Tuesday, June 30, 2009

894. Le Tigre - Le Tigre (1999)



















Track Listing

1. Deceptacon
2. Hot Topic
3. What's Yr Take On Casavetes
4. The The Empty
5. Phanta
6. Eau D'bedroom Dancing
7. Let's Run
8. My My Metrocard
9. Friendship Station
10. Slideshow At Free University
11. Dude Yr So Crazy!!
12. Les And Ray

Review

Finally, a really great album. Unfortunately it is the last one for at least three albums... the next three albums are god-awful... just a warning. Afterwards we might be getting back to better stuff.

Now this album is a nifty one, it sounds like Tom-Tom Club in a more punky mood. This is natural seeing as the singer here is coming from Riot Grrrl Bikini Kill, another great band.

There is one thing which kind of annoys me, there is a bit too much topic and name dropping going on here, furthering their feminist agenda... not that there is anything wrong with that agenda, only with the fact that it sometimes sounds pretentious. Still the music is so infectious and great... and reminds me so much of a time when music was better that this is up until now the best album of 99.

Track Listing

1. What's Yr Take On Cassavetes
2. Deceptacon
3. Hot Topic
4. Dude Yr So Crazy!!

Final Grade

10/10

Trivia

From Wikipedia:

The song "Deceptacon" was featured in the 2006 Norwegian film Reprise.

Deceptacon:

Monday, June 29, 2009

893. Les Rythmes Digitales - Darkdancer (1999)




















Track Listing

1. Dreamin'
2. Music Makes You Lose Control
3. Soft Machine
4. Hypnotise
5. (Hey You) What'S That Sound?
6. Take A Little Time
7. From: Disco To: Disco
8. Brothers
9. Jacques You Body (Make Me Sweat)
10. About Funk
11. Sometimes
12. Damaged People

Review

Les Rythmes Digitales harks back to the 80s in this faux French electronica album. Using the technologies available to the late 90s they make a pretty fun album which goes beyond bad taste and becomes a parody of its style, hence becoming pretty nifty in the process.

If there is anything particularly great about this album it is the fact that it makes you want to put on a wife-beater and some leather trousers and boogie on down to the nearest gay bar. It is just that infectious.

It might really not be your kind of music, but it is hard to be unmoved by the music, dancy and fun like most electronica albums haven't been since the late 80s. The tribute to a lost era is even reinforced by having Nik Kershaw sing in one of the tracks! Oh and only a very tongue in cheek disposable dance album would reference Soft Machine and Kenneth Anger in the same track!

Track Highlights

1. Jacques You Body (Make Me Sweat)
2. Hypnotise
3. Music Makes You Lose Control
4. Sometimes

Final Grade

9/10

Trivia

From Wikipedia:

After British electronic musician Stuart Price, the sole member of Les Rythmes Digitales, began to gain attention for his collaboration with artists such as Madonna, Darkdancer was re-released on 5 September 2005 in the UK as a dual CD/DVD set that included some unreleased songs, song remixes, and the videos for "(Hey You) What's That Sound?" and "Sometimes".

Jacques You Body:


Sunday, June 28, 2009

892. The Flaming Lips - The Soft Bulletin (1999)

















Track Listing

1. Race For The Prize
2. Spoonful Weighs A Ton
3. Spark That Bled
4. Slow Motion
5. What Is The Light
6. Observer
7. Superman
8. Suddenly Everything Has Changed
9. Gash
10. Feeling Yourself Disentergrate
11. Sleeping On The Roof
12. Race For The Prize (2)
13. Superman (2)

Review

For Indie Baroque Pop at its best you can always rely on The Flaming Lips, with their fascinating mix of Indieness and almost prog sensibilities this album is a joy to listen to throughout.

This being said it is not as Allmusic states the best album of the decade, far from it, it is not even the best album of 1999, although it is certainly in the top 5 of this pretty shit year. At times the album flags a bit, not all songs are perfect...

The songs are, however, extremely catchy, with the first tune getting further into your head by being repeated at the end in a slightly different version. The Flaming Lips make their music so good mainly for two reasons, one is the lyrics, the other one is managing to always have a great musical hook even if the sound is extremely full. Very good album, even if not perfect.

