after this, contains two CDs, don't let twice the CDs fool you. With a second disc containing what sounds like Huber hungover, stammering on the piano for an amazing beat similar to what opens and closes Suzuki, Dehli 9 boils down to one CD with some good highlights, but overall a drag for the latter half.

If you're picking and choosing for the Tosca album to be happiest with, and don't mind missing out on Opera's Chocolate Elvis, Suzuki will keep you in a very happy place for a very long time.

New to me and Great.
I had never heard of Tosca before Amazon recommended this to me. I was happily surprised. The first half of the CD is highly textured trance using layers of original vocal percussive sounds and wordless spoken syllables on top of solid, balanced harmonies. The music gets progressively more jazzy as the CD goes on moving into a unique acid jazz/bossanova/trance mix. It has great character and rhythm, and importantly excellent dancibility. If you enjoy Underworld, Orbital, and/or acid jazz then try this out. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential recording

Her first album following the breakup of the Sugarcubes, Debut is Icelandic trickster Bj&ouml;rk's statement of purpose: bringing curious experimentalism to the dance floor and putting her startling, expressive voice front and center. Her perspective is a little alien--it's no accident that the first song talks about "getting close to a human"--but her leveling of genre distinctions has some wonderful results, especially the eroticized easy-listening reggae sway of "Venus As a Boy." Paired with producer Nellee Hooper (of Soul II Soul), she comes up with a series of invitingly artificial settings for her pipes, built from late-night beats and peculiar timbres, and sings like she's overwhelmed with joy from all her senses. --Douglas Wolk ... Read more

Reviews (113)

The Single Best Usage Of A Recording Studio Ever !!!!
If one word can sum up Bjork's Debut. The word breathtaking comes to mind. Never have I popped into my CD player an album that I can play from end to end and feel the same exact exhilarating thrill even after what must be the 1500th time I've played it!It's a perfect recording from start to finish. Absolutely no filler in this one. Bjork uses her amazing voice, her flawless sense of rhythm & her creative sense of genius to sheer perfection. Conjuring up a deliciously eclectic mixture of sounds guided along by the punky pixie's unique character & charms this CD boasts something for everyone. From the pulsating house beat of "Big Time Sensuality" to the exotic tropical beats of the powerful & moving "Aeroplane". From the Bacharachesque feel of the lilting "Venus As A Boy", the fierce Techno throb of "Violently Happy" to the omnious dramatic haunting single "Human Behaviour" (Quite possibly the finest single ever made, there are few artists who can conjure up enough diverse sound to appeal to the wide range of folks one can imagine getting into this album. Bjork is one of music's great little treasures & her's is a voice we are lucky to have!

Bjork's most accessible album - an excellent intro.
Although I am partial to Post as my favorite Bjork album, Debut is an excellent place to start for those interested in checking her out for the first time.

More dance-oriented than her subsequent releases, Debut was 4-5 years ahead of its time upon its release in 1993. Many are familiar with the kettle drum groove of the first track, "Human Behavior", from its run on MTV years ago. The rest of the album is quite different and is also very eclectic.

The star of the show, of course, is Bjork's voice. The sorrow in her voice on "Crying" is so strong that it almost compels one to tears. Not an easy achievement on a polyrhythmic dance track. (Whitney Houston, eat your heart out!) Her voice is also well showcased on a harp-accompanied cover of the old standard "Like Someone In Love".

Other standout tracks include the happily emotive (and vocally expressive) "Big Time Sensuality", the gentle dance groove of "One Day", and the conversational voice/saxaphone interplay of "The Anchor Song".

Classic Bjork - Debut
Bjork is back with a new sound...her own.

1. Human Behaviour - The first single from Debut. This is one of Bjork's earliest songs and still one of the best. Her voice soars and has one of the greatest videos I've ever seen. 10/10

2. Crying - When I bought I was hesitant to any song I hadn't heard before. I was letting the cd play one day from Anchor Song and on and this came on. It is wayyy better live though. But still one the best songs on the cd. 9.3/10

3. Venus As A Boy - A really good Bjork but it really does depend on your mood. It's very poppy and upbeat. It has some great Icelandic lyrics though. 8/10

4. There's More To Life Than This - I first heard a sample of it in a Bjork Megamix (Igor's Violenty Happy Remix w/Depeche Mode). I loved it. I downloded it and bought the Venus as a Boy single just so I could get the studio version (Non Tiolet Mix). 10/10

