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Ferry Corsten - Right Of Way - 17-Apr-04 05:05 PM
Just what one would expect from a trance producer: a couple of standouts among half a dozen of fillers, and an embarrasing moment or two, namely track #11 "Show Your Style", probably the funniest tune I've heard on a trance album. 32 genres were named within 3 minutes... utterly pointless if you ask me. Ferry and Birgit should feel ashamed of writing such tasteless lyrics. Does the closing track "In My Dreams" vaguely remind you of a Paul van Dyk tune? That's right, it was "Together We Will Conquer". As a whole, "Right of Way" sounded pleasant at first listen, then gets a tad repetitive, and largely disposable by the third spin. Is this really what trance music sounded like in late 2003? Had it been released in 2000, it would still be kinda hip. In 2003, however, "Right of Way" just sounds painfully out of date. What this tells me is that Ferry Corsten hasn't really developed as a producer since 1999's "Out of the Blue". It doesn't have the coherency that an album should have, nor does it leave much imagination space for listeners (save track #6 "Holding On", where the lyrics suggest SM bondage). Even Deepsky's "In Silico" album, released 20 months ago, had twice as much new ideas and sounded unapologetically fresher. Well, it's Ferry Corsten, what more can I expect?

Electronic - 19-Nov-02 04:15 PM
Electronic have always been underrated. They never got the respect like New Order and The Smiths did, perhaps because it's a side-project; but since they're a "supergroup", expectations on them seem to be higher than usual. Harsh reviews were thrown at them when they made a sub-par album like "Release the Pressure" (though a lot of bands have to sandpaper their eyeballs to make something that good); and when they did make brilliant albums, I don't feel that they were taken seriously. Contrary to TIM, I like Electronic a lot (as much as New Order) largely because of Bernard Sumner's poignant poetry and stylish vocals. And unlike him, "Twisted Tenderness" happens to be my favourite album, where Johnny Marr really shines. Songs like "Like No Other" or "Late At Night" are just insanely exciting. I wouldn't go as far as calling him a guitar virtuoso, but that's something you certainly won't hear in New Order's stuff. It doesn't really have a standout moment like "Getting Away With It", but more enjoyable as an album. It's a shame that with Barney's recent committment to New Order, he won't be likely to make music with Johnny Marr anytime soon.

Ladytron - Light & Magic - 28-Oct-02 06:20 AM
Superb sophomore LP to last year's "604". If the term "robot-pop" -- coined by Kraftwerk -- is still relevant nowadays, this must be it. The warm sound of analogue synths are gone, in favour of icy digital synths. The vocalists help add another dimension to the music: Mira Aroyo sang as if she was spitting zeroes and ones (especially on "Flicking Your Switch": "9 2 3, 8 1 6, is the sound that's flicking your switch; 8 1 5, 1 9 4, does this mean you don't trust me anymore?"), while Helen Marnie keeps it sounds cute and lush, as heard on "Seventeen" and "Blue Jeans". Those two, along with the bouncey "Evil", are totally infectious. All in all, "Light & Magic" is one of the few albums that sounds cool enough for us electronic music junkies, yet accessible enough for new-comers. Definitely among the top 5 albums of this year.

Highlights:
Nuhorizons, Evil, Flicking Your Switch, Seventeen, Blue Jeans, Turn It On, Cease2xist.