Track Highlights

1. Race for the Prize
2. Waiting for Superman
3. Feeling Yourself Disintegrate
4. The Spiderbite Song

Final Grade


9/10

Trivia

From Wikipedia:

The album was considered to mark a change in course for the band, with more traditional catchy melodies and accessible-sounding music (their previous album, 1997's Zaireeka, was a quadruple album of experimental sounds meant to be played on four separate stereo systems simultaneously) and lyrics that were more serious and thoughtful in content.

The album was noted for its fusion of ordinary rock instruments, electronic beats and synthesizers. Its large, layered, symphonic sound has also earned it a reputation as the Pet Sounds of the 1990s from a few critics.

Race for the Prize:

Saturday, June 27, 2009

891. Moby - Play (1999)

















Track Listing

1. Honey
2. Find My Baby
3. Porcelain
4. Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad?
5. South Side
6. Rushing
7. Bodyrock
8. Natural Blues
9. Machete
10. 7
11. Run On
12. Down Slow
13. If Things Were Perfect
14. Everloving
15. Inside
16. Guitar Flute & String
17. Sky Is Broken, The
18. My Weakness

Review

There must be few albums where almost all the songs are so instantly recognisable. In the transition from the 90s to the noughties Moby was a pervasive presence not only in clubs, but also in adverts, films, TV series etc. You could not spend a day without being hit with something from Play.

Now that a decade has passed one can look at the album a bit more removed from its constant presence. It is easy to understand why the album was so popular, never before had pop and electronica been so successfully integrated. The appeal of the album is massive, it is hard to dislike it...

That being said if there is an album which has been overplayed this is definitely it. Even a decade is not enough space to be able to listen to it with no flashbacks. Still it is a very smart work, the use of samples, mostly from old Blues recordings, is quite brilliant, the production is perfect and the songs are short and easily digestible avoiding the fatigue that often comes with 7 minute long electronica songs. These have a definite beginning, middle and end, working more as pop or for those not really committed to their electronica.

Track Highlights

1. Honey
2. Bodyrock
3. Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad?
4. Run On

Final Grade

8/10

Trivia

From Wikipedia:

Play was the first album ever to have all of its tracks licensed for use in movies, television shows, or commercials. One of the more notable commercials featured golfer Tiger Woods playing a round of golf around New York City to the tune of "Find My Baby", but countless other uses of the album's songs are documented. Moby did not individually approve each commercial use, but it is unknown what sort of financial arrangement, if any, was reached. According to Wired magazine, the songs on Play "have been sold hundreds of times... a licensing venture so staggeringly lucrative that the album was a financial success months before it reached its multi-platinum sales total."

Honey:

Friday, June 26, 2009

890. Death in Vegas - The Contino Sessions (1999)


















Track Listing

1. Dirge
2. Soul Auctioneer
3. Death Threat
4. Flying
5. Aisha
6. Lever Street
7. Aladdin's Story
8. Broken Little Sister
9. Neptune City (Andrew Weatherall Mix)

Review

We are reaching a point in time where electronic music has clearly moved out of the dance context and into more experimental fields. Well maybe I should say that it has returned to a more experimental field, as the most clear influence on this album is that of krautrock.

Seeing as I deeply love krautrock I do welcome this move, however the execution could have been much better and in spite of all the technological advances it still does not beat the original stuff that it is inspired on.

So yeah I quite liked listening to this but I'd still rather put on Future Days or Tago Mago by Can than what amounts to a rehashing. In fact Death in Vegas compromises a bit for the sake of commercialism... still it has a pretty great track with the Godlike Iggy Pop.


Track Highlights

1. Aisha
2. Dirge
3. Aladdin's Story
4. Soul Auctioneer

Final Grade

8/10

Trivia

From Wikipedia:

In 2000 the album was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize.