5. Like Someone in Love: Annoying. I absolutely hate it. 0/10

6. Big Time Sensuality : When I first heard the fluke version I loved it from the beginning to the end. This version is way better though. It sound very 'Ray Manzeryck' like. 10/10

7. One Day: I love her voice but I don't listen to it often b ut nontheless it is a very very good song. 8/10

8. Aeroplane: Definetly my favorite song on the cd. At first it sound indimated and unproportionate. It is on of the best songs she has ever written. Better live though. 10/10

9. Come To Me: Hate it. 0/10

10. Violently Happy: Let's put it this way...it should have been on the Greatest Hits CD.....10/10

11. Anchor Song: I love the jazz sections and Bjork's voice. It simply soars through the song. 10/10

Over all rating: 8/10 or... 4/5

One day it will all make sense...
"Debut" is such a fabulous album because it seems to age along with the listener. At 19, when I first heard this music, I didn't know what Bjork hinted at when she wrote "One Day."
Now, at 27, I cry when I hear the song because I can feel the movements of my first child inside my womb. She perfectly expressed the hopes of motherhood without actually mentioning babies at all. True to her subtle nature, she playfully weaves a tapestry of meaning using baby sounds and ambiguously playful lyrics ("The aeroplane will glide gracefully around the volcano/ with the eruption that never lets you down.")
"Debut" is chock-full of such expressive gems, and should convince even the most casual listener that Bjork is more than a kook in a swan dress; her artistic vision is matched by an enormous talent that removes her by light-years from her contemporaries.

Bjork's solo debut excels
If I were forced to categorize this music, I would have to call it techno, but it escapes the sense of sterility and coldness that I associate with that genre through the expressive power of Bjorkfs unique vocal style. From the moment many years ago that I first heard the Sugarcubesf gBirthdayh on our local college radio station, the unrestrained passion and joy in her voice captivated me. I have never heard anyone sing like this before, and the fact that this extraordinary voice is wedded to quality material with innovative rhythms, melodies, and arrangements makes this disk a real winner. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Blame it on the bossa nova, but this chickhas got soul. By filtering her Portuguese roots through the trip-hop she was weaned on, Nelly Furtado creates a hypnotic form of R&B/alternapop that at times sounds like Fiona Apple, Macy Gray, and Gwen Stefani all rolled into a Portishead song. Cutting her teeth at four Lilith Fair dates before even having a record contract, Furtado seems accelerated far beyond her 21 years. Listen, and you can hear the Portuguese fado tradition, Brazilian beats, flashy urban rhymes--enough snap, crackle, and pop to fill your breakfast bowl. Put your ear closer to the speaker, though, and you can sense that this is the sound of a multicultural young woman finding her own identity through all the pop she's been fed. If you're someone who likes to sing along to soaring vocals orwho likes to get hip to a new star before she goes supernova, this is an albumto own. --Heidi Sherman ... Read more

Reviews (357)

Dust CD off before playing, it'll be in rotation for a while
Nelly Furtado does what a thousand Mariah's can't do; sing from the soul. I think she knows that singing is more than just contracting and expanding the diaphram, it's about attitude, feeling, and emotion. This debut CD is chock-full of it all.

When you first give it a go, the first thing you notice is the unique beats and rhythms. In a musically desolate world of slick and over-produced albums, this one is truly a fresh concept: the singer writes her own songs... what an idea!! Like classic artists of yore, the words are heartfelt without being overly sentimental. The sheer audacity of the album is really what won me over, though. It doesn't pull its punches, and much of it is clearly felt through Nelly's smooth (though sometimes chatty) crooning.

The only caveat I have to say is that despite its fast-beat and jumpy nature, it really has only one ballad, the last track "Well well." Otherwise, this is surely a CD for the hip party-thrower, it will definitely give the party a funky ambiance. There's even a title about "Parties." A very very exceptional first album. I am looking forward to Nelly's future projects.

This album will be in my CD player for a long time, and it ought to be in yours as well. Go get your copy of Whoa, Nelly! today.

