Mahiane - Oxycanta: Winter Blooms (Original TC Review)

Ultimae Records: 2007

(2014 Update:
I go on about how awesome Ultimae is and how they're one of my favorite labels and that everyone should immediately check out their roster and I'll shut up now. In truth though, it took me over a year after stumbling upon Asura's Life² before fully committing to digging into their catalog further. When I finally did, it was with this CD, again an impulse purchase based on the cover. The music within completely and utterly convinced me that Ultimae was a label I needed to keep tabs on, which led to further purchases from Solar Fields' Movements and the Fahrenheit Project series. You probably know how the rest of this story plays out by now.

Oxycanta seemed destined to have a short existence, scuttled like so many of Ultimae's compilation series as this decade turned. Lo', it returned last year. I guess Mahiane found inspiration again with the crop of new talent contributing to the label. It's... well, I'll save those thoughts for when I review it.)


IN BRIEF: ‘Tis the season.

As tempting as it is to start a winter-themed compilation of music with some sort of poetic metaphor tying into the frigid months of the year, my internal Corny-Countermeasure Procedure continuously denies me the opportunity – damn you, Corny-Countermeasure Procedure! Besides, for all the tranquil, pretty vistas a snow-covered landscape portrays, the reality of winter tends to be far more brutal. Ice storms, biting winds below fifty-degrees Centigrade, mucky gritty slush as snow melts, hideous displays of driving… there’s a reason so many birds flee to more hospitable regions of the world and several animals would just rather sleep through it all.

Being one of the more illogical animals of this world, however, humans prefer making the best of the cold climate while we can. Ice skating, skiing, festive light shows (it really does glow prettily off the snow), and, of course, music. At no other time of the year will you find more popular music directly tied to a season, such that we have to endure it over and over and over and over…

Sorry, I’m getting side-tracked. Oxycanta, then. The second of a somewhat infrequent compilation series put together by Ultimae co-founder Sandrine Gryson (aka: Mahiane), the obvious-to-everyone-now theme here is that of winter. Of course, this being Ultimae, the music dwells on the delicate and naturalistic aspects of the season, preferring to conjure images of quiet frosted forests and frozen-over streams, untouched and unspoiled by human influence. And it is stunningly beautiful to listen to.

Seriously, opener Strawberry Planetarium is ambient at its hauntingly best - layered pads and delicate timbre work together to create a sublime trip through tonal harmony. Along the way, spritely clicks and glitches add to the atmosphere; it’s like being trapped in lake ice as it slowly thaws. Of course, there really isn’t much of a song here, but then ambient seldom follows structure, merely going about its business as it sooths to the ears.

Much of Winter Blooms features passages and pieces of this nature. It isn’t until third track Flaktsystem from Amos that we have something resembling a proper song (though everything leading up to it is still engaging nonetheless). Even then, Flaktsystem is more of an excursion through tones and timbres, only this time with lovely piano melodies guiding us along laid-back rhythms. Aes Dana’s Nexus, nearly half-way through the CD, provides the first fully-formed piece of music, which is a quite a long while to wait. I’m sure this begs the question, then, of whether half a disc of lovely tonal textures and meditative passages is too much noodly music for the casual listener.

To this, I give a definite no. The beauty of Oxycanta is that it works in various ways. If you play diligent attention to the music, you’re rewarded with deeply considered harmonies, sucking you into a calming meditation of delicate tones and steadying rhythms, none of which ever dip into saccharine New Age mumbo-jumbo. If you just throw this on as background fodder, however, it’s equally effective as atmospheric ambient, setting a blissful mood that will tingle at the soul while you’re engaged in other activities.

Oh wait, you’re still wondering if that winter theme is ever-present - to a degree, yes. As mentioned, the first half touches upon the tranquil nature of the season; meanwhile, the second half delves into the less comforting aspects of winter: the cold textures of downbeat techno. Mind, Waters from Sgnl_fltr is something more akin to old-school trance, and quite brisk for a compilation of this sort. Beyond there, however, things get rather experimental, with clicks and glitches meandering around cold soundscapes; still, lurking underneath it all is some warmth, as though buried and patiently waiting for the season to change. And closer Nautilus from James Murray is definitely the perfect track to bring in some warmth, dipping into ambient dub’s bubbly waters with Far East influences.

