Tuesday, July 31, 2007

CIRC – digital dust inhalation.



Rate: 8/10

This record didn’t make me shiver, but it is surely something, if I may put it his way, to lay your ears on ;-) Digital dust inhalation is a journey through experimental, astract beat music, although it is not an extreme drone music as from Rephlex music. It is rather a homemade Warplike minimalistic dish. Sometimes it’s well-cooked and nicely served, but sometimes it’s just raw and difficult to eat.
The best moments are funky and abstractly groovy (how else one may call it? ;-) petunia can play guitar and don’t be shad based on very melodic gitar loop. Morgue is also interesting with its strange vocal samples. But there are also moments that annoys me, drums overlaping keyboards in local warning, for instance. Ok., I know it’s suppose to be this way, but sometimes it’s simply becomes chaotic and not artistic.
What I lack the most in the record are phat beats, something that would be funk and experimental at the same time. There are some moments of it on the LP, but there is definitely to few of them.
Cover is ok, minimalistic and electronic, just as the record. I would like to see CIRC’s live act, why not? It could interesting or even exciting if the author would decise to be or more funky or more noisy ;-)
Generally the record is more than ok, regardless of all these drawbacks mentioned above. Frankly, I will listen to the next recording of his artist with pleasure.
Saluto and stay cool!

galaktycznyzwiad.

p.s. this album was recommended to me by fresh body shop. If you don't like it it's his fault ;-)

Monday, July 30, 2007

Rob Costlow –Solo Piano –Woods of Chaos



Rate: 10/10

After listening ‘Woods of Chaos’ you get to know that Rob Costlow is an extremely talented composer. When I checked his website I found out that, he has been also well acknowleged lately. I can only congratulated him and hope that he will keep up with his good work.
As for the music it is, as we can know from author’s description, a solo piano pieces. All of them are quite similar, all of them remind me of little-town West Coast America. Costlow’s music has this magic of WASP neighbourhood States, full of little wonders and great tragedies. His melodies sounds like instrumentals from Richard Marx or Don Henley’s songs. Beautiful.
My best moments are keyboard strings at the beginning of Tulip tress and completely sentimental Not alone.
I would like to listen to Costlow’s music somewhere in the New England area, in some small city near Boston. It should be played from an abadonned Mouse from the colonial times for better atmosphere ;-)
The cover is appriopriate for the kind a music Costlow plays. The composer and its environment. Just right.
It’s ten. Undoubtedly. Ten.

galaktycznyzwiad

Saturday, July 28, 2007

Hype - Lies and Speeches



Rate:7/10

I don’t like pop rock too much. Blending those two music styles steals out the energy from guitars and intoxicates it with much too sweet melodies. But Hype is different and that’s a big ‘pro’ for his record.
It’s not that the recording is perfect. The songs are a little bit monotonous, and they lack in abundant arrangement (I could hear only lead gitar, bass, vocal and drums no piano or keyboards whatsoever), nonetheless the numbers are catchy enough to let you listen to them more than once. The singer’s akcent sounds funny, but on the other hand, it makes songs sound original.
The best moments are two first songs: ‘Home’ with great guitar riff, and ,My innocence’ with very melodic chorus, and the last two songs: very energetic ‘Get there’ and melancholic, acoustic ‘Spirits above’.
The cover is quite… hm… exciting, and it ensures me that I deal with a rock record ;-) I wouldn’t mind to hear them live, especially, that I suppose, they’ll be more rocking.
Ok. Summarizing the greatest disadvantage is very modest arrangement, but I’m a fan of Mansun records, so maybe I exagerrate. So, you have to see it for yourself as the LP is worth recommending although not my top favourites.

Saluto and stay cool!

galaktycznyzwiad.

Friday, July 27, 2007

Tryad - Public domain



Rate: 9/10

Tryad is for jamendo as Aphex Twin for Warp or Mudhoney for Sub-pop so it’s really hard to review this record and to fully grasp the meaning of Tryad music. First of all, it’s an essence of creativity available through the Net. Few people living in a completely differents parts of globe make music and then gives it away for free. That’s the future of music, nothing more to say.
Tryad is futuristic not only in its perception of music distribution, but also in its sound. The industrial pop of the group comprises of keyboard piano, heavy usage of samples and deeply reverbed vocals. The electronic beats links everything together, sometimes constructing the whole tunes, as for example in ‘Beat Into Submission’. The whole record is really professional, but my favourite songs are: very neat (and amusing) Intro and Outro, Peace on Earth – surprisingly hippie tune with acoustic guitars mixed with electronica, My Piano Sings – Great vocals with moving, setimental keyboard piano loop, and Dance of the Urbanite – with exceptional strings supported by electronic sound. Of course, there are some compositions that I would treat as fillers, Sampling Memory, for example. Just to similar to other tunes too be taken seriously as a fully developed song. It doesn’t diminish the entire record as one of the finest to be found on Jamendo.
Cover is cool, very representative and I suppose the most popular of all jamendo records, so I won’t go into details.
Watching them life would be a must.
Taking all under the consideration it’s 9, because, in my humble opinion, few songs are unnnecessary. If I were Tryad I would make the exceptionally good, such as Our Lives Change longer and skip few less interesting (for example Star Guide).
My regards and respekto!

galaktycznyzwiad.