Whoa Nelly , Whoa
indeed, this is by far the best pop album I have ever heard. This woman can sing, and not just about shallow, and piddly meaningless things either.
If your a fan of artists who write their own stuff, and have depth behind their songs, than you have no choice but to instantly fall in love with Nelly Furtado. And if you like music that cracks the mold of normality than this is also the cd for you. Using beats that resemble Trip hop, more than Modern pop; in most instances Nelly Blends a style she formed in the underground scene. With deep lyrics and a voice that is mezmerising to say the least. Everyone needs this album!

Standout tracks include. 2. On the radio, 3. Baby Girl, 7. Trryin , and 9. Well, Well. Not to mention her smash singles , Turn out the light, and like a bird.

P.S :And if you get the Chance to see her in concert don't pass it up! She might be the most gorgeous of all the popstars. Buy the album, see the show, you won't be dissapointed I promise you.

One of the best debut albums I've ever heard
When Nelly Furtado released her debut album in 2000, critics loved it but that was pretty much it. Then she released "I'm Like a Bird" and people started snatching up this album pretty quickly. Many thought she would be a one-hit wonder, but then she released "Turn Off the Light" and scored another big hit. I bought this CD because I heard "...On the Radio" and decided to finally give her CD a chance.

This album did not disappoint. I was very impressed by how unique and original this album was, considering it was only her first album. Rather than try to sound like others, she crafted her own unique and instantly identifiable style her first time out. Her voice is as cool and different as her music.

1)Hey, Man!: great song to start the album. I love the violin at the beginning.
2)...On the Radio: this is an excellent song. She strikes down all those fake people who like an artist until they start getting famous, so they start hating that artist because they "sold out" and it's the cool thing to do. In this day and age, this song really means a lot.
3)Baby Girl: another great song. I love the chorus and the beat.
4)Legend: good song. This song has a really cool sound.
5)I'm Like a Bird: her signature song. It was overplayed, but it is still as good as the first time I heard it.
6)Turn Off the Light: I love this song. Everything works here. The video was also very memorable.
7)Trynna Find a Way: really cool beat. It has a good feel to it.

8)Party: another good song.
9)Well, Well: the chorus is great. I like this song a lot.
10)My Love Grows Deeper Part 1: good song. I like the line "My love grows deeper everyday and takes a little piece of me."
11)I Will Make U Cry: I love the beginning. I think it's cool she used a language you don't hear everyday in her music.
12)Scared of You: great song. For all those who think she doesn't have a very good voice, listen to this song for proof that you're wrong. It is also a great way to end the album.

I highly recommend this CD. Nelly Furtado blends so many styles of music (pop, trip hop) into this album you can't really put label on it. The only real way to describe it is with one word: fantastic.

Can't live without this album.
Ok, I won't lie. I bought this cd years ago for one song- "I'm like a bird." After I gave the cd a whole listening to, I found that although, "I'm like..." is a great song, it doesn't compare to "Hey Man!" or "Babygirl." I have had 4 people buy this cd after hearing it. The opening violins, to Hey Man, it's just insane. I take this cd everywhere. I can't live without it.

fell in love wit the girl and her music!
shes what started my love of music! ... Read more

Reviews (5)

"Tiny field mice singing gospel"
La Maison De Mon Rêve is essentially a tale of two sisters' dreams and fantasies: CocoRosie are Sierra and Bianca Casady, two Brooklyn siblings - the former a student of classical opera in Rome and Paris, the latter a wild child who started singing a cappella on street corners and bars - who rediscover one another in Paris, city of dreams. They hole themselves up in a small apartment in the 18me arrondissement in the spring of 2003 and eventually surface with this music box of sleepy-eyed, light-as-air melodies.

This is an album that compels you to make 'if' conjectures: if Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain had been an album, it would have sounded like this; if Björk ever picked up an acoustic guitar and lived in a van in Alaska like Jewel, this would have been the result.

The first song, Terrible Angels, sums up the mood perfectly as the ambient noises of the sisters' Paris flat and recorded barnyard animal noises add idiosyncrasy to the questioning, childlike vocal duet: "If every angel's terrible, then why do you welcome them?" The wistful, helium-pitched gospel stylings of By Your Side add a faded linoleum tinge, as Sierra warbles "I'd wear your black eyes, bake you apple pies...I just wanted to be your housewife", while listening to the unpolished, organic '70s style acoustic guitar melody of Good Friday is like eavesdropping on the two sisters as they tinker away quietly in their white-shuttered flat. The tinny sounds of Tahiti Rain Song evoke ethnic music heard through a scratchy, broken-down transistor radio while sitting in a thatched hut in a steamy jungle.

