Lars Muhl "King of Croon" (1988)

King of Croon
release date: Apr. 1988
format: vinyl (FOX 116) / cassette / digital
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,68]
producer: Kasper Winding
label: Fox Records - nationality: Denmark

2nd solo album by Lars Muhl following The Glorious Art of Breaking Little Girls' Hearts... (1986) and his first and only album on local (Aarhus) label Fox Records.
I purchased the original album on cassette when it came out, and have only recently purchased a fine second hand copy of the vinyl issue. Despite being a typical '80s production album, Lars Muhl proves what a gifted songwriter he is / was. The album contains several songs that were minor radio hits in the Summer of '88, but it's without doubt the song "Angel Come Go with Me" that most people associate with Muhl.
With this album he demonstrates that he's one of the absolute best national songwriters of the '80s, and imho, this is also his very best solo album.
Recommended.

Peter Gabriel "So" (1986)

So

release date: May 19, 1986

format: cd (1988 reissue)

[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,88]

producer: Peter Gabriel, Daniel Lanois

label: Virgin Records - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Red Rain" - 2. "Sledgehammer" (4 / 5) - 3. "Don't Give Up" (feat. Kate Bush) (4 / 5) - 5. "In Your Eyes" - 9. "This Is the Picture (Excellent Birds)" (feat. Laurie Anderson)

5th studio album by Peter Gabriel following nearly four years after Gabriel's most recent studio album Peter Gabriel (1982) is his first not to be a self-titled release. It was originally released on Charisma Records, which had been absorbed by Virgin in '83. It's his second release with Canadian producer Daniel Lanois, who also co-produced Gabriel's soundtrack for the Alan Parker 1985-movie Birdy, and two years earlier, Gabriel also released the live-album Plays Live (1983). On So, Gabriel has gathered some of his usual backing band musicians including guitarist David Rhodes, bassist Tony Levin, and drummer Jerry Marotta, but what's more striking is a rather long list of studio musicians as well as featuring artists, which include Manu Katché, Michael Been (The Call), Kate Bush, Jim Kerr (Simple Minds), Laurie Anderson, Stewart Copeland (The Police), Nile Rodgers, Bill Laswell, Richard Tee, P.P. Arnold, Ronnie Bright, Youssou N'Dour... and several others. Artists and musicians from various eras, from all kinds of styles. and from every corner of the world. The song "This Is the Picture (Excellent Birds)" co-written by Laurie Anderson was orginally included on her '84-album Mister Heartbreak. The album here is without keyboardist Larry Fast, who participated on Gabriel's first four solo albums, and Gabriel himself is then credited for playing keyboards, synths and doing electronic programming - something he initiated doing with the Birdy-soundtrack.

The album continues the stylistic approach he initiated with his '82-album and particular his inclusion of African and Latin American rhythm sections, but where the former album was more experimental and without strong melody structure, So is an even stronger conglomerate of styles but with focus on harmony and melody song structure, which also makes it his so far boldest mainstream pop / rock album.

Alledgedly, the title is Gabriel's small protest to label distributors and directors' idea that albums must have a title, so he came up with the small sarcastic answer: "[So] here it is!". The album is Gabriel's breakthrough, which took him all the way from cult-figure status to stadium arenas, and the album soon topped the charts all over the world with number #1 positions in the UK, Canada, Italy, The Netherlands, Norway, New Zealand, a secondplace on the US Billboard 200, and selling multi-platinum in several countries. Music critics also saw it as a groundbreaking album, and in retrospect it's generally seen as his best effort. No less than five singles were chosen for single releases: "Sledgehammer" preceeded the album release and its success - aided by a state-of-the-art music-video (winning 9 awards at the '87 MTV Video Music Award, and winning "British Video of the Year" at the Brit Awards) - made way for "In Your Eyes", "Don't Give Up", "Big Time" and "Red Rain", and all singles made top-10 entries on single charts world-wide.

