Nas - God's Son

Columbia: 2002

I will never claim being an expert in all things Nasir Jones. For the longest time, all I really engaged with him was the obligatory purchase of Illmatic every fan of hip-hop must. For sure there were parts of his career that intrigued me, but little I was compelled to dig into.

So take this with as much sodium carbonate as you can handle without causing kidney stones, but having actually listened to most of Nas' discography now, I'm claiming God's Son the best of his '00s output. Yes, better than the comeback Stillmatic, better than the critical darlings of Hip Hop Is Dead and untitled, and most definitely better than the double-LP Street's Disciple (think everyone agrees that's the worst of the decade).

This isn't me just being contrarian, saying such for hipster cred or something. Yeah, this album doesn't get brought up as much as the others, so is easily forgotten. It doesn't have any outright bangers or easy talking points going for it. No, just a solid record front to back (well, save one track), and in my mind, that's its greatest feat. The only other release under Nas' belt to that point you could say the same of was Illmatic, and though It Was Written and Stillmatic were good too, there were still a couple things holding them back from being as top tier. I'll touch on the former at a later date, but regarding Stillmatic, I felt it was as good as it needed to be, to resuscitate Nas' name in the rap world, and that's all. Was there that much doubt he could rebound though? Somehow I think not, most folks believing the ability was there, so long as the will was there.

Which is what makes God's Son that much better. Released a mere year after Stillmatic, whatever fire was lit under Mr. Jones continued burning hot (an artist like Nas doesn't lose inspiration just like that), now without some ungodly amount of expectation placed on him. Free to weave more 'hood tales, sexy come-ons, reflective poetry, Jay-Z disses, and the like, all refined to Eastcoast hip-hop perfection. Except Zone Out with Bravehearts. Have no idea what happened there.

Even the 'corny' tracks are fun! I Can is basically a 'work hard and honest to achieve your dreams' dressed in a uplifting-yet-rugged nursery rhyme. Book Of Rhymes has fun with the notion Nas owns pages of unused verses, presented with some self-deprecating humour. Another 'revived rhyme' from Tupac appears on the acoustic (!) Thugz Mansion (N.Y.).

To be fair, things get really metaphysical towards the end of God's Son, with more odes to the deceased and reflections on the future. I'll allow it, Nas having well earned the right to pontificate. And at less than an hour runtime, the whole record breezes right on by, leaving you wishing for more (like Illmatic!). Trust me when I say, even by 2002, the issue of rap album bloat hadn't subsided by a long-shot.

Speedy J - Bugmod

NovaMute: 2002/2021

The last single to be properly spun off from Loudboxer, this. Yes, I know Tanga kinda'-sorta' was too, but none of those tracks featured on the album, no matter what the similar artwork suggests. Speaking of, holy cow, I can't believe I didn't notice it before, but gander at that black stripe beside Bugmod there. Know what's under it? It's Krekc! And Tanga had both this and Krekc blotted out in white above as well. Oh man, I love it when spin-off singles maintain a running theme – makes them feel more like part of a proper series than some disjointed association.

But wait, you say, there be no Bugmod on Loudboxer either. Is this another Tanga situation, where we'll get a Bugmod, a Buugmod, and a Bugmood? No, but we do get a little more Krikc and Krekc, by way of remixes. The other two tracks on this EP are strictly Speedy J originals, so let's have a listen in.

And Bugmod pretty much picks up where the rest of Loudboxer left off, an unrelenting pummelling of percussion, the snare and hi-hats tasting a touch of flange. An off-beat bleep is the only thing resembling any sort of hook, but earworms is not the point of this cut. There's also a nifty little 'fade it down, bring it all back' peak, which makes Bugmod a little more useful for set construction than just another tool to throw down, but better be quick on your next draw, 'cause this track ends quite abruptly. On the flip, Glov at first seems like it might be the 'deeper' option, the pounding beatcraft simpler and steady. Then what's this? An actual hook? Okay, it's still just synth stabs keeping pace with the rhythm, but they build upon each other, retreat, coalesce, retreat, and so on. It's the closest thing to a melody that Jochem gives out of the whole Loudboxer enterprise, and you'll love it, darn it all!

The remixes, then. DJ Rush handles the first, on Krekc. I'm not really familiar with this techno veteran, though he is Jeff Mills Approved, so there's that. Lord Discogs also tells me I have at least one other of his tracks, on... wait djmixed.com/keoki? Really!? Haha, never would have expected that. Anyhow, his go with Krekc is pretty much more techno bosh, with a little transistor tweeting knob twiddlin'.

On the other end is Umek, who I definitely know, so no need to get into details there. He gets to have a go with Krikc and holy cow, is this ever a blinder of a cut. I'd actually forgotten just how much of a banger the original is, and Umek sees no point in taming this beast for his use. Instead, he throws in an actual hook, a simple sweeping little thing oscillating as it carries on. It's not even harsh or gritty as you'd expect of techno in this vein, surprisingly gentle on the ears even as the beats punch your chest cavity into submission.

Various - Annexe (Cottage Industries 2)

Neo Ouija: 2002/2020

Though the original run of Neo Ouija never made a huge splash across the world of electronic music, it was successful enough to garner a dedicated cult following while it lasted. Among the various releases that helped solidify said following was a series of compilations called Cottage Industries, three volumes worth springing forth during its initial heyday. Whenever the label would stir awake after many years absence, it was usually a Cottage Industries collection that would declare its arrival.

In fact, it's about all that Neo Ouija releases now, including digital uploads and CD re-issues of the early editions. I even bought a few, but for some reason, those CDs never showed up. Hmm, are those the items that got switched for all those Intellitronic Bubble CDs? I swear, I appreciate all the various labels Lee Norris juggles with these days, but there's sadly been a few too many missing orders as of late for me to buy any more from them. One more reason to just stick with digital, I guess.

Annexe (Cottage Industries 2) came out two decades ago, and boy does looking at the track list ever feel like a time warp. So many names within the ambient techno and IDM scene getting their start here: Sense, Ambidextrous, Bauri... Erm, that's honestly all I recognize off hand. Hey, can't be a proper cult label known for giving ultra-obscure artists within your scene their starts if you don't have a compilation series doing the work for you. Like, where would the likes of Biosphere, Autechre, Black Dog, and Speedy J be without Artificial Intelligence, right? Okay, pretty well-off regardless, but you know what I mean.