Aisha:

Thursday, June 25, 2009

889. Nitin Sawhney - Beyond Skin (1999)



















Track Listing

1. Broken Skin
2. Letting Go
3. Homelands
4. The Pilgrim
5. Tides
6. Nadia
7. Immigrant
8. Serpents
9. Anthem Without Nation
10. Nostalgia
11. The Conference
12. Beyond Skin

Review

Much like Talvin Singh, Nitin Sawhney attempts to mix Indian classical music elements with modern western musical genres. In some respects Sawhney is more accomplished at achieving this than Singh.

Sawhney's mix of Indian and Western elements sounds more natural and seamless than Singh's. Sawhney has more of an R&B sensibility rather than an exclusively dance music sensibility. This permits him to explore a broader range of music and at times it works extremely well.

All of this being said, the album still feels a bit like a loungy affair, music made at times more for the sake of mood than musicality. This is tempered somewhat by the political message inherent in the album, which is often only truly noticeable from the interesting use of samples referring to Nuclear proliferation. In the end it is still a bit too tame.

Track Highlights

1. Homelands
2. Beyond Skin
3. Broken Skin
4. Nadia

Final Grade

8/10

Trivia

From Wikipedia:

Sawhney states in the booklet that the album "has a timespan that runs backwards", beginning at Broken Skin with the India-Pakistan nuclear situation and ending at Beyond Skin with Robert Oppenheimer quoting the Bhagavad Gita - "Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds".

Homelands:

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

888. Beth Orton - Central Reservation (1999)

















Track Listing


1. Stolen Car
2. Sweetest Decline
3. Couldn't Cause Me Harm
4. So Much More
5. Pass In Time
6. Central Reservation (Original Version)
7. Stars All Seem To Weep
8. Love Like Laughter
9. Blood Red River
10. Devil Song
11. Feel To Believe
12. Central Reservation (The Then Again Version)

Review

Beth Orton gives us a folksier fare with this, her second album. Primarily known for her collaborations with plenty of trip-hoppers, her voice always had the right timbre for folk music.

The fact that her voice is so reminiscent of people like Sandy Denny makes for both the greatness and the downfall of the album. Orton is at her best when the song is at its simplest and she can shine through. When you get some late 90s beats it all sounds dated.

A prime example of this can be seen in the two versions of the title track, one being mostly acoustic and the one that closes the album being more "chart friendly", which means tackier and now considerably more dated. The mix of these two kinds of music in the album is what makes it considerably less than perfect, but she has a great voice.

Track Highlights

1. Pass In Time
2. Stolen Car
3. Love Like Laughter
4. Blood Red River

Final Grade

8/10

Trivia

From Wikipedia:

The album also featured notable contributions from folk musician Terry Callier (with whom she also recorded the b-side "Lean On Me"), Dr Robert and Ben Harper. Several tracks were also produced by Ben Watt of Everything But The Girl.

Stolen Car:

Monday, June 22, 2009

887. Slipknot - Slipknot (1999)


















Track Listing

1. 742617000027
2. Sic
3. Eyeless
4. Wait and bleed
5. Surfacing
6. Spit it out
7. Tattered and torn
8. Me in side
9. Liberate
10. Prosthetics
11. No Life
12. Diluted
13. Only One
14. Scissors

Review

How boring can you get? It is not a question of heaviness, as they really are not the heaviest thing we've had on the list, but it is so boring... it is hard to tell one track from the next.

There are some interesting elements about it, the percussion is definitely heavy, there is some mixing of genres, such as thrash, speed and death metal going on here, but they are too similar genres for it really to count as some great innovation.

There are elements of more melodic singing in this, but not enough to create real variety in terms of sound. So it is a relentless boring attack. Some people might like it.

Track Highlights

1. Wait and Bleed
2. Sic
3. Scissors
4. Eyeless

Final Grade

5/10

Trivia

From Wikipedia:

After the release of the album, the band was accused of copyright infringement regarding the lyrics of the song "Purity". Taylor was inspired by a story he had read about a girl named Purity Knight who was kidnapped and buried alive. Although Taylor insisted that he thought the story was true, the author claimed it was fictional. The author objected to its use in the song and Slipknot were forced to remove "Purity" and its short sample-filled prelude "Frail Limb Nursery" from the album. As a result, the band released slightly remastered standard and digipak versions of the album in December 1999, replacing both tracks with "Me Inside". The band however still play the song during live performances and it is included in the band's second DVD Disasterpieces as well as the live album 9.0 Live.

