Here it is. Your own, brand new, Loop review thread

Every Now And Then (A Poignant Tale Of Perpetual Travel) - Jon 79


1. A crunching and swirling opening. Indesiphrable lyrics but it doesn't matter as the music sweeps you along with its upbeat bass, chunky drums and chirpy guitars. I like. A lot.

2. The unwitting engineers of the "Brit-pop" movement of the mid-90s. A sing-a-long to the flow-a-long track is always welcome, and also enduces the casual head sway.

3. A slice of what I'd call typical 70s guitar rock with the tumbling slap drums and swirling production towards the end. Not quite my bag but not at all offensive to my ears. Put me in mind of the credits for The Wonder Years.

4. Moving into something more electronica. Much of this is purely consentric tones with swelling and dissipating sounds. Unusual, non-sensical and out there. Naturally, I enjoy it.

5. The inevitable! Circus piano and a plodding drum beat. 73, by any chance? Thing is, and I think I may have said this before previously, I do like this guy's work but I either really like a track or am indifferent to it. Unfortunately, this falls into the latter catagory for me on this occasion.

6. A racing bassline of the 80s variety. Sort of stretched out vocals on what is a fairly simplistic track, with just a couple of guitars and an electric drum kit. However it's pretty effective and works as a bit of goth-lite.

7. The intro had me thinking of Music Time from maybe 1987. Just after Chock-A-Bloc. About 1:40pm on a Thursday afternoon. Anyway...

A funky bit of xylophone and bongos. Like a slowed down version of the 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 cartoon on Sesame Street.

8. Carrying on the kids show tangent, the intro to this made me think of the opening to The Ghost Of Fatma Hall (which by all accounts, only I seem to remember). After that, however, it falls into a fun slappy drummed, harpsichord ridden track with vocals from one of Sheffield's finest. Highly enjoyable.

9. A straight in there rolling rhythm. A cascade of sound with guitars here, drums there and vocals through the middle. Pretty relentless but all good.

10. Brief. Indian. Nice.

11. A classic from one of the main players of the Madchester era. Nothing to fault here. Great song.

12. Great piece of jiggly guitar-beat pop from the 60s. Has me wanting to jump up and do a 1965 black and white Top Of The Pops audience member wiggle. And if I didn't have a broken back I would.

13. Pretty sure I know who's vocals these are. Slow and grinding in tone, this is probably my least favourite on the mix. The irony being that it envokes the opposite feeling the chorus (and I presume the song title) talks of.

14. Short but brilliantly sweeping and majestic. Shame it's so brief. I could've listened to this for so much longer.

15. When this started I thought this was going to be a slightly depressing end to the mix. But then I clocked who it was after clicking the vocal just as it began to build up into a fantastic anthemic crescendo. I really should explore these guys more as I only really know a scant few of their songs. It makes for a great finish to the compilation.



This was a great start to the Tape Loop for me. With only a couple of tracks to shrug at, this was very enjoyable and a pleasure to listen to. Good stuff.

9/10


Tracklist very much welcome.

Baz - Side A: Rockin' Tracks

1. Put a big smile on my face as soon as I heard the intro. Anyone who doesn't love this epic is just wrong, or possibly born after 1989.

2. Nice cover version, maintaining the pop sensibilities of the original but giving it a punky edge that only adds to the fun.

3. Great intro, sounds like a metal Blues Explosion with all its guitar effects. Nice rockin' tune but I'm personally not keen on the vocals. I have no idea what language they are singing in let alone what they are singing about but I just feel the tone of the vocals are a bit lightweight compared to the rest of the track, although that's a minor quibble and I do quite like this.

4. I don't care what other people say I love this band, although you have chosen a track from my least favourite of their albums. Still, it's from the better half of the tracks on the album.

5. Early 90's, proto-MTV2, indie disco one hit wonders (I could so work for the NME). Rollicking funk metal the way it's supposed to be done.

6. Some excellent production elevates this way above the Kerrang play list fodder it could have been. Driving rhythm section keeps the tune going whilst a nice riff plays over it. Just one thing about the lyrics, are you OK Baz?

Side B: Chillin' Tracks

7. Classic.

8. I wasn't quite sure about this one the first time I heard it, it just didn't seem like it would ever get going. It has grown on me a little with subsequent listens, it does seem to make a lot more sense when stood at the top of a hill (thanks to modern technology this is something I have done). One for mid-chill, I think.

9. Very catchy, housey, trancey number with some almost dub-esque qualities to the production.

10. A chill out favourite, although I'm not sure if this is a remix or the 12" or something. Either way it's still rather lovely.

11. Very mellow. Another track that changes depending on your mood, it could either be beautiful or it could be dull. Would probably make more sense watching the sun coming up with someone you love rather than walking through a muddy field (again, this is something I have done, the muddy field, that is).

12. Oooh, I do like this. Lovely, haunting, ear bending goodness.

A solid mix, that whilst some tracks weren't my cup of tea, there wasn't anything on there that I disliked at all. I'd also like to mention Baz's professional looking artwork looks great and puts my felt tip efforts to shame.

PM me the track list if you will, Baz

Logger – Logger Rhythms

1. A Fuzz Townshend /B.R.A. type instrumental to begin with. Nonchalant, silly & with a decent rhythm to it. Made with a spliff in mind.

2. Electronic driven track that pays robotic homage to Scorpio by Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five. Throwaway & fun until it gets a second wind around the 2 minute mark with some great simplistic Synth harmonies. I liked this quite a bit.

3. Another chilled breakbeat instrumental. I am a big fan of this type of music but this was a little on the dull side & maybe suffered from being played along with & after the two previous instrumentals.

4. 90’s American Indie rock band who wore their influences on their sleeves churn out a number telling us what sucks. All introduced by a rather familiar voice. Ok. Not bad.

5. The Grand GrungeDaddys with a little ditty from the perspective of a proud, yet irresponsible Father to be. S’good.

6. Upbeat indie guitar from one of the more underrated yet alarmingly talented British female musicians around. Not my favourite track of hers but still decent.

Oh yeah. She’s cute too.

7. Fast paced Garage Punk. Fairly throwaway, but that is the intention, so good nonetheless.

8. The pace slows somewhat with the help of the electronic musings of this Welsh/Irish/English (lets all grab a piece of him) artists rather individual sound.

9. Cleanly struck droning guitar which resembles a drunk, depressed Clanger. Obviously included as a tool to change the pace for..

10. Some ambient alternative indie country rock. Relaxing. If a little dull.

11. Some more dreamy relaxed indie country, this time with nonsensical lyrics. So so.

12. A blues influenced sultry voice drapes over some American shoegazing. Best of the last three tracks.

13. Seems like someone knew I’d needed waking up after the last lot of tracks & awakened I was by kazoos, rudimentary beats & what appears to be shouty Spanish. As silly as it sounds & rather enjoyable.

14. Jungle is Massive. It’s also very good when executed well & listened to in moderate doses. Just like this track.

15. An early 90’s house sounding track with hip-hop influenced beats & scratching. I enjoyed this.

16. Pace completely slows down for a trip-hop track which uses a rather great sample from a certain James Bond movie. Unfortunately the weak vocals, poor lyrics & Craig Davidesque beats make no use of it whatsoever. Sorry, but I did not like this.

17. Jangly lo-fi indie music becomes chilled lounge indie music & back again with some lyrics about Atheism or something. Not great & a little dull.

18. It’s that familiar voice again introducing a track that famously brought a tear to his eye. I’ve only ever heard it when the great Christy Moore covered this song, a tale of Liverpool. Simple, effective & better with every listen.

19. A whimsical track from a band I’m meant to like, but the fact is I’m not mad about them. Accomplished 60’s British pop/rock from an accomplished act.

Well. That was quite a journey. Enjoyable for the most part, but let down (for me) by the erratic pacing in places & the fact that it seemed like a marathon. I’m exhausted.

Nonetheless a rather rhythmic 7.5/10

A tracklist would be super Logger. Cheers.

eta: spelling

I like the disc title.

Anyway, here's my review for: Noise Museum - Kick In The Head


The initial opening salvo was a tad disappointing on first listen, as I'd really enjoyed Rory's previous mix. But it has grown on me a little more now.


1 - A bit Franz Ferdinandy (Lazy-Ade Descriptive #25). I quite likes it, more so than on first listen.

2 - An instrumental of distortion guitars and drums, which does little for me to be honest. It does get a bit more structurally interesting just before the halfway mark, but it doesn't really develop much beyond that point, and it's simply not tuneful enough for my taste.

3 - A much more promising start to this one, with some nice delayed guitar notes, and a more interesting drum structure. Has a bit of an eerie feel to it which is quite good. Sparse lyric content, doesn't kick in until after the halfway point. It's okay.

4 - Continuing with the 'eerie' tone of the prior track, this is more up-tempo, with female vocals, much more my cup of tea. I like it. A mild touch of James Bond-esque brass stylings here and there, and almost reminiscent of B-movie background music in places too. Would definitely consider seeking out this artist/group. Not bad, not bad at all.

5 - Sounds a bit like Radiohead, but with an American Thom Yorke. The croaky vocal is rather endearing, although this is mainly when the backing melodies kick in for the chorus. Really quite nice though, and the first of my real favourites. The compilation seems to be getting progressively better with each song.

6 - Shimmery subtle backing, with rather bland male vocals. Takes a while to reallly get going. Quite a pretty little tune when all the melodies are working together, though it doesn't really grab me enough throughout.

7 - Short and very sweet. Piano and lovely strings, with some lovely guitar notes and various "lala lala la laaa" male and female vox to sweeten the mix. A really nice little dose of relaxing gorgeousness. I really want to know who this is. Sweet.

8 - Piano and triangle intro, before strings and brass sections join in, accompanied by that most distinctive Scott-Walker-inspired voice, part song, part narrative. One his more 'serious' sounding songs, and while not my preferred style from this artist, is nonetheless most enjoyable. Together with the track before, this makes for an interesting detour from the less refined voices of the first few songs on the disc.

9 - Haunting female vocal 'ooooo's with distorted echoey piano accompaniment, and just lovely. I was almost entirely convinced it was from the Donnie Darko soundtrack, but I know it isn't, because I checked to make sure. But I do know it, and I love it. Easily my highlight of the compilation, and the remaining songs do fall a little short in its wake. Must find out more.

10 - Downtempo, and a little sluggish, although it improves a bit when the strings kick in toward the end.

11 - Meandering drumbeat, and sparse, echoey guitars. Very chilled. Sounds like a mixture of Sufjan Stevens and Kings Of Convenience. The vocalist sounds of Scandinavian origins perhaps? It's quite nice, but again, it's not especially diverting. Still, I might be interested to check out more from this artist.

12 - To make another lazy comparison, this struck me a little like My Bloody Valentine without the distortion and density. Not enough melody or anything more interesting going on to really appeal to me.


It's the shame that the final three tracks follow a similarly relaxed pace, and that they don't have much else to them to really appeal (to my palate, at least). Just personal preference I guess, but I'd have liked something a little livelier to see the disc out, given that the bulk of the disc moves along at a fairly relaxed pace. Partly as the disc peaked for me at track 9, I guess the outro seemed a little too drawn out with nothing to truly add something a bit more contrasting for the last 15 minutes.

That said, a better disc than my first appraisal suggested. It gets a not entirely unfavourable 6.8 out of 10.

HELLO DARLING - WIFE OF ROLEX

Once more Wife of Rolex doth deliver the exceptionally well-crafted artwork for the first (from my perspective at least) installment of the new loop, and a solid entry it is too. Few tracks of the barnstorming variety, but consistent in terms of quality and sound for the most part. Track by track...

01: Eastern flavours aplenty (and the compilation title) which may or may not be authentic, but its still a light, short but decidedly cool opener.

02: Blippy bleepy chilled electronica is soon joined by relaxed vocals that evoke the 80s. It's overlong, certainly, but nice enough all the same.

03: This has all the hallmarks of a 60s guitar band, with a bit of a spacey feel, but the quirky trumpet noise in the background makes it really interesting and that little bit different. An early highlight.

04: A good transition from the last track to this not so much in terms of genre but in keeping a swinging theme running. Funky beats, breathy flute-tooting and whacked-out organ riffing combine for some great party music.

05: Bit of a mis-step this I'm afraid. Pretty standard dancey-wancey that wouldn't seem out of place in a futuristic racing game on the Sony PlayStation circa 1997, but a tad naff here and now.

06: The opening doesn't do this track any favours, but once it launches into the tune proper, I was greeted with a winning off-kilter melody, with a spiky attitude and vocals that are simultaneously brash and a teensy bit vulnerable. Bold and brilliant.