I recall the "Sledgehammer"-music video on MTV, and although, I wasn't a huge fan, I understood its general appeal. From my perspective, So was mainstream music made for people, who listened to Tina Turner, Springsteen's Born in the USA, Diana Ross, Madonna, Sting, Jean-Michel Jarre, Phil Collins and the like. Basically, music you couldn't avoid, and to me, Gabriel was talented but not an artist I adored. I ended up liking his music more after coming accross The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway by Genesis at some point around '93/94 and soon after I purchased his Secret World Live album (1994). Yes, So is fine - I do, however, understand why Paul Simon's Graceland won Album of the Year in '86 'cause I like that so much more, but Gabriel's album is nevertheless something you simply need to know of. I don't consider it my favourite Peter Gabriel album, but it's still highly recommended. My favourite track is "Don't Give Up" where Kate Bush simply gives that extra stellar quality to a classic song.

[ allmusic.com, The Guardian, Mojo, Q, Uncut 4 / 5, Pitchfork 4,5 / 5, Rolling Stone 5 / 5 stars ]

Suzanne Vega "Suzanne Vega" (1985)

Suzanne Vega [debut]
release date: May 1, 1985
format: vinyl / digital
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,68]
producer: Steve Addabbo, Lenny Kaye and Steven Miller
label: A&M Records - nationality: USA

Studio album debut by Californian-born American singer / songwriter Suzanne Vega (aka Suzanne Nadine Vega).

Gangway "Sitting in the Park" (1986)

Sitting in the Park
release date: Feb. 1986
format: vinyl (IRMG 14) / cd (1993 reissue)
[album rate: 3 / 5] [3,22]
producer: Søren Wolff
label: Irmgardz... - nationality: Denmark

Track highlights: A) 1. "The Party Is Over" - 2. "My Girl and Me" (promotion clip) - 4. "Sitting in the Park" - 5. "Yesterday, When I Was Drunk" - - B) 1. "Once Bitten Twice Shy" (4 / 5) (video) - 2. "This Can't Be Love"

2nd studio album by Gangway follows 14 months after The Twist (Nov. '84) is released on Irmgardz and reissued on Genlyd / Sony BMG in 1993. The line-up has changed as drummer Jan Christensen has left and new replacement is Gorm Ravn-Jonsen. Also Torben Johansen (former Escape Artists) has now joined on guitar, keyboards & backing vocals. Allan Jensen remains the band's vocalist & bassist, and guitarist & keyboardist Henrik Balling is now credited as composer and arranger of all tracks.

The sound has changed a bit on this album, and is no longer The Smiths- but more Madness-inspired, which means a move to more mainstream pop/rock and sophisti-pop, and gone are the simple guitar-based compositions. The album was without doubt the band's commercial breakthrough in Denmark, but it didn't make the band more wanted abroad. Although, this is a much more uniform album, with songs pointing in the same direction, I still saw this as a bit of a disappointment, as I found it too mainstream sounding, and basically just lacking the original and simple sound they had on their first release. Yes, "My Girl and Me" is fine but not really great, but the majority of Danish music buyers and the national radio station DR P3 all embraced it as an improvement and obviously saw it as a potential commercial hit abroad, which it came close to be via heavy rotation on MTV and airplay on US (West Coast) college radio stations; however, before spreading the news and signing distribution deals the label stood knee-deep in financial difficulties and eventually went bankrupt in March '87 after which Gangway signed with PolyGram. The album sold approx. 25.000 copies from sales exclusively from the distribution in Scandinavia.

My favourite track was "Once Bitten Twice Shy", although, I find the single version somewhat altered with more strings and heavier arrangements on the album. The album is Gangway's last with Irmgardz..., and according to songwriter Henrik Balling it was on initiative of the band that they decided to leave the label as they weren't paid any royalties for their music, but instead the label closed and the band ended up signing with PolyGram, who wanted a "safe release", and initially simply wanted to buy the rights from the closed Danish label and re-release the album - but instead ended up releasing some of the band's older songs in new arrangements but was released as Sitting in the Park (Again!) (1988).