Wait and Bleed:

886. Travis - The Man Who (1999)














Track Listing

1. Writing To Reach You
2. Fear
3. As You Are
4. Driftwood
5. Last Laugh Of The Laugh
6. Turn
7. Why Does It Always Rain On Me
8. Luv
9. She's So Strange
10. Slide Show

Review

Yawn. Not bad... but yawn. Travis have clearly been listening to Radiohead and Suede and it shows, but they also take it in a direction which is particularly whiney. So it is packed full of power ballads which do little for me.

For what it is, it is a pretty competent album, well produced, well played and sung, the lyrics are nothing to write home about, but they are also not terrible... even if sometimes they are a bit too whiney, as stated before.

This is really not the kind of stuff that rocks my boat, and even if the album is not totally devoid of humour (notice the song references in Slide Show) it seems to take itself way too seriously. It therefore feels a bit too adolescent in parts. Again, not terrible but very blah.

Track Highlights

1. Why Does It Always Rain On Me
2. Writing to Reach You
3. Driftwood
4. Slide Show

Final Grade


7/10

Trivia

From Wikipedia:

The Man Who is the second album by the Scottish indie pop band Travis, and the album that brought them into international recognition. It was first released in late spring 1999, and reached #1 in the UK albums chart, and #8 in Australia. It also helped the band win two BRIT Awards in 2000, when the album was also released in Canada, with "Why Does It Always Rain On Me?" as the first single, instead of "Writing To Reach You" which was the album's first single in the UK. The album was co-dedicated to Stanley Kubrick.

Why Does It Always Rain On Me:



Sunday, June 21, 2009

885. The Magnetic Fields - 69 Love Songs (1999)

















Track Listing

Disc: 1

1. Absolutely Cuckoo
2. I Don't Believe in the Sun
3. All My Little Words
4. Chicken With It's Head Cut Off
5. Reno Dakota
6. I Don't Want to Get Over You
7. Come Back from San Francisco
8. Luckiest Guy on the Lower East Side
9. Let's Pretend We're Bunny Rabbits
10. Cactus Where Your Heart Should Be
11. I Think I Need a New Heart
12. Book of Love
13. Fido, Your Leash Is Too Long
14. How Fucking Romantic
15. One You Really Love
16. Punk Love
17. Parades Go By
18. Boa Constrictor
19. Pretty Girl Is Like
20. My Sentimental Melody
21. Nothing Matters When We're Dancing
22. Sweet-Lovin' Man
23. Things We Did and Didn't Do

Disc: 2

1. Roses
2. Love Is Like Jazz
3. When My Boy Walks Down the Street
4. Time Enough for Rocking When We're Old
5. Very Funny
6. Grand Canyon
7. No One Will Ever Love You
8. If You Don't Cry
9. You're My Only Home
10. (Crazy for You But) Not That Crazy
11. My Only Friend
12. Promises of Eternity
13. World Love
14. Washington, D.C.
15. Long-Forgotten Fairytale
16. Kiss Me Like You Mean It
17. Papa Was a Rodeo
18. Epitaph for My Heart
19. Asleep and Dreaming
20. Sun Goes Down and the World Goes Dancing
21. Way You Say Good-Night
22. Abigail, Belle of Kilronan
23. I Shatter

Disc: 3

1. Underwear
2. It's a Crime
3. Busby Berkeley Dreams
4. I'm Sorry I Love You
5. Acoustic Guitar
6. Death of Ferdinand de Saussure
7. Love in the Shadows
8. Bitter Tears
9. Wi' Nae Wee Bairn Ye'll Me Beget
10. Yeah! Oh, Yeah!
11. Experimental Music Love
12. Meaningless
13. Love Is Like a Bottle of Gin
14. Queen of the Savages
15. Blue You
16. I Can't Touch You Anymore
17. Two Kinds of People
18. How to Say Goodbye
19. Night You Can't Remember
20. For We Are the King of the Boudoir
21. Strange Eyes
22. Xylophone Track
23. Zebra


Review

Just look at that track listing! 69 love songs filling up three CDs reaching almost three hours in music. You might think that no one could make an album like this and still be consistently good throughout. And Stephin Merritt proves you wrong.

