Primary Colours

THE HORRORS – PRIMARY COLOURS

Primary Colours is The Horrors’ first album for XL. Produced by Geoff Barrow (Portishead) and Chris Cunningham (Aphex Twin, Bjork), Primary Colours is reminiscent of Echo & the Bunnymen, Jesus and Mary Chain, the Chameleons, Joy Division, and lots of other great stuff that I like!

Check out the track "Three Decades" here:


Get your own copy of "Primary Colours" here.

They're baaaaack!

MISS KITTIN AND THE HACKER - TWO

Miss Kittin (Caroline Herve) and the Hacker (Michel Amato) met in Grenoble in the early 90s. Their first collaborative album, FIRST ALBUM, helped to spawn the electro-pop movement. The duo has now reunited for the aptly named TWO on Kittin's own label, Nobody’s Bizzness.

Check out the album opener here:


Get your own "Two" here.

Balkan Beat Box Remixed

BALKAN BEAT BOX – NU MADE (REMIXES)

Balkan Beat Box is steeped with an intense lifetime of research into their own non-Western roots as well as other cultures. A quasi-circus event, they perform with a core of 6 musicians, collaborating with artists from Bulgaria, Morocco, Spain, Israel, and Turkey who draw on a variety of styles from around the world. Their latest offering is a collection of remixes from their most recent album, “Nu Med.”
Check out my favorite track, "Adir Adirim," here:


Get your own copy of "Nu Made" here.

Early Works For Me If It Works For You 2

DNTEL – EARLY WORKS FOR ME IF IT WORKS FOR YOU II

Dntel is a solo electronic project from Jimmy Tamborello, who is probably better known as half of The Postal Service. “Early Works For Me if It Works For You II” is a three CD set compiling the first two DNTEL releases on Phthalo (remastered), as well as a third disc of unreleased material, composed slightly before the third Dntel album, “Life is Full of Possibilities,” was released on Plug Research.

Check out my favorite track, "In Which Our Hero Begins His Long and Arduous Quest":


Get your own here.

Sounds of the Universe

DEPECHE MODE - SOUNDS OF THE UNIVERSE

In 1987, I purchased my first album – Depeche Mode’s “Music for the Masses.” I listened to it non-stop, until the tape was warped from my constant rewinding (side two was much shorter than side one, meaning you had to rewind to get back to the beginning of side one after the album was over).

Twenty-two years later, I am still a fan. “Sounds of the Universe,” Depeche Mode’s twelfth studio album, is one of their finest, combining elements of their later sound (“Ultra” era) with the classic synth heavy sound of early DM (“Some Great Reward” era).

Check out my favorite track, "Fragile Tension," here:


Get your own "Sounds of the Universe" here.

Fantasies

METRIC – FANTASIES

Metric’s fourth album, “Fantasies,” is their finest to date. Each song is its own little individual gem, but the whole thing fits together perfectly too. This is a great pop album - “Fantasies” is glossy and slick – and poised to become the perfect soundtrack to my summer.

Check out one of my favorite tracks, "Sick Muse," here:


Get your own "Fantasies" here.

The Human Lea- er, Juan MacLean

THE JUAN MACLEAN – THE FUTURE WILL COME

John MacLean got his start as the guitarist for Six Finger Satellite. He later met James Murphy (founder of the DFA label) and released a solo album (“Less Than Human”) as The Juan MacLean. The follow-up, “The Future Will Come,” deftly combines the cool electro-disco sound that DFA is famous for, and male/female vocals (from MacLean and “mystery woman” Nancy Whang) that are reminiscent of Human League.

Check out the track "The Simple Life" here:


Get your own copy of "The Future Will Come" here.