Siouxsie and the Banshees "Nocturne" (1983) (live)

Nocturne (live)

release date: Nov. 1983

format: digital (2009 remaster)

[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,88]

producer: Mike Hedges, Siouxsie and the Banshees

label: Polydor Records - nationality: England, UK

*Track highlights: 6. "Pulled to Bits" - 13. "Spellbound" - 14. "Helter Skelter"

*It's a splendid album without a dull moment and where all songs could be listed here, so here's a few songs that simply shine more than the original studio versions.

Live album by Siouxsie and the Banshees released one year after A Kiss in the Dreamhouse is featuring new guitarist Robert Smith (also The Cure) replacing John McGeoch, who was dismissed by the band in late '82. Smith jumped in as substitute for the upcoming tour promoting the '82-album in November that year and was then asked to join the band. The 16 tracks selected for this album were all recorded over two nights at the Royal Albert Hall, London, on Sep. 30 and Oct. 1, 1983. Most of the songs are taken from the two albums Juju (1981) and A Kiss in the Dreamhouse with the addition of a couple of B-side singles and the most recent single hit "Dear Prudence". The album was also released in VHS-format as a 12-track issue and in 2006 on DVD including an extensive TV performance 'Play at Home TV Special' and two live tracks from a live performance from The Old Grey Whistle Test.

Despite just playing songs from two albums Nocturne is a spectacular and quite successful performance at the height of this band's remarkable career. The sound is not perfect but it justifies the skilled instrumentalists and reveals what a sublime unit they are. The addition of Robert Smith works so smoothly because he had played with the band for a couple of live concerts in '79 and then he has collaborated and recorded together with bassist Steve Severin on their common project, The Glove - a fascinating music-project releasing just one album, Blue Sunshine (Aug. '83).

Nocturne is a must-have for fans of Siouxsie and the Banshees, but it's also a quite successful live album for anyone interested in post-punk and / or early gothic rock.

Highly recommended.

[ allmusic.com 3 / 5 stars ]

Beto Guedes "Sol de Primavera" (1979)

Sol de Primavera

release date: 1979

format: cd (1995 remaster) 

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,42]

producer: Ronaldo Bastos, Mayrton Bahia

label: EMI - nationality: Brazil

Track highlights: 1. "Sol de Primavera" - 2. "Como Nunca" - 3. "Cruzada" - 5. "Pedras Rolando" - 10. "Casinha de Palha"

3rd studio album by Beto Guedes following the fine Amor de Índio (1978). With this Guedes still upholds the traditional style of MPB and latin folk but the album mostly shows his attempt to blend in elements from Western popular music in form of heavier arrangements and with touches of more simple-structured soft rock, which may be an influence from Genesis and 10cc, but also from fusion rock bands like Santana and Weather Report. It's not that it's without originality, as it still contains Guedes' highly original light singing style but it's undoubtedly a step away from the more traditional latin folk he demonstrated on his first two solo releases. On Sol de Primavera Guedes appears to try to incorporate the succesful styles from contemporary British, American and Mediterranean artists, and it becomes a bit of mouthful to digest. The best tracks - and especially heard on the title track - are still compositions fitting more in the line of his earlier works. This is not a poor album, but it's really not too coherent.

