Bernard Sumner (New Order) and Johnny Marr (The Smiths) make great music together. Hardly surprising considering their mutual musical pedigree. This was their third (and so far, last) outing together.
I love …
Stand-Out Track: Vivid
Electronic
All posts tagged Electronic
The boys from Düsseldorf returned after a 17 year gap between albums with this. It contained the original ‘Tour De France’ track as well as new material, with vocals in German, French and English. I prefer the old material every time.
Stand-Out Track: Tour De France
The Norwegian duo go from strength to strength, following 2001’s ‘Melody AM’ with this impressive set. Melodies and catchy arrangements are the key to success here. There are plenty of examples to showcase this: ‘Only This Moment’ ‘Beautiful Day Without You’ and ‘What Else Is There?’
If you want something more laid-back, try …
Stand-Out Track: Dead To The World
Roman Polanski and Emmanuelle Seigner provide guest narrative vocals on an album which focuses on portraying life in the city. Quite pedestrian (no pun intended) but with some good moments.
Stand-Out Track: Red Lights
Not as striking a release as ‘Melody AM’ or ‘The Understanding’, supposedly the darker partner of ‘Junior’. Atmospheric in places, with bouts of electronic doodling in others. ‘The Alcoholic’ calls to mind someone stumbling to find their way home, whereas ‘A Long Long Way’ is all mellow synths but no melody. ‘Senior Living’ is the best of the bunch here.
Stand-Out Track: Senior Living
With an industrial symphony, a tribute to a murdered ANC activist (Dulcie September), a collaboration with legendary Shadows guitarist Hank Marvin, you would be right to label this as a mixed bag. Not one of his best as a whole, but strangely enough it’s ‘London Kid’ with Marvin’s iconic guitar work rising above the pounding electronic drums and general synth layers which captures one’s attention most.
Stand-Out Track: London Kid
This was the the main component of huge cityscape concerts which attracted hundreds of thousands in Houston and Lyon in the late 80’s. It’s extravagant, verbose (if you can say that about music with no lyrics) and pulls no electronic punches at all (try the opening of Second Rendez-Vous, if you need convincing). However, there is more than a little poignancy when you reach the conclusion (Sixth Rendez-Vous) knowing that the saxaphone part should have been recorded in space by the ill-fated Challenger Space Shuttle astronaut Ron McNair. Quite fittingly, it is a slow and thoughtful piece with sax to the fore and a bass line of heart beats throughout.
Stand-Out Track: Sixth Rendez-Vous
Daft Punk, well hello!
Where have you been all my music-listening life?
Come on in. Make yourselves at home.
Do you know? I love the whole feel of this album, not just the 70’s and 80’s influences, but it sounds like one of those albums that was incredible fun to make. True?
I particularly like ‘Touch’. It’s like a mini-musical, all in 8 minutes. A real treat.
Stand-Out Track: Touch
One for the completists, but it does contain the fullest and ‘most faithful to the original’ remix of ‘Duel’
Stand-Out Track: Duel (Bitter Sweet)
IMO, not hitting the heights of either of its predecessors, Melody AM (see 12th July) or The Understanding (see 13th November), Junior still provides us with one of those pure chill-out moments …
Stand-out Track: Silver Cruiser
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