And just because I'm not familiar with them doesn't mean some of the featured artists didn't have fruitful future careers. Yeah, names like Phonex, Idmonster, Sica, Pem, and Qeshi didn't amount to much after, but Yellow6, Maps & Diagrams, Kettel, and Ilkae remain active to this day. By and large though, many of the acts on Annexe had respectable output throughout the '00s before petering off as the '10s took hold. So it goes.

Ah yes, the music. Lots of simple, charming IDM and melodic, glitchy techno. It feels like Neo Ouija was throwing a little bit of everything into the original double-discer, which is great in providing variety. When you're dealing with music as esoteric as this, however, much of it can slip on by during a casual listen. So it's no surprise tracks with more melody in them (Sense's Icyltap, ENV(itre)'s Atodeq, Kettel's Nestingbox Seventeen, Qeshi's Island Dryad, Maps & Diagrams vs Pem's Orteip) stick with me more than the more experimental stuff (Qeshi's Schem, Sica's Mykeys, Tandy's Bell_Libbing). One thing's for sure, if you like your micro-pop rhythms, Annexe has you covered but good. Xela's Don't Talk To Strangers, Bauri's Neo Robot Party Crash, EU's Lytop, Ilkae's Pilve, and so on. Not that it's surprising, the early 2000's pretty much peak micro-pop within IDM circles. Darn clicks 'n' cuts hype machine...

Amon Amarth - Versus The World

Metal Blade Music: 2002

I'm absolutely no expert on the history of Amon Amarth, nor do I feel committed enough to this band to become one. Far as I can tell though, Versus The World is their true break-out album. For one thing, it's their earliest LP that scores a solid 4/5 on SputnikMusic. In fact, only this and With Oden On Our Side achieve that mark, with Twilight Of The Thunder God nipping at their heels just 0.1 points behind. Mind, the sample size isn't quite so high, this one earning only nine-hundred votes, while the other two have... a whole lot more.

Regardless, I'm confident in making this assumption because of the deluxe version of Versus The World I snagged. Not only does it have the original album, but a second CD including the band's debut mini-album Sorrow Throughout The Nine Worlds, plus a couple demo EPs: Arrival Of The Fimbul Winter and Thor Arise. Generally speaking, one does not tag their earliest material to another album unless you consider both a Ground Zero of sorts in your musical evolution.

Anyhow, Versus The World is pretty much more of the same as I've come to expect out of Amon Amarth. Or set the template, since this is an earlier album in their peak years. Blast beat drumming from Fredrik Andersson, grinding rhythm guitars from Ted Lundström and Johan Söderberg, impossibly epic, melodic shredding from Olavi Mikkonen, and Johan Hegg going on about Viking activities and mythology under an incomprehensible guttural growl. Okay, it's not all guttural growls here, mixing things up with raspy bellows as well. Neither are of a personal preference (give me Tyr's falsettos any day!), but if putting up with death metal tropes is the price to pay to enjoy that fine-ass guitar action, so be it.

Plus it just makes good sonic sense hearing such primal vocals to a stomping, marching rhythm in Where Silent Gods Stand Guard. Not to mention the hilarity of hearing topics like Across The Rainbow Bridge uttered in such a tone. Yes, I know the reference – doesn't make it less amusing visualizing it in other contexts. Like, imagine Amon Amarth as the backing music in that Mario Kart race course!

So a solid outing on Versus The World Prime – how does the bonus CD stack up? Opening bonus track Siegreicher Marsch bodes well, carrying on from disc one. Then the early stuff hits and... *whoof*. Oh yeah, this is definitely some under-produced material. Talent is there, for sure, just far from refined yet. Söderberg's shredding sounds great, but overpowers everything, Hegg shouting a bunch from another room, while the drums are being played in a garage outside. And that's just he actual first mini-album! By the time we get to the Thor Arise demo... Man, save the death metal trappings, their recording of Sabbath Bloody Sabbath sounds like it could have come from the '70s. Never let it be said proper studio time won't do wonders for any genre of music.

Various - Deeper 01.02

Hed Kandi: 2002

I started this kinda'-annual glance into the Hed Kandi legacy with a Deeper compilation, so it's only fitting that I return to it at some point. Having gotten the second collection, Deeper 01.02, I've now completed the entire series! Yep, only two of these were ever released, making Deeper the shortest series the label ever put out. Unless there was some aborted runs later in Hed Kandi's existence, when their popularity had dwindled down to bupkis.

It's funny that despite all the label's early success in cornering the disco, house, funk, and soul market, their stab at prog never caught on. Not that I blame them for throwing their hat into the pile. When the highest paid, most popular, critically hailed DJs in UK clubland are rinsing dark, dubby house music with a tribal edge, you bet your bottom dollar on the punters wanting those tracks for themselves too. Except that's not the sort of audience Hed Kandi had cultivated. When you think of prog, you think of Very Serious DJs posing, not glamour girls sashaying about. Besides, I think the label had their eyes on that burgeoning 'twisted disco' sound (re: electro house). Can definitely milk some saucy cover art with that concept!

So, familiar names and tunes. The Creamer & K rub on iiO's Rapture is here, which is about as obvious a 'prog house anthem fitting with Hed Kandi clientele' tune as you could expect. Honestly though, it's been a lo-o-o-ong while since I last heard this track, and was pleasantly surprised at how well it still held up. B.P.T.'s Moody is also here, by way of a Pete Heller remix, so not quite as dated as hearing it again a few years after Digweed's Bedrock. Other 'prog' favourites include Danny Tenaglia, Satoshi Tomiie, Timo Maas and... Superchumbo? I can't remember if they were fav's or not.

It can't all be a prog love-in though, not if you want to retain some of the Hed Kandi faithful. Thus, there's a little deep house action from Roger Sanchez, Kidstuff, and Puretone, but by and large, it's the prog vibes that dominate. Dubby basslines, deeper grooves, lengthy run-times, and all that good stuff, even from names I don't recognize in the slightest. Well, maybe Miriam Project, I think I recognize that one. Maybe Stylus Trouble too. Not Goldtrtix though. Or Dirty from Dirty.

And, in a move that makes absolutely no sense from any angle you wish to approach from, Deeper 01.02 ends off with Hardfloor's remix of Circus Bells by Robert Armani. What, pray tell, does acid techno from the '90s have to do with a 'prog' collection from Hed Kandi? Mark claims in the liner notes it was included as a summation of Deeper's manifesto, of a track that “builds and builds”. But... lots of tracks do that? I dunno, maybe I'm just perplexed by the fact that, despite it being rather random inclusion, this track always seems to follow me around.