At first it is all too much to take in, you start off by admiring the sheer scope of the album, the variety of musical forms, some of the wittiness of the songs, the way it tries never to bore you by shifting along, the tributes to other love songs, etc.. It is only around the third listen through that the songs gain individuality, you recognize them and you start having favourites.

When this happens it is hard not to love the album. All the songs are pretty great, and you develop a certain affinity to the sense of humour in the album and you will of course like some songs better than others, the thing is there are so many to choose from this can be quite an overwhelming listening experience. I was really afraid of this album, three hours was always going to tire me... well it didn't and I am sad to see it go. Maybe it should be taken into account that it is wedged between Skunk Anansie and Incubus on one side and Travis and Slipknot on the other... hence these were really three hours of rest from crap each time it came on. Thank you Mr. Merritt.

Track Highlights

1. Papa Was a Rodeo
2. Zebra
3. Busby Berkley Dreams
4. The Night You Can't Remember

(I could probably select 20 more to go here).

Final Grade

10/10

Trivia

From Wikipedia:

The album was originally conceived as a music revue. Stephin Merritt was sitting in a gay piano bar in Manhattan, listening to the pianist's interpretations of Stephen Sondheim songs, when he decided he ought to get into theatre music because he felt he had an aptitude for it. "I decided I'd write one hundred love songs as a way of introducing myself to the world. Then I realized how long that would be. So I settled on sixty-nine. I'd have a theatrical revue with four drag queens. And whoever the audience liked best at the end of the night would get paid."

Busby Berkley Dreams:

Saturday, June 20, 2009

884. Incubus - Make Yourself (1999)



















Track Listing

1. Privilege
2. Nowhere Fast
3. Consequence
4. The Warmth
5. When It Comes
6. Stellar
7. Make Yourself
8. Drive
9. Clean
10. Battlestar Scralatchtica
11. I Miss You
12. Pardon Me
13. Out From Under

Review

Incubus is basically pretty inoffensive lowest common denominator nu-metal crap music. The whole album is defined by this, it has a wide appeal for the worse reasons, it is not challenging, not smart, not awful... its just bland and slightly annoying and adolescent.

Now usually I fill up three paragraphs with each review. But really there is not much to say about Incubus... so let's talk about the weather. It has been pretty hot here, they say it'll be 38 celsius tomorrow... which for you Americans is 100.4 Farenheit... hot.

It has been quite sunny as well, was down at the beach today, on the esplanade which is the best place to be in, with a cold drink. Been taking my driving license, and I have to write an article on religious symbolism in Asian bladed weapons for the catalogue of an exhibition. They'll pay me big bucks so that's nice. Incubus is not so nice.

Track Highlights

1. Stellar
2. Drive
3. Battlestar Scralatchica
4. Out From Under

Final Grade

6/10

Trivia

From Wikipedia:

To many fans, Make Yourself represents a significant shift in the band's sound, with higher quality production sounds, a more mellow, experimental tone to it than its precursor, S.C.I.E.N.C.E. and more complex, sophisticated lyrics.

Stellar:

Thursday, June 18, 2009

883. Skunk Anansie - Post Orgasmic Chill (1999)

















Track Listing


1. Charlie Big Potato
2. On My Hotel TV
3. We Don't Need Who You Think You Are
4. Tracey's Flaw
5. Skank Heads
6. Lately
7. Secretly
8. Good Things Don't Always Come To You
9. Cheap Honesty
10. You'll Follow Me Down
11. And This Is Nothing That I Thought I Had
12. I'm Not Afraid

Review

A blast from the past. This is more so than other albums of the time because this has been pretty much forgotten in the intervening 10 years... and for good reason. There is really not much to this album, there are a couple of quite interesting tracks and some hit singles but other than that... meh.

It's a middle of the road late 90s rock album which had uncommon success. Probably the most unique thing about it is the presence of Skin, a black female vocalist in a genre dominated by white men. This is reflected in many of the lyrics and it is the thing that sets the album apart and gives it some appeal.