The Blue Nile "A Walk Across the Rooftops" (1984)

A Walk Across the Rooftops [debut]
release date: Apr. 30, 1984
format: vinyl (1985 reissue) / digital
[album rate: 4,5 / 5] [4,43]
producer: Paul Buchanan and Robert Bell
label: Linn Records - nationality: Scotland, UK

Tracklist: 1. "A Walk Across the Rooftops" (4,5 / 5) - 2. "Tinseltown in the Rain" (5 / 5 ) - 3. "From Rags to Riches" (4 / 5) - 4. "Stay" (5 / 5) - 5. "Easter Parade" (4 / 5) - 6. "Heatwave" (4,5 / 5) - 7. "Automobile Noise" (4 / 5)

Studio album debut by Scottish band The Blue Nile consisting of lead vocalist and guitarist Paul Buchanan, bassist Robert Bell, and keyboardist Paul Joseph Moore. I can't really remember how I came across this band but I know that I purchased the album within a year after its release. I have played the vinyl issue more than most other albums in my collection, and I never understood why they weren't more popular. Critics loved them but they never made it to the huge crowds. After their second album, they were the critics' darlings and also had many fans among other musicians, which led to many collaboration works.
However, guitarist, lead vocalist and main songwriter Paul Buchanan obviously wasn't interested in a glamorous life, and just wanted his ordinary life. The band didn't release albums too often, and after the third studio album they have kept quiet without officially being disbanded.
This album is rightfully enlisted in "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die".
[ allmusic.com, Rolling Stone, Q Magazine 4 / 5, Sounds 5 / 5 stars ]

1984 Favourite releases: 1. U2 The Unforgettable Fire - 2. The Smiths The Smiths - 3. The Blue Nile A Walk Across the Rooftops

Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds "The Good Son" (1990)

The Good Son
release date: Apr. 16, 1990
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,42]
producer: The Bad Seeds
label: Mute Records Ltd. Japan - nationality: Australia

Track highlights: 1. "Foi Na Cruz" - 2. "The Good Son" - 5. "The Ship Song" (4 / 5) - 8. "The Witness Song"

6th studio album by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds follows 1½ year after Tender Prey (Sep. '88) and is the band's so far best album. It clearly marks a change of style to a more laid-back, and a much more melodic collection of songs with Cave as crooner, which he succeeds better with than on the covers album Kicking Against the Pricks (1986). There's no experimental rock, or post-punk here, and many of the tracks are piano-driven with strings and backing choir.
[ allmusic.com 4 / 5, Rolling Stone 3,5 / 5, Q Magazine 3 / 5 stars ]

Bloc Party "Little Thoughts EP" (2004) (ep)

Little Thoughts EP, ep
release date: Dec. 1, 2004
format: digital
[album rate: 3 / 5] [3,08]

Tracklist: 1. "Little Thoughts" (3,5 / 5) - 2. "Tulips" (4 / 5) (alt. version) - 3. "Storm and Stress" (2 / 5) - 4. "Helicopter" (3,5 / 5) - 5. "Skeleton" (2,5 / 5) - 6. "Tulips (Minotaur Shock Remix)" (3 / 5)

A 6 track ep released before an actual full-length album by Bloc Party.
This is rather uneven, I think. "Tulips" is a great track but "Storm and dress" and "Skeleton" are poor filler tracks.

New Order "Republic" (1993)

Republic
release date: May 3, 1993
format: cd (POCD-1110)
[album rate: 3 / 5] [3,18]
producer: New Order
label: London Records - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Regret" (4 / 5) - 2. "World (The Price of Love)" - 3. "Spooky" - 6. "Young Offender"

6th studio album by New Order released on London Records. Rumor has it that New Order indirectly made their record company, Factory Records, collapse after enormous financial debts after producing this album. It's both a return to simple synthpop like on Low-Life (1985) and Brotherhood (1986) but also a full embrace of house and dance-pop.
It's the bands so far least interesting album - "Regret" is the exception - but it's also the first in a series of lesser albums, which in a way already indicate that the 90s really wasn't a prosperous decade for the band. After this release, most of the band members sought new partnerships and put their energy in various collaboration projects, while New Order was put on pause. The most successful side-project is possibly vocalist Bernard Sumner's project with ex-The Smiths guitarist, Johnny Marr named Electronic (1988-99). Another well-known project was keyboardist Gillian Gilbert and drummer Stephen Morris' project The Other Two (1990-99). The two were married later this year. Bassist Peter Hook took part in Revenge (1989-95) and Monaco (1995-2000). All side-projects has released several albums.
[ allmusic.com, Rolling Stone 4 / 5 stars ]