07: Plips, plops, beats and snares. It's dance remix territory! Unfortunately, this offers nothing more to the original version than unneccessary padding length.

08: One of my favourite constantly evolving duos currently out there. I would probably rank their most recent album as their best, with their debut second, and the album this track is taken from third - but that is certainly not to diminish the quality of said work. Even then, this is not my favourite off that album, but it's still ahead of the competition in nearly every regards.

09: Pretty ineffectual acousticness that picks up considerably once the drums kick in, but it takes too long to get there. A bit dull.

10: A slow-burning song with rumbling percussion and gradual orchestration that builds and builds, lending an epic quality at odds with the singer, but all the better for it. A lovely piece of work.

11: The tinny drum loop and guitar-piano combo sounds a little Eels-esque, but not quite as good. There's just something lacking that leaves it being simply 'nice' rather than actually very good. Shame.

12: Kind of cool and spooky at first, but come the chorus it just turns into rather unexceptional pop fare. Hmph.

13: Despite this tune not really changing much at all throughout the track length, its filled with plenty of pleasant surprises and has a chirpy bouncy loopy feeling like spinning slowly in a circle until you're nicely dizzy but not enough to feel horribly ill. Gorgeous.

14: Choir, organ, cymbals! Then, ack! What is this? Backing music for a new National Lottery gameshow hosted by Tess Daly? Ludicrous.

15: This final track sounds like it would be included as the retro piece on the soundtrack of a quirky indie comedy-drama in which it would be played over the end and the following credits as the characters accept themselves and each other for who they are. That sounds a bit mean, but that it is not a pop at the track itself, which is a fine closer indeed.


Soooooooo...Hello Darling scores...


7/10


A tracklist pur-lease!

Why So Cheerious? by Rua.

Track 1: We kick off with caws and funky bass, organ and guitar all combine for a slinky, subdued instrumental that nicely sets the tone for the mix. On its own, it's only mildly diverting, but it gets things off to a good start.

Track 2: I really should know who this is by since I used it as bed music for my radio show for two years, but it's just completely gone. Reminiscing aside, this is an astounding slice of self-diagnosed neo-soul that is impossible to shake out of your head. Melancholic but insistent, it's the first highlight of the mix.

Track 3: Change of pace and style, slightly, as this bluesy entry keeps things moving. Not as striking as the previous or succeeding tracks, but still entertaining.

Track 4: The fast-plucked guitar reminded me of a Sons and Daughters track but the breathless male delivery put paid to that idea. As I've already intimated, I liked this track a lot. Not catchy, as such, but a hell of a lot of fun to listen to, if you can keep up.

Track 5: The intro made me think of Super Furry Animals at their more straightforward, but I can never mistake that accent. I love these guys and this fuzz-laden cacophony, whilst not as danceable or sexy as their other stuff, is still a cut above and the track fits in nicely with the laconic feel of the first couple tracks.

Track 6: The first forgettable track on the mix as far as I'm concerned. Plodding hip-hop beats and an uninteresting male-female dynamic. Not terrible, but it all went in one ear, out the other and hit the skip button on the way out after a few listens.

Track 7: This sounds really familiar to me, a bit like Bright Eyes, perhaps, but with a stronger emphasis on tunes and a youthful exuberance that I found appealing. The female 'ba-bas' really help sell the melody and the layered production doesn't threaten to overwhelm the rather gentle vocals. I liked this a lot.

Track 8: Another really familiar one that I just can't place. Like an unadorned LCD Soundsystem, it's driven by a strong, pulsing bass and an almost non-stop chorus. For all that, it's not something that really made an impression on me. Good, but not something I'd listen to on its own.

Track 9: An instrumental that starts small with a nice, electronic melody then builds into a symphony of musical landscapes. Just short enough that it doesn't outstay its welcome and does just enough in the time it has to linger in the memory. Very Sigur Ros-esque, without the jibberish or the fuzzy feeling their music leaves me with.

Track 10: I thought these guys may show up at some point. Not quite the ''cunts the NME likes this week'' that I first took them for, but I'm still not quite convinced. This is very good, though, and even if they mispronounce the name of the planet to serve the melody, it's still a lovely piece of synth-pop. Their name is rubbish, though.

Track 11: Legendary. Though I prefer this miniature Jehovah Witness's ''Scottish Tramp'' phase, this is still an amazing pop song with great vocals from the man himself and the backing singers. Add in some nice percussion, an unforgettable hook and hand claps and you've got a classic of epic proportions.

Track 12: Soaring and somewhat anthemic, yes, but sadly it didn't make much of an impression on me. The vocals are pretty, but the actual song itself just sort of bored me. Neither here nor there, I'm afraid.

Track 13: Ooh, I like this fella. A very pleasant rock song about longing to see the wider world and lost love. The actual song doesn't quite catch the ear but this one grew on me after a few listens.

Track 14: Recognise the voice, not the song, and it's a nice surprise. In keeping with the mellow end to the mix, it's a low-key, tender piece of guitar-driven pop that hits all the right notes for me. Very nice.

Track 15: We get even mellower now as a bit of blues and slide guitar take us out. Again, not a stunning song on first listen but one that grew on me after a couple of plays.


I liked this mix a lot, even if a fair few of the tracks left me feeling indifferent. It maintains the vibe set by the first track and carries it right through to the end, and as such winds up being a perfectly nice, mellow collection that improved on every listen. It rarely soars, but it rarely dips either, and it's a consistent mix that flows from track to track with a laid back and gentle ease.

8/10

A tracklist would be much appreciated.

THE SELDOM KEEN SID - Maian

1. It's simplistic electro synths & beats. Good straight forward male vocals & interesting lyrics too. ...maybe its too simplistic, but there's nothing here that offend my ears, so I like it.

2. This'd be a great fast passed song were it not for the annoying Scottish accent and the depressing lyric that conflicts with the otherwise up beat chorus. I don't want to hear this again.

3. A great start. a flamenco-y style guitar. I'm liking this ... alot. .... right up to the point when the indie female vocals kick in. (I'm not a fan of female vocals) ... as it goes, this song is still ok. I'm not liking it much... but the song is well written & performed, & that goes a long way.

4. This mellow rock ballad sounds fairly familiar to me. Maybe 'cause I heard the songs structure & chord progression so many times before... I'll forgive that though cause this is ok. The vocals are strong, & seem to have a narrative, which is nice. also the harpsichord sound is pretty cool.

5. Type-writer noise. Electro beats. not bad,... then the crap female rap vocals spoil it. Sounds like it was written by an 8 years old girl.

6. This one's familiar to me. Not really my bag, but I appreciate the quicky lyrics. Overall it's like eminem ... if eminem had a normal voice.

7. This one's familiar too. I'm sure it was a single. Not sure who though. probably one of indie bands of the 90's that I never got into. ... I won't guess though. I really like this.

8. Nice tune. Indie pop with plenty of synths, great vox. ...not much more I can say about this. I like it.

9. Indie rock. A female vocal that I actually like. ...great tune. This one's really grown on me.

10. Not keen on this one. It seems to cross many genres. It borrows different elements from various counties, none of which have any appeal to me.

11. Rock. Alright. not my sort of thing though. (I'm so hard to please)... I don't really like the main vocal on the verse. The chorus is alright though... & I enjoyed the phased guitar sections.

12. I really like this. Chilled beats & soft vocals. It works really well as an album closer. (I imagine it's also the closer on the album it's from).


A well picked album. A lot of the tracks have something in common in their sound. Although it was a mixed bag in terms of what I liked, ... a majority of it, I did like... so I give it a thumbs up.

6.5/10

EVERY NOW AND THEN - JON 79

I couldn't really write much about the tracks as this disc was consistently average throughout. While the majority of the tunes were technically accomplished, they didn't overall connect with me. I could appreciate them from a distance but didn't get a feel for any but two or so tracks. Individually:

01: Bouncy, jaunty and amiable, but lacks real substance.

02: A familiar voice calls out over a semi-soaring rock number with some nice piano and guitar warping going on. But it falls quite some ways away from being particularly memorable.

03: Technically accomplished and has THAT certain sound, but actually pretty disposable. However, it picks up considerably with the last minute of instrumental jamming, featuring guitar noise that sounds like its taking place inside a tiny plastic tube.

04: Pulsating near-instrumental piece (save for some spoken samples) that sounds like what people thought computers sounded like in the 70s. It's mysterious and sort of interesting.

05: Well it had to happen some time. But it is an intruiging choice. Not a great favourite of mine, but it has its qualities ('wanking' of course - more British vulgarity in music please), though the music does overpower the vocals a tad.

06: Dark 80s synth now, which I started liking, but it doesn't really go anywhere over its running time. It does however sound like it might appear as the front-end BGM for an F-Zero style future racing game on the SNES, but ultimately, its all eyeliner and no trousers.

07: Unusual bongo-xylophone collaboration which is forgettable but fine.

08: The first stand-out track at the half-way mark or so. A great gloomy rollicking dark mini-epic with distinctive vocals (live maybe? sounds it but no audience noise).

09: Continues some of the good left over from the previous track with a greater sense of emergency but not quite reaching the same heights of genuine goodness. Okay though.

10: A teeny South-Asian instrumental that builds quickly. Neat.

11: The chorus is kinda nice, but it's all a bit wishy-washy.

12: A groovy old-timey rock'n'roll number but not something I'd really snap my fingers to (and not just because I can't actually snap my fingers...FACT).

13: It's not bad, but just boring.

14: Short but oh so very sweet strings-led orchestral piece that is very familiar but I can't for the life of me remember where and when I might have heard it. A late highlight.

15: A few more dark and moody strings open the closing track, but it soon proves to be not too dissimilar to the rest of the album - so I guess it's all consistent. There's some high-pitched thereminage, or at least something similar, that sets it apart, but its central message sounds a little silly and has been done better elsewhere.

Overall:

5/10

So Fresh It’s Still Green - Ade

Track 1 – Good rocking start, not 100% sure who this is, sounds like it could be a couple of artists.

Track 2 – From rocking straight into a nice mellow track. I love this kind of stuff; it’s great to listen to on the bus on the way to work. And just let you’re mind wonder.

Track 3 – Very nice track, I like this, but don’t know who it is. If I did, I would of probably included this track on my cd.

Track 4 – Going a bit more 80s electro with this one, which is not a bad thing as I love a bit of electro and the 80s. Not sure who the artist is again.

Track 5 – Still sounding 80s (but with more guitar) which is great but I really feel that I should know this song as I recognise it, but can’t quite place who it is… again.

Track 6 – A bit more funky and upbeat is the next track, probably my least favourite track so far.

Track 7 – Sounds more current this track does, verging more on indie, well that’s the only way I can describe it. I like this track.

Track 8 – I like the style of this track, reminds me of a band I really like. Don’t know who the artist is though, which seems to be a running theme here, but isn’t that the point?

Half way through and only one track that I don’t like so far.

Track 9 – Great track, love this one, it’s a fav.

Track 10 – Not quite sure about this track bit of a strange one and not really my thing,

Track 11 – another track I’m not sure on, not sure why but I can’t make a connection to this track and it doesn’t really do anything for me.

Track 12 – And right back on track. Love this band and this is a fab song.

Track 13 – Another great track by one of my fav bands. It’s also one of my fav tracks by said band.

Track 14 – After a couple of good tracks back to a more slower pace. It’s an alright track.

Track 15 – I feel like I should in in a 70s cop show sliding over car bonnets in New York with this track playing in the back ground. Nice.

Track 16 – Liking this track, no idea how it is but has a nice build up and then gets going.

Track 17 – And here we are, at the last track of the album. It starts very quiet, slow and mellow before building into a slow guitar based songs. Very nice way to end a good collection of songs.

Over all the cd was really good. I had fun listening too it. Granted there were a couple of tracks that weren’t my cup of tea but hey we all have different tastes.