Their record company labels them "tiny field mice singing gospel" and, for once, the hype is spot on.

Beautifully Daunting Memoirs (4.5/5)
"I'll iron your clothes / I'll shine your shoes / I'll make your bed / And cook your food / I'll never cheat / I'll be the best girl you'd ever meet / And for a diamond ring / I'll do these kinds of things / I'll scrub your floors / Never be a bore / I'd tuck you in / I do not snore." - Sierra Casady

If you believe in the idea that big things come in small packages, La Maison de Mon Rêve is the type of album you'll want to hear. It comes in the form of a duo called Cocorosie. What makes the album immediately charming is the restrained humility that surrounds each of these songs. From the extremely gentle, yet very old-fashioned, vocals of Sierra Casady to the sparse organic sounds performed by her sister Bianca, La Maison de Mon Rêve is expressive art in its most basic form. Although it's blatantly obvious that the easiest reference here would be Devendra Banhart and his ghostly style, there are additional layers in Cocorosie's music that make it just as promising as anything Mr. Banhart has currently completed. This is primarily due to the fact that there are more instruments and textures in Cocorosie's work.

One of the most influential things about Cocorosie is the fact that they've actually (re)invented a genre consisting of folk, hip-hop, and blues that has never been pursued prior to today. What that genre will be called remains to be seen, but I'd call this album a dense study in "delta folk-blues." Funny enough, because if you research back to the beginning of blues music, you'll find that there aren't too many (if any) female artists from the 30s, 40s, or 50s that played the same type of music as a Robert Johnson or Skip James. Fifty years later, however, Cocorosie actually possess these qualities that were missed by the female artists of those periods.

Not all of La Maison de Mon Rêve is folk and blues based. In fact, on songs like "By Your Side," "Not For Sale," and "Hatian Love Songs," there are tiny hip-hop beats that give the album yet another unlikely dimension. The single greatest element of this album is the vocals given up by Sierra. Her vocals and songwriting abilities are passive, yet entirely effective ("Jesus Loves Me" and "By Your Side"). These are the types of songs I've never heard before; at least in this context. The lyrics themselves are worth their weight in gold; but the entire album is a forward-thinking piece of music.

Only on rare occasions do artists come along and create something completely detached from the rest of the field. They immediately become a trendsetter, and inadvertently inspire many other artists to attempt the same sound. This Parisian duo is one of those artists. I can almost guarantee you haven't heard anything like it in the past, but we'll probably see a lot of imitators in the future. I get extremely excited when things like this come along and remind me that big things do come in small packages. And for the time being, La Maison de Mon Rêve remains the most original sounding album I've heard this year.

Bewitching, Baffling and Beautiful
When I was younger and hadn't heard as much music I used to quite often get this feeling of wonderful confusion and a kind of dizziness when I heard NEW music. I used to think "what is this? I've never heard anything like this before but I think I like it". That feeling has become a rarer and rarer result from things I've heard over recent years but it happened with this album.
There are gospel influences here but in a similar way to it has touched Daniel Johnston's music. The lyrics are almost as beautiful and bewidering as the twinkling, rattling, beeping and buzzing music. Highlights include By Your Side, Tahiti Rain Song and West Side. The is a trully odd delightful thing of rare beauty and something to be both championed and cherished.

Glitchy, Inspired, Beutiful
Well, I too had the pleasant surprise of catching CocoRosie at a tiny Florida gig with TV on the Radio this spring, and I admit up front I didn't know a thing about the sister duo. I put in a bit of work, and downloaded a promotional track and read a brief background. A pair of sisters, having been separated for years, reunites in a quite Paris flat to record and reconcile. Well, this story of each maturing vocally along separate paths was very evident. As the two quietly got on stage and got seated on stool, the scant crowd began to settle in cross-legged around the meager stage, and the two encouraged it. As they began to play, Sierra - armed with an acoustic six string and sporting a seafaring hat in her best Captain Stubing imitation - opened up with a startling opratic aria like vocal display that caused me to sit up and take notice. Sierra joined in with her sisters mournful guitar plucking, first glitching off sound bytes from some children's recording and playback toy in tempered staccato fashion, then lendeing her unique voice to the mix. Taking the vocal lead in most songs, I think a lot of people were thrown a bit by her voice. Nasal and almost childlike at times, my girlfriend asked me later if I had found it annoying. "Heck no" I answered, and proceeded to play my collection of Billie Holiday cd's for her when we got home.