Robyn "Robyn" (2007)

Robyn [International European release]
release date: 2007
format: cd
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,92]
producer: Klas Åhlund
label: Konichiwa Records - nationality: Sweden

Track highlights: 2. "Konichiwa Bitches" - 3. "Cobrastyle" - 4. "Handle Me" - 5. "Bum Like You" - 6. "Be Mine!" - 7. "With Every Heartbeat" (with Kleerup) - 8. "Who's That Girl?" - 13. "Should Have Known" - 14. "Anytime You Like" - 15. "Jack U Off" (Bonus track)

4th studio album by Robyn released in a European / International issue by Konichiwa Records. This issue contains 15 tracks (including 1 bonus track), a much altered version of her eponymous Swedish album with a different running order and the inclusion of two major hits: "Cobrastyle" (cover, org. by Swedish band Teddybears) and "With Every Heartbeat" composed by Robyn and Swedish musician and producer (Andreas) Kleerup. It also contains "Bum Like You" and "Robotboy" in new recordings, and it's without "Tomteverkstan (Interlude)" (track #8) from the 2005 issue.
"With Every Heartbeat" became Robyn's so far first number #1 single hit in the UK, and the album peaked at number #11 in the UK. The album was modified in 2008 as it was issued for the American market, which basically is the EU-version without track #15 but with the addition of two tracks: "Dream On" and "Handle Me (RedOne Remix)". Also, in Nov. 2008 an 18 track Special Edition was made available in the EU - containing the EU version with bonus track and the two extra tracks from the American edition on the same issue plus one track from her 2002 album.
Whichever issue you get hold of, this is highly recommended.
[ allmusic.com 5 / 5, Blender, NME, Spin 4 / 5, Rolling Stone 3,5 / 5 stars ]

Hüsker Dü "Candy Apple Grey" (1986)

Candy Apple Grey
release date: Mar. 1986
format: cd (1992 reissue)
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,84]
producer: Bob Mould, Grant Hart
label: Warner Bros. - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 2. "Don't Want to Know If You Are Lonely" (4 / 5) - 3. "I Don't Know for Sure" (4,5 / 5) - 4. "Sorry Somehow" (4 / 5) - 5. "Too far Down" - 6. "Hardly Getting Over It" - 7. "Dead Set on Destruction" - 8. "Eiffel Tower High" - 10. "All This I've Done for You"

5th studio album by Hüsker Dü follows the recipe of Flip Your Wig with Bob Mould and Grant Hart as producers and for the first time now they approach an equal share in the writing credits with 6 - 4 in Mould's favour. The album is the band's first on a major label, and with this they demonstrate the conflict between Mould and Hart as the songs appear as individual representations rather than the end result of their combined forces. For the first time in the band's history Hart really challenges Mould as the band's most prominent songwriter - an issue of debate, which may have led to the band's dimise only 1½ years later. On the predecessor, Mould manifested as a songwriter with an ear for melody structure and Hart locked on making something contrary, whereas Hart here proves his worth on the same arena.
The style has evolved slightly to a broader profile with clear folk rock references, especially heard on the Hart compositions (tracks #2, #4, #7, #9), but with its energetic power pop alt. rock, or college rock, it's also a clear reference to artists of the later grunge rock movement.
With Candy Apple Grey and via their new label they reach a larger crowd and they succeed in holding on to their characteristic sound while producing their best-sounding album to date. So once again, the band moves some steps up the ladder and simply launches its so far best album.
Highly recommended.
[ allmusic.com 3,5 / 5, 👍Rolling Stone, Q Magazine 4 / 5 stars ]

Bloc Party "Helicopter" (2004) (single)

Helicopter, single
release date: Oct. 25, 2004
format: digital
[single rate: 3,5 / 5]

Tracklist: 1. "Helicopter" - 2. "Always New Depths" (3 / 5) - 3. "Tulips (Minotaur Shock Remix)" (3,5 / 5)

A 3-track single release from the forthcoming album debut by Bloc Party.