Overall

7/10

Baz - Side A: Rockin' Tracks

1. Choral singing, synth keyboard, beats & drums, jangling guitar, pompous electric guitar all led by a driving voice which has been brazenly adopted by Americas self-styled Anti-Christ. An epic “Goth” classic & quite an opener.
2. US Punk style sounding band do a cover by numbers of a decent (if overly lauded) pop song. Ok.
3. Explosive blues punk rock which at its roots owes a lot to Motorhead, MC5 & The Stooges. Reminded me a bit of Primal Screams punk rock work in their Exterminator & Evil Heat records. Vocals are weak, particularly the backing, but I enjoyed this.
4. Great band on a great album with a stonking raw track demonstrating this bands process of creating songs through simple pure jamming.
It was also accompanied by my good lady stating her admiration for the act in her own special way...
People who don’t like this band can go fuck themselves.
Who am I to argue?
5. Critically acclaimed slice of indie dance art rock from a band who despite their name never seemed to surface for air again. I wasn’t a massive fan at the time but mildly enjoyed this listen.
6. Good little pop metal tune. Even though it clearly isn’t Andy Cairns singing I honestly thought this was Therapy? for a moment until I twigged on to who it was.
The track ends with a little epilogue of guitar echoes, & haunting chilled sounds which lead into the second section of the disc….

Side B: Chillin' Tracks

7. A classic cut of Trip-Hop from pioneers of the genre.
8. Beautifully layered synth is the key in this electronic chill track. Really nice work.
9. A great house number to stick on return from a club, just lively enough to keep the mood flowing & just chilled enough to begin to bring things to a sitting standstill. I like.
10. I Like the act but I just never warmed to this chill out favourite, elements of the dub synth are great but the vocal sample grates & the trumpet just sullies the good name of jazz.
11. A brooding synth track that grows as the song goes on with vocals entering at the halfway mark describing some kind of feeling of an epiphany. I don’t know why, but it all sounded very German to me & little over earnest musically & lyrically. I can see it’s merits but just not my cup of tea.
12. Great beats, twisted sounds, echoes & drones. Good track.

This was a good solid mix that I enjoyed for the most part. Nice. 7/10

A track list would be most appreciated Baz.

Ade - "So Fresh Off The Press It's Still Green"

1 - Pop funk hissy fit. That's a good thing.

2 - Abstract opening, that for a second sounds like Orbital about to kick in, becomes uplifting but samey.

3 - Cellos, lady vocals, very likable if mournful. But definitely likable.

4 - The type of chilled electro that could come from any time in the last thirty years in a timeless way. Nice.

5 - It's gone a bit art school, great vocals, eighties synth and guitar but maybe a bit too brooding, verging on the melodramatic. I'm not keen on the sax either.

6 - Fuck Will Smith.

7 - Not keen on this, really not my type of thing. Puts me in mind of Geena Davis getting her life together.

8 - Whereas, I really like this. Very catchy, with a high energy to it yet still remains kind of melancholy. Nice sentiment too.

9 - I should like this artist, they're right up my street but for some inexplicable reason they have never really done it for me. As for this track, it's ok, I like the bip bip bip part, but it doesn't really do anything to change my opinion.

10 - Makes me stroke my handlebar moustache as I make my escape across the Mediterranean in a speed boat with a hundred dead spies in my wake, chuckling to myself how they'll never catch me. It's that cool.

11 - Ok Dreadzone-esque trance. Nice enough but nothing out of this world and I'm not sure about the vocals.

12 - What ever happened to these? Great vocals, squelchy bass and pounding beat help make this one of these guys' poptastic best.

13 - I like this, it has a nice haunting, soulful quality but I kind of have a personal dislike for this kind of lists of cool things/people in modern culture. It's not really anything to do with the song more of a pet peeve.

14 - I loves me a bit of harp. I also loves a bit of high camp melodrama if done with this kind of knowing wink.

15 - Wah wah, disco strings, funky horns. Ade brung some funk.

16 - Same kind of MOR style as track 7.

17 - Lovely harmonies and sweeping strings mark the the end of proceedings with this final piece of melancholia.


Apart from a couple of tracks that just weren't my thing it was a nice collection.

Tracklist s'il vous plait.

Why So Cheerious? - Rua.

1. A great start. Fantastic funky organ sounds. Not sure who, but sound a bit like Money Mark. Love it.

2. Love the tune of this one...very catchy, not too keen on the rap sections of the song though.

3. 50's sounding guitar rock ('n' roll?)... not really my bag, this one... though I dig the use of a scream at the end of the chorus.

4. Nice fast paced rhythm guitar with an equally speed vocal to match. I like this. So simplistic, but very effective.

5. Steady rock beat. Not a bad female vocal. ... Reminds me of Republica's Ready To Go.

6. Starts with what sounds like a sample of Jacko's Bad. ....Then beats, vocals, bleeps, more beats, more vocals & other noises kick in. Sounds like a Ninja Tune. Love it.

7. Very well produced pop. The vocal sounds like The Electric Soft Parade. Overall it sounds a bit too cheesy for my tastes (though depending on my mood, I might like it tomorrow) & the chorus is a bit weak...

8. I like this one. great bass. Style, & vocal reminds me of Beck.

9. A lovely build up at the start of this cheery instrumental... & after 8 bars when lyrics still hadn't kicked in, I was very glad that it is an instrumental. Vocals on this could've ruined a wonderful song.

10. I've just gone back to the early 80's. Synths & beats that could've been taken from a-ha or Erasure... and vocals that sound like Peter Gabriel has smoothed his voice a little. Too cheesy for me.

11. Speaking of cheesy, this is another 80's pop sound-a-like. Too formulaic for me to say anything positive about.

12. Ballads! I'm not entirely sure this compilation hasn't got suck in the decade that style forgot. This time with sweeping strings ... actually this could be a lot earlier than the 80's. In which case it's forgiven, but I still don't like it.

13. Sounds like every song the Strokes have ever done. ...on the other hand, after the lyric came in, I'm thinking this is Razorlight. Nice indie tune either way... nothing wrong with it... but nothing too special either.

14. This sound really familiar. I like it... but I'm not sure why... I think its the vocals. Sort of reminds me of Beck (again).

15. Blues. Not bad, in fact its very good. Blues is not really my thing (unless it's got a rock flavour to it) ... but the fun lyrics here raise it above the average.


Overall, a pretty good compile. Started off excellently. Everything from the first half of the album did something for me. .... but it really went down hill for me, & though it got a bit better near the end, it never really redeemed itself. As a wise man once said: You can please some of the people all of the time,... and all of the people, some of the time.*

I award this a generous
7.5/10


Track-list me, please.

*Henry's Cat, I think.

THE SELDOM KEEN SID - MAIAN

An incongruousness (incongruity?) permeated through many of the initial tracks, with disparate components intentionally joined together, but rarely sucessfully. Inventive perhaps, but hard to listen to. The latter part of the compilation though were largely unexceptional and not interesting or innovative enough. Nothing which I would actually consider terrible, but also nothing I'd have any trouble skipping if it came up on a shuffle. Track by track:

01: Good rhythm, the lyrics alternate between clever and stupid. It's a nice energetic opener, but doesn't especially stick in the mind.

02: A pretty strange mix of elements with laconic vocals over a fast beat and techno-y sound effects. A bit too odd to really get into.

03: Something of a mariachi flavour with uncharacteristic lady vocals and overpowering percussion which drowns out what could have been a nice melody. The shouty over singing approach doesn't work too great.

04: Another case of strange mix and matchness, with somewhat coarse vocals and a bluesy tune with backing harpsichord of all things. But apart from the choice of instruments, there's little else that sticks out particularly.

05: I like the typewriter noise, I like the multi-lingual vocals, I like the minimal electro approach - but it is a couple of minutes too long. Good though.

06: Is this a spoof rap song or something? I'm not sure whether I've heard the original or if this is the original. Either way, its not really very good.

07: Middle of the road ahoy. Inoffensive and disposable.

08: Really amateur sounding electronica - sounds like someone got Dance EJay and a microphone for Christmas, but I doubt this was the individual bedroom concoction it really ought to be.

09: Almost liked this one. It had some soaring goodness and the vocals were nice in a whispery way, but it fell somewhat sort of relistenable value.

10: Mad poppy beat and disco strings with a dollop of childish quirkiness. It's not perfect, but it's the first track in a long while to make me sit up and take notice.

11: Rock organ, brash guitars and drums, sing-a-long chorus and gruff vocals. But it doesn't grab my attention the way it really should. All the effort made yet it just sounds outdated and silly.

12: Not bad laidback and atmospheric closer that has a hypnotic quality, making it pleasant if moody backing music. One of the best of the whole compilation, but ultimately too little too late.


5/10

Noise Museum - Kick in the Head

1. Modern art school indie rock. Some nice organ (fnar)

2. Heavyish, kind of industrial, kind of avant garde. It's alright.

3. Nice production. Sounds like Linkin Park's experimental cousins, which is better than it sounds.

4. Caffine driven eeriness. The atmospheric brass and theremin really makes this for me. I like the 'middle eight' too. Probably best listened to whilst being chased by Martians.

5. World weary mix of Radiohead and The Flaming Lips. Nice enough.

6. Like everything so far is very well produced, nice guitar and keyboard effects. Kind of upliftingly sombre indie trance.

7. Breezy, jazzy, very summery. I like this.

8. Follows on nicely from the previous track. Head swimmingly playful melancholia.

9. Thought I'd heard this before but I think I was thinking of an Emiliana Torrini song. Slightly reminiscent of her but more Cocteau Twins meets Sugarcubes' Bjork doing haunting.

10. Brown note intro, dirty guitar and Pumpkins strings. Kind of sleazy and late night but still very pretty.

11. Follows on slightly with the Pumpkins feel. Very slow and incidental. Kind of thing that is nicer to have on in the background rather than to listen to for the purpose of reviewing which makes it a little tiring.

12. Existential cinematic cowboy music from an alternate reality. Seems a fitting way to end the cd.

This has probably been my favourite cd so far. Very consistent, all the tracks are thoughtfully produced and have a real feel to them. No real stand out racks but a few of interest, some where nice and there were absolutely none that I disliked.

Tracklist please.

Ade - "So Fresh Off The Press It's Still Green"

1. God damn.
Fine Pop/Funk tune from that walking musical Deity from Minneapolis. Good start that blends seamlessly into..

2. A Mint Royal & New Order inspired (in melody) kind of uplifting instrumental reprise, from one of the better songs this lot have churned out. Very nice. I’m pretty sure I stumbled across an early remix of this track online somewhere & it was a belter. Must hunt it out again.

3. A chilled electronic & regret tinged ballad, helped along by the occasional cameo of strings. Very hard to get this sort of thing right in my opinion & the poor lyrics & dull pace made this a cup of tea that just wasn’t mine in the first place.

4. Great synth in the intro which goes onto become this tunes silent refrain, retrospective 80’s electronica for the modern day. Great little tune. Bound to be Scandinavian, just has to be.

5. Art school 80’s with good guitar, synth & a great bass line. Sax is questionable but then again it wouldn’t be what it is without it. Does Sostie dance to this one?

6. Not even a 2nd rate actor who doesn’t know when to leave music well alone can ruin this funk classic. It makes me want to hang out with those hoodlum friends of mine. This man has magic fingers. Great.

7. I know a fella’ who would like this. He’s not me.
Americana soft rock pop by numbers. This must be what the inside of Zach Braff’s head sounds like.

8. Interesting & diverse track with a melody (particularly in the chorus) that owes a lot to early R.E.M.

9. Electronic doodling & sampling with Vocoder vocals generally makes Ruaidhrí a happy chimp & as much as this is a decent track, this particular act just never ignited my fires as much as it did others.

10. Heh heh heh. This is just plain great. Salsa rhythms, various forms of synth (including a harpsichord part in the background at one point) all gather around 4 rather famous & instantly recognizable chords. Great.

11. Poppy acid house/trance track with spacey lyrics. Vocals aren’t the best though. Ian Brown still tries to make tunes like this.

12. It’s Electro-Rock! Awesome little ditty with a bass drum pedal to die for from the indie boys who knew when to call it a day & buy themselves a mobile disco. Great.

13. Great band. Not my favourite track, but the instrumental bridge to the final chorus is splendid stuff. The rest is a rather ordinary Lennon & Bowie inspired song. Not bad.

14. A song written in the form of a stage musical number which never quite reaches the peaks that it could, in the hands of say a Neil Hannon. Upon ending it slides straight across the bonnet of…

15. An absolute classic instrumental, which although weak in it’s composition & delivery is greater than the sum of its parts & also is boosted by association with popular culture.
Love this not? Love not life.

16. How did I end up in Zach Braff’s head again? Gotta’ be the same chap/chaps as earlier, right?
I’ll give them this, they are slightly better than most of their ilk & I can hear elements of Del Amitri in there. That’s as far as I’m stretching.

17. Chilled track, lightly laced with melancholy & given depth with some sweeping strings, harp & acoustic guitar. Well put together but just didn’t speak to me at all.


A lovely little eclectic collection as usual from Ade. Always plenty in there to like.