As great as the music on Oxycanta is, though, it’s Mahiane’s arrangement of the tracks that gives this compilation that extra bit of shine. While not exactly a DJ mix, there are still nice blends between the each piece of music, and is sequenced in such a way that it rather plays like one long song. In the burgeoning age of digital downloads, it’s growing increasingly rare to find compilations of this sort, much less expertly arranged to form a cohesive flow. It’s reassuring to know this isn’t a completely lost art.

Eh? Oh, I guess you’ve noticed that, technically, Winter Blooms isn’t exactly current. Granted, as of this writing, it was released a year ago, but that’s beside the point. Like the season it draws influence from, there is a timeless quality to Oxycanta; while it may make better sense to listen to during the frigid months of the year, it works for any setting. Heart-healing properties indeed.

Written by Sykonee for TranceCritic.com, 2008. © All rights reserved.

Various - Ovum Sampler

Columbia: 1997

You couldn’t escape this CD. There it sat on every single store shelf, because it was an affordable retail disc with a hot name in Josh Wink on the tracklist. There it sat in the collections of fellow electronic music aficionados, because it was a cheap compilation that had Josh Wink’s hot new single, Are You There… included. There it rested in every pawn shop, because when folks inevitably do their music purges, this was always one of the first to go. I’ve a feeling, should I be forced into selling CDs for ramen noodles again, I’ll harbor no regret over sending Ovum Sampler back to the used music bargain bins that I plucked it from. (er, if anyone will even accept CDs anymore)

Ovum Recordings itself has had a storied history over the years, one of the American leaders in all things deep house, tech-house, and vibey goodness from the City Of Brotherly Love. After the ridiculous success of Higher State Of Consciousness, Winky boy undoubtedly wanted more control over his own productions, hence setting up a label he and like-minded Philadelphia producers could build their careers on. King Britt also had a hand in the early development of Ovum, often releasing music as Sylk 130 because... it was an actual alias? Oh yeah, King Britt's name really is King Britt. He was destined to produce jazzy deep house, wasn't he?

So Ovum got rolling with Wink and Britt providing the early bulk of singles; a few others like Size 9 and Scuba (no, not that Scuba) rounded out the rest. A sampler disc should logically offer a smattering of all the artists one might find on the label, but for some reason, we only get three tracks from Sylk 130, two tracks from Wink, and two from Jamie Myerson, a young musical prospect that had recently signed to Ovum.

The Sylk 130 cuts are about as you’d expect from King Britt, though do a good job showing his eclectic range – it doesn’t hurt two of them are remixes. The Reason is a pure jazz-funk work, with a soulful croon from Vicki Miles and a rub by John Wicks; meanwhile, Tek 9 of 4 Hero offers a hip-hop vibe for Getting’ Into It, and the final Sylk 130 tune, Incident On The Couch, is all hazy nu-jazz, perfect for all your spliffed-out needs. As for Wink’s contributions, yes, Are You There… is here, but it’s the Size 9 Groove Mix. Well, that’s disappointing, this version far too loopy even by Wink standards. New Groove’s far more interesting, a minimalist slice of acid techno with spacey synths in support. Float on, my son. Finally, Jamie Myerson gives us some jazzy d’n’b in Everything Is Gonna Be Alright and… Balearic electro-chill in Unity Gain?

Wow, Ovum Sampler’s actually quite diverse, maybe too diverse for a label showcase. Guess that’s why folks don’t give this CD much care anymore, preferring these artists in the context of their own albums.

Calibre - Overflow

Signature Records: 2008

In the end, music reviewers and critics just want to write stories, this desire manifesting in many ways. Sometimes it’s by chronicling the narratives that developed within scenes, other times coming up with (and even dictating) narratives that are currently emerging. On a smaller scale, we enjoy deciphering potential stories that may lurk within pieces of music, giving praise to artists who compose albums that contain clearly defined arcs that we can translate into flowery purple prose. The double-LP format in particular is like catnip to the storyteller-in-reviewer's-fedora, an almost guarantee the musician(s) who released it had a grand opus in mind that simply could not be contained in typical single-serving music formats.