Angélique Kidjo "Djin Djin" (2007)

Djin Djin
release date: May 1, 2007
format: digital
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,55]
producer: Tony Visconti
label: Razor & Tie - nationality: Benin

Track highlights: 1. "Ae Ae" - 2. "Djin Djin" (feat. Alicia Keys & Branford Marsalis) - 3. "Gimme Shelter" (feat. Joss Stone) - 4. "Salala" (feat. Peter Gabriel) - 5. "Senamou (C'est l'amour)" (feat. Amadou & Mariam) - 7. "Sedjedo" (feat. Ziggy Marley) - 8. "Papa" - 10. "Awan N'La"

10th studio album by Angélique Kidjo is a very fine but totally overlooked release. I think a lot of people only think of her 90s hit "Agolo" when hearing the name Kidjo. This is just better. Iconic producer Tony Visconti (Marc Bolan, David Bowie, Lou Reed) has produced - in addition several prominent gueats star on the album, including Alicia Keys, Joss Stone, Branford Marsalis, Amadou & Mariam, Carlos Santana, Josh Groban, Peter Gabriel, and Ziggy Marley. The album gave Kidjo a Grammy for "Best Contemporary World Music" album and a *"NAACP Image Award" for Outstanding World Music album.
*(National Association for the Advancement of Colored People)

My Bloody Valentine "Geek!" (1985) (ep)

Geek!, ep
release date: Dec. 1985
format: digital
[album rate: 2,5 / 5] [2,72]
producer: My Bloody Valentine
label: Fever Records - nationality: Ireland

Ep by Irish band My Bloody Valentine is a 4 track ep.

Stylistically, this doesn't really differ from their mini-album released 11 months earlier. Keyboardist Tina Durkin has left the band and bassist Debbie Googe has become a new member.

Chumbawamba "Pictures of Starving Children Sell Records" (1986)

Pictures of Starving Children Sell Records [debut]
release date: 1986
format: digital (1994 reissue)
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,54]
producer: Chumbawamba
label: One Little Indian - nationality: England, UK

Tracklist: 1. "a) Prologue; b) How to Get Your Band on Television" (4 / 5) - 2. "British Colonialism and the BBC: Flickering Pictures Hypotise" (3,5 / 5) - 3. "Commercial Break" - 4. "Unilever: How to Succeed in Business" (4 / 5) - 5. "More Whitewashing" (4 / 5) - 6. "An Interlude: Beginning to Take It Back" (3,5 / 5) - 7. "Dutiful Servants and Political Masters: Abolishing Slavery (And Reinventing It)" (3,5 / 5) - 8. "Coca-Colanisation" (3,5 / 5) - 9. "…and in a Nutshell" - 10. "Invasion" (3 / 5)

Studio album debut by Chumbawamba originally released on the band's own label Agit Prop and reissued on cd in '92 as a double disc compilation together with the band's second album Never Mind the Ballots (1987) with the title: The First 2 (also on Agit Prop), and again reissued in '94 by One Little Indian. At this point the line-up counts 7 people all of which are only mentioned by their first name: Harry handling drums, vocals (guitar solo on "Slag Aid"), Alice Nutter on vocals, Boff on guitar, vocals, and clarinet, Mavis Dillon on bass, trumpet, French horn and vocals, Lou on vocals and guitar, Danbert Nobacon on vocals, and Dunst on whirlypipe and turntables.
I didn't hear of the band until around '94, and it seems the album gained little interest at the time of its release. Apparently and quite obviously, it's meant as a critical response to the whole Live Aid idea with artists in disguise of helping a whole continent in utmost poverty are basically only interested in promoting themselves. Listening to it today, it's actually quite ingenuously written, and with catchy melodies to support the harsh criticism. Just by looking at the track titles one may come to think of Dead Kennedys or Crass when they sing about the world in "the sick hands of capitalism". The strong satire has always been the band's trademark. Sometimes they share bonds with Dead Kennedys, Crass, Frank Zappa, but also Monty Python, which doesn't make it any worse.
It's more than enjoyable, and frankly, should be enlisted in all lists comprising the most interesting albums of modern pop music.
[ allmusic.com 4,5 / 5 stars ]

