Musik
Old Ludwig Van says:
"In case you had a little extra cash and were just dying to
go out
and spend it on a CD...but can't decide which CD to buy...
HERE ARE SOME SUGGESTIONS!"
Project Pitchfork "Alpha Omega"
Rating: 10 out of
10
A german band. This is an electronic album with leanings
toward Industrial. The vocals R superbly done and there is quite
a bit of vocal-distortion thru electronic means, which is always good.
All of the lyrix R thought-provoking and set down a clear picture of the
band's agenda. The music is very good and fairly diverse in mood.
Track 2 (Silent Scream) sounds very good; it has an electronic voice, a
catchy tune, a constant beat. Track 1 (Alpha Omega) also seems to
stand out and has a good message. Available thru CDnow.
More by Project Pitchfork
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Doubting Thomas "Father Don't Cry"
Rating: 10 out of
10
If you've been looking for Industrial music, this is a great
place to start. Doubting Thomas consists of cEvin Key and DR Goettel,
both also being members of the rather famous Industrial band Skinny Puppy.
This album mixes samples and synths, sometimes hinting toward tunes and
sometimes toward rhythms and beats. It is an easy album to listen
to, though, and may be perfect for the new fan of Industrial music.
Track 8 (Come In Piece) stands out, as does the extended version of "Father
Don't Cry" (Track 1). This first track is really incredible for its
diversity yet inexplicable unity. Some don't call this music and,
when you think about it, that's kind of cool. Available thru CDnow.
More by Doubting Thomas
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Rammstein - "Sehnsucht"
Rating: 10 out of
10
I consider this an electronic band, but one should B aware that
there R heavy guitars here as well. Now, if one liked Skinny Puppy's
"The Process" or Project Pitchfork's "Animal", then this should B no problem.
All songs R N German, so if one doesn't like 2 listen 2 foreign music
w/ words that cannot B understood, then again this album could pose something
of a problem. Having said all of this, I must say that this is a
great album! The songs R pretty heavy in sound, and all of the electronix
R very deliberate. That is to say, this is structured musik that
subscribes to the theories of melodies and clearly defined rhythms.
Even so, the songs are well done and very enjoyable. The last two
tracks R English versions of previous tracks, which I think R unnecessary...
"Du Hast" (Track 5) had a really good video that went along with it.
Available thru CDnow.
.
The Cure - "Disintegration"
Rating: 10 out of
10
This is often considered the most depressing album of all time
among my friends, some even claiming to be unable to listen to it all in
one sitting. I personally don't mind this, because I like getting
depressed at musik. This album is fairly depressing, but I think
that The Cure is best when they R depressed. The strings R arranged
w/ a sort of tragic drama to them and the guitars R heavy on the reverb
& played N single notes of electric despair (Track 1 "Plainsong").
The words R properly forlorn (Track 2 "Pictures of You") and Robert Smith
(such an attractive fellow with all of his make-up on!) sings softly &
sadly, as he should. It is a sad album but as long as U R not feeling
suicidal, it should B a safe one. Due to the lyrical content alone,
I would dare say that this is an essential album 4 anyone's collection
-- a Cure fan or not. U could probably find it used; this would B
an acceptable way to purchase it if it is the only way to get U to do so.
Also, it's a very good album to start out with if U R trying 2 get N2 The
Cure but the one I started out with was one called "Pornography"...
.
The Cure - "Pornography"
Rating: 10 out of
10
Another vintage Cure album with a creative finale and many good
songs leading up to it. My personal favourite, as of late, has been
"Hanging Gardens", which is fast enough to keep one's foot tapping yet
full of enough despair to bring a welling 2 the chest & a little pitious
tear 2 the eye. The lyrix on the album R very good and the sound
is what one would expect from The Cure. It is one of my personal
favourite Cure albums. Both this album and the above album ("Disintegration")
R available thru CDnow. They R
older albums, so U may B able 2 find them used or on sale somewhere, as
well.
.
ele.ele.te "relatos del futuro"
Rating: 10 out of
10
A Mexican band. I bought this CD in Mexico, so I
really don't know if you can find it in the USA. This is Techno with
a strong, probably dance-able beat. The beat is less important than
the sound, in this case, because this is Techno (one might call it hardcore,
if one so calls Orbital), not Dance or House. The tunes are not terribly
long but usually don't suffer terribly from their brevity. Track
4 (>c<) has lyrix & a beautiful melody. Track 8 (e.26 el planeta
magico) is a little spaced-out, which is good. The band knows their
synths and drum machines and can make music out of seemingly non-musical
phrases of notes. Again, if you like Orbital, you'll like these friendly
and inspired Mexicans.
More Techno
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Laurie Anderson "Big Science"
Rating: 10 out of
10
The fabulous, perhaps revolutionary, debut of a talented
elektronik artist. This may also B her most experimental album.
From narrative track 1 ("From the Air" -- about a plane krash) to the strangely
sung track 3 ("Sweaters" -- she imitates a bagpipe with her voice; sort
of vocoding w/o a vocoder?), this is a far-out album. Track 6 ("O
Superman (For Massenet)") is firmly elektronik and even uses either a vocoder
or vocal-distortion, which I love. Track 7 ("Example #22") rox...strangely,
but it rox. If U like elektronik musik & synthesis, U need
this album; it is a CLASSICK!! Go verily and truly to CDnow!