Sometimes though, collections of tracks are just collections of tracks, no real rhyme or reason to their being there beyond the necessary evil of the music industry (‘tis the only way the consumers can consume your product). Gads, what a boring story that is. I mean, look at this release from Calibre. Hell, look at nearly any release from Calibre. Mr. Dominick Martin doesn’t skimp on his output, almost exclusively going the double-LP route for much of his early career. Even when he finally cut back to single-CDs in recent years, he still released material at such a clip he could have maintained the double-disc format. Yet, for all this music, damned if there’s much to talk about.

Yeah, yeah, I’m only going by Overflow on this assumption – maybe the Shelflifes or Musique Concrete are more comprehensive as a listening experience. These two CDs though, I’m struggling to say much about them, beyond the basic particulars you expect from any run-of-the-mill review. Ah, let’s get that out of the way at least.

Overflow is a 2CD collection of smooth, jazzy drum ‘n’ bass from Calibre, a prolific and highly respected name within that scene. Eighteen tracks make up this bulk. Some are more on an atmospheric tip (Savannah Heat, Big Bang, TV On), some bang with the tech-step business (Lo Note, Suddenly, Beat Goes On), some find their liquid funkiness (Honeypot, Overeaction, So Blue), and some aren’t even d’n’b in the slightest (Reach You Everywhere, Slums, Gage). A good third of these tracks feature vocals, sung in an unobtrusive, urban-jazz stylee. Every tune is class, finely produced and enjoyable. You can also play everything in Overflow in any order you like, their sequence having no bearing in how the album flows from beginning to end (recommended if you’ve gotten the MP3 version). Sometimes when I’ve had my whole music library on Shuffle and a Calibre tune crops up, I’ll mistake it for a Mist:i:cal tune, which isn’t surprising since Martin’s a part of that group. The perfect track summing up Overflow’s overall vibe is Alone In A Crowd. It sounds like much of what I’ve described above.

Man, see what I’m talking about? This album is perfectly fine on the listening front, but dear Lord does it ever sap my inspiration to write about it.

Hieroglyphics - Over Time

Hiero Imperium: 2007

Speaking as a relative casual fan of the extended Hieroglyphics crew, Over Time was a welcome, nay needed reminder of why the Oakland hip-hop group deserved their underground praises. The honest truth is for all their accomplishments leading up to and through the turn of the millennium, their respective stars had sadly dimmed as the '00s carried on. Part of the problem can be attributed to changing trends within hip-hop as a whole, but a dearth of fresh, fiery material sparking interest in Del, Souls, and co. didn't help either. Yes, they were becoming victim of the ol' “falling off” narrative, a death knell within hip-hop if ever there was one.

Whether by accident or design, Over Time came out at almost as perfect a moment as any. It'd been half-a-decade since Full Circle had dropped and generally forgotten, and solo Hiero projects were growing few and far between, almost devoid of hype. A greatest hits collection would likely help keep their name out there, but this is a crew that knew its audience, underground heads who'd already have the best of their material – such a release would be hopelessly redundant. What of the rarities though? Only the most hardcore of the hardcore would have gathered all the available Hieroglyphics music, much of which had gone discontinued or become stupidly expensive on the collector's market. Why not offer the b-sides, remixes, and that as a treat to the casuals of their following, who joined the Oakland party late (*cough*)?

A sweet deal for fans then, but here’s where Over Time excels: it encapsulates the Hieroglyphics manifesto in such a complete way, I’ll argue this is required listening even if your knowledge of the crew only goes so far as Clint Eastwood. For one thing, some of their best songs are here, and though they’re in remixed form, tracks like You Never Know, Phoney Phranchise, and Soundscience remain great examples of the lyrical diversity the Hiero crew are known for. And speaking of remixes, Dan The Automator’s rub of Del’s ode to good hygiene If You Must (no, really!) is a hoot, including a child’s jingle about how you shouldn’t worry about getting sucked down a bathtub drain.