The above formula seems to best sum up their style and the style present on La Maison De Mon Reve. Most songs featured Sierra making a commotion with various found noismakers while caterwauling mournfully, backed by the stunning voice of her sister and her willowy acoustic pluckings. For an example of the glitchy found-sound rythem section Sierra creates, I might cite the end of track 10, "Madonna". One my favorites is "By Your Side", with lyrics that conjure up Lady Day not only in tone but in substance, I recall them recreating this number on stage with some recorders of some sort managing the volume and effect by simply moving it around and closer and then back from the mic. Stripped down but complicated; eclectic but somehow steeped in tradition, this album is certainly worth taking a chance on to see if you too are surprised, and thus rates a generous 4 star rating.

Carol Channing meets scary grandma voice
I saw Cocorosie open for TV on the Radio. It was a unique night of vocals. Vocals that rarely see the light of day (or night) in indie rock clubs.
Minimal percussion (minimal instrumentation in general) which gives the record a nice blues feel. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Using the same exotic, sly production style that made 2000's impressively resourceful Freaks & Icons such a hoot, Dzihan & Kamien's Gran Riserva is filled with sensual, unpredictable sounds and the occasional ass-shakin' beat. After a remix record that further explored the Freaks material (the hit-or-miss collection Refreaked), D&K have emerged with an entirely new set that slips and slides all over the map of trip-hop, lounge, house, and jazz. While the sunny, sexy "Basmati" plays around in the surf, other tracks, like "Drophere," live in a quieter, ambient space. In fact, the duo seem to have a hard time bringing their tone back up after breaking out the excellent but mellow vibe of "Where's Johny Sabatino." Happily, the gorgeous blip-pop loops of "Gutenmorgenduft" come along to give the record a sweet coda, though the track cries out for an extended remix. Mixing Kruder & Dorfmeister-like inventiveness with a restrained up vibe, Dzihan & Kamien create deep, thoughtful music that's fun at the same time.--Matthew Cooke ... Read more

Reviews (21)

Thought my CD was skipping; no, that's just how D+K get down
Subtle, yet in your face, classy, yet raw, vintage-laden, teched-out, scratched-up, plain sick acid-jazz/disco/funk miscellania and minutia like you have not heard before.

This CD is so hot and raw that you can't help but squint and grin when you hear it... only if you're down with the REAL cheesecake, that is (that would be this album, of course).

'Basmati' and 'Sliding' are by FAR the two standout cuts on this album. 'Airport' would be my next pick of the choicest cuts, albeit, if not in the same category as the latter two. I won't waste any time describing these tracks 'cause words won't do them justice, imho.

As a part-time funk musician/composer (piano and keyboards), i must admit that, in general, the only credibility I lend to any piece of music is that earned by its 'groove,' if you will. Some people may use the terms 'drive' or 'beat' instead. With this kind of music, lyrics only matter to serve the groove; it doesn't really matter what exactly they are saying, long as it sounds good with the music; that's why the best lyrics in funk are often just plain scatting or pure nonsense.

This CD is only for people who 'get' what good acid-jazz is; if you don't know the difference, then this album will sound no different to you than the other 50,000 or what not garbage wannabe acid-jazz compilations that pollute the shelves of the 'Dance/DJ' section of your local record store or the virtual ones of Amazon. Perhaps if more people knew the difference, we'd have less garbage to sort through to find albums like this.

bloody excellent!
Seriously, these guys, most popular for their song "After", have really hit it with this album. I bought it last night and listened to the whole thing. I never hit the skip forward button on the cd! Honestly, every track was worth listening too. How rare is that? Especially on a cd that's mostly instrumental. To sum up the sound of this cd - it's like a cocktail party with chilled drinks, cool people, and the casual flirtation leaving you with endless possibilities for the evening....for those of you who understand something like that, you'll highly appreciate this album. Buy it now!

Do yourself a favor....
.....dzihan & kamien sets the standard in downtempo electronica. I picked up Gran Riserva, mainly for the hypnotic track "Thrill" and was very impressed. Not one bad song. Freaks & Icons is very smooth as well.