Gender and racial politics aside there is not much musically to set this above plenty of other crap. Still, On My Hotel TV is a genuinely great track influenced by people like the Slits which is pretty good... the singles are mostly tired and lacklustre but still manage to evoke a certain fin-de-siécle nostalgia.

Track Highlights

1. On My Hotel TV
2. You Follow Me Down
3. Charlie Big Potato
4. Lately

Final Grade

7/10

Trivia

From Wikipedia:

Two album covers exist - the European version with the band lounging in an oceanside apartment, and the American version with the band standing on the Atlantic City boardwalk.

You'll Follow Me Down:

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

882. XTC - Apple Venus, Pt. 1 (1999)
















Track Listing

1. River of Orchids
2. I'd Like That
3. Easter Theatre
4. Knights in Shining Karma
5. Frivolous Tonight
6. Green Man
7. Your Dictionary
8. Fruit Nut
9. I Can't Own Her
10. Harvest Festival
11. Last Balloon

Review

Finally! An album that I actually really enjoyed listening to throughout. It probably says something about the music in the late 90s that it had to be an album which was looking back at the 80s, 70s and 60s which pleased me. The latest run of albums has been so god-damned dreary and non-enjoyable that I was starting to get really tired of this list.

XTC give us an album where the influences of synth-pop, Beatles and Beach Boys meld seamlessly into an album which sounds timeless. Comparisons to the Beach Boys' Surf's Up are in order here, that is how much I liked this. The lyrics are in turn poetic, surreal, angry or funny and all excellent.

The musical use of harmony here is really counter-intuitive for the late 90s. In fact this is so different from what was happening at the time that it sounds original even when it is clearly not. Man are the 90s overrated, at least the 80s had a sense of fun.

Track Highlights

1. I'd Like That
2. Easter Theatre
3. River of Orchids
4. Knights in Shinning Karma

Final Grade

10/10

Trivia

From Wikipedia:

It was the first [album] on the band's own Idea Records through Cooking Vinyl (catalogue number COOKCD 172) and distributed in the United States by TVT Records. It reached #42 in the UK.

I'd Like That:

Monday, June 15, 2009

881. Suba - Sao Paulo Confessions (1999)
















Track Listing

1. Tantos Desejos
2. Voce Gosta
3. Na Neblina
4. Segredo
5. Antropofagos
6. Felicidade
7. Um Dia Comum (Em SP)
8. Sereia
9. Samba Do Gringo Paulista
10. Abraco
11. A Noite Sem Fim
12. Pecados Da Madrugada

Review

Just to let you know that Sao in the title of this album actually has a tilde over the a, but as I am using a British keyboard and can't be bothered figuring out the code for tilded a I am writing Sao. Now that that all important fact is out of the way let's get to reviewing.

So here's is some chill out music with a Brazilian beat. Nice. And that is about all that can be said about this album. If you are new to the kind of rhythms used here it might actually be interesting for you, if not... meh.

Being Portuguese myself and being aware of Brazilian music from a very early age none of this is particularly mind-blowing. This is particularly true because Bossa Nova/Electronic music has become its own musical genre by know with varying degrees of success. So it doesn't sound fresh, or innovative or anything really. It is, however quite "nice" in the sense that it doesn't annoy you in any particular way. That's good... I suppose.

Track Highlights


1. Felicidade
2. Samba do Gringo Paulista
3. Antropofagos
4. Voce Gosta

Final Grade

7/10

Trivia

From Wikipedia:

Core musicians on the album are then 21-year old vocalist Cibelle, and veteran percussionist João Parahyba; additional musicians include mangue band Mestre Ambrosio, and guitarists Roberto Frejat, Edgar Scandurra, and Andre Geraissatti, and vocalists Katia B., Taciana, Joana Jones and Arnaldo Antunes.