7 out of 10

Tracklist Mr. Ade please.

Logger - Logger Rhythms

1. Slightly overlong opener that begins with a looped sample of funky piano and drums and, about halfway through starts to sound like a skeleton playing their ribcage whilst tuning a radio. Towards the end it starts to get a bit squelchy as well, so it's interesting at least. A good, solid opening.

2. The vocal effect on this reminded me of the intro to the 90s Spider-Man cartoon, which will always get my interest. The rest of the track is a pretty relentless, though subdued, techno sound that wouldn't be out of place in an 80s action film.

3. Very laidback slice of hip-hop that goes in one ear and out the other, but leaves a pleasant sensation for the most part.

4. Ah, a much missed voice opens the start of this track, assumingly it's been taken from one of his Festive Fifties and, at a guess, I'd say it sounds like a late-90s one. With it's barely tuneful vocals and minimal instrumental designed to allow the lyrics to shine through reminds me of anti-folk, a movement I'm not all that found of, but all in all it was entertaining and funny.

5. A nice follow up to the previous track as we go for a more out and out rock sound but with the sly sense of humour maintain as the gruff-voiced singer celebrates the alcoholism of his pregnant partner. Pretty funny.

6. Pounding drums and echoey guitars give this a spooky, off-kilter feeling which is then undercut by a none-more-sweeter female vocal. A nice dose of energy to proceedings thanks to the pace and melody.

7. Fast, fast, fast guitar-heavy number with barely coherent lyrics and some solid drumming. Jumpy, shouty fun that's like someone punching you in the face then scarpering.

8. Hard to understand spoken word sample then gives way to a bit of mild ambience and some damn silly lyrics. A bit dull.

9. Another short one, it's really just some guitar sounds and what appears to be a xylophone. Works nice as a bridge between tracks, but doesn't really do anything for me on its own.

10. Vaguely ethereal vocals make this sound like someone practicing in a church. The song itself is pretty unremarkable, it has to be said, with nothing to make it really grab my attention.

11. Strangely proggy keyboards mix uncomfortably with jazz drums and an effects laden vocal performance. Not bad in a Flaming Lips way, but again it just didn't make any impression on me.

12. This, I like. It's got some lovely vocals on it and a hungover quality to it, the result of hazy guitar playing and gentle instrumentation. Very good, though it does depend on my mood and whether I am, in fact, hungover.

13. Childish melody, drums that are hard to ignore and what appears to be Spanish lyrics make for an interesting diversion on the compilation. Lots of fun.

14. I'm not a big fan of dance music in general, and drum and bass in particular does nothing for me. Having said that, this isn't too bad. Caribbean accents add a certain spice to things and help make it stand out more than the standard beats and by rote police sirens would otherwise.

15. More of the same but not as good. Reminds me of the stuff that used to get played at a pub I lived in during the early 90s, and I can't say that I care for it any more now than I did then. Not terrible, but really not something I would consider listening to otherwise, especially the Mortal Kombat style synths.

16. Aside from the synth sound, which is quite interesting, this is just boring. The vocals are listless and the rest of the song is equally unimaginative. Next.

17. Initially lo-fi in its vocals, this then improved greatly with some subtle synths, male-female vocal dynamic and philosophical lyrics. A good late entry that was a nice contrast to the similar, but inferior Track 16.

18. That Voice again, still missed yet still introducing me to new music I like. A good vocal, funny lyrics and strong poppy guitars make for a song that's pretty much impossible for me to dislike.

19. A song that feels like an appropriate end to this compilation; witty, fun and slightly exhausted. Keeps up the excellent run of songs at the end of the mix and the unexpected saxophone gives a final jolt of energy to its dying moments. Very Kinks-esque.


As a whole, this mix was a bit epic and, at times, something of a slog to get through. There were definite lulls and moments of brilliance, but a lot of the time it settled into a middle ground that I neither hated nor particularly liked. It all flowed well, but that doesn't really make up for the problems I had with a lot of the tracks and ultimately it was difficult for me to get into it.

6/10

Tracklist, please.

Logger Rhythms

1.Love this opening track. Funky beats, funny beeps, crazy xylophones and a theramin. Reminds me of Hexstatic. At 6.5 minutes, some may say this is too long, but this is just right.

2.Music in a similar vein, but faster & trippier. I like this, but the electro voice gets a bit tiresome after a while. The actually music's great though. Reminds me of something half way between Orbital & the Propellerheads.

3.Nice change, slower beats. Chilled. Nice. Did I say nice already? It's a nice chilled out tune. Sounds like a ninja tune. Me likes.

4.It's great to hear John Peel's voice again, introducing this. Nice guitar tune. Bad singing. Worse lyrics.

5.I like this one even less. Like the previous songs, the slightly amusing lyrics do nothing for the song for me. Next.

6.Better. I really like this actually. Good for a female vocalist. Sounds like the Pixies, but without Black Francis vocals.

7.More rock. ...of the punk variety. Bit too fast for my tastes.

8.Weird song. Not bad music, if quite amateurish. Shame about the vocals. ...Milk? eugh!

9.Trippy and short. Nice.

10. Very Belle & Seb. ...perhaps even mellower. A pleasant treat for my ears.

11.I don't know this,... but I'm sure its Lamb. ...or if not, it sure sounds like them. I likes it....

12.Hmmm... Maybe I have Lamb on the brain... this sound like them too. ...maybe more so. Yes. Has to be. Either way, I like this song more.

13.Aaaghhh... not a good start. Kazoo?! There's really nothing about this track that appealing.

14.This is equally bad. Not my cuppa cha at all.

15.Sounds like an early 90's dance track. Retro. You can keep it though.

16.Not a bad track, this. Nice beats with a wobbly synth. Nothing special, but nothing here to offend my ears.

17.The vocals in this really remind me of The Electric Soft Parade, though they actually sound like (and probably are) Lamb... (again!). Very Mellow.

18.Yay! John Peel intros again. That's always promising. This rock ballad sounds familiar... though maybe cause I've heard it a few times now. Not bad. Surely a scouse band.

19.I like this. Very 1960s. Possibly a Kinks song I don't know? That sort of era anyway.


Overall:
An extremely mixed bag for me. Stuff I really hated, & stuff I really really loved. (and a few in between). The overall feel doesn't really seem to work as a compilation though.

6.5/10

Noise Museum by Kick In The Head.

Like the cover art.

1. Squeaky opening punky guitar riff leads to my ears being filled with drums, vocals & a rather Horrors sounding organ. Quite like The Rapture in places too. I like this.

2. Interesting enough instrumental using computer game sound synth samples, screeching guitar & drum loops. Sounds a bit like some of the instrumental stuff by Does it Offend You, Yeah? actually.

3. Echoed voices, delayed guitar & bass lead into an instrumental with an eastern lilt on the guitar melody. Goes close to Kula Shaker territory at one point. Didn't grab me.

4. Soulful electronic house tune which makes great use of a Theremin & the occasionally blast of brass. Take away the Theremin & brass though & you have some a fairly ordinary electronic house with a female vocal. Not crazy about it, but don’t mind it.

5. American Indie Rock heavily influenced by Jeff Buckley & mildly by Radiohead. As by numbers as this is, it’s a very well crafted song (with a great ending by the way) & I have to say I liked it. I think I’ll check these guys out despite the worry his voice may grate on me after a while.

6. A kind of Sigur Ros goes electro indie track, which rouses itself from a minimalistic composition to cacophony of electronic sounds & vocal harmonies & back again. I enjoyed.

7. Masterful & rather summery little mix of various styles, by a certain Japanese breakbeat artist by any chance? Must be. Surely.

8. A lovely piece from one of my favourite artists. Beautiful orchestration throughout with playful story driven songwriting.

9. Simplistic & minimalist piece with soft delayed organ dominated by a choral voice. More soothing than haunting. Rather good. It sounds mighty familiar.

10. Dirty blues guitar riff with a single violin provide a solitary feeling to this track. It grows with the addition of more strings which seem to drag the rest of the languid, bluesy guitar & vocals along. Ok. Not a favourite of mine.

11. Staying with the more downbeat tempo is a rather interesting & altogether more optimistic sounding track with a good use of effects in conjunction with drumbeat & strings. It gathers a little pace as it goes on but ends quietly. Inventive & nice.

12. Experimental Folk Rock taking that old cowboy rock staple & stretching slightly here & there. Pleasant & a nice end to the CD.

A great little collection of tunes there so it is, with very little to dislike.

8 out of 10.

Tracklist would be most appreciated.

WHY SO CHEERIOUS? - RUA

Rua doesn't disappoint with a lucky dip of myriad tastes, but all with a consistently upbeat feel and a near-matching level of quality. I get the impression, though, that with a 15-track listing there was a lack of ruthlessness in the editing suite (remember: "Kill your babies!") and the dip into a more classic songster vibe at the end is not always a successful one, but at least everything is kept under the five-minute mark to keep the finger off the skip button. Overall, a very fine offering indeed.

01: A lovely kick-back and throw-back funky start with some great rock organ that hits all the right notes. Splendid.

02: A familiar tune this one, which I do very much like, but maybe I'm just a little too familiar with it to make it seem as fresh as when I first heard it. Never mind, it still is rather cracking with a good mix of brash rap, soulful singing, nice beats and slick guitar.

03: A change in track indeed, with swaggering rock'n'roll that sounds rough, raw and ready. It's simple stuff, but delivered with genuine gusto.

04: Urgent and frantic acoustic number that sounds as if it's from the era of classic rock, yet with lyrical content that reflects contemporary ideas. Either a successful evocation of a bygone age or someone had particular thematic foresight. And either way, pretty good.

05: Brisk and bold, #5 offers a whole hoot of ladyrock loudness, plus an interesting almost mournful break, before kicking into an overload of sharp guitars and near-militant percussion. Yes please.

06: Not completely sold on the lyrics and vocals, which is a shame as there are some neat ideas elsewhere and the other elements in place suggest this could have been so much more. Not bad and it's under three minutes so not too much of a dip in quality, but the first mis-step of sorts.

07: It's certainly 'of the moment' indie-pop (cheery twinkling, childish sing-a-long, not-trying vocals), which I can find sometimes too self-conscious, with often supposedly-endearing faux-ramshackleness betrayed by too nice production. Yet, I like this. Just as your typical Hollywood blockbuster may be as predictable as a metronome, but its overall good-natured silliness is hard to resist.

08: Some elements from the previous track transfer to this one, but this one is more kinetic and downright nutty, making it more entertaining. Despite the repetitive chorus and looping synth, I don't think it's especially memorable, but that's probably just as well - if it got lodged in my head, I doubt I could get it out of there for days and days.

09: From sweet melodic beginnings, song builds and builds when the percussion kicks in to create a lovely sweeping instrumental that despite its epic qualities remains at its core very simple and happy. Gorgeous stirring stuff that makes me want to go dance in a robe in the sunshine. Ladies and gentlemen, we have ourselves a highlight!

10: Oh, synth! Let me count the ways I love thee! Acutally, I'll spare you. Anyway, this is a good tune indeed with a very convincing 80's flavour from a concept album of sorts, which I haven't heard all the way through, but this might just push me to actually get round to getting it.

11: Not an artist I've ever really gotten into (though my flatmate adores him unconditionally), so I can't really get into this track. Nice enough, but not really for me.

12: A familiar tune again that's pretty good. It's got a nice chorus and a lovely upbeat sound, though it's a little disposable.

13: A pretty classic track that's hard to fault, and good sing-a-long in an open-top car material. Sometimes it's hard to judge including a well-known song in a mixtape, but this one fits very well.

14: Not sure who this is, but it's a short slice of very US 90's alt-rock. It's not something that appeals to me, but I presume it got a lot of college radio airtime.

15: Its blues but doesn't really sound especially genuine - at least not what I imagine blues to be, which, admittedly, I know near to nothing about. I suspect from the lyrics its semi-parodic, but I'm not 100% sure in this area. Regardless, it's a pretty weak closer.


8/10

Tracklist, please!

Hello Darling - Wife Of Rolex

1. Sounds of the sub-continent with nice effects but once the bass kicks in it sounds like something John Lennon would do on an average day. Okay but a bit monotonous.

2. Drove me mad trying to think what this was, I'm so bad with remembering songs, I may even have a copy of this somewhere. I'm not the biggest fan of these guys/guy but I do like this. Modern art school/dance outfit doing an impression of the Human League and thus pretty cool.

3. Finger plucking good. Sounds a bit like The Beta Band or the Aliens although I suspect it's quite a bit older than that. Nice piano fade out.