Others to check out: Afterlife, kruder & dorfmeister, Micatone, grand tourism, and koop.

any other recommendations greatly appreciated at kwalitee@juno.com!

yeah... tasty beats!
I'd been eagerly awaiting for D&K to put something new out. I was (and still am) completely enthralled with "Freaks & Icons". "Gran Riserva" dishes up plenty more of those highly addictive middle-eastern flavored beats that I just can't seem to get enough of! My favorite track is "Dundadeova". The musical components are so jazzy & fluid , elastic & funky. I love its 30's syle rag/blues vox layered with lotsa bass and riddim. I couldn't get it out of my head for a week straight and that's saying a lot for someone with musical A.D.D.! "Basmati" is super-sexy... feels kinda like Cleopatra kickin' it in Ibiza! "Sliding" is starting to grow on me with its harder-driving dub textures. Excellent tunes... keep it coming, guys!!

the new standard...
It's been a long time since a cd gave goosebumps song after song.....I put this cd on my car and went for a drive, it was an exquisite experience, from song 1 till the end, it was beatiful, danceable, smooth, every song was better than the one before...
After this you have to stop calling them the next K&D, and start calling some new comers "the next Dzihan & Kamien"...all ready a personal all time favorite...just listen to Airport and you'll know what I mean.....enjoy... ... Read more

Amazon.com

An oasis of calm amidst the turbo-fueled clubbing tornado that is Ibiza, Caf&eacute; Del Mar is the White Isle's original home of red-eye chill-out vibes and weepy sunset soundtracks. The series of compilations bearing the bar's name, meanwhile, have long patented that authentic sound of Balearic bliss (even claiming Madonna as a huge fan), and this seventh volume maintains the high standards. Founding DJ Jose Padilla may have long moved on, but his successor, DJ Bruno, is clearly well aware of the old adage about not fixing what ain't broke. There's the usual mix of names well known (Moby, Bedrock, Nightmares On Wax) and head-scratchingly obscure (Uko, Lux, Aromabar), but the sound of beautiful music for loved-up and lazy beach bums stays the same. Frankly, this sounds as good at home as it does on the early-morning terraces of San Antonio. --Calvin Bush ... Read more

Reviews (28)

Drifting and Dreaming
Of all the Cafe Del Mar CDs I have (3,5,6,7 and 8), I enjoy listening to this one the most. Jose Padilla has moved on, but Bruno clearly understands the definition of "chillout".
Lux's opener, Northern Lights, sets the pace, and is followed by a remix Afterlife's Breather 2000. Incidentally, Steve Miller has a hand in both groups, and both reappear on Volume 8. Apart from Northern Lights, Deep & Wide's Easy Rider, and Beautiful Strange by Bedrock are worth mentioning. Among the best tracks is Moby's Whispering Wind, which was later included on the Play b sides. I do not know why it wasn't on Play, because in my opinion, it is better that anything on Play. Nightmares On Wax have done an amazing remix of a song by Bush, Letting The Cables Sleep. Bush are a rock band, similar to Blur and Oasis, but this track fits seamlessly onto the album.
This disc is good after a long day, during an easy day, at any time during the day. You can listen to it, or play it in the background. It's not good if you need some solid music to get your teeth into, but otherwise, it's great.

unique downtempo grooves
A year after buying Vol. 7 and Vol. 8, I still find myself spinning these grooves up. Timeless downtempo joy.

Nikolai Safavian Says Get This
This tops the Del Mar collection. It is also among the best played in clubs in Bukara and Baku. Every person has music moments that need this.

I'm definetly hooked
This is the first volume of this series that I got. All I can say is, superb!
The quality of the music in this CD is absolutely amazing. If you're looking for something calm yet trendy and cool you will definetly like this.
I'll be adding more volumes to my list very soon.

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU
I'm so grateful for such beautiful music. Put this on, the whole world opens up. It is so gorgeous it makes you glad to be alive. That ain't no jive! You need this CD in your car, at the bar, even in war. It extends your vision SO FAR! That beat, so great--don't hesitate! Hear it--with God you've got a date. For this CD there's not enough stars to rate. Thank you all world class musicians for CHILL OUT DOWNTEMPO--It's heaven sent for us below! ... Read more