The Brit Box: U.K. Indie, Shoegaze & Brit-Pop Gems

Just in time to make it onto my holiday wishlist, Rhino Records has done what they do best again. They’ve made an indispensable, amazing compilation box set. Spanning four discs, the set features 78 U.K. performers and covers British indie pop from the mid-80’s (The Smiths, Cocteau Twins) to the early 90’s Shoegazing Years (My Bloody Valentine, Ride, Lush, Moose) to the Brit-Pop invasion of the later 90’s (Suede, James, Pulp, Supergrass, Cornershop). The Brit Box is shaped like a British phone booth, and also includes an 80-page book with interviews, essays and memories from Stephen Street, Alan Moulder and more.
Make someone buy this for you!

Moog Acid

Now here's a meeting of minds: electronic music pioneer Jean Jacques Perrey teams up with one of the very finest producers in British electronica, Luke Vibert, for a brilliant meeting of styles. Instruments used include:
Moog Mini
Moog Poly
Moog Modular
Moog Voyager
Moog MG-1
Ondioline
Prophet T8
EMS Vocoder 1000

You want one, don't you?

45:33

Originally composed for Nike as a digital-only release, LCD Soundsystem's "45:33" is meant to be used for working out or running. Although I probably will never ever use it for that, I still find it enjoyable as a long, meandering disco/electronic piece. The CD edition comes with a few bonus tracks, too, including this week's featured track, "Freak Out/Starry Eyes," originally a b-side to "All My Friends."
You should totally get one for $14.99.

u-Ziq: Knob-Twiddler Extraordinaire

Mike Paradinas founded his Planet-Mu label in 1995. In addition to releasing his own work under the moniker u-Ziq, the label also features artists such as Jega, Venetian Snares, and Luke Vibert. Paradinas collaborated with Aphex Twin on the 1996 album “Expert Knob Twiddlers.” Since then, he has gone on to make what seems like hundreds of brilliant IDM albums, but is probably closer to about seventeen. His latest, “Duntisbourne Abbots Soulmate Devistation Technique,” is a bit mellower than some of his previous efforts, but no less commanding of attention. The absence of unmitigated noise leaves room for dense layers of sound – a great album to listen to on headphones while daydreaming, or really really loud on a good home or car stereo system. Check out one of my favorite tracks, "2CV," and then get your own copy for just $14.99.