4. Opens with hammond organ and funky drumming then the guitar kicks and the woodwind licks and the whole thing becomes so groovalicious.

5. Infectious late 80's house. Nothing too revolutionary but good enough to chew your face off to.

6. This weirdly sounds like every song ever recorded. Like pretty much everything about this except where the chorus goes. Otherwise it's cool indie pop.

7. Really great minimalist interpretation of a fucking awesome, stone classic. It'd be hard to go wrong with this though.

8. This artist can sometimes leave me a bit cold but cinematic electroclash, lovely vocals and sweeping strings make this down tempo track a beautiful heartbreaker.

9. Melancholy acoustica that could have been too overwrought but is saved by charming melodies and great vocals. And yet another track on the cd with backwards instruments.

10. As I like a bit of Cilla I like this. Whoever it is singing has a great voice and the brass and strings really add to the brooding feel of the track but I just wish a little more had been done with it.

11. Didn't like this. Pretty bland.

12. A bit better than the previous track but similarly the ingredients don't seem to blend too well again feeling a bit bland.

13. Back to good stuff. Opens like the Flamingos but turns out to be a computer singing a breezy bit of electropop niceness before humans start to harmanize with it.

14. Gothic intro blends into what sounds like Carter playing the Fun House theme tune which is something I'm really not sure what I think of. An interesting peculiarity maybe.

15. Reminds me of Pretty in Pink but from the sixties. Apart from the sax there's little else to interest me although it does have a closing track feel.


As I've said in another thread I really liked this selection but it tails off quite dramatically for me towards the end with a few tracks that I just didn't find interesting at all. I still think KITH's is my favourite so far but this could have maybe gone one better.

I'd also like to say that I doubt there will be better artwork for any of the cds in this loop, it looks very professional and it is about time there were some naked women popping up.

May I have a tracklist, please.

Baz

Side A - Rockin' Tracks

Track 1 - Epic is one word for this track. Other, more accurate words, would be overlong and pretty boring. The choral vocals are the most interesting part for me, making the majority of the track, which consists of sub-standard rock guitar and disinterested lead vocals, something of a chore to get through after more than one listen. Next!

Track 2 - A entertaining cover of a song that I really like, even if the singer's voice sounds like nails on a chalkboard to me. A louder, more driving version of the original that I can't help but like.

Track 3 - This one annoys me because the lead singer's voice sounds really familiar but the music doesn't seem to fit, makes me think of Beck. Musically it's not dissimilar to what The Fall would sound like if they were more metal-influenced and a bit more proficient with their instruments. It's a cacophonous joy of noise that I was really drawn to. Look forward to find out who it's by.

Track 4 - Like Logger, I love this band, but for me it's actually one of the weaker songs off of my favourite of their albums. Still, by association it gets a thumbs up from me and reminded me of why I love them.

Track 5 - Ah, the kings of shouty Jewish guys making hip-hop. I love these guys and will listen to anything they do, though this is a particularly good example of what they do so well; a surprisingly gentle sample mixed in with swirling guitars and screaming. No one does it quite like them. Unless it isn't them, in which case ignore everything that went before.

Track 6 - I'm in two minds on this one. I liked the overall track, but can't decide if the vocals on the chorus are a piss-take or not. They sound a bit too much like someone is putting on a 'metal' voice for comic effect. If that is the case, then I don't get the joke and am a bit annoyed, but if it is serious, then it's pretty solid but with silly vocals.

Side B - Chillin ' Tracks

Track 7 - Superb. Saw these guys recently and this was one of the highlights. Beautiful vocals, laid back beats and one of their more hypnotic raps.

Track 8 - This is the sort of track I like waking up to in the morning; one that starts out slow and which you can have on in the background but then builds and builds and builds until you can't ignore it. Doesn't do much, but what it does do is really quite lovely.

Track 9 - I'm sure I've heard this track before, or maybe that's just because it's very similar to a lot of slow trance sort of numbers. Not terrible, but I could take or leave it and I think that the song it is a remix of is superior.

Track 10 - I've always hated this song. Dull, dull, dull, stupid lyrics and a soporific vocal make for a truly terrible song. The one major misstep of the mix.

Track 11 - Much better. A relaxed vibe and subtle electronics carry this along for the first half, then the hazy vocals carry it the rest of the way. Pleasant.

Track 12 - Kind of dull, but in keeping with the previous tracks so it rounds out Side B nicely.


A nicely structured mix that, with a few exceptions, I liked a lot. The two sides work as self-contained entities and even if I preferred Side A I still found stuff to like in Side B. There were a few tracks that I outright hated, namely track 1 and track 10, but everything else fell into the middle-ground of ''I like that'', though few made the climb to the heights of ''Ooh, that's good''. Whilst the separation of the kinds of tracks worked well, it did mean that the tracks ended up being samey and perhaps a more varied track order would have made the experience as a whole more interesting.

7/10

A tracklist would be much appreciated.

So Fresh Off The Press It's Still Green - Ade

Track 1 - I imagined that this diminutive fella would show up, but so soon? A barnstorming opener of catchy synth lines, squalling guitars and his distinctive voice that mixes somewhat awkwardly into...

Track 2 - A fairly upbeat instrumental number that had me nodding approvingly along to it throughout. Has shades of New Order pre-coke fuelled meltdown, which is to say just before they got really bad but not as good as they had been. Never dull, but not all that shiny.

Track 3 - I'll be brutally honest here, I hate these guys. Seriously, I fail to see the appeal in them at all except for that one song they did about the lead singer being a machine and even then that got old about two minutes in. This is a good example of what I dislike about them; the singer is basically asleep and the rest of the band seem to be drifting off as well. D-u-u-l-l-l-l.

Track 4 - Interesting, this one. It's got the icy, Fritz Lang aesthetic of Kraftwerk but with a plaintive vocal. Kind of like a more focused Royksopp and, whilst I don't think I'd listen to this outside of the context of the album, I do like it.

Track 5 - I thought this might be Modest Mouse for the first four or five seconds, as the echoey guitar played out, but that theory was quickly put to rest as the very, very 80's vocals kicked in. As with the previous song, it maintain my interest but never really grew on me and in the end is something that I don't see myself returning to much.

Track 6 - Tune. One of the most inventive voices and talents of the twentieth century, this one sees him on top form vocally and with one of his strongest backing tracks, even if it does have some unfortunate association with a song that sampled it and was then used as the theme tune for a very bad film. Classic.

Track 7 - Singer-songwritery sort of song that starts off sounding a little too much like Patience by Take That. The vocals are impassioned but can't really hide the fact that the rest of the song is quite generic and the lyrics sound like they've just been plucked from someone's myspace blog.

Track 8 - I like the opening of this as the African(?) chanting kicks in and the singer manages a strange balance between singing and spoken word. The rest of the song doesn't really maintain that interest but I do like how silly the chorus is and it stuck in my mind in a way that several tracks on the mix otherwise failed to.

Track 9 - The opening of this sounds very familiar, probably because it sounds like an awful lot of similar songs, but the vocals raise this up somewhat. There's something lovelorn about it that appeals to me, even if the rest of the track doesn't do much for me.

Track 10 - Ooh, I like this. It's like a James Bond theme performed by Mr. Scruff. A strange recurring theme of dread and intrigue pops in amidst some infectiously happy horns and there's this terrific positive energy running throughout it. Very nice.

Track 11 - This reminds me of Track 4 in that it has an incredibly familiar, even indifferent backing which is overlaid with much more upbeat lyrics and vocals. There's not really enough going on to keep my mind from wandering, but I do dig this.

Track 12 - I like these guys, though my favourite track of theirs is the one that Justice did a remix of and released as a single a few years ago. As it is, though, this is a fun track with some slightly demented vocals, pounding guitars and the final product is hard to forget.

Track 13 - I recognised these fellows straight off, even if the song was a new one on me. A woozy tale of someone experiencing a near-death experience and seeing famous dead people, the singer's unmistakable voice, toned down from how he is usually heard, stands out but the ambience of the song is really terrific, perfectly matching the lyrics and creating the sense that the person singing them is only vaguely aware of what's going on around them.

Track 14 - Knowing Ade's fondness for this band, I wasn't surprised when they showed up. A grandiose narrative about the rise and fall and rise of a 'movie star', the American media and war. It's a tad ridiculous but hugely enjoyable. Probably my favourite song on the mix.

Track 15 - Funky instrumental that only really serves to take up space on the CD. Pretty forgettable.

Track 16 - I lump this in with Track 7 as something that I just don't like and for similar reasons. It goes for soaring but falls short, the singer's delivery annoys me and the whole thing leaves me cold. Yawn.

Track 17 - A subdued ending to the mix and a pleasant one at that. The vocals are gentle, almost brittle, and the instrumentation has a soft, hungover vibe to it that really appeals to me. Not astounding, but it closes things nicely.


Apart from Track 3, which I disliked because of an established antipathy towards the artist in question, there wasn't a huge amount on this mix that I didn't like. However, there were only a few tracks that grabbed me, but that's okay since the overall feel of the mix was worth the few duff tracks. It could probably have done with some trimming, Track 15 leaps out at me as being unnecessary and there are a few others that could have been cut to create a leaner, more dynamic beast, but in the final analysis I thought it was a good, varied mix that I generally liked.

7/10

Hello Darling – Wife Of Rolex

Exquisite little cover from Kelly again who puts us all to shame in that department.

1. We begin with a badly produced modern uptake on eastern sounds with bad beats & samples which someone has thrown in with their eyes closed. The vocals were good, but everything else about this was shoddy & unimaginative.

2. Almost an antithesis of the previous track from an act who are over-rated by Muso dullards & under-rated by fools. A chilled track with masterful synth, delicately crafted but well executed beats & perfectly appropriate vocals. A track which nods sagely toward the past, while keeping itself firmly rooted in the present. Good.

3. Avante garde, art school 60’s pop. More driven by jazz than psychedelia, this little ditty is a treasure on the ears. I like it, indeed I do.

4. A real step up in tempo with a great intro of drums & organ that create a warning siren giving us pre-emptive to prepare ourselves. Everybody get ready to groove!

5. Very little House music dates well, it’s all down to the beats you see, which on this are dominated by a very dated synth bass kick drum. The overlaying acid house piano synth is awful, but does ease into a normal synth piano loop in the middle of the track which makes things not so bad. Unfortunately the acid house loop comes back in for a final trip, if I still did drugs I would leave the room & let the Brian Harvey’s have a dance.

6. Terrible intro, terrible. I can’t stress this enough, which is a shame because the rest of this Blondie inspired track is great. Reading from the same soulful disco guitar riff book as The Rapture, the confident story telling vocals put this a cut above other danceable indie of its ilk. Good good.

7. Remix of disco classic which adds nothing but weaker vocals, a clumsy synth & an irritating snare drum which makes it impossible to mix without killing the treble & shoehorning it in, then dropping the snare back in like a tombstone on granite, which in essence defeats the entire purpose of a remix. This is a remix Fail.

8. A decent slice of electro from an act which flatter to deceive & often frustrate. It adds strings in the right places to accentuate the tracks feeling of a ticking clock, ending in a well crafted crescendo. Decent.

9. A lamentful sounding, reworking of one of the popular hits from an absolute cracking little band. Dominated by a lovely sounding 12 string acoustic guitar for most of the track, it unfortunately works better on the level of knowing the original version. On it’s own it’s fairly ordinary. Interesting for me though & I enjoyed it.

10. Ah. I recognise this person from your last loop. 60’s inspired soulful pop ballad of sorts, like only a Liverpuddlian could do. Beautifully reserved & minimalist.

11. Tinny beats seem to work with this gentle & bland enough track that doesn’t go particularly anywhere or do anything. I guess it is nice & everything, but something I would expect to be heard being piped through an iTunes shuffle in an upmarket pub in the daytime. There is something very Sting about it, I didn’t like that.

12. Boyband type Popstar hears Gorrilaz record. Likes Gorillaz. Wants to incorporate a bit of that “Gorrilaz sound” into his work. Will make it sound more contemporary. Doesn’t quite work. Forgets about Gorillaz in the end & writes pop chorus instead. I didn’t like it.

13. Very Furries sounding fun indie pop with brilliant little synth parts, vocoder & harmonies to boot. Good stuff.

14. My God. What is that... thing?

After a rather bombastic choir, organ & cymbal intro it sounds like someone let Paul Hardcastle loose on Also Sprach Zarathustra, in the studio of the bloke who did the tune for BBC game-show Going for Gold. A space synth oddity & unbelievably bad.

15. Feel good organ driven hippy pop/rock (which The Polyphonic Spree have obviously nicked) either from or set in a bygone era. A pleasant & nice ending to the compilation.


Oh Wifey, you certainly make the Loop that extra bit interesting. This was a nice loop with mostly hits, mostly.

7 & a l'il bit/10

Tracklist please thank you.

I do actually purposely put curveballs into my mixes, although I do genuinely love all the tracks I use.

I have a warped sense of music. From the great to the downright WTF choices.

It's a beautiful thing.

Jon 79 - Every Now And Then

1. Pleasantish but rather empty.

2. Bit wanky. Terrible lyrics.

3. Better. Also musically masturbatory but this time it's the sound of god wanking. I like.

4. Quite a strange choice this, there are a lot more accessible tracks from this artist as well as a lot of more abstract that would work better as stand alone songs. This works within the confines of one of the all time great lp's, not sure if it works here.

5. Music Hall glam. It's alright but apart from the piano and some of the guitar work I'm not overly keen.

6. I do like this but then I am setting a trap for Crocket & Tubbs whilst I listen. I have been put off these guys in the past because of my older sister but this has actually made me want to look into their work more.

7. Tenko Funk Allstars? Very pleasant, well produced jazz funk.

8. Epic post modern torch song that like a lot of this artist's work has a little je ne sais quoi missing from it. It's a bit long too.

9. Likable rumbling/shambling (shumbling) intro nosedives into dull post pub-rock limbo.

10. Sitar jam session that ends just as it starts to get good.

11. Overrated monkeys singing about lonely cars. Pleasant enough.

12. Swinging London. Mini skirts. White boy, rhythm & blues garage acts. Some well needed energy and the best track for a while.

13. Junkie love song saved by strings and some nice guitar towards the end.

14. Ethereal strings float along like a swan through misty, still waters.

15. Sounds like someone doing an impression of Nick Drake just before the end. Pity they don't have a fraction of the talent or depth. It's not bad, it's just not great either.

Knowing nothing about music, except what I like, I'd have to say this is a bit of a muso's selection with the majority of it leaving me quite cold. It's not all bad, I did like the odd track but for the most part it didn't really do much for me. Sorry.

Still, I wouldn't mind a tracklist.

LOGGER RHYTHMS - LOGGER

With so many tracks, it seems like Logger has tried to include something from every genre possible, like a smorgasboard of sound, but it is crushed under the weight of its ambitions. I guess it fits loosely into a few different sections, but the vast majority fail to convince. I wanted to like a lot of it, as there were few kinds of music featured which I would ordinarily listenly, but most were average at best, while the worst were just plain awful. A shame that the skip button was employed so regularly on subsequent listens, but that's just the way it is.

01: Had high hopes for this one - it starts off with a really groovy feel, with a perky melody and a punchy beat, but ultimately, it goes nowhere and just drags on for far too long. Shame.

02: Ooh...very silly robot voice and some pretty outdated and outmoded computer noises for this unexceptional piece of techno. Bearable perhaps in a Quasar waiting room, but embarassing anywhere else.

03: By far the best one yet. Repetitive certainly, but there's a warm vibe running through it making it more of a pleasure to listen to. And just enough variety to keep things interesting. Good.

04: A well-loved voice introduces this track, of which I admire the intention, cutting through various public figures and ideas, both well-regarded and not so well-regarded, before turning on everyone, including themselves, but its mix of rough and raw angst and know-it-all attitude, supposedly tempered by its declaration of self-suckiness, is not exactly endearing.

05: A short jokey country ditty that revels in setting a bad example, but it's not particularly entertaining.

06: Really good beat to this one, with some spiky, sparky moments that sound contemporary but the vocals have a cutie-pie style of delivery which seems better suited to an 80s film soundtrack. Still, it's rather nice overall.

07: Speedy noisy sweaty rock for speeding down highways. Not always my kind of thing, but its short, sharp and very much to the point, so hard to dislike.

08: Killer7-style whisperspeak, Vangelis synth, Aphex Twin beats and a pre-school melody: all the elements. Big big shame then about the stupid vocals. In the right mood, it might make me giggle a little, but 99% of the time, it's just irritating.

09: A teeny interlude that has a tropical island lilt with added Fisher-Price xylophone charm. Weird and all the better for it.

10: Some nice harmonising, but there's not a great deal to it. Unmemorable.

11: A mix of trippiness and cosiness makes for an odd yet pleasing track. Relaxing and perplexing, but nice to listen to.

12: Grinding and wailing guitars, but the mournful singing certainly position it in the melancholic rock section of your record store. It's nothing special, but fine all the same.

13: The complete opposite to track 12 - a bright, brash party number filled with fun that wouldn't be out of place on the Samba De Amigo soundtrack. The highlight of the compilation, but its placing on the tracklist is the most jarring.

14: Jungle, right? Guh...the human mind can only take so much, and this track almost defeated mine. Not for me, thanks...Skip, SKIP, SKIP!

15: A bit better this one, with a few more aspects to it I can admire but it still sounds like a bunch of ill-fitting samples cobbled together on someone's PlayStation ten years ago. If the compilation goes on like this any further, I might need an aspirin.

16: I thought this was gonna give me a break, but once the wibbly-wobbly electronica is slipped in, my brain wants to give up. What could have been a nice bit of soothing respite is marred by THAT noise. Plus, the beat is incredibly unnecessary.

17: Again, I was promised niceness, but the warping suggests I will once again be denied the solace I seek. Actually, once the tune proper kicks in, it's not too bad really. Coulda been better, but it's okay.

18: Mr. Track 4 returns to introduce the penultimate piece, a rather ordinary indie sing-a-long. His top 5, maybe, but it's not even in my top 5 of this compilation.

19: Thankfully, the closer is a nice one to end on: classic rock with a quintessential Britishness to the lyrics, leaving less of a bitter taste in the mouth had it ended, say, 5 tracks previous.

4/10

Sorry! But a tracklist would still be appreciated!

Baz
Side A Rockin'

1. A 10 minute cheese epic. The wanky choir intro really reminded me of both the score to the Abyss & intro to Summer Heights High... Once we actually get into the song it's 80's synths all over and a bad 80's Bowie-esque vocal. I think I know who this is,... they're not bad,... but this song's definitely too long.

2. Cool... A rock cover to a wonderful and cheesy early 80's (or was it 70s?!) hit.

3. Aghh... egh... no..... stop ...my ears are bleeding. A bit too rock for my liking, this one. ...Next!

4. Interesting start. ... This one is not as bad as the previous one.... but still not my thing.... far too much feedback.

5. This sounds better... This half of this song sound like the Beastie Boys..... As nice as the base line is, it's still too shouty.

6. Sound like Marilyn Manson. ...probably not. There are much more pleasant guitars in this, but still it does nothing for me.

Side B Chillin'

7. Lovely funky bass. Vocal sounds like that woman who sang on that famous Massive Attack song... you know the one. Not bad. Actually this could be them.

8. I really like this. Certainly the best track so far. This is definitely me... slightly trippy chillout. Lovely delay/stereo effect... makes your ears tingle with delight. Good stuff.

9. Sounds familiar. ... OK, I know what this is.... or I thought I did. Obviously a mix. This not a bad mash up. Not great though,... as it's only going to be as good as the 2 cheesy dance tracks it's made up of.

10. Speaking of familiar cheese. This is another example of a song that became overly familiar in the 90's. Good mix this time around... but still not different enough. I'd probably have loved this if I heard it 10 years ago. (Which I probably did)

11. Mmmm.... nice. Very chillout.... barely any percussion. Sounds like someone having a go a Vangelis. ...good stuff... until the vocal comes in... - it's not too invasive though.

12. Sweet trippy track to finish up... Reminds me of the Album Leaf. Pretty good.


Overall?
Not much did it for me on this compilation. ... Nice concept and sleeve design though.

4.5/10

Every Now And Then (A Poignant Tale Of Perpetual Travel) - Jon 79

1. Bland & saccharine upbeat pop music. Badly recorded, badly produced & clumsily stuck together with sellotape & play-doh.

2. Despite the excellent guitar work on this track it lacks any sensibility of melody & loses it’s way very early on, because of this the distinctive & marmite like lead vocals grate more than usual.

3. It’s very hard to go wrong with a Musician of this calibre. A decent blues guitar number with a very accomplished sound. Good as it was it could’ve done without the jam at the end & should’ve had the confidence to be what it was. A simple blues track.

4. Swirling electronic minimalism which sticks out like a sore thumb on this mix & thus rendering the track to sound pointless (which it most certainly is not).

5. Theatrical Glam Pomp from a chap I hugely admire with an accomplished slice of what it is, that he does so well. Not his most mind blowing moment but solid enough.

6. Ahhh. Eye-liner & the chorus pedal. Though not their most accessible track, it’s a fan favourite & I have to say I do like it. A lot of the guitar work in this track is extremely influential.

7. A rather tepid piece of Xylophone led & bongo driven jazz funk. A little plastic if I’m completely honest. It doesn’t flow very well & ends up sounding like it has been performed by a group of white Geography teachers.

8. An under-rated gem of a guy & his band doing their own rather specific brand of pop. Good stuff. Roll on a duet between the front man & Neil Hannon.

9. The hand of The Thin White Duke runs through this New Wave Rock n’ Roll punk song hollered at by an absolute Hero of a performer.

10. Indian Interlude.

11. One of the weaker songs from an understandably overrated act, that could never have possibly balanced themselves for too long upon the pedestal which they were placed. Jangling guitar, anthemic chorus powered by a rhythm section you can dance to.

12. White garage, rhythm & blues rock n roll. Nothing fantastic happening here but perfectly passable for the genre. I’d sit this one out & tap my feet.

13. A track rendered dull & lifeless out of its context from a decent concept album by a pioneer of rock music. It just drags here.

14. This is a reprise of some sort, of that I’m almost sure. In fact I believe it’s something to do with the band on track 8 & one of my favourite songs of theirs. Wonderful arrangement of strings & leaves you wanting more. Beautiful.

15. A weak song that tries far too hard to be an anthem from a band I plain just don’t like. All for the reason, (that like this song), they are over earnest in almost everything they do & in no way have the talent to back up what they are attempting to be. For me a poor closer after the previous track.


A very mixed bag which unfortunately didn’t grab me massively at any point really. But although it all seemed a little clumsy, you could tell there was a love of most of the tracks behind it all.

5/10

Tracklist please!

So Fresh Off The Press It's Still Green - Ade

1. Rock! ... not sure but they sounded like Aerosmith at the start.... but then it changes drastically. ....Not bad. bit cheesy, and formulaic but there is a pleasant sounding guitar solo in the middle there.

2. nice ....calm... synth. gentle guitar. good subtle build up with the drums... then base... then more keyboard. Good stuff. You get the impression that's it's leading to something... but it stops all to soon.... like a gradual incline building up to something possibly amazing... til you get there and realise it's a sheer drop.

3. Very chillout. Loads of bands sound like this... and it's not a bad sound. ok female vocal. I like the airy synth in the background.

4. This one has echoes of dark 80's pop like Depeche Mode. Alright song... and if it is from the early 80's, it's forgiven, but the music sounds very basic/simplistic. Casio keyboard?

5. More 80's. I think I know who this is.... familiar voice. this song just reminds me of another of their hits.

6. Love the funky guitar rhythm. Just got to the chorus and I've realised I know this song. Good shit.

7. Another familiar song... more recent. Bit too much of a cheesy pop ballad for my liking. Skip to the end...

8. hmmm.... interesting lyric. Really like the lyrics actually. They lift this otherwise humdrum melodic feel-good song way above the average.

9. Lovely fuzzy blippy synths & beats. & when that guitar comes in, I'm thinking I like it... but then the phased vocal comes in and I'm thinking no thanks... sounds like some bad Daft Punk. If it is them, then that's ok... they're allowed to sound like that. Either way, I think I'd have enjoyed this more as an instrumental.

10. Synths. 007 chords, that turn into some funky Spanish-sounding brass. Really strange mix, this song... which is surely a good thing. I like it when expectations go out the window.... and the lack of any vocal in this case is also a good thing.

11. Almost certainly not... but this sounds like Madonna to me. Not a fan. Vocals aside, the music doesn't have any redeeming features either. Next!

12. Nice indie sounding tune.... like radiohead meets the the white stripes, with a pinch of the strokes thrown in. Quite short, but I likes it.

13. Vocals here sound very familiar. I can't quite put my finger on it though. Not a bad song... i really like the break in the middle... in a way, the structure here reminds me of an old Pink Floyd song.

14. Cheesy vocal style... is this intentional? (reminds me of Richard Cheese). I like the narrative style of this vocal, but the actual music does nothing for me.

15. Starts rocky... then suddenly takes a 70's funky turn. I like this. I've really got into funk in the last couple of years. An instrumental in this case, but that ok... the music can hold it. This could almost be (and probably is) a soundtrack to some 70's cop show.

16. Indie pop ballad. Euughh!... don't know who this is but I really dislike them. Horrible lyrics that are trying to be clever... girly male vocal, and the music is very formulaic. ...on the plus side, the song isn't too long.

17. Slow tempo. strings. and Michael Jackson's voice coach. Ade... What have you inflicted on my ears? If the last song was terrible this one is not even half as good. Oh, jesus ... kill me now!



Overall:
A varied mix... in terms of style and likeability. The whole album fits together well. Even the shit songs seem strategically placed near the end of the album. And where appropriate,some tracks have been mixed into each other. As with a lot of these tape loop mixes: half the tracks i'd never want to hear again, some I liked, and one or two I really liked.

7/10 ... it would've been 6.5, but for a well thought out track order.



Track list please.

Baz

Side A - Rockin'


1. An epic choral opening springs into a mid-80s slice of anthemic electro-rock. Immediately had me swinging into Breakfast Club style head and shoulder popping such is its power. Long, dramatic and brilliant. Love it.

2. Cover of an early 80s pop classic. Doesn't deviate much from the original but this version has an extra kick to it I really like.

3. Full out rock with smash drums and tortured guitar strings. Honestly can't tell if the vocals are english and indesipherable or in another language. Can't say I can take anything from this particular track. It quickly takes on an aspect of white noise.

4. Similarly with track 3, it's just a constant thrash. Although the vocal meant it grew on me slightly after a couple of listens.

5. Ahh, one of my favourite songs. I've actually had remixes of this on two previous loop mixes, but not this ultimate proper version. A fine mix of funk and rock. Could never get bored of this.

6. Back to darker tinged rock. While not massively keen on the vocals, it still makes for an enjoyable listen. I'll happily sit and bob my head along to the rapid guitar and drum combo, which is unusal as I don't tend to give much care to the pure rock guitar genre very often. And the ending is a clever segway into the latter half of the mix concept.


Side B - Chillin'


7. Changing tact we go into a more relaxed mode. Smooth vocals and a funky bassline. Sounds familar but from a long time ago. Good to kick back to while sitting with some friends.

8. Gentle beats with chopped sounds over the top. Intriguing and interesting as it weaves from one place to another, like going in and out of consciousness. Gives me coluor flashes. I like.

9. There's nothing like a bit of filthy bass and this guy does it the best. Love the more familar version but this is just as worthy for my affections.

10. Well known chill out classic. Always a pleasure to hear.

11. A slow and minimalistic sound and whistful vocals lends itself to conjuring up images of an ancient celtic landscape as a figure walks through long windswept grass. Gawwwguuss.

12. Something with a slight eerie edge to it. Clearly a track that could've made the Dead Set soundtrack, but still interesting individually. Cool, unusal and makes for a good understated closing track.



With the exception of tracks 3&4 - which I didn't hate, I just didn't take to - this pretty much rocked my boat throughout. It made for a particularly enjoyable listen.

9/10


Tracklist please.

So Fresh Off The Press It's Still Green - Ade


1. A gutsy guitar and drum thumping opening from an instantly recognisable artist. Not especially something that presses my buttons as it's - dare I say it - a bit cheesy in tone. But certainly not bad or anything.

2. Instant improvement, and arguebly what shold've been the opening track. This is the instrumental version of a track from one of this year's big album releases. The gentle opening swells into a parting of clouds and a burst of sunshine. Short, but bloody lovely.

3. One of my favourite acts, though I'm shockingly yet to get the album this track is from. It's on my 'will get round to' list. Not their best track, but beautiful nonetheless. Soft and floaty, with the ever familar and welcome ethereal vocals.

4. 80s influenced elecro-poppiness. I'd recognise that Norwegian vocal anywhere. Haven't actually got any of this guy's solo stuff in my possession yet, but this little pocket rocket of greatness should encourage me to remember to look him up next time I'm out music shopping.

5. This annoyed me. Only in regard that I'm damn sure three's a more famous track by whoever this is and I couldn't work out what it was. Slightly run of the mill chart opp from c.1983, but probably something quite enjoyable to pop up on TOTP2 on Dave.

6. An RnB/soul/motown (take your pick) legend and one of his more recognisable songs. Funky, beatsy and, despite its age, would probably blow a lot of current releases out of the water.

7. Fairly standard American pop-rock. Don't know what it is but this sort of thing rarely appeals to me. Sadly this track perpetuates the 'meh' factor. My heart is what would be termed as "at rest".

8. To flip things in its head, a jaunty little number with half comical lyrics, an accordian, a siren and what appears to be a yodelling grandad who's had it away with the sherry. S'aright.

9. Ahh, I've always loved this track. Bubbly, wavey, stretched and tappy electronic sounds tinkle with my brain. Love it.

10. 60s vibe trumpety harpsichord combo. Something not too far away from a Bacardi Breezer advert. Or possibly the theme to a female version of James Bond.

11. Ooh, Boss Drum by The Shamen. Actually, no it's not but it instantly made me think of that. A chilled out version of it anyway. It's like it's trying to go somewhere but just doesn't quite make it. I can't put my finger on why, though.

12. Was this on an advert? Very reminicent of The Bees, but it's not them. Beatsy and funky. Instant enjoyment.

13. A track from a long standing favourite act of mine. Although, like the act at track 3, I don't actually have the album this song is from. I like it but I'm a bit bereft to think what to say about it.

14. I believe this is an act from a previous Ade loop mix. Comical lyrics and almost mocking melody give an edge to the faux dramatic vocals. Although, you do have to be in the mood to really get the benefit of its charm or it simply passes you by.

15. If America had its own version of Shiitake & Hash then this must have been its theme tune.

Oh, hang on...they did.



16. Another standard American pop-rock track...

But wait, it's a piss take. Therefore I like it (and makes me wonder if track 7 was actually simply a set up for this rather than a serious choice. There will be an extra point on offer if that is the case).

17. What...the hell...is that?

I don't mean to be rude or anything but...fuck no!

I tried twice to get through the whole song but failed both times as I couldn't take any more. This is obviously a shame as it's the closing track, but I just couldn't make it to the end.



Overall, this is what I'd call pleasent. There were only really 2 or 3 standout tracks while the rest kind of gently played along. Sadly, that last track almost killed it for you.

7/10

(although, you know how you could bump it up to 8. )


Tracklist please.

SIDE A/SIDE B - BAZ

Nice design, and a good concept - usually my Tapes start out loud and end soft, so for this to be clearly defined from the off with Baz's offering was a smart move. I was a little concerned that the Rockin' section would be too shouty with constant guitars a-chugging and drums a-pounding, while I originally thought the Chillin' part would be more my flavour, but in fact the former turned out to be the stronger of the two halves. By no means should contemporary tunes be made the order of the day, but when a song sounds outmoded, it either still works or it just don't gots it anymores! And the older-sounding stuff on Side B jarred greater than that on Side A. Furthermore, chillout music as a whole is all well and good but has a habit of being ultimately inconsequential and superfluous and a few tracks on Side B were clear examples of this. One by one...

SIDE A: ROCKIN' TRACKS

01: A big choral blast announces the start of proceedings, but it then launches into a rather funky rock beat not too dissimilar to MJ's "Beat It". The vocals have all the 80s inflections you could ever want, almost as erratic as Bobcat Goldthwait in the Police Academy movies. Not a criticism though. Not too keen on the choir and any 10-minuter is going to test one's patience on repeated listens, but for the most part, this is glorious stuff.

02: Ah, absolute classic this. It's been a while since I last heard it - is this a cover version? Sounds a bit rockier than I remember it being. Well, either way, no complaints.

03: Hehehey! I've bought this album. It's actually the first of theirs I've actually gone out and bought, what with my inclinations to all things Japanese, and I even played this track on my radio show. Disappointed I didn't get round to seeing them live earlier this year, but hearing this one again has got me hankering to give the album another spin.

04: After a hat-trick of good'uns, it was only inevitable for it to go a little off eventually. It's by no means a bad track - I particularly like the warped noises (manic unhinged guitars sounding like alarms and screaming) that start in the background then gradually come to the fore. But before we arrive at that destination, it's rather standard fare. Okay overall, I guess.

05: Now this is something else. A big loud rap-rock chorus with trippy echoy lady vocals elsewhere. It's a mad mix but very moshworthy. Come the climax, you can almost taste the beer, blood and sweat, and feel the aches and bruises.

06: The last Rockin' Track is not my kinda thing, I'm afraid. This kind of music is pretty funny the first time round, but the OTT guitar solos, simplistic lyrics and silly histrionics wear thin very soon. However, the last minute or so of ambient weirdness, footsteps and locomotive noise that sounds a little like you'd get in a Resident Evil level taking place at a train station slips nicely into the second half, so it's not all bad.

SIDE B: CHILLIN' TRACKS

07: I thought at the start that this was from the Fight Club soundtrack, but then it soon establishes itself through its soulful vocals. It sounds very much of its time though, and the East 17-a-like rap bits are a little dodgy. Not a terrible song by any means, but a tad 1996 for my likings.

08: Much better this one, with the kind of tinkly twiddly electronica that floats my boat. Builds and builds with extra layers of synth and distortion. A minute shorter and it would have been just about right, but it's a step in the right direction regardless.

09: A step back to that Track 7 dated sound, with the jungle noises, a predictable beat and tinny chimes. A remix of a relatively recent dance track I believe, but the original would have been more appreciated (though clearly it wouldn't have fitted in the Chillin' section anyway). Bearable, but equally skippable.

10: Ubiquity is a dangerous thing in music and it has effectively killed off in me any reaction to this song beyond "oh, this one again". For me, it has never managed to be more than the sum of its samples. I'm sured it'd be pleasant enough to listen to while relaxing as the sun sets after a beach party with a close group of friends on a summer holiday - but I'm listening to it on a laptop while hail and wind blast my window, so no.

11: Nice. Really nice. Then the vocals kick in. Not quite as nice. But still sorta nice overall. Nice.

12: What begins like a warped trip-hop lullaby gets more unsettling as the seconds tick by. Got a pretty strong sense of who might be responsible and if it is the case, I wouldn't say it's their best work. However, it does a decent job of delivering a certain mood, and as I'm on a bit of a Lynch bender at the moment, that mood suits me fine.


So...Side A gets an eight, Side B a six, so the whole shebang gets a respectable...

7/10

Tracklist would do nicely, Mr. Bazzington.

SO FRESH OFF THE PRESS, IT'S STILL GREEN - ADE

Although it's 17 tracks total, it didn't feel overly long, thanks to a good mix of track running times and some subtle mixing. But after a strong start, it tries to cover too many bases, few of which I was actually partial to. Nothing truly terrible, sure, but a lot I was indifferent too. Sorry, man, it just ain't fresh enough.

01: Glittery rock excess with as much wailing and screaming from its singer as the guitars themselves. About as predictable on an Ade loop offering as Japanese weirdness on one of my own compilations, but its an opener that certainly grabbed my attention.

02: A nice short instrumental interlude that sounds like its going to dip into rather ordinary indie fare but refuses to do so and is all the better for it. Uplifting.

03: An offering from a duo that is a firm forum favourite and from their strongest album since their compelling debut. Almost stuck a track from said album on my own compilation and though it wasn't this one, this is still a dreamy corner of pleasantville.

04: It's got a Kraftwerkian flavour though with a more optimistic sound a la YMO, but with poppier sensibilities. Doesn't really do as much for me as the aforementioned groups, but it's not too bad.

05: Certainly a piece of its time, but it's a bit too all over the place for my likings. There's too much going on all at once - a more minimalistic approach would clearly never have crossed this artist's mind, but I feel it would have resulted in a more effective and better tune.

06: Now that's a familiar funky bassline. Okay, so it's not the Hollywood blockbusterised rap-a-long version, but it's nice to go back to the original source, especially if it still stands the test of time as is the case here. Dayamn.

07: I'm sure this is the kind of music it's okay to like because some music journalist might have said so, but I really don't see the difference between this and James Blunt and Daniel Powter and them lot. Poor.

08: Hmmm...okay, I guess music does need to document the times in which it exists, but I find it all a little embarassing when the music is this and the time is now. Besides, I always prefer it if it talks about general themes, trends and observations, rather than clumsy namechecking of popular websites. Too silly to achieve what it wants to achieve.

09: Something more up my street - I'll always give it my attention if there's some kind of electronic wibbly-wobbliness at the start. The acoustic guitar sampling is interesting, the semi-vocoder vocals and lyrics less so. Much less so. A shame as I thought it was on to something. Still, some nice noises here and there.

10: What starts as a Bond theme remix navigates swiftly into a 70s action TV show opening title tune. I enjoyed it all, but I don't know quite what and why it is all meant to be. Perplexing, but undeniably entertaining.

11: The space theme and melody were promising but once the beat kicks in and there's that echoy metal-banging sound that appears in almost every dance track between 1993 and 1999, it's same old same old.

12: A good tune in theory, but one that doesn't have a lot to offer beyond the central riff as played in the TV commercial. Not quite Spaceman by Babylon Zoo then, but I felt a little short-changed. However, there's still a tip-top minute of tuneage within.

13: Jingle-jangle indie-windie so-so sorta stuff which is pretty much just a load of meaningless name-checking with backing vocals care of The Clangers. Again, not terrible, but hard to get excited about.

14: After some pretty hum-drum fare comes this stirring number, which despite my criticisms of Track 8, is proof that I'm a fickle pickle when it comes to sticking one's musical oar into the politics swamp. I guess it just feels a bit more universal. And also has a decent tune and lead singer. So there!

15: A rollickin' brassy funkathon instrumental that would play perfectly over a crash zoom montage of 70s New Yoik. Niiiiiiice.

16: See Track 7.

17: Not much of an improvement on the previous track at first, but once the vocals are out of the way, it's a passable closer.

Overall...

5/10

Tracklist would still be nice and all though...

And that's my lot for this loop! If I were to pick a favourite CD, it would be Rua, followed by Wife of Rolex and Baz in joint second. Get them reviews in, people.

Ooh, well I'll take second place happily.

Noise Museum - Kick In The Head

1. Musically this indie song is ok,... it's just the really annoying vocals that I dislike. I've not been able to listen through this all the way. Sounds like the Rapture to me. Awful stuff.

2. Rory, I don't know whether anyone else mentioned it to you, but you seem to have accidentally recorded a soundtrack from a spectrum game for track two. ... just a shame you picked this title and didn't go for the titles to Jet-Set-Willy.

3. Ah, this is more like it. Trippy (almost spooky) delayed guitar. Quite simplistic but very effective... stuff like this always reminds me of Queen's Prophet song. (the effect that is, not the whole song). I like this song... right up to the point when the singing starts, and ruins what would otherwise be a really nice instrumental.

4. Continuing the slightly trippy theme. I really like this, on all levels. The beats, the vocals & the thermin sound... oh yes, especially the theremin. With the brass sections on top, it could almost be a dance mix from a Danny Elfman score.

5. This sounds really familiar (maybe because it sunk in after repeat listens). Not the sort of thing I listen to, but not too bad either... I'll be surprised if I've not heard of these guys.

6. I'd describe this using the Jon79 Inaccurate Genre Definer™ as chilled-ambient-indie-pop. ... or something. Pretty good... though possibly too cheesy for my liking.... That's all in the vocals though.

7. I really like the chord progression in this modern 60's sounding tune. It's poppy, it's happy, it's retro, and yes, it's cheesy,... but it's tried & tested cheesy & it works. I likes it.

8. Another one that sounds familiar... Could it be the Neil Hannon style vocals? It's either him, or someone doing him. ... The track is quirky, probably too quirky for me.

9. Interesting one this. Synths and 'ooo'ing. Sounds like this could've been from a film. Again, not the sort of thing I'd listen to, but very pleasant none the less.

10. I know it's not, but this really reminds me a slow Pixies number... but with strings. I like the double vocal with the whispering.

11. This songs sort of annoyed me, because of the stop/start nature of every instrument involved.... oh and that occasional Windows Critical Error sound that pops up here and there. Experimental, but it doesn't really work for me. Sounds like someone doing a bad Four Tet impression.

12. I like this mellow chill-out indie-esque song. It's well produced. Reminds me of Money Mark, with a bit of 60's psychedelia blended in.



Overall.
The good the bad and the awful. The majority of this compile was good though... and thought has obviously gone into the order of the tracks too. Just a shame about the 1st two tracks.

6.5/10
:) :) :) :) :) :) :? ;) ;) ;)



Track list please.

Just as a little add on to my rather adverse reaction to Ade's last track, I was listening to Shaun Keaveny's breakfast show on 6Music this morning when he played a song without introducing it. Within 30 seconds I was saying, 'What the hell is this?' Just as I was thinking how it reminded me of the last track of Ade's mix, Shaun's voice came on and revealed it was indeed the same act. Different song but the same act.

Obviously Scritti Politti are my musical sprouts.

Wife of Rolex - Hello Darling

1. Starts out interesting then becomes a pretty dull Bollywood number. I wouldn't mind so much but I've been listening to a lot of M.I.A. recently and she does this sort of thing so much better.

2. Two parts interesting, one part dull. The electronica sound chimes nicely with the soft vocals but it ends up going nowhere and doesn't get there very quickly. Not terrible, but it initially reminded me of the Knife and ended up being nowhere near that quality.

3. This one kind of washed over me and, as such, I don't really have any thoughts on it. Not a bad piece of guitar and horn driven pop, but drawing a line in sand just before the tide comes in would make a more lasting impression than this track did on me.

4. The first of several instrumentals on the mix and probably the most interesting, but that's really not saying much. A family melody tries to carry it but the rest just isn't any good; guitars that aren't nearly funky enough, competent drumming and some really dull wind instruments. Another swing, another miss.

5. This started to give me hope, what with its off-kilter beats and old-school rave sensibilities, then it just kept going and I lost interest. Probably the best of the mix so far but it lost it along the way.

6. A solid song from this now-defunct Sheffield five-piece. Doesn't have the spark of their earlier singles but it's still a fine slice of kitchen sink pop. Nice people, as well.

7. Bad remix of a song that was fine on its own. Taking the focus away from her vocals with amelodical beats does nothing but damage what made the original so memorable. Next.

8. If this is who I think it is, she must have been having a bad day. If it's not, then whoever it is really should do something else as this is a terrible piece of swirling electronica that does nothing for me. It lacks any melody that I could care about and the music is bland and inoffensive.

Actually, I think I figured out who it is and I really hate them as a band, so it's no surprise that I didn't like the song.

9. I like the chord progression of the start of this song but, like Track 3, it just didn't make any sort of impact. I think I know who this is and, whilst I like them, I just don't like this track at all. The vocals try for impassioned but end up sounding strained.

10. Oh, I like this. She should have been much bigger, considering how similar artists like Adele and Duffy have done similar things with greater success. Sad vocals and classy productions make for a really nice, low-key pop song.

11. Soporific pop song that just doesn't go anywhere or do anything. I genuinely nearly fell asleep listening to this.

12. I like this guy, but not this song. He's best with pop hooks and this really doesn't have any. It's like a bad Daniel Bedingfield track.

13. Bit better. The beats are interesting but the computerised vocals just got on my nerves and the song went on for too long without changing.

14. A last ditch attempt to generate interest that would probably succeed if it wasn't an instrumental. With lyrics it probably could have been interesting but as it is it sounds like it should be the theme for a mid afternoon quiz show on Channel 4 hosted by a down on their luck celebrity.

15. What. The. Fuck? It's like a fusion of Native American chanting and the Beta Band. Such a combination should not exist and I hope to never hear such a thing again.


I'm sorry to say that I didn't actually like any of the tracks on this mix. There were a few on there that hovered above mediocre but they were very few. The rest just didn't grab me or flat out annoyed me.

Sorry, but I'll have to give this a paltry:


3/10

Tracklist, please.

Ooof!

Hello Darling - Wife of Rolex

1. Nice Indian tune. Not keen on the vocals. Had this been an instrumental I think I'd have really like this though.

2. Some very nice early 80s sounding synths. Sounds familiar. ... possibly the sort of thing the Chems would sample. Very nice but I don't like the vocals... too drab. ... and too long.

3. Speaking of the Chems... Unless I'm very much mistaken, they took several elements from this fantastic 60's track to create The Private Psychedelic Reel. I've not heard this before. I like this a lot. Very Kinksy.

4. Hmmm... more sampled familiarity. ...I think this was Mr Scruff's Get a Move On, ...but an instrumental version... or more likely an original song by someone else that Mr Scruff used in his song. Good, but just reminds me of the version that I know (& therefore prefer)

5. Ohh, no. Skip this one. Far too early 90's house for my liking.

6. Nice funky jangly sounding guitar in this. Don't like the run of the mill female vocal though. Otherwise could've been a good tune.

7. Interesting version of I Feel Love. Listening to those synths just makes me think of the definitive version of this. Except this is nowhere near as good.

8. Usually I wouldn't like something like this. But the female vocal here is actually quite appealing. Great tune. & very well produced. ...This could almost be a modern Bond theme tune. (This is a compliment, but you have to forget that most modern bond tunes are shit)

9. This is very familiar too me. - Not what I'd usually listen to, but there's a hook in the chorus that stays with you.... even if you feel indifferent to the song as I do.

10. No thanks. This singing's way too girly for my ears. As for the music, well it's missing... save for the percussion and a very occasional brass section. Way too slow (and I don't just mean the tempo). Next!

11. This is like the male equivalent of the previous song. Very minimalistic. More melodic though. Nice bit of background (sort of) breakbeat, a riff that's stolen straight from 007, and a terrible vocal that sounds like Chris Martin! (If it's not him, then this is probably the worst insult I can give to this otherwise talented singer)

12. Skip to the end. This has boy band written all over it... Too warbley & poppy. please... no more.

13. Another familiar one. Was this also in someone else's tape loop mix? Simplistic. electro. synths. Daft Punky chorus voice. Not bad. A little too poppy, but I like. Reminds me of the Super Fury Animals. Actually, it could be them (or maybe the singer's solo effort).

14. Epic choral start. Then turns into a 1980's talk show theme. ...sort of. ...and now Kilroy.

15. Every element of this song's downbeat. I won't try an identify the language in the chorus... I've trying to think of something positive to say about this: ...It's not too long. ..Actually maybe it is. Bad ending to the compilation.


Overall?
Far better than I thought it would be. Kelly's played that clever trick of really lowering expectations by following up a piss-poor 'I'd rather stick my head in a vice than listen to it again' compilation, with a not-so-bad, average compilation. And so I was pleasantly surprised with some of the choices on this. There were still some bad tunes on this, but nothing as dire as the previous effort. & once again, extra marks go for the effort that went into the CD case.

5.5/10






Tracklist me please.

The Seldom Keen Sid - maian

1. Moroderesque beats add to the confused atmosphere but I'm not keen on the art school vocals and the song doesn't really have much of a hook. Ok.

2. Much better. The 2007 xmas number 1.

3. Sub-Firey Furnaces indie melodrama. Fairly catchy.

4. Rainy bus ride through half drunk melancholia. Pleasant enough.

5. Like the band, but I've never been too fond of this track. It reminds me of some eighties kids programme crossed with a cocaine headache.

6. College rap over bagpuss theme gone bombastic.

7. Singalong anthemic indie. Like most of the tracks so far it's pleasant enough in a cinematic way but not the type of thing I get excited about.

8. This is a bit better with some nice synth feeling slightly ethereal yet driven.

9. The closure scene of a high school movie. Roll credits. I quite like this too.

10. I wasn't sure about this when I first heard it, especially as it was the first single from a much anticipated album, but it has grown on me even though it still reminds me of I Lost My Heart to a Starship Trooper.

11. Glaring Hammond rock. Pessimistically optimistic.

12. Quite nice Floydesque shoegazing but unfortunately a bad cd rip makes it almost unlistenable. Sorry, this could have been my favourite track.


As I said before a very cinematic selection that although I quite liked a few tracks and there was nothing I really disliked it would probably make a better soundtrack than be something I'd listen to on its own. Plus it killed my dog* so it was never going to recover from that.

*not really but he did have a massive heart attack whilst I was first trying to review it which is why it's taken me so long and yes I blame you Ed .

I was just about to post my review of Rua's cd when my browser decided to go off and now I've lost the whole post.

Nightmare.
Dude, it's fine. Seriously. Thanks but don't worry about it.

It's just that I was about to post it, I wouldn't have been that bothered if it had happened half way through.

That is really annoying. My out of work email does that.
You go to send a particularly long email & Bam!... it's gone & you have to sign back in & start agin.