Since Del was the busiest body during the ten year period this collection gathers material from, nearly half the tunes are his. He’s often tagged up with fellow Hiero mates though, like Tajai in the thumping Masterminds, or A-Plus in the chill Battle Of The Shadow. One of the more interesting of his cuts is Cyberpunks, a harrowing ‘nerdcore’ cut that predates his Deltron 3030 work that appeared on a relatively forgotten compilation from Strength Magazine (never heard of the rag); Pep Love’s battle-rap outing Prose Officially also appeared on that CD.

In a nutshell, Over Time has the one thing RapReviews.com writer Steve ‘Flash’ Juan claimed Full Circle lacked: dopeness. While I won’t call this disc a definitive collection of the Hieroglyphics crew, it’s a strong summation of their unique strengths.

Psychick Warriors Ov Gaia - Ov Biospheres And Sacred Grooves

KK Records/Restless Records: 1992/1993

Way back in ye' golden age of 1992, the Psychick Warriors ov Gaia sound-system was developing into a fresh live techno act, infusing tribal and trance elements at a time when such ideas were strange and rare (strictly Detroit or rave, yo;', some 'intelligent' too). Their first single appeared in 1990, as Exit 23. Soon enough, this lengthy-titled LP emerged, gaining respectable plaudits from those who'd stumbled upon it. Unfortunately, being tied to industrial-leaning label KK Records limited their exposure within techno circles, adding to their mystique.

Of course, seeing phrases like “sacred grooves” and “new edge folk classics” likely has a few of you hesitant, figuring these Psychick Warriors lean deep into the sappier elements of world beat or, *gasp*, New Age even. I'll grant there is a meditative element to their work, but it's rather as TUU approached the craft, drawing out your primitive psyche, forcing withdrawal of the human ego. There is only sound, there is only rhythm. We've returned to the source of our being, as the Ancients intended. Or something.

I should point out there are a few different versions of Biospheres And Sacred Grooves. Being of the lands where the North Americans dwell, my copy comes from alt-rock/punk/metal label Restless Records, which is different from the other North American release of PWoG’s debut, on Canadian label Cargo Records (also alt-rock/punk/metal) – yes, I betrayed my brethren with this used-disc purchase. While each version merges most of the tracks into two twenty-plus minute compositions (single Obsidian stands alone), the Restless CD added Exit 23 as well. How nice of them.

Considering the cult-like following PWoG gained, you'd think Biospheres And Sacred Grooves was an all-time classic LP. Eh, not really. There’s quite a bit of downtime, ambient noodling, and experimental minimalism, much of which comes from the CD-only compositions of Anathema Ov Jean Jacques Derrillard and New Edge Mantra, book-ends of the second ‘long track’ that includes The Challenge (Part 2) and The Key (Version). Are we confused yet? Because I’ve gone cross-eyed just trying to figure out how everything’s sequenced on this CD.

Forget the track list – here’s what you need to know. The Challenge (Part One) is the sort of sound everyone identifies PWoG with: tribal-techno, with dub effects, acid groove, and dark ambience, played in a minimalistic way that’d make Hawtin weak in the knees. Obsidian is more melodic and funkier, The Key (Version) gets its reggae-house vibe on, The Tides (They Turn) goes on the downtempo trip (yay bongos), and Exit 23 is… just weird and meandering, save a killer, creaking bassline worming its way about desolate, primordial sounds. The rest of Biospheres And Sacred Grooves is extraneous fluff.

Honestly, I wouldn’t even call this album a Very Important One, as PWoG’s sound was incredibly niche, and remains so to this day. That does make it a unique offering in the annals of techno though, reason enough to spring for a copy if you enjoy diversity in your collection.

