Caltrops - No Stairway to Heaven - Re: Quick and dirty reviews.

Forum Overview :: No Stairway to Heaven

by curst 06/18/2003, 9:08am PDT

mrs. johnson wrote:

Cinematic Orchestra - The Man With a Movie Camera -- This is not the track from one of their LPs. This is a soundtrack done for an old Russian movie. The tracks range from quick and etheral to lengthy and bordering on trip hop. It flows smoothly and fantasticly, as the line between jazz and electronica is blurred some more by emotionally charged melodies and extremely well placed rhythms. Recommended.

Both these guys and Bonobo, I am definitely going to purchase without reservation. Their last releases were great.

Ulrich Schnauss - A Strangely Isolated Place -- This newcomer to the vague genre of IDM has quickly established himself as the king of expansive noises and hypnotic beats. A midtempo electronic album which doesn't really resemble any other artist enough to draw a clear comparison. Not very good dancing music, but headphone euphoria, if I have a say. Recommended.

The instant I see "IDM" flash before my eyes, I just ask one question: is this more like Autechre (meh) or Amon Tobin (astonishingly incomparably fucking brilliant)?

Ed Rush & Optical - The Original Doctor Shade -- The duo well known for their dark and gritty style have abandonded it almost entirely. This album is highly focused on exciting basslines and progressing melodies. The last track is pure house, and the whole album seems to be one large exercise in exciting jungle. Worth a listen or two.

The first thing I thought when I read that was "huh, sounds a lot like Photek". The second thing I thought was "OH GOD PLEASE NO FUCK FUCK FUUUUUUUUUUUCK". Please, I beg of you, at the very least confirm that Ed and Opt did NOT let that super-queer-nippliciously-FAGGY Robert Owens and his testicles-pulled-up-through-his-intestines-and-stapled-to-his-tongue crooning voice anywhere near this album. There are not enough fists in all the world that could provide a sufficient enough beating to satisfy my intense loathing of that man's bullshit singing and even-more-bullshit lyrics. "Solaris" would have actually been excellent were it not for the house tracks.

I don't even like d-n-b music very much, and again I loved the different directions Photek took on "Solaris" near the end, yet I simply couldn't believe my fucking ears when I hit tracks 4 and 5. If there's one instance (okay, two) where I'll gladly become a music elitist asshole without reservation, it's with "Can't Come Down" and "Mine To Give". WORST SONGS MOTHERFUCKING EVER. I'd hate to see Ed Rush & Optical go the same route.

DJ Hype - 1973 Recon -- After years of dominating DJ competitions and creating quite a few mix albums, DJ Hype has finally lived up to his own name and released an album of his own material. The material is varied and there are guest rappers on most tracks. Frankly, this is pretty far away from DNB, which is his home-genre. This is closer to a hip-hop or rap album. Whether it is good is mostly a matter of taste, but the production of DJ Hype is very careful and interesting.

After hearing DJ Krush's latest (and by faaaaaar his worst) release, I'm avoiding all albums by DJ *anyone* right now. I'm in sort of a "maybe we'd better leave hiphop music to those who can do it right" mood.

Bonobo - Dial M For Monkey -- Easily my favorite album of the whole bunch, this is Bonobo's second official release. Only 9 tracks, but every single one is a perfectly formed downtempo masterpiece. I've already listened to this one maybe twenty times and I'm nowhere near getting tired of it.

Again, I've yet to hear one bad word about this.