Felicidade:

Sunday, June 14, 2009

880. Boards of Canada - Music Has The Right to Children (1998)
















Track Listing

1. Wildlife Analysis
2. An Eagle In Your Mind
3. The Color Of The Fire
4. Telephasic Workshop
5. Triangles & Rhombuses
6. Sixtyten
7. Turquoise Hexagon Sun
8. Kaini Industries
9. Bocuma
10. Roygbiv
11. Rue The Whirl
12. Aquarius
13. Olson
14. Pete Standing Alone
15. Smokes Quantity
16. Open The Light
17. One Very Important Thought

Review

Boards of Canada bring us a moody ambient album, this is the kind of stuff people will often call IDM (intelligent dance music), although I hate that term, as there is no SDM and it always makes fans of slightly less dance oriented electronic music sound like pillocks.

That being said, the album is pretty interesting in terms of sound, a bit like Eno crossed with Aphex but never really reaching the apex of quality of any of those two. The influences are quite clear,however, but they never fall into imitation, so that is good.

In spite of the fact that the album is quite interesting it never really goes much further than that. It has a hard time engaging the listener in the music, when it does, however, it can be quite rewarding, those moments are quite few and far between, unfortunately. Still, an interesting listen.

Track Highlights

1. Turquoise Hexagon Sun
2. The Color of the Fire
3. Roygbiv
4. Aquarius

Final Grade

8/10

Trivia

From Wikipedia:

It was published by Warp Records and released on 20 April 1998 in Europe and 20 August in the United States. The album was produced at the Hexagon Sun, the duo's personal recording studio.

Turquoise Hexagon Sun:

Tuesday, June 09, 2009

879. Kid Rock - Devil Without a Cause (1998)
















Track Listing

1. Bawitdaba (Greenpoint Brooklyn)
2. Cowboy
3. Devil Without A Cause
4. I Am The Bullgod
5. Roving Gangster Rollin'
6. Wasting Time
7. Welcome 2 The Party (Ode 2 The Old Skool)
8. I Got One For Ya
9. Somebody's Gotta Feel This
10. Fist Of Rage
11. Only God Knows Why
12. Fuck Off (Shaniqua Cooper)
13. Where U At Rock
14. Black Chick White Guy

Review

Another sub-par album on the list. Yes it might be the best Kid Rock album ever made, but when was that a good thing? It's a bit like saying "the best fungal infection" or "the best herpes". It's always going to be a bit shit.

Fortunately the album is only a bit shit. I was frankly expecting worse but it hasn't made me suddenly admire Kid Rock in any way. The album is mainly obnoxious and as if Kid Rock's obnoxiousness was not enough he enlists Eminem to rap for him!

I mean it's a match made in hell Kid Rock and Eminem is just a bit more than I can take. Both exceedingly annoying in different ways and pretty unbearable when together. SO yeah. don't listen to it, it is not absolutely terrible but it isn't any good.

Track Highlights


1. Cowboy
2. Bawitdaba
3. I Am the Bullgod
4. Welcome 2 The Party

Final Grade

5/10

Trivia

From Wikipedia:

The albums lead single was the rap anthem "Welcome 2 The Party". It failed to find a market and Devil Without A Cause failed to do anything until March 1999. In March 1999 Kid Rock released "I Am The Bullgod", a rap meets funk metal hybrid with a catchy Alice in Chains-inspired chorus. It would peak at #31 on the mainstream rock tracks, and gain MTV's attention. The third single proceded to blow up with MTV's exposure. In May 1999 Kid Rock released "Bawitdaba" a non sensical rap metal song thats chorus used an old school rap chant. The MTV crowd and radio ate it up. It peaked outside of the Hot 100 at #104 and was #10 on mainstream rock and #11 modern rock. It also charted at #45 in the UK and #84 in Sweden and Denmark. "Cowboy" would be the next released single it threw elements of country music to the mix. It would be his first pop hit charting at #82 on the Hot 100 and #34 on the Top 40. It was #5 on Modern Rock and #10 on Mainstream Rock charts. It would chart in the UK at #34. The next single was the southern rock power ballad "Only God Knows Why". It would chart at #19 on the Hot 100 and #6 on the Top 40. It would peak on the rock charts at #13 on modern rock and #5 on mainstream rock. The song would become Kid Rock's first AC hit at #23 and peaked at #96 in Denmark. The album's final single was "Wasting Time" it was a minor mainstream rock hit at #35.