Faithless - Outrospective

Arista: 2001

Contention time: Outrospective isn’t a good album. There’s good music, sure, some of Faithless’ best compositions. There's also ample amounts of weak sauce; a sense of the group going through the motions (was Rollo saving his best new stuff for Dusted?). Not that it’s surprising if they had run out of ideas three albums in, having seemingly explored every facet of their inspirations on Reverence and Sunday 8pm. What need was there to rehash the same formula if the song-writing just wasn’t there though? They’d proved capable of free-wheeling genres, earning chart success and underground cred’ in the process – why not mix things up, go in an unexpected route? (erm, which they did with No Roots, but that’s another discussion)

First off, the club anthems on Outrospective are some of Faithless’ worst work ever. We Come 1 has its fans, but it sounds like a parody of the Rollo/Sister Bliss club banger stylee. The breakdown kills all momentum the track had going for it, the hook is one of the lamest farty noises I’ve ever heard for an ‘anthem’, and the build keeps teasing and halting and pulling back and for the love of God just get to the point already. It’s like El’ Rollie and Miss Bliss had finally hit their creative wall, stuck figuring out how to top God Is A DJ and failing miserably in the process. Compared to the club anthems they kicked out on the regular – even the unheralded b-sides remixes - We Come 1 is just sad. Tarantula’s at least better, not wasting as much time dithering about. Neither serves much purpose in the context of this album though; both come off like pandering, obligatory Faithless anthems because it’s what’s expected of the group. Small wonder such tunes were jettisoned in No Roots.

Still, Faithless albums held their own thanks to the downtempo, introspective moments, with either Maxi Jazz philosophizing about his youth and contemporary issues, or something more folksy with a guest vocalist. We get that with Outrospective too, but aside from the Mohammad Ali tribute, um, Mohammad Ali, little stands out the way prior songs did. Nothing delightfully daft as Baseball Cap and Dirty Old Man, nor anything gripping and tense like Bring My Family Back and Killer’s Lullaby (Giving Myself Away comes close as a tale of a destructive relationship). Elsewhere, Dido sings the chorus on One Step Too Far, which was a huge selling point for Outrospective given the massive star she’d attained by 2001, to the point her presence overshadows everything else about the track despite offering very little in the way of lyrics. That said, Zoë Johnston’s debut with the group is a nice addition, providing a more ethereal, British countryside element to her songs (Crazy English Summer, Evergreen).

Despite my general disappointment in Outrospective, the final run of tracks in Code, Evergreen, and Liontamer (now there’s a great build!) do make the album worth an occasional throw-on. Just not as often as other Faithless LPs.

Sykonee Surveys Spotify's Senseless Suggestions: Round 1

You’re always getting recommendations from them – Amazon, iTunes, Spotify, Songza (really…?) – but how often do they align with your actual tastes? Does it depend on how effective their data algorithms are, or how large a pool of information they have to work with? Simple shameless marketing? Not that I ever bothered following their suggestions, as I beat to my own drum, seeking out the music I want to hear, not what some other thinks is best for me. Hmph. *adjusts monocle*

So when Spotify sends me an email of their suggestions (geez, already, guys?), I’m ready to automatically send it to the Trash. “But wait,” says the little spider in my head, “why not turn this into an opportunity?” “How do you mean, little spider coiled around my cerebellum?” “Reviewing the music from your personal collection’s fine and all, but why not spice things up a little? Listen to the recommendations Spotify sends you, maybe discover some new acts while giving a chance to those you’ve casually dismissed in the past.”

The Spotify Spider makes a point. I really ought to mix my content up some, lest I burn myself out on standard reviews all too quickly again. Plus, I’m curious to see whether Spotify’s suggestions might improve, narrow in on my tastes as I sample their catalog more and more.

Here’s how this’ll work. Spotify sends me ten suggestions with each email (I don’t know how frequent these will be yet). I will sample the first two songs of that artist/band/act I see on Spotify and give a quick summation of what I hear, plus a ‘rating’ based on how close Spotify got it to my interest. Sounds good? Alright, no sense wasting time, let’s get onto the first round!


Cake - 1. The Distance / 2. Short Skirt/Long Jacket

Okay, this is unexpected. I think I’ve heard of Cake, a rock/funk/hop/etc. fusion band that’s been around since the early ‘90s. The second tune sounds like something that would have come about in the late ‘90s ska era (those trumpets…), which isn’t surprising as it came out in 2001. The Distance sound more punk-grungey, again unsurprising as it’s a mid-‘90s song. I’ve a feeling their discography’s far more eclectic than this though. It’s funky enough to pique my interest. Will check some later.

