Moby - Play

MINE

While this album was, like, bigger than the biggest thing ever for a while (more than 10 million copies sold and how many ads did that music feature on?) I never bought it.  Why would I need to - the songs were everywhere, plus everybody else had it, so no biggie.  I'm not sure if YourZ bought this then or later, as a "we should have this" buy, but I'm glad he did.

It's worth the hype.  11 years on the tunes are still fresh(ish) and the sound is lovely.  A mix of up- and down-beat, the thing I noticed the most today is how playing this album encouraged some introspection.  I found myself thinking of all the things that have happened to me since this CD came out.  A whole new life, a whole new me.  Missing my dad.  Stuff.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP even though it's good whatever volume you play it at

YOURZ

Ah Moby, what a funny little man he is.  But boy, he sure writes some great tunes.  There was a time when I thought he was the shit, as far as this sort of music goes.  I'm not sorry to say I don't think this so much anymore, but it was this record that developed my liking for some electronica, so its not all bad.  I also think the saturation levels achieved by Play were a contributing factor to my general anti-Moby stance.  Those frickin' songs were everywhere, man.

But thankfully, it had been some time since I last heard Play.  It really is a great record and definitely deserved the accolades it got when it was first released over a decade ago (doesn't this little factoid make you feel old?  It makes me feel fuckin' ancient...)  I remember reading all sorts of crap about how he put the album together, most of which wasn't true.  What is true, however, is that he pretty much did the whole album himself, apart from the samples.  This alone demands a certain amount of respect, however begrudging. 

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

For more information: http://www.moby.com/

A Gun Called Tension - A Gun Called Tension

MINE

Sometimes I feel sorry for the bands I've never heard of, when they get to pass my ears in this relentless pursuit of CDs I'll applaud, be bored with or scorn.  Particularly when I have a headache, as A Gun Called Tension found recently.

I'll have to admit the band's name made me view them with suspicion even before I'd heard a note.  Band names are a tricky business.  When I was young, I was very fond of a group called Penguins on Safari (not that I ever saw or heard them) because the name made me smile.  And for ridiculous names, AGCT has a long way to go before challenging my special favourite, People With Chairs Up Their Noses (not that I ever saw or heard them either).

Anyway, I pressed play, and heard - some interesting music.  There's some annoying monotonal rap, not shouty but with that next-to-nothing background that eventually makes it akin to the water torture.  There's some cool electronica and some next-to-rock (you know, it's kind of rocky but not quite) along with some OK lyrics in some songs.  And ordinarily I'd welcome this sort of genre-shifting, but in this case it just doesn't seem cohesive.  Although I only skipped two or three tracks after listening to about 30 seconds' worth, there wasn't anything here that made my ears prick up.  Not one song.  And nothing that made me want to look up who these people are.

VERDICT: THROW IT OUT

YOURZ

I'm not surprised Mine doesn't like this.  I completely agree with her about the cohesiveness of this self-titled debut.  The band, made up of members of various other bands including Modest Mouse, The Beta Band and others, have put together a challenging album (which, as we all know, either means difficult to listen to or a bunch of crap).  It sounds more like a hastily drawn-together compilation album than a cohesive band effort.  That they use various MCs probably doesn't help either. 

There are a few tracks on this album that are actually worth it, although a few tracks hardly makes an album.  Gold Fronts sounds like a long lost Moby track (in fact, it sounds better than most Moby tracks, as far as I'm concerned).  Treason comes out of nowhere, sounding more like a post-rock track from a New York band, with screamo vocals and a fat, indie bass line.  Foundation, featuring Roots Manuva, is probably a better example of his work than mostly anything he has done for himself.

This is another of those CDs I got thinking I might learn something about production as it is produced by Phil Ek, one of the best indie producers around and came with a glowing recommendation from a source I usually trust.  I have since learnt to be more discerning (at least I like to think I have, anyway).  The only track I'd bother keeping or listening to with any regularity would be Gold Fronts (the video is great).  The rest won't be missed, not in the slightest.

VERDICT: THROW IT OUT

For more information: http://www.myspace.com/agct

Kid Loco - Kill Your Darlings

YOURZ

As I mentioned in the previous post, I'm a sucker.  Without harping on this, it might be viewed as a negative by a lot of people, but in my case, my sucker-worthiness has worked in my favour.  Sometimes. 

One such good example is Kid Loco.  Years ago, I became friends with a DJ who also worked in a local record shop.  He was a nice bloke but was mostly interested in trying to get as much product out the door as possible.  Fair enough - the whole objective of retail is to do this very thing.  But he could see me coming from ten miles away and knew just how to pitch something to me to make it irresistible.  90 percent of the time, I would crumble with little resistance.  What makes this even more irksome is his strike rate for picking something I'd really like was very high indeed.  (I'm glad he moved on some years ago, otherwise I'm sure our collection would be double what it is now).

One such gem is Kill Your Darlings.  Jean-Yves Prieur, or Kid Loco, is a quintessential French musician/producer/DJ whose sound is chilled to the point of coolness only the French seem to be able to achieve.  He sound is so laid-back, you could be floating on a cloud (probably of illicit greenery, if you catch my drift).  And with song titles like Here Come The Munchies and Three Feet High Reefer, there's no doubting where some of his chill comes from.  Now, where did I put those chips?

VERDICT:TURN IT UP

MINE

Sunday morning, coming down.... couldn't be a more appropriate time to play Kill Your Darlings.  It's one of those albums I have to thank YourZ for (thanks, honey!) because I'd never have heard of it otherwise.  And it's full of gorgeous, gorgeous songs.

My personal favourite is Little Bit of Soul, which is just so sing-along.  But all of it is fabulous in that eclectic mix of trip-hop and - whatever else it's made up of.  Who cares? 

It's not surprising I'm fond of this, as Air's Moon Safari is also a personal favourite.  Ah, the French.  The best part is, this album's exactly the right length.  That is, it lasts from when I leave home in my car to when I arrive at work.  Result!  But I'd also like to experience this again soon in that Sunday-morning way (hint, hint, YourZ!)

VERDICT: TURN IT UP (lay back and let it wash over you)

For more information: http://www.kidloco.com/

In our collection, we also have the compilation album Another Late Night: Kid Loco