More Elektrik Rock
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Manuel Gottsching "E2-E4"
Rating: 10 out of
10
One track, one hour. An early Trance piece envisioned
as a chess game. It starts with an electronic chord progression,
which changes it rhythmic pattern ever so slightly as the hour progresses,
as if Mr. Gottsching looped the tune with a slowly changing LFO; it's such
a subtle change. He introduces a number of electronic beeps and percussive
ornamentations every ten minutes or so, leading up to a very light jazz-guitar
improv about half-way thru. Never does the beat leave the song, however,
and this remains largely Trance. Available from damusic.
.
Richard Wahnfried "Time Actor"
Rating: 10 out of
10
Another German band, this one from the late 70s or early
80s, headed by Klaus Schulze. This album is very experimental.
All words R spoken, not sung...they R not even spoken in a rhythm.
There is music on one level and words on another. Track 1 ("Time
Actor") consists of nine minutes of Klaus Schulze's music and Arthur Brown
speaking about the theories of Time; he tries to define it, to describe
it, to grasp it. Most of the other tracks R similar. It is
a brilliant work. The vocal style here is really very boldly un-pop
and is VERY diverse. You may be able to find this CD on liquidation
sale @ damusic...but U must hurry
because the label that this CD is on will no longer have a US distributor
after damusic drops them!
More on Richard Wahnfried
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Vangelis "Beaubourg"
Rating: 10 out of
10
This is the album that has made grown adults quake with fear.
There are two songs on this album, both in excess of twenty minutes, and
neither with a melody, tune, or concrete sense of order whatsoever.
It is brilliant. It is not noise music, it is one synthesized sound
being played as if though it were music. Perhaps it is stream-of-consciousness.
Perhaps it is just Vangelis fooling around at his synth. I don't
know, but I do know that this is a masterpiece in sound and music alike.
It's probably not the best album to start out with if you're new to Vangelis,
because it is very different than his usual works. But if you like
synthesis, and you think abstractly, and you like avant-garde or experimentalism,
and you hate the Audience as a concept... you must buy this album.
Windham Hill has re-released it, I think. Also, excerpts of it are
available on some "Best of" albums, usually imports. Available thru
CDnow.
More by Vangelis
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Demis Roussos "Ballads"
Rating: 10 out of
10
If you have yet to learn about European easy rock, now is the
time to learn. There is no better way than Demis Roussos, a very
famous Greek singer who knows four or five different languages and has
a voice that is the probably the World's Most Distinctive. His voice
touches the heart immediately, and his interpretations of songs is truly
unique! His covers are not copies, they are interpretations.
This album is in english (some people find it more pleasant to listen to
their own language first and then move on to foreign ones). He does
many songs from his early band, Aphrodite's Child, and from his solo career.
For those of you who have heard it, he sings "Desperado" by the Eagles,
and does a fine job, too. He covers two Jon & Vangelis songs,
including "I'll Find My Way Home", which is also covered on Project Pitchfork's
album "!Chakra: Red!". Well! if that isn't enough to convince you
to buy this album, I don't know that anything will. Available from
CDnow.
More by Demis Roussos
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Wendy Carlos "Clockwork Orange"
Rating: 10 out of
10
This is the original soundtrack to Kubrick's great film.
Wendy is here credited as Walter, presumably because synthesis was back
then (and still is, to some degree) considered a man's world. It's
silly, because now we know that Wendy Carlos was one of the GREAT pioneers
of synthesis, along with Bob Moog (creator of the Moog synth, of course).
This CD is full of old classics (Beethoven, especially) performed completely
on synthesizers. The first commercial use of the Vocoder (a synth
process that takes the soundwaves of the human voice and combines it with
another soundwave), if I am not mistaken, is on this album. This
CD is pretty spaced out simply because one doesn't hear classical music
played like this any more. Remember! Carlos isn't trying to replicate
real instruments; she's a synthesist! That scares a lot of people
but I happen to appreciate that sort of integrity. Available thru
CDnow under "Clockwork Orange" (select
"soundtrack" at the FastFind).
..
Vivaldi/Handel "Dixit Dominus"
Rating: 10 out of
10
This is one CD with two different works on it; Tracks 1-10 consist
of Antonio Vivaldi's "Dixit Dominus" and Tracks 11-18 consist of Handel's
"Dixit Dominus". Now, many people say that all Vivaldi sounds alike.
If you have uttered this unholy phrase, then please buy this album.
His songs here are beautiful and sometimes transcendant. It is music
to which one can envision God. World Peace seems possible through
it. Handel's version is also very good... But I'm a BIG fan
of Vivaldi... This CD is not available thru CDnow, as such, but I'm
sure it would be possible to find either man's "Dixit Dominus" on other
CDs.
More
Classickal Musik
...
Ludwig Van Beethoven "Piano Sonatas Op. 109, 110, &
111"
Rating: 10 out of
10
Vladimir Feltsman is the pianist on this album. And a
splendid job he does! This music is written marvelously and, I think,
almost a bit B4 its time. It is surprisingly modern sounding -- you
can imagine Villa-Lobos having written it. If U don't like Beethoven's
orchestral work, please separate his piano work from it N your mind.
His music is soft & gentile sometimes, & then rude @ others.
The last track (Opus 111, Arietta) lasts about eighteen minutes and meanders
about peacefully 4 a few moments, then pounds away dramatically at others.
These R major piano works, not small etudes like some of Mozart's or Bach's
work. These R fully developed works w/ a distinctive style that often
seems to have no set goal...you might think it's really good classical
improv or something. It's not like Chopin, w/ his complex but structured
phrases. It is most entertaining & will hold one's attention
easily. Obviously, this is not synthesis, but it's still good musik
from one of the old greats. This is not available through CDnow.
I'm not sure where U can find this particular album but classickal musik
is readily available at department stores & at good old CDnow.
More
Classickal Musik
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