Odds I’ll Listen Again: 3/5

Jungle - 1. Time / 2. The Heat

Hey, I like me some jungle! Amazing Spotify would recommend a whole genre though. Oh, wait, the band’s name is Jungle. And they’re… another fusion band, though the electro/synth-pop/glam-funk vein. Jungle’s very new too, both these tracks coming from their self-titled debut album released this year; also signed to XL Recordings, which is why Spotify suggested them to me? Both tracks are rather similar, The Heat a tad slower and groovier. They’ve definitely got a nice sound, but come off a bit too fluff and hipster-bait. Not that it’s a bad thing, as Hercules & Love Affair proved.

Odds I’ll Listen Again: 3/5

Katy Perry - 1. This Is How We Do / 2. Dark Horse

Oh dear. This is going to mess up future suggestions, isn’t it. What else is there to say about Katy Perry? She’s hot, she got an annoying high pitch, and is somehow a pop music juggernaut, currently towering over every other female in the business. She seems like a nice enough lady, even if she’s constantly presenting herself as a total ditz. I don’t need to hear anything more from her on Spotify because every pop radio station won’t stop playing her songs. Ugh. Dark Horse, her weak jump on bass music, you’ve almost certainly been forced to hear at some point this year. Not sure why This Is How We Do was the first song though, as it’s a fairly generic dance tune, even by Perry standards.

Odds I’ll Listen Again: 0/5, at least on Spotify; there’s no escaping her radio presence.

Hybrid Minds - 1. Meant To Be / 2. Lost

Ah, here’s the jungle. Liquid funk to be exact, but these two tunes blend the blissy vibes of atmospheric jungle too. Hybrid Minds are another newish act, though the members have been players in the D’n’B scene for a while. Even with the standard, brisk 2-step in action, these are some lovely chill-out soul tunes. I can honestly say I haven’t heard much like it before, and I’m apparently not the only one, a quick scan of their PR praising them for an innovative direction in the liquid funk scene. Lord knows it could use it. Mmm, that Mountains album looks tantalizing…

Odds I’ll Listen Again: 4/5

Radiohead - 1. Creep / 2. No Surprises

Wait, I thought Radiohead wasn’t on Spotify! Ah, it’s just Thom Yorke that pulled his own material. Everything Radiohead released with the EMI group is here. Go figure. Also, I can’t say I’m eager to hear much more Radiohead. Creep I’ve heard plenty of times, especially at karaoke nights. I’m sated, thank you. OK Computer’s an album I’ve kinda-sorta thought about getting some day, but I’m in no rush. I totally forgot about No Surprises, those charming bells reminding me of Brian Wilson down in the mopes. I like that era of Radiohead better than their early work anyway. *gasp*

Odds I’ll Listen Again: 3/5

Angels & Airwaves - 1. Paralyzed / 2. The Adventure

Apparently a rock supergroup, comprised of members of bands that I’ve kinda liked (NIN, The Offspring), not at all liked (Blink-182), or never heard before (*shrug*). Paralyzed is their most recent single, sounding like a heavier arena rock anthem, but is over before it ever gets warmed up. Damn radio versions. The Adventure, on the other hand, instantly reminds me of jangly ‘80s U2, but with shouty vocals rather than Bono’s operatic bellow. I can see this being a favorite of folks growing too ‘mature’ for outright angst rock, but totally not for me, thanks.

Odds I’ll Listen Again: 1/5

Mayday Parade - 1. Stay / 2. Terrible Things

Another ‘punk-opera’ band? Why is Spotify recommending this to me? It says because its “popular in [my] area”, which may be true, but I haven’t a clue about that. This is a scene I don’t follow at all. A few of my old high-school friends living nearby might like it though. Actually, these two songs remind me more of emo’s more twee moments, especially so with Terrible Things, a simple piano ballad that erupts into an overblown arena-rock cry for emotion. Perfect for a teen drama. Pass.