The Chemical Brothers - Come With Us

Virgin: 2002

The fourth album from Misters Rowlands and Simons is regarded as something of a well-received flop – enjoyed when released, but leaving little lasting impression upon The Chemical Brothers' wider catalogue. Frankly, they had to try something different, lest they remain thought of as vanguards of a rapidly cratering big-beat scene. Surrender had already started the transition, but that album had enough familiar sonic markers making it more of a companion piece to Dig Your Own Hole than anything drastically different.

So reinvention was necessary, but where could they go? The same place everyone goes eventually: house or techno. In this case, they went with the latter, or about as techno as The Chemical Brothers could reasonably get away with. Something closer to their underground party roots, where the rhythms are repetitive and relentless, no space for big anthemic choruses with rock radio guest stars.

Testing those waters was a test-pressing for the track It Began In Afrika, a tune that I practically knew how it'd go before hearing it once. “Oh, I bet they'll use that vocal sample that says the title, which I first heard in an Ice MC track, then do some tribal drumming along with their usual psychedelic loops of fury. I is so smart!” Having hacked the puzzle (or whatever), I wasn't too enthused about the new Chemical Brothers and let Come With Us pass me by.

Something drew me back to it though, a lingering sense of curiosity of what the album's full length might entail. That initial positive buzz had to be worth something, and latter reactions seem to confirm this is a 'deeper' record compared to their other efforts. Seeing as how it's so dirt cheap on the used market, springing for a copy wouldn't hurt. I've never been led astray by a Chemical Brothers album anyway (even if one in particular was overplayed to the grave).

And the titular opener sets us off in good fashion, a smashing tension builder with a climax of cascading synth sweeps that I'm sure sequenced amazingly with 1.21 gigawatts of laser technology. Not as immediately ear-wormy as their other album openers, but then this is supposedly a 'deeper' album. It Began In Afrika-ka-ka-ka-ka comes next, and it's exactly as I predicted. It's pretty dope too, so fool on me for initially so haphazardly dismissing it because I guessed the ending. Star Guitar was the other big tune off here, a loopy Balearic outing that kind of reminds me of The Field (or is that foretold?). Only two guest vocalists appear, the obligatory Beth Orton featuring The State We're In, and Richard Ashcroft of The Verve on the obligatory psychedelic closer The Test.

The remaining mostly amount to uptempo breaks and techno tracks, the limp acid-fart of My Elastic Eye the only dud among them. Hardly adventurous stuff, but I'm sure it felt nice for these brothers to get back to some basic party jams. It's definitely one of the smoothest Chemical Brothers albums I've heard.

Various - Chilled Kutz III

(~): 2002

Track List:
1. The Higher Intelligence Agency - Secret Location
2. The Higher Intelligence Agency - Conoid Tone (Reformed by Autechre)
3. The Higher Intelligence Agency - Intruder Detector!
4. Bill Laswell - Maps Of Impossible Worlds
5. Dub Squad - The Lost Mountain
6. Bill Laswell - Babylon Ghost
7. The Higher Intelligence Agency - Hubble (Reformed By The Irresistible Force)
8. The Higher Intelligence Agency - Selinite
9. Wally Lopez & Dr. Kucho - Sheperd Divine Street
10. Waveform - Slumberland


Yep, that's another mislabel at the end there. Well, a couple of the HIA tracks too, neglecting to include Pete Namlook's name with them, but that's kinda' expected. Even in our modern times, digital file labelling really, truly hates that '&'.

I knew the compilation Slumberland from Waveform Records existed, and was curious of what it might sound like. Without a clue of what artists or songs might be on it though, I had little hope in finding it on AudioGalaxy, right? Or maybe not, if I punch in the correct search query. How about “Waveform Slumberland” then? And wouldn't you know it, a seed popped up with exactly that! I naturally grabbed it, played it, and gosh, is this ever a blissy, chill bit of ambience with some prog guitar jamming along. I'm almost positive this is a track from the CD, but which one? The Golden Needle from A Produce, for the record, but I wouldn't confirm it until I got the dang compilation proper-like many years later, so I left the mislabel as was.

Welp, that's a bunch of words burned on yet another tale of wacky MP3 downloading. No blame though, as I unfortunately burned through a bunch of potential talking points this past year when I finally picked up the releases a bunch of those HIA tracks were featured on (Preform, Reform, S.H.A.D.O). Isn't that crazy? Had I somehow gotten to these Chilled Kutz but two years ago, I'd have had plenty to talk about, but now? At least I put Secret Location at it's natural spot, at the start of the CD, rather than its oddly placed second position on S.H.A.D.O.

More Bill Laswell, then? Maps Of Impossible Worlds was actually a Buckethead collab', under the name Death Cube K, though this cut coming from Laswell's Ambient Compendium. And I've talked Babylon Ghost plenty times elsewhere, though this version does sound a little more vibrant with extra instruments. Meanwhile, The Lost Mountain from Japanese group Dub Squad is an outlier, sounding more on that Tosca vibe, and probably nabbed based on a Muzik Magazine recommendation.

If you want a real outlier though, here's Sheperd Divine Street from Wally Lopez & Dr. Kucho. Almost certainly another Muzik Mag' grab, the orchestral deep house cut is at total odds with all the surrounding bleep techno and ambient dub. Think I just liked the feel of something more uptempo to take the CD out on.

Various - Chilled Kutz II

(~): 2002

Track List:
1. Bill Laswell - Cybotron
2. Banco de Gaia - Alpha (Waves in My Brain)
3. Deep Forest - Sweet Lullaby (Natural Trance Mix)
4. Deep Forest & Enigma - Rain Song
5. Audio Science - 2.5 Orbits Later
6. Banco de Gaia - 887 (Darkside Return)
7. Psychick Warriors Ov Gaia - The Challenge (Part 1) / Linkage / The Tides (They Turn)


Straight up, Track 4 is a mislabel, a quirky relic of the dodgy MP3 downloading era. Come to think of it, I'm astounded my AudioGalaxy and WinMX days yielded so few of them. Or maybe it did, but upon realizing I didn't have the actual track I wanted, would delete them. Only had a couple gigabytes of harddrive space to hold MP3s, y'see, and couldn't be fussed with wrong tunes. Still, good luck finding out what Track 4 actually is. After all these years, I still haven't a clue, and it's not like y'all can hear it to maybe I.D. it for me. I guess the 'proper' thing to do would give it an I.D. - I.D. tag, but it feels nostalgic keeping it mislabelled as I found it. Besides, it kinda' does sound like what an early '90s collab' between Deep Forest and Enigma.

[EDIT: After I finished writing this, I noticed Last.fm had scrobbled the track as by Chorus Of Tribes. I checked the Discogs entry, and lo', there's comments re-iterating my tale above! I'm keeping the paragraph though, as I find it hilarious this mystery was so easily solved after all]

So Chilled Kutz II has half the tracks as the first, due to the fact the last two tracks run over twenty minutes apiece. They're also redundant to my music collection, 887 (Darkside Return) re-emerging with the 4-CD re-issue of Last Train To Lhasa. Honestly though, it's not a good extended take on the track, at least compared to what Toby accomplished with Kincajou. Only reason I got it was because I could, those extended versions quite rare indeed back in ye' olden days. PWoG CDs were also rather difficult to come by, so imagine my glee in finding such a long cut of theirs. It was only labelled as The Challenge, but is clearly the multi-part outing that opens Ov Biospheres And Sacred Grooves. Also, Bill Laswell's Cybotron (from Dub Chamber 3) is here, because I had more Laswell and figured a 'darker' chill-out compilation was a good fit for it.

What's left, then? A true rarity in Banco de Gaia's Alpha, a track off the tape album Freeform Flutes & Fading Tibetans that never saw resuscitation. Doubt it ever will either, as it liberally samples Louis Armstrong's What A Wonderful World; the rest reminds me of an overtly chipper version of The Orb's O.O.B.E. The Audio Science track is a nice little moody ambient outing befitting a lonesome journey among space dust and rocks. I really should track down their album some day, considering how much I hype the group.

Various - Chilled Kutz I

(~): 2002

Track List:
1. Noiseshaper - The Only Redeemer (Cottenbelly Remix)
2. Bob Marley - Them Belly Full (But We Hungry) (Bill Laswell Ambient Dub Mix)
3. Groove Corporation - Giocoso, Gioioso
4. Bliss - Dunia
5. Sven van Hees - Jupiter's Quest
6. Sven van Hees - Tsunami (Inside My Soul)
7. Groove Corporation - Liberation Dub
8. Groove Corporation - Dub 3000
9. Sven van Hees - Gregorian Lust
10. Bob Marley - No Woman No Cry (Bill Laswell Ambient Dub Mix)
11. Bob Marley - Burnin' & Lootin' (Bill Laswell Ambient Dub Mix)
12. Kenji Kawai - Unnatural City
13. Sven van Hees - Breakfast With Abductees
14. Groove Corporation - A Voyage On The Marie Celestie
15. Rhythm & Sound - No Partial


Of course I'd make my own 'chill-out' series. Heck, it's surprising I didn't make more than four volumes, though I certainly could have. Truth is, most of the ambient techno, Ibizan downtempo, and ambient drone I had raided from AudioGalaxy were artist discographies, the bulk of which appeared on separate, exclusive discs. Almost all of those are long gone now, oxidized and covered with dust, made wholly redundant when I was able to actually buy the original albums that my younger, P2P-sharing ass pilfered from.

So it goes with this one as well. Groove Corporation? Got 'em. Those Dreams Of Freedom remixes? Have it. Even that one, lone Kenji composition, which totally throws the dubby Balearic vibe of this disc off? Yep, even found the Patlabor 2 soundtrack for that. What does that even leave me for the debut Chilled Kutz I?

Well, there's a lot of Sven van Hees, at least. I honestly can't remember how I fell into his stuff, another one of those mini AudioGalaxy raids that turned out a nifty amount of tunes. Though he started out in that R & S Records brand of trancey techno, he eventually migrated over to a Balearic chill vibe that was remarkably dubby as well. There's something about his music that perfectly captures the feeling of relaxing on Mediterranean shores, fancy drink in hand, contemplating existence. Dude's remained active to this day too. I should probably get some of his albums proper-like.

That leaves a couple outliers, most likely nabbed after a Muzik Magazine recommendation. Dunia from Bliss is more of a world beat thing, though remarkably smooth and graceful, almost befitting an aerial vista score. Is the rest of Bliss like this? *checks the Afterlife album* Well by jove. Maybe I'll scope out more from them as well. The Rhythm & Sound track is Basic Channel inching closer towards reggae dub, probably as near to the edge as their techno background would allow. Makes for a solid closer. Bassline gets my head-bobble on.

And there's nothing more I can say about this burned CD that I haven't elsewhere. But don't fret, folks, I've more interesting things to come in the following volumes of Chilled Kutz!

ACE TRACKS:
Bliss - Dunia
Sven van Hees - Jupiter's Quest
Groove Corporation - Dub 3000

Biosphere - Shenzhou

Touch/Biophone Records: 2002/2017

The ambient techno leanings had slowly been sifted away in Biosphere's body of work, but even as late as Cirque, you could hear trace elements still lingering in the music's DNA. With Shenzhou, such markers are basically gone, marking a turning point of sorts within Geir Jenssen's discography. More experimentation! More minimalism! More abstract sound-scapism! And a whole lot less drum machines, unless by way of sampled jazz loops. That trademark chilly atmosphere though, that can stay, even if it isn't so laser focused on space or tundra clime's.

I admit this period of Biosphere's work is mostly an enigma to me for this reason. Save Dropsonde (picked up because it just happened to be in the used store at the time) and some scattered tracks as found on Compilation 1991-2004, I never bothered to check any of it out, as it was the vintage ambient techno of yore that drew me into the Biosphere fold in the first place. When an artist says 'nuts to my past' in pursuit of creative freedom, I'm all for it, but that doesn't necessarily mean I have to follow their journey too, especially if I was only ever a casual fan in the first place. Or wait, was I? No, I'm pretty sure I was super-keen on Biosphere from the start, I just had little resources to find his stuff in my back-ass corner of Canadaland. Praise be The Internet!

It does make me wonder how I would have reacted to Shenzhou had Geir's music been consistently easier to find for yours truly. Like, coming into this with nearly twenty years of prepared hindsight (yes, I got this as part of his ongoing re-issue campaign), I know it's a different album than Patashnik or Substrata. I didn't know what kind of different it would be – certainly not Dropsonde different – but certainly a change of musical direction. I definitely didn't expect to be so heavily influenced from Wolfgang Voigt's Gas project.

Was this a major thing at the time? For sure Gas got a whole lot of critical praise for his manipulated orchestral-sample drone loops, even as far as Pitchfork recommendations (back when such a thing was the ultimate in hipster cred'). It had to set off some trends, even if in smaller circles. Not that Geir would be a chaser himself, but I'm sure he took a listen to Pop and thought, “Hmm, I have some old orchestral records. I could do something like that, in my own way.”

I suppose that's why Shenzhou falls more into the 'interesting' area of Biosphere's body of work rather than the 'captivating' category I prefer. Yes, it's interesting hearing these orchestral loops ebb and throb, even the aged crackle of the used vinyl becoming as much part of the atmosphere as artifacts of archaic technology. Plus, there's always that omnipresent atmosphere of lurking menace, creeping in the shadowy recesses of your mind. A journey inward then, rather than Biosphere's explorations of the world outward.

Frou Frou - Details

MCA Records: 2002

(a Patreon Request)

Like 97% of the world, I've only really known Imogen Heap via memes. Absolutely she has fans that extend beyond those hearing her synthesized croon as some helpless schlub is ironically shot in slow motion. Some of them even existed before Hide And Seek became her defining work. The amount of buzz that single generated for her career cannot be denied though, going from a non-charting oddity to Top 5 selling artist in America. Even Zach Braff including her Frou Frou track Let Go didn't accomplish that!

Right, to call this a strict Imogen project would do Guy Sigsworth a great injustice. Yeah, that's her voice on all the songs, and her glamming it up like she's about to go shopping Madison Avenue on the cover art, but Frou Frou was initially the brain-birth of Mr. Sigsworth. He'd participated in a few mildly successful UK bands in the '90s, but truly made a name for himself lending his production talents to the likes of Seal, Madonna, and Björk. He also crossed paths with a young lass with a quirky name, and helped produce her debut single called Getting Scared. I cannot deny it's weird seeing Ms. Heap as a raver-goth grrl in that video, given the future her career would take.

Anyhow, itching to make a proper album of his own, Guy set out to do just that, working under the project handle of Frou Frou. Realizing he needed a little female vocal talent to give his songs that extra bit of class, he got in touch with Imogen again for a contributing lyric or two. She soon became so involved with the creative process that they decided to make the whole Frou Frou gig a collaborative process. And thus Details came forth to much... mm, no, 'aplomb' isn't the right word. It did okay, from what I can tell (I recall Breathe In being rather popular on the radio for a spell), but it didn't light the UK on fire either. Still, those college kids in America seemed to like it, enough for a lengthy tour there.

I can hear why this album was popular with such a particular demographic – this totally makes sense hearing out at coffee shops or sorority parties. Guy definitely knows his way around a studio, expertly blending multitudes of instruments and musical styles into an indie-pop soup such that Details defies easy genre classification (my WMP suggests New Wave; capital attempt, ol' chap). To my ears though, that studio expertise flattens my enjoyment out of this album. The music within is just a tad too slick and polished, such that it kinda' fades to the background of my attention after a few tracks (the delightfully twee Maddening Shroud notwithstanding). As for Imogen, she sounds fine, I guess, certainly an integral part of the Frou Frou package. The chorus to Breathe In aside, however, nothing here eclipses Hide And Seek. And how could it, the latter a fixture of late '00s meme culture?

Bill Laswell - Bill Laswell

(~): 2002

Track List:

1. Psychonavigation - Black Dawn
2. Divination - Descent
3. Above The Earth
4. Bob Marley - The Heathen (Bill Laswell Ambient Dub Mix)
5. Sacred System - Babylon Ghost
6. Commander Guevara
7. Sacred System - Galactic Zone
8. White Arc Spiral
9. Bonus: Brian Eno - 1/1

Not as redundant a burned disc as you'd expect, but yeah, I've gathered a few of these on their proper albums now (Sacred System's Book Of Entrance and that Bob Marley remix project). Still, that's another handful of Bill Laswell jams I haven't gotten either, hence why this old personal compilation has remained with me all this time. I had to do something with all those Laswell tracks I nabbed off AudioGalaxy, see, put some order into that bundle of discographical chaos. Oh, how little did I know I was just barely scratching the surface of how deep it went. Ah well, it's a pretty tidy little summation of his '90s work, mostly on that ambient jazz-dub tip.

Like, I didn't even realize I'd gotten one of the Psychonavigation cuts, though listening to Black Dawn, and those distinct Pete Namlook synths in play, the similarities to those sessions is very apparent. I probably didn't clue in though, since this is a shorter version of the track, whereas the original was over a dozen minutes long. Apparently this cut comes from a double-disc compendium of Laswell music called, um, Ambient Compendium. Also from this compilation is Descent, which originally appeared in longer form on the third Divination album, Akasha. It's along the same lines as the minimalist stuff that project offered.

The other three tracks come from a pair of Bill's regular albums – yes, he even released under his own name too! Above The Earth is more typical of his heavy bass-dub ethnic music, though with the added 'gimmick' of some spoken word stuff too. Meanwhile, Commander Guevara and White Arc Spiral come from Invisible Design, which features different bass tones compared to his vintage low, grumbly style. These are mellow, soft, almost in the range of treble, and played far jazzier than his other stuff I've covered. I'm sure bass guitar experts could fill you in the precise details, but I honestly can't be bothered to do the research. If Laswell's guttural bass tone isn't to your liking though, maybe this one would do you better.

Well, that was a fun little dive into more Bill Laswell, but what's this at the end? A Brian Eno track? And not just any Brian Eno track, but the first track from his first ambient album, Music For Airports (aka: the piano one). What's that doing here?

Ah, see, it comes back to that whole 'raiding AudioGalaxy' thing. Naturally I'd have searched out some Eno, since it was Very Important to ambient as a whole and all that. I saw I had some space left on my disc, and had 1/1 in my folder, so figured may as well stick it on here. I really ought to get Music For Airports proper-like at some point though.

Various - Best Of 2002

Muzik Magazine: 2002

Looks like I had one of these left over. Wish I could say I was excited about returning to the magazine that left such an imprint upon my own critiquing habits, but I've said about all there was to say among all the other prior reviews of their free CDs. Even worse is, despite this being a 'best of' collection of Muzik's choice cuts of the year 2002, it feels so underwhelming compared to their older releases. Something about Best Of 2002 doesn't spring with the same vitality, as though an uncertain dourness had permeated clubland. I look at this track list, and honestly only recognize a couple tunes that could be considered classics nearly two decades on. I know Muzik prided itself on going against the grain and all but DJ Marky & XRS's LK, really? Couldn't clear the rights to any High Contrast jams for your nod to the emergent liquid funk sound?

The first half of this disc always passes me by with a lukewarm 'eh, it's fine' sentiment, with a rather dry Stanton Warrior rub on Time Deluxe's It Just Won't Do opening things up. If your eyes glazed over at the mention of that track, I wouldn't blame ya'. Following that, you get the proggy James Zabiela rub of Röyksopp's Remind Me, which feels more like an excuse to throw in Röyksopp' tune while giving one of Muzik's favoured DJs the extra shine. Again, it's fine, but the best of what 2002 had to offer? Ils shows up at the third position for the requisite nu-skool breaks contribution and if that was the best on the genre's that year, small wonder if collapsed into stagnation so rapdily as it did. It isn't until Kosheen's Hungry pops up that something resembling a proper timeless 'hit' is felt, yet the discourse around that group's long been testy.

And before I went any further in assembling mental notes for this review, I wondered, what was the best of 2002? Who were the movers and shakers of that year? I know my own collection of CDs is the furthest thing from any sort of definitive snapshot but gander at a couple albums: Sasha's Airdrawndagger, Ladytron's Light & Magic, Drexciya's Harnessed The Storm, Stylophonic's Man Music Technology, High Contrast's True Colours, Groove Armada's Lovebox. Not a single tune from any of these could have made Muzik's Best Of 2002? Heck, Legowelt's rippin' Disco Rout appears on two CDs of mine from that year! (note: Coldplay's A Rush Of Blood To The Head came out, if you want to know what the real sound of popularity was at the time)

I know it's an unfair comparison, especially with licensing and all, but it's hard believing tracks from Daniel Diamond, DJ Vitamin D, and X-Press 2 were the best of what 2002 had to offer with clearly stronger tunes available elsewhere. Whatever, at least the emergent Akufen, Vitalic, and post-Emerson Underworld get repped in this compilation.

Various - Bedrock: Chris Fortier

Pioneer: 2002

You'd think Chris Fortier would be better at the double-disc set. Progressive house was practically custom-made for it, the long journey over several hours, and few jocks within this scene have shown such impeccable track selection when utilizing but a single CD for their mixes. Yet when given the opportunity to stretch things out some, I find Mr. Fortier's sets drag, as though he's almost flustered by the extra hour of music he has at his disposal. Or perhaps the restriction of one disc forces him to be as economical with his musical weapons as possible, thus wasting little time in getting to the goods. No more was this apparent than with Balance 007, where the genre exercise of the bonus CD3 was far more memorable than the standard set construction of the first two discs. I can recall every twist and turn of Trance America and Audiotour, yet this Bedrock outing so often just passes me by.

There's never any problem in hooking me in from the jump, CD1 opening with more of that tasty, thumping, dubby prog vibe I love from this era of Bedrock Records. Yet it doesn't quite have the same dark groove as Jimmy Van M's outing in the previous volume does. This stuff feels stiff, angular, almost like... oh, it's tech-house in prog's clothing, isn't it. Yeah, that's a Jay Tripwire track in there. It also has a lot of tribalism going for it, letting my headspace turn inward as the all-encompassing rhythm takes over my senses. Nothing really sticks though, dance music as dutiful service in losing yourself on the dancefloor and nothing else. No highs, no lows, just one, long, uninterrupted stretch of functionalism. Y'know, tech-house.

The set's almost over by the time I feel like things are finally ramping up, and I haven't the foggiest of where we've been or how we've gotten to this point. This is great when you're out movin' and groovin', but as a 'sit down and listen' experience, hopelessly dry.

CD2 hints at a bit more of a melodic outing, Elemental from Women Of Color a rather blissy opener for the supposed 'Club Mix'. Then it goes... kinda' minimal? Wow, does Kolo's Nova ever predict where prog would end up half a decade later, but doesn't do much to get the blood pumpin' here. Yep, Mr. Fortier is once again opting for the slow, burning build of a set, and fortunately, once Steve Porter makes an appearance, things do ramp up some (ah, ever dependable, that Porter chap).

But yeah, this is still more of that techy, tribal, deep prog that's drawn out and very methodical and considered in how it moves forward. Great on a darkened dancefloor when all that exists around you is the thunderous sound-system enveloping your body, not so much at home with paper-thin apartment walls (good headphones help). Fortier's Bedrock forces total mental commitment to get much out of it. Probably would have been stronger if pared to a single disc.

Utada Hikaru - Deep River

Eastworld: 2002

(a Patreon Request from Philoi)

Upon receiving this album, I couldn't help but do a double-take. Was I certain this was a j-pop album? It looks nothing like the preconceived cliches of the genre my Western eyes have been inundated with. In fact, aside from the artist name and kanji on the back, I'd have easily thought it an American R&B release, not that dissimilar to a traditional Mariah Carey or Beyoncé cover. Throwing it on for a listen, the American influences are even more prevalent – were it not for the different language, this wouldn't have been out of place in any Western R&B chart. And with American artists cribbing from 'ethnic' cultures as it was (s'up, bhangra), turnabout is fair play. Did make me wonder if Utada Hikaru might have had any success over here if she tried a crossover album.

Then I did the post-listen research and discovered, shit, she don't need success over here in the slightest. For Utada Hikaru is huge in Japan. Like, Mariah and Beyoncé huge! Like, owner of some of the country's top selling albums ever, absolutely trouncing her nearest chart competitors. Her first album First Love crushed it at 7.6 million copies sold there – by comparison, Michael Jackson's Thriller, the agreed upon most successful global record ever, sold only 2.8 million in Japan.

Yet, despite her monumental success in her homeland, she's nary a presence over here, a lone soundtrack appearance on the Jackie Chan/Chris Tucker movie Rush Hour 2 her closest brush with success in America. There's also frequent contributions to the Kingdom Hearts games (including the closing song 光 from here), but that's a comparatively niche audience. Yes, I know, entirely different cultures and all, but again, the music she's making here isn't that different compared to American R&B, her cadence easily on par with the divas of the U.S. Just use the ol' Shakira Strategy: record an English version, get a major label backing it (EMI handled distribution in other South Asian markets at the time, though she's since signed with Sony, so maybe a re-issue?), and see what may come.

I'm sorry I'm dwelling on this so much, but it honestly and truly boggles my mind that someone could be so successful in one country, and not here. It's not even like her music is too culturally dense to work elsewhere. It'd be like if Shania Twain or Celine Dion never broke out of Canada because they name-drop Montreal and maple trees (true, not so evocative as Tokyo and sakura trees).

Also, I honestly don't have that much to say about Deep River. As mentioned, this is an R&B-styled record, a genre I only have passing interest in, and where vocal presentation is first and foremost. Ms. Utada definitely has the pipes, such that I do hang on her words even if I don't know what they specifically mean. Translations reveal they're mostly about relationships and empowerment – standard R&B tropes – but that only takes me so far.

Various - Disco Kandi 05.02

Hed Kandi: 2002

Time munches on - *chomp, chomp* - and CDs that were once silly-costly on Vancouver shelves continue to drop in price across the globe, including the unstoppable Hed Kandi machine. This doesn't mean I'm interested in gathering up all the Hed Kandi compilations, but for an occasional fiver, what harm is there in a steady indulgence of early-'00s club house and disco dance? None I say, and let's be honest: no matter how corny or cheesy you think the music might be on these, it's neigh impossible resisting a tempting glance from the cover art alone. So slick, so supple, so seductive, so... oh my!

Hed Kandi may have started more on a deep house tip, but the label knew where the the real money was: the chill-out market! After they covered that angle, they branched out to the next most lucrative scene, establishing the Disco Kandi series, and hoo-boy howdy, were they quick to flood the market with sequels. 2001 alone saw three entries, capping off with Disco Kandi 5. For some reason though, they ditched regular numerical conventions after, and tag each subsequent volume as a decimal. In fact, they did this with most of their series after 2002. What sort of sense does that make? And why settle on whatever arbitrary number they did in the first place? Like, Beach House stopped at 04.0x, Winter Chill stopped at 06.0x, and Disco Heaven didn't even get past 01.0x. They'd eventually just revert to yearly tags, but this period does remain one of the quirkier aspects of the Hed Kandi legacy.

Anyhow, we're diving into Disco Kandi 05.02 (re: Disco Kandi 06), because it was the cheapest I found on a recent hunt. Also, I seem to be finding a lot of these .02 compilations over their sequels; strange, that. The concept of Disco Kandi is straight-forward enough: CD1 offers the more vintage sounds of disco, including nods to garage and diva soul, though all in a modern context. CD2 brings in the tougher disco house tunes, treading closer to French house's loopy domain, though as this is a 2002 release, we're not quite there yet.

Namedrops are about what you'd expect of a Hed Kandi release too. StoneBridge is here! Mousse T is here! Full Intention is here! Joey Negro is here! Tim Deluxe is here! Danny Howells.. is also here? Plump DJs? What are you doing here? Remixing War's old-timey Galaxy, is what.

Yeah, there's a few updated rubs of old tunes here, though not as many as I was expecting. Mousse T's go with T-Ski Valley's Catch The Beat sounds almost as pure as the 1981 disco-rap club it spawned from. Full Intention's go with Aly-Us' 1992 hit Follow Me wouldn't sound out of place in New York City that same year. Meanwhile, Hi Fi Serious turn The Beatles' Believe into ...wait, THE Beatles? *checks Discogs* Well sonofa'.. Turn The Beatles' mellow ditty Because into a disco house number. Cheeky mudder fuggers.

Astral Projection - Astral Projection

(~): 2002

Track List:
1. Liquid Sun
2. Astral Projection vs Trilithon - Burning Up (Psychedelic Burn Out Remix)
3. Searching For UFO's
4. People Can Fly!
5. Let There Be Light
6. SFX - We Are Controlling Transmission
7. Anything Is Possible
8. Aurora Borealis

If some of y'all have wondered why goa trance legends Astral Projection have been conspicuously absent from my music collection, this is why. Absolutely I knew of them, and when cruising the AudioGalaxys and MP3.coms of the web two decades past, they were among the first names to crop up when my inquiries of 'goa trance' and 'psychedelic trance' were sent into the ether. And wouldn't you look at that, plenty of seeds for quick downloads! Absolutely I'll nab myself a bunch of those, thanks. Eventually I had enough cool tunes for a burned disc of strictly Astral Projection music, the result of which being this myself-titled compilation. Simple enough explanation, right? Oh, not so fast, I'm afraid.

Truth is, I did this with a lot of artists, including such names like Juno Reactor, Spicelab, Aphex Twin, and Biosphere. Some of those early discs simply deteriorated, but as I found myself more gainfully employed and with easier access to the CDs I wanted, I went out of my way to actually buy the albums proper-like. Who wants to settle for crummy MP3 rips on burned CDs when you can have the real deal, right? Only... I never did the deed with Astral Projection. I've forever kept this lone disc as all that I need from the famed Israeli duo, and honestly don't have much inclination to rectify that. I like the A.P. stylee, just not enough to spring for their albums. Frankly, I feel like I've heard about all there is to them with the selection of tracks I did settle with for this compilation. Sans Mahadeva, of course.

I'm sure their REAL fans could create a more authentic CD, but considering I didn't know much about them at the time, I'd say I did pretty well assembling these tunes. There's two from Trust In Trance, two from Dancing Galaxy, one from Another World, one from (then current) Amen, plus some assorted compilation-only goodies. Oh, and the Astral Projection tune that's technically not an Astral Projection tune, We Are Controlling Transmission, released just prior to them adopting their lasting alias. It certainly is more indebted to German trance than anything from the shores of Goa, and is honestly my favourite cut of the lot here.

And that's the crux of what's prevented me from diving any deeper into their discography, a sense that there really isn't much more to their sound that what's here. For sure there's differences between tracks, but when an older tune leaps out as more distinct than all that followed, I reckon there's a minor issue in your songcraft. Still, folks enjoy Astral Projection for a dependable, spacey goa trance vibe, so all the more power to them in delivering it time and again.

Morgan - Arrakis

Lotek Records: 2002

Quite a few people feel David Lynch's Dune is a lot of bad things. Incomprehensible. Impenetrable. A gross misrepresentation of the novel. A meandering mess of inner monologues and dated special effects, a ton of wasted acting and costuming talents. An inglorious mess of a film, that's constantly being pillaged for memes, parodies, and samples. Wait, is that a bad thing? I've gotten plenty of giggles and guffaws from the memes and parodies, while much of electronic music is indebted to Dune's dialog. Where might Ian Loveday as EON have gone without that movie? Not to mention the voices of Virginia Madsen, Kyle MacLachlan, and Random Robo-Computer Spacing Guild Voice endlessly being used in trance tunes. Frank Herbert's visionary space-opera with cool sounding names like Arrakis and Kwisatz Haderach is forever enthralling folks new and old alike. Even those who's muse don't really jive with Dune's aesthetic.

Maybe it's Brian Eno and Toto's contributions to the Lynch movie soundtrack forever setting the template, but when I think of Dune, ominous mysterious music always springs to mind (y'know, trance!). I don't think high energy club-stomping circus clown music, with basslines that have a bangin' donk on it. I've no doubt Morgan's heart and intent was in the right place – a bad-ass name for a bad-ass mix, with bad-ass samples from a bad, ass (?) film – but man, it's such a whiplash going from the well-worn, ethereal Prologue of the movie, straight into an OD404 track.

Let's backtrack: who is Morgan? One of the premier NRG and UK hard house jocks in America, he was instrumental in developing its scene on the Pacific side of the continent, even going so far as to establish one of the earliest labels supporting domestic artists with any consistency. It didn't last much past the '00s, but for a genre that was always rather fringe 'round these here parts, Lotek Records had a good run. Morgan's Discoggian info mostly dries up this decade as well, though I'm sure he's called into service for the odd gig here and there. Despite massive shifts in electronic music interests and demographics, this music has retained a surprisingly sturdy, devoted following to this day, with folks remembering Morgan's contributions in its early rise.

Which doesn't have much to do with me, if I'm honest. This is a form of music I'm fine with upon its initial thrust of enthusiasm, but wears down on after about twenty minutes of the same ol' formula over and over. Uncreative DJs are usually to blame for that, and credit to Morgan, he does mix things up between the hoover-tastic NRG cuts and the goofy, donk-y tracks, all the while throwing in Dune samples throughout. The concept may conflict with my sensibilities, but Morgan commits to it. An hour of this is more than I'm willing to take before my interest wanders though, and had Arrakis not been part of another person's former CD collection, I wouldn't have gotten it at all.

Sasha - Airdrawndagger

BMG UK & Ireland: 2002

I sure remember the hot anticipation for Sasha's debut album. Like, there was long, gestating buzz over whether he'd ever do the deed, as the discourse is wont to go when it comes to popular DJs. Curating all those class trance records, groovy progressive house tracks, and spiritual superclub vibes, surely had to impress some inspiration upon Mr. Coe such that his muse demanded his own tunes too. And as his career continuously went from strength to strength (Renaissance, Northern Exposure, Xpander EP!), the time seemed right to drop an LP of original music in ye' olde year of 2002. (whoa, deja-vu)

Everyone's familiar with Airdrawndagger's story: big hype, lukewarm response, now regarded a relic of prog's heyday. For sure folks enjoyed what they heard on this album, but it wasn't the knock-down smash they hoped for. As though they needed this record to definitively and emphatically resuscitate and cement progressive house/trance/breaks' legacy as the One Genre To Rule Them All.

Instead, Sasha – yes, Charlie May and Junkie XL lended a heaping helping hand – set out for something more conceptual, music just as enjoyable being played at home as hearing rinsed out in the clubs. And hoo, he done did that, the tunes on Airdrawndagger utterly lush within my headphone space. Sixteen years on, the production's as cutting edge as the day it dropped, even if the song-writing mostly remains stuck in the past. Which is fine. Despite some wailing that there was nothing as instantly classic as Xpander on here, Sasha maintained Airdrawndagger was an assemblage of his various influences throughout his years of DJing. Or just coming due on all those half-formed ideas floating about from his 'studio time' following missed gigs.

So you get the chill tunes setting the mood early, but holding nothing back on opulent synth melodies either (Mr. Tiddles, Magnetic North), all the while keeping the rhythms at a steady groove. Then things get more technical than musical for a while, which is dope if you dig sound design in your beatcraft, but may be lacking if you need your melodies up front and obvious. James Holden to the rescue then, as Bloodlock might as well be a solo-Holden track, the sort of twinkle-prog he practically pioneered. It's almost shocking to hear this tune now, considering both Sasha and Holden would disown it so soon after. That Coldharbour crew though, they had no problem claiming it.

The album kinda' eases things down from there, Requiem a spritely ambient outing, Golden Arm a steadying prog groover, and Wavy Gravy a chipper prog-breaks closer. Not the rousing finale you'd expect from Sasha and co., but again, Airdrawndagger never was gonna' be a dozen tracks of clubbing fodder. Next-gen production aside, this is mostly a record with no aspirations of commercial appeal, but rather music making that sates one's own soul. And hey, if anyone else gets something out of it, all the better. Such modesty strangely makes it better the older it gets.

Supercar - Highvision

Ki/oon: 2002

(a Patreon Request from Philoi)

Not shockingly, most reviews I write are filled with regurgitated factoids from other sources. Having gorged myself in certain scenes, however, I've some insight into artists, genres, and trends that may not be readily available elsewhere – I feel confident when I wax the bull about Ambient Album #314,219,110, it's with some knowledge on the matter. Even stuff I'm not so boned up on, like Japanese indie rock and pop, I can usually find some additional info, giving me a stronger foundation to work from – the wiki on Wednesday Campanella was most helpful. This Supercar though, I'm just not finding much from English sources, save one Hell of a loving 'review' for this particular album on Sputnik Music.

Holy cow, but does user davidwave4 ever get into it more than I could possibly hope to, settling for nothing less than calling Highvision Supercar's Kid A. That's... quite a comparison to make there, mang', one I've no idea is apt or not. Like, there's nothing on this album that sounds like Kid A - certainly no ambient drone pieces like Treefingers - but he's not making a one-to-one music relation. Rather, he's comparing Supercar's discographical narrative to Radiohead's, with Futurama being their OK Computer, thus Highvision their Kid A. More succinctly, Futurama was the schizophrenic embracing of technology, while Highvision is the uncertain merging, accepting that change has come, and we must make do with that reality no matter how unsettling it makes us feel. Sure, guy, you go with that. I never dove deep into Radiohead's music, so have to take other people's word that such proclamations of “this is [artist]'s Kid A” as legit. By the by, when did Kid A supplant Sgt. Pepper's that way?

Right, I should get into Highvision on my own terms, which means the best I can provide is a 'dumb listen'. No deep analysis of lyrics (I can't understand them most of the time, just like Radiohead's Thom Yorke!) or genre dissertation – just simple “d'is music do this, it make me feel like d'is!” interpretations. And whoa, that's quite the distorted techno kick opening things up in Starline. There's still a regular drum kit in play too, just with an added 909 crunchy-thunk. Then there's shoegazey guitars, dream pop singing, and it feels as though I'm being lulled into a hazy headspace. That's definitely a change of tone compared to the upbeat dance number of Futurama's Changes.

And that vibe is mostly maintained throughout Highvision, a remarkable feat considering the disparate styles of music among these ten tunes. Songs flit between electro-pop ditties (Warning Bell, Strobolights, I), shoegaze rock-outs (Storywriter, Otogi Nation), dreamy dance jangles (Yumegiwawa Last Boy), and whatever orchestra electro-glitch thing Nijiiro Darkness is. Heck, there's even a thematic return with closer Silent Yaritori, that crunchy 909 kick reappearing. And best of all, Highvision leaves me feeling elated and high in spirit, which is a better feeling than the dourness of Kid A.