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Name: Rob Member Since: Sep 19, 2006 Rank: 4316 Average Vote Received: Correct (3.98, 1046 votes) last 10 days: Correct (3.94, 16 votes) Rated 1408 releases, average: 3.95 Location: Home = London || Work = The World Profile: “All music is what awakes within us when we are reminded by the instrument; It is not the violins or the clarinets. It is not the beating of the drums. It is nearer and farther than they" -- Eunice Waymon aka Nina Simone, Aged 12. I Just Listened To: 
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100.0% positive
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Coldplay - Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends - 06-Aug-08 07:43 PM
This is truly a terrible piece of work.
And marks the moment that Coldplay really did believe their own hype - even U2 took more than 4 albums to get this pretentious. The hollow righteousness and ridiculous musical references, the production, the cover art, the title all conjure up with two over-riding themes - the military and the church. If I wasn't being reminded of Remembrance Sunday (with its military hymns), preaching, I was suddenly in Church. There really is a sense of modernised religious songs or hymns to most tracks.
Maybe Martin et al really do feel that they have transcended to some other plane and have become the celestial know-it-alls they are trying to sound like, but ultimately you are left with the feeling that you have just listened to the pseudo-intellectual drivel of someone trying hard to say something intelligent when they do not really know what they are talking about.
Full of grandiose lyrics, military motifs and references ranging from Jerusalem bells ringing, Roman Cavalry choirs, cemeteries and soldiers fighting on, to military drum beats, gospel hand claps and Chinese lullabies it all just feels completely hollow. Rather than feeling that you have listened to someone with something to say, or a least a heartfelt passion for their subject matter (passion gets respect from me, even if not my agreement) you know that all these references are used for dramatic effect (or simply finding long words that rhyme).
And if they are not prattling on about something they once read in a book at University, they are still lonely, and low and heartbroken - jeez you would have thought marrying Gwyneth would have helped Martin move on to a place where he could right dance-hall numbers about how great his wife's ass is, but nope we are still getting the dirge about the girl he broke up with when he was writing "Parachutes".
Musically do not expect anything different from what you have already heard. Even the hand of Eno cannot deliver on the music front, but I guess he was not given to much to work with in the first place. Yes the production is crisp and tight and you can pick out Eno's touches, including U2-esque guitar effects and the depth of sound on certain tracks, but if you didn't know he was involved would you spot it? I doubt it actually. All the Coldplay cliches are there and this really does pick up where they left off with X, only they have become even more pretentious.
The only good new about thing album is that they may well have disappeared so far up their own backsides that there is a a good chance they may never find their way out - lets hope so.
Various - The Godfather's R&B - James Brown Productions 1962-67 - 04-Aug-08 07:12 PM
This really is a cracking compilation that I stumbled across whilst looking for one of the "James Brown's Funky People" compilations.
But do not expect another set of that oh so familiar James Brown / People Record sound we all know and love.
Instead this is right back down to the roots of that sound - at its earliest stage of development. Far from being full on funk sound this is, as the sleeve says, "Proto Funk" - a wonderful description. Many tracks could be classed of as soul tracks with funk leanings - from a time when funk did not really know what it was yet. This feels like is comes from Brown (and band) personalising soul music and (accidentally?) ending up with the beginnings of funk. The effect is like listening to the original blue-prints for the Brown sound - suddenly a familiar hook, groove or lyric pops up but in it rawest, undeveloped form, giving you that "ahhh, that ending up being in X" sense of recognition.
But beyond being an interesting historical document of the Brown sound this also a collection of fantastic tracks. Generally upbeat with a selection of class vocalists the collection is wonderfully funky and soulful tracks with a real slant towards the dancefloor.
I would say that this is an absolute must for any James Brown collector but also a genuine treasure for any funk/soul/Northern Soul fan.
Tru Thoughts - 17-Nov-07 05:35 AM
If it is possible to have a favourite label, then Tru Thoughts has to be mine. It is the only label that I know I could blindly buy any of their releases and like it. If they offered a service where they just automatically sent me each new release and charged my credit card, I would sign up.
And that from a label that releases a real variety of styles - from Drum & Bass to Down-Tempo, from Hip Hop to Electronica, from (Nu) Soul to Colombian Funk, from a classic Soul diva to House, from (Nu) Jazz to Brazillian Samba, the list goes on and on. And although it is a very British Label, in terms of pride in their location and support for British artists, this is not just a UK love in - artists from all over the globe are signed up and a close relationship with Ubiquity in the States (who clearly are of a similar mind-set) allows music to cross over the Atlantic. However you pigeon-hole music, this label probably has something for you - and regardless of style you can bank on quality musicianship and production.
But, despite such a variety of styles, this is no disparate collection of musicians. There is always a Tru Thoughts "flavour" - it always just makes sense that it is a Tru Thoughts release and sits nicely alongside the rest of the roster. Regardless of how different one artist is from another, somehow it fits into a musical taste - chances are that if you like one you will like them all, even if you can't quite see how you could want an album by a New Orleans Marching Brass Band in your collection.
Belleruche - Turntable Soul Music - 16-Nov-07 12:25 PM
Are you Portishead in disguise?
Comparisons to Portishead are somewhat inevitable - even the sticker on the front advises us to think of Belleruche as "Portishead for the 21st Century". The main point of comparison has to be Kathrin deBoer's voice, which is so similar in style and tone to Beth Gibbons that were this to come on in a bar, anyone would be forgiven for thinking it really was Portishead. Despite never reaching the depth and emotion of Gibbon's voice, the vocal is a strong point.
Stylistically there are a couple of trip-hop tracks which only further the comparison, but influences beyond South West England circa 1994 can also be found here. Blues, jazz, soul, lounge and funk also feature heavily, providing a nice mix of styles that still sit together well as an album. The production is raw and, on occasion, stripped down, giving an almost "one take" or live sense to certain tracks. This all helps lend the smokey jazz club feel that the promotional blurb tells us Belleruche aspire to.
If you love Portishead, Lamb, Alice Russell, or even the great female soul voices, you will probably rate this as highly as I do.
In Rainbows - Radiohead - 24-Oct-07 07:56 PM
Quite possibly the most amateur selection of music to ever be granted a release by a "label".
Having seen the release listed on Discogs I was curious so off I went and downloaded, imagining some inventive, creative and exciting mixture of styles / mash up that should inhabit the same realm as Danger Mouse's Grey Album.
Please do not be mistaken, this is so far from it, one cannot imagine. Basically, it sounds as if someone is playing two records on a pair of decks and forgot to move the cross fader to the far right or the far left and you have a un-sync'd mix going on - with a Radiohead track on one side and a cheap Reggaeton beat (imagine one of those pre-programmed beats on a keyboard) on the other.
In a nutshell this is a series of Radiohead tracks, yes full tracks, not samples, with an attempt to lay a Reggaeton beat over the top - this does not take into consideration that the Radiohead tracks are not all written in 4-4 time, that the bassline of the Radiohead tracks can still be heard and there is no attempt to sync the timing of the two tracks. Add to that the fact it is the same Reggaeton beat on all tracks and hopefully you begin to see what a shambles this is.
It really does sound like a monkey playing on a cheap 1980's Casio keyboard with Radiohead on in the background.
If, and I hope when, Radiohead or their lawyers get this forcibly removed, lets not criticise them for being music facists - this simply must be removed due to the downright appalling quality regardless of copyright issues.
Do not waste your time on this.