Bawitdaba:

Monday, June 08, 2009

878. Khaled - Kenza (1999 !!)

















Track Listing

1. Aalach Tloumouni
2. El Harba Wine
3. C'Est La Nuit
4. Imagine
5. Trigue Lycee
6. E'Dir E'Sseba
7. Ya Aachkou
8. Melha
9. Raba-Raba
10. El Bab
11. El Aadyene
12. Gouloulha-Dji
13. Mele H'Bibti
14. Derwiche Tourneur
15. Leili

Review

There are albums that are bad. There are albums that are so bad that they are good, and very rarely there are albums that start out so bad that they are good but with repeated listenings become just great.

This last case is what happens here, there are obvious moments of ridiculousness such as the cover of Imagine, but then there are some pretty brilliant moments such as El Harba Wine. After a while as you notice the little details in the arrangements, in the smart use of North African music even while the more obvious influences in a particular song come from as far away as Cuba.

So yeah, Khaled often sounds a bit silly, but some of the songs are truly infectious, the singing is great, some of the arrangements are really smart and the album is just generally great fun. I must say that I am pretty partial to North African and Middle Eastern music so you should make your own decisions. But this was one of the funnest albums of late on the list.

Track Highlights

1. El Harba Wine
2. Leili
3. Aalach Tloumouni
4. Raba-Raba

Final Grade

9/10

Trivia

From Wikipedia:

The album was named after Khaled's second daughter Kenza. Kenza is Arabic for treasure.

El Harba Wine:

Saturday, June 06, 2009

877. Korn - Follow The Leader (1998)


















Track Listing

1. It's On
2. Freak On A Leash
3. Got The Life
4. Dead Bodies Everywhere
5. Children Of The Korn
6. BBK
7. Pretty
8. All In The Family
9. Reclaim My Place
10. Justin
11. Seed
12. Cameltosis
13. My Gift To You
14. Earache My Eye

Review

Boring. Long and Boring. Derivative, Long and Boring. Shitty, Derivative, Long and Boring. Annoying, Shitty, Derivative, Long and Boring. Honestly, why is this on the list? Kid Rock is better for fuck's sake.

I really can't think of much positive to say about it. Some moments are bearable, other than that it is immature, annoying, shitty, derivative, long and boring. I can understand how someone would enjoy occasionally listening to one of the singles, but the whole thing is just too damn much.

Some of the singles do have a cathartic nature that if you are drunk and in a dancy situation might just make you jump around. Yes, that is the redeeming nature of this obnoxious, immature, annoying, shitty, derivative, long and boring album.

Track Highlights

1. Freak on a Leash
2. Cameltosis
3. Children of the Korn
4. It's On

Final Grade

4/10

Trivia

From Wikipedia:

Follow the Leader has sold over 5 million copies in America by the RIAA count.

Freak on a Leash:


Thursday, June 04, 2009

876. Talvin Singh - OK (1998)


















Track Listing

1. Traveller
2. Butterfly
3. Sutrix
4. Mombasstic
5. Decca
6. Eclipse
7. OK
8. Light
9. Disser/Point.Mento.B
10. Soni
11. Vikram The Vampire

Review

Talvin Singh brings us an album mixing traditional Indian and other Asian elements with electronic music, the result is interesting. Unfortunately it is often more interesting than actually that great.

The best thing about the album are actually the Asian elements in it and some innovative use of them, for example in the first track there is an Indian orchestral string section which is just great. The Japanese choir in the title track is also pretty nifty.

The worse element of the whole thing is the electronic stuff which sounds very much of its time and hasn't survived that well down the years. This is a general point about electronica but in this mix of influences it sounds particularly dated as many other have tried to do what Talvin does, saturating the market and often not being as proficient as him. So a mixed bag.

Track Highlights

1. Traveller
2. OK
3. Soni
4. Butterfly

Final Grade

8/10

Trivia

From Wikipedia:

The title was chosen because of the universality of the word OK, which can be understood almost anywhere in the world. It is mostly a reinterpretation of Indian classical music with flute, sitar, and tabla. The album won him the Mercury Music Prize for 1999.


Traveller: