Electronica

Pretty Mess

11/5/2009
in
Erika Jayne
Amanda Bolden-Weaver

Pretty Mess, the debut album from dance/electronica songstress Erika Jayne, is far from a mess.

The album, which was released in August...is riddled with extreme dance-pop beats that will make even the most uncoordinated person tap their foot. The feelings of the songs are very upbeat and happy, with a hint of eroticism, as evident in such songs as "Rollercoaster," and "Give You Everything."

Jayne's voice is reminiscent of Madonna and Kylie Minogue, and she seems to display a confidence that a lot of new singers may not possess.

Reviewer Rating: 
5.00Stars

We Are Pilots

8/3/2009
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Shiny Toy Guns
Josh Brachfeld

Shiny Toy Guns sounds like a band being pulled in two directions. Half of this album sounds like honest-to-goodness electronica, complete with a quick 4/4 stripper pole beat and rich buzzing synthesizers. It's a formula that really works for them, as evidenced by their nomination for a Grammy for best Electronica album in 2008.

Reviewer Rating: 
4.00Stars

Give You Everything

8/2/2009
in
Erika Jayne
Adam Rowan

Remixes are commonly the most intolerable thing about techno music. They rarely amount to little more than faffing about with the uninspired sound of a song and creating a version every bit as staid as the original. This process is to music what coloring books are to painting ? the pieces have been provided, so the artist just needs to dutifully fill in everything as creatively as possible.

Reviewer Rating: 
1.00Stars

Topless at the Arco Arena

7/28/2009
in
Wonderlick
Lawanda Johnson

Wonderlick's "Topless at the Arco Arena" is a journey without an ending. This duo is unapologetic for their eccentric style, music, and some explicit lyrics. These guys definitely know how to attract people to their music and also keep them interested.

Reviewer Rating: 
4.50Stars

Push the Button

7/27/2009
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The Chemical Brothers
Lailaa Salaam

The fifth studio album, "Push the Button," by the English electronic group, the Chemical Brothers, consisting of Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons, will excite like caffeine would. Once the sounds enter through the ears, the electrified music will pump a listener with energy and restore alertness.

Reviewer Rating: 
4.50Stars

Oracular Spectacular

7/21/2009
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MGMT
Josh Brachfeld

Even if there is nothing else to say about MGMT, one can still say that they are original. Of course, there is much more to say about them. Part electro-pop, part freak-folk, this band's first album, "Oracular Spectacular," produced by the legendary David Fridmann, a producer for the Flaming Lips, sounds like a mountain range looks, and is rife with dizzying highs and abysmal lows. Three songs on the album have hit potential. "Time to Pretend" and "Kids" are two extremely danceable and catchy electro-pop songs on the album.

Reviewer Rating: 
3.50Stars

I'm Not a Fan But the Kids Like It

7/19/2009
in
Brokencyde
Lawanda Johnson

Brokencyde's "I'm Not a Fan But the Kids Like It" is a great party album. Use caution because it contains 17 songs full of profanity, nasty comments about genital areas and drugs.

Reviewer Rating: 
3.00Stars

The Frankenstein Girls May Seem Strangely Sexy

7/18/2009
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Mindless Self Indulgence
Josh Brachfeld

Mindless Self Indulgence is one of the most bizarre bands ever. Everything about it blurts unexpectedly, and listening to it is like listening to musical non-sequiturs. MSI has created a crazy blend of hip-hop and techno and rock that has set them aside from the rest of the musical world. Their double-disk, "The Frankenstein Girls May Seem Strangely Sexy," shows us that they are an original act which simply cannot be replicated. The music has some defining characteristics that allow us to separate MSI.

Reviewer Rating: 
5.00Stars

Filling up the City

7/13/2009
in
Pretty Lights
Josh Brachfeld

As advancements in home technology make electronic music easier and easier to make, it is inevitable that more and more people will be making electronic music. Recently, the scene has experienced an influx of bands and people making a more ambient technological music that strays from traditional dance music, both in its ambience, and in its beats, which tend to stem more from hip-hop than house music. One of these DJ's is Pretty Lights, a suitable name for their sound.

Reviewer Rating: 
3.50Stars

Crystal Castles

7/13/2009
in
Crystal Castles
Nick DeSimone

At first listen, Crystal Castles' debut album may sound like a series of pixilated noise and sounds reminiscent of video games from the '80s, and in a way, it is. But add to that the urgent, sometimes yelled vocals and the driven, pulsating beats and you have an album full of catchy, danceable music, worthy of any fan of electronic and dance music. Songs such as "Alice Practice" and "Air War" have the band's frenetic, glitch sound while still maintaining a beat and a sense of melody.

Reviewer Rating: 
4.50Stars
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