Thursday, July 26, 2007

Silence - L'autre endroit




Rate: 9/10

This record is brilliant. When it comes to instrumental music it’s very difficult not to make a recording which would be something more than just a background to computer work. Silence avoids it, giving us an interesting mixture of electronic beats and guitar energy. There is a good balance between these two elements, a great advantage for the tunes.
It’s hard to say which composition is the best, because each of them has something to hold on to. I think the best moments are piano introduction in larmes, and the whole particule and follow me. The first song, cellule is also worth noticing for its rock energy. The only annoying thing for me are woman samples in stop. Definitely to histerical for me.
Cover looks nice, although a little bit ascetic.
As for listening to Silence live I’m in two minds. Such music sounds the best when you listen to it alone, but perhaps it may be a live act could be an interesting experience after all.
Summing everything up, I would give 9 to the record. I though about giving an 8 because stop really annoys me, but after that there is short experience which completely erases bad memories from the previous composition.

Stay cool,

galaktycznyzwiad.

Wednesday, July 25, 2007

Amelie - be low



Rate: 6/10

It is not a bad record, but it lacks in few important dimensions. First of all, there is no ‘hit’. I could hardly remember what was the song about after it finished. Only get high has a chorus I can sing with, maybe because it has so simple words (perhaps I’m a simple person ;-).
The production is pretty cool, and the instruments are live, so, theoretically, I should like the record. But I don’t. This record simply do not possess energy I would require from music with live instruments. I’m sorry.
The best moments are shake you and get high. I’m a little bit annoyed by too mild piano at the beginning of soon a shine will come.
I suppose if I would listen to them live, I wouldn’t get very interested.

p.s. the cover is nice, however, still not very exciting. Just like the whole record.
Keep trying and remember it’s just my humble opinion.

galaktycznyzwiad.

Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Grace Valhalla - Psychopathethic



Rating: 8/10

Ok. This album is so short, that I can afford to tell something abort each of tracks.
1. psychopathethic – surprisingly, the worst number. The tune is not very convincing after you’d heard the way Aphex Twin use similar melodies. The drums are annoyingly plastik, and one of the samples is simply to midi for me.
2. today – much, much Belter. Nice gitar, quite catchy, worth listening for sure.
3. november MMIII – the best one from the record. Postrock looped guitars are In good concord with electronic gentle beat. Great background keyboard. Classy tune.
4. powers of the herb - very energetic, rock-guitar stuff with nice vocal samples. Goood one.
5. Little ball – almost trip-hop. The most samplified track on the record In the nice sentimental mood.

The cover is nice – a beach and the woman on it. What else should we want? ;-) And if I could watch Grace Walhalla in concert I would certainly do that!
Generalny the whole rekord would be a 9 for me, but psychopathethic is little too pathethic for me, so I will give 8.

Stay cool!!!

galaktycznyzwiad.

Monday, July 23, 2007

Revolution Void : Increase the Dosage




Rating: 9/10

This is really classy stuff. I have enjoyed the album quite al ot, although I've been listening to it three times already today.
To make the long story short: my favourite parts are speedy electro mixed with extravagant sax solo in Factum par ficto, sweey vibraphone tune that introduces Nebulous Notions, and Weekend Amnesia (very groovy, with nice scratches).
Generally it sounds as some Herbie Hancock rehearsal and I would surely quite enjoyed while listening to it live.
Cover is more than cool, cool psychedelic layout which corresponds neatly with the music that takes the listener onto the cosmic trip from 70's into the 21st century.
You can ask me why nine then and not ten? Well... Personally I think the album is one, two songs too long. When I listen to Obscure Terrain I wait for the grand finale, but still there is still some time. But the second record of them is shorter, so when I'll check I'll let you know.
Saluto!!!

galaktycznyzwiad

Sunday, July 22, 2007

4444 - Apertura



Rate: 6/10

I listened to this album with quite mixed feelings. On the one hand it is smooth presentation of technical composing abilities. That's good.
Bits moves you to dance, but what I miss is the climax that makes you techno-crazy and gives you that sweet feeling of trance.
Some melodies, forexample the begining of Essaouira and Gallaezia sounds to much midi and unnatural. They are the worst moments of the record. The best however is Robot, when you can really feel electro.
The cover of the album is nice, neat and interesting.
As for my expectations how it would sound live, I think that it would be too amateur for real live-techno mix, but for a home-made rave will do.
It's not a bad album, but it's not also very convincing. Nonetheless I greet the composers and wish them that their music would be developing.

galaktycznyzwiad.
 

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