Odds I’ll Listen Again: 1/5

Grateful Dead - 1. Friend Of The Devil / 2. Casey Jones

The Grateful Dead are a very important hippie jam band in the world of hippie jam bands. I remember seeing a cool video of theirs where the band members became skeleton puppets, but they’re not a group I’ve cared to dig into much. Not from a lack of interest, oh no! There’s just so damn much of it out there, and most claim their live material’s better than studio recordings anyway. I had no idea they had a blues-rock number named after a Ninja Turtles character (hur hur!). A Dead Dive could happen some day, if I’m in the mood for ‘70s folk rock again.

Odds I’ll Listen Again: 3/5

Snow Patrol - 1. Chasing Cars / 2. You Could Be Happy

Yay, another ‘inspired by Radiohead’ shoegazey rock band. I know I’ve seen Snow Patrol name-dropped before, almost certainly on indie sites eager for the next Radiohead to emerge. I feel like I’ve heard both these songs before too, though maybe the ‘gentle twee beginning into widescreen wall-of-rock’ song writing became so prevalent in the mid-‘00s, it all mushed together from my perspective. They probably have different songs, but I’m already bored by these Radiohead clones. Moving on.

Odds I’ll Listen Again: 2/5

The Strokes - 1. Reptilia / 2. Someday

Alright, real rock! Or revivalist garage rock - something with teeth at least. I still remember when The Strokes were being counted upon to save rock music from its current doldrums like it was a decade ago. Most had written them off when they went on a half-decade hiatus, but they’re back, making their same brand of unapologetically simplistic rock ‘n’ roll. I assume anyway, since these two songs are from their breakout years. Now I’m curious whether they have evolved as a band or not. Not dying to hear, mind you, but one of these days, perhaps.

Odds I’ll Listen Again: 3/5


And the final tally for this round of Spotify Suggests is 23/50. Oh dear, that’s not good at all. Then again, it is early in this experiment. We’ll see how things improve whenever I get another email.

The Police - Outlandos d'Amour

A&M Records: 1978/2003

Punk music’s emergence and growth has long been attributed to a youthful counter-reaction to rock’s growing pomposity within prog and jazz-fusion. Looking at some of the biggest bands of the era – The Ramones, Sex Pistols, The Clash, Black Flag, namedrop, namedrop, namedrop – the image that scene cultivated certainly supports the theory. Then you get a trio like The Police, also influenced by punk music, but fronted by musicians that had almost nothing to do with it. Okay, they did have a scrappy start, with financial and critical support so miniscule, you’d think they were a go-nowhere garage band. Plus, it was no secret Sting, Stewart Copeland, and Andy Summers came from the very same prog and jazz-fusion scenes the punk movement so vehemently railed against, seemingly bandwagon jumpers as the music hit its first crossover peak. All in all, The Police had everything working against them, except one key, critical attribute: insanely awesome talent.

They may not have been punk in the strictest sense, but they understood what made that music work. Even better, they could fuse it with other genres like reggae and, yes, jazz, such that it gave their songs remarkable depth for a three-piece act. Seriously, focus on how unique each member sounds – Sting's bass leads, Copeland's dynamic drumming, Summers' playful guitar work – and marvel how well they play off each other.

Of course, that skill initially worked against The Police, many dismissing the debut album Outlandos D'Amour as too slick and polished for a supposed punk band (even with a shoe-string budget and erratic studio time). Even more curiously, their lead singles of Roxanne and Can't Stand Losing You were banned from radio play, dealing with such taboo subjects like prostitution and suicide as they were. On the other hand, if you're ever to gain traction in a counter-culture music scene, being banned from prominent broadcasters was the best way of going about it, and sure enough The Police found their fame growing exponentially soon after. As if a capper on the point, Outlandos D'Amour is now regarded as one of the greatest rock albums of all time. So fickle, the music press.

A few killer singles does not a great album make, however, and you don't need me to tell you how these tunes sound – just turn on your classic rock radio station to hear them once or thrice a day. Instead, gander at some of these less-heralded tunes! Peanuts, a peppy-punk outing that hilariously has Sting shouting “Peanuts! Peanuts!” at the end. Be My Girl and Sally, one a mere pop-punk chorus interrupted by a goofy poem-and-piano bit about a blow-up doll. Masoka Tanga, a... ska jam? Oh, now you're just messing with us, Police man!

Outlandos D'Armour's a fun album, all said. The Police were as tight a band as any of the time, and were still all about having fun with their music, a few years off from getting all socially conscious and shit.

Sunbeam - Out Of Reality

Hypnotic: 1997

Even for the cheesier side of hard German trance, Sunbeam were a class of cheese all on their own. That’s not a knock on them though, at least from my perspective, for theirs was a fun cheese, fully in the know and unabashed with their earnestness. Along with Komakino, they helped set the standard for old-school hard trance, especially on singles Outside World and High Adventure. And even though Sunbeam’s early work was way under-produced, it’s a credit to their craft that they found strong hooks and memorable samples such that their tunes remained in discussion while so many better tunes by stronger acts fell by the wayside.

Okay, Sunbeam also features an attribute I’ll totally school-girl squee over: voice pad leads, especially with a multi-tap delay as they do in High Adventure. Obviously if you don’t care for them, we’re done here. No, wait, come back! Let me sell you on them some. I promise this won’t be boring.

See, there’s a timeless charm to them, like how modern space synth can sound exactly the same as its ‘80s lineage and remain all the better for it. It’s retro-futurism now, crafted with space and sci-fi in mind but coming off dated in our modern times - tell me you don’t feel like hopping into a Flash Gordon ship on High Adventure (even if the sample comes from Conan The Barbarian). Unless as a deliberate throwback, no one makes trance like this anymore, which is fine as there was little more that could be done with the formula. It's now an artifact of a bygone era, ripe for hipster reinvention (dear God, I hope not...).

Wait, there’s an actual review an actual album I’m supposed to do? Not sure what else I can say about Out Of Reality. Hypnotic had the rights to most of Sunbeam's early Suck Me Plasma singles and knocked this collection out around the time the duo gained exposure with an updated, (then) modern take on hard trance. Even for a 1997 CD, the tunes were sounding old, weak when stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the anthems of the day. That wouldn't be so bad if Hypnotic marketed Out Of Reality as a retrospective (or consolidated the tracks for a 'classics' collection of sorts), but I see no indication of that; rather, it was a quick way of capitalizing on Sunbeam's growing popularity.

Naturally, Outside World and High Adventure are here, including marginally different remixes each, plus a third remix of Outside World that sounds like a mash-up of the two. That's five tracks dedicated to two songs on a ten track CD. Yeah, overkill those anthems! The rest are rudimentary early trance tunes, though La Musique (C'est Notre Drogue), one of the B-sides to Outside World, tickles my fancy proper-like. Oddly, Are We Out Of Reality?, from which this album takes its title from, wasn't even originally released as a Sunbeam single, but a short-lived alias of Iron Wobble. Not that it's much different from the rest.

ACE TRACKS: June 2014

Told you making these playlists don’t take long. I could almost make posts like this a weekly thing, which would finally complete the whole backlog by about, oh, Spring Break. No rush. Anyhow, here’s ACE TRACKS: June 2014


Link to full tracklist on Deezer.

Missing Albums:
Bandulu - Guidance
Bandulu - Cornerstone
Psychick Warriors Ov Gaia - The Key
2 Unlimited - No Limits (Found!)

Hip-Hop Percentage: 6%
Neil Young Percentage: 25%
Most “WTF?” Track: Buffalo Springfield - I Am A Child (you'll know why when you hear it)

Bloody shame about Bandulu not being available – would love a little more attention thrown in their direction, even if it’s only on Spotify Deezer. But yes, June was dominated by that Neil Young: Archives collection, which made putting this playlist something of a challenge. That’s just way too much of a single artist to take in a single sitting, and I say this as an absolute fan of the guy! Wound up with half-a-dozen of his songs just lumped together at the end.

Complicating things further were the equal amounts of psy dub, ‘70s synth music, and poppy dance and trance. These styles of music do not mesh well at all, much less while shoehorning ‘60s folk and rock in the there. Hell, the tribal-dub-techno of Bandulu and PWoG actually help bridge them together. I kept things flowing as best I could with what I had to work with, but I wouldn’t be surprised if some feel compelled to hit that skip button.