1992 reissue as "First 2"

The Chemical Brothers "Come with Us" (2002)

Come with Us
release date: Jan. 28, 2002
format: cd / 2 lp vinyl (gatefold)
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,46]
producer: The Chemical Brothers
label: Freestyle Dust / Virgin - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 2. "It Began in Africa" - 3. "Galaxy Bounce" - 4. "Star Guitar" (4,5 / 5) - 7. "The State We're In (feat. Beth Orton)"

4th studio album by The Chemical Brothers following 2½ years after Surrender (Jun. 1999). The album is not a copy or the attempt to copy the formula of the duo's perhaps best ever album. Naturally, it's still electronically founded with progressive elements but there are new stylistic inputs, which initially had me consider this as the duo's least favorable release to date. They haven't completely stepped away from the rave- / big beat-oriented style and you'll still find a few great tracks. Especially the single-hit "Star Guitar" is a modern electronic classic but mostly, the album is noticeable for a strong element of tribal house that I have found it difficult to embrace, although, they have also invited other artists in to perform on a number of tracks giving the album the taste of a mixtape or a compilation. "Star Guitar" could easily have been included on Surrender but the tracks like "It Began in Afrika", "My Elastic Eye", and "Denmark" really show a new stylistic playground that may require some time to embrace.
My initial verdict had me reject the album as a major miss but over the years I have come to regard it as more experiemntal and with bigger interest. The album is still not among the duo's absolute best but it's far from anything near mediocre.
Recommended.
[ allmusic.com, Rolling Stone, PopMatters 4 / 5, Q Magazine 3,5 / 5, Uncut 2,5 / 5 stars ]

Moby "Innocents" (2013)

Innocents
release date: Oct. 1, 2013
format: cd
[album rate: 3 / 5] [3,24]
producer: Moby, Mark 'Spike' Stent
label: Mute Records - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "Everything That Rises" - 2. "A Case for Shame (feat. Cold Specks)" - 3. "Almost Home (feat. Damien Jurado)" - 6. "The Last Day (feat. Skylar Grey)" - 9. "Saints" - 10. "Tell Me (feat. Cold Specks)" (Live session) - 12. "The Dogs"

11th studio album release by electronic artist Moby.
It's not really Play standard nor one of his big misses.
Already (as of Dec. 2013), I find this one of his better releases. Moby has made a few truly great albums, a few downright boring ones, and then some mediocre albums, but he has always investigated new material and occasionally he comes out with a very good album, and I think, without being great this is one of his more successful albums.
[ allmusic.com 3,5 / 5, Mojo, Rolling Stone 3 / 5 stars ]

St. Vincent "St. Vincent" (2014)

St. Vincent
release date: Feb. 25, 2014
format: cd
[album rate: 3 / 5] [2,92]
producer: John Congleton
label: Loma Vista Recordings - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 2. "Birth in Reverse" - 6. "I Prefer Your Love"

4th studio album by St. Vincent - her first on Loma Vista. John Cogleton is producer as he was co-producer on her previous two albums - here, he is fully in charge.
The album follows Strange Mercy from 2011, however, Annie Clark made the collaboration album Love This Giant with David Byrne in 2013, and that teamwork seems to have had its impact on Clark. Gone are the noise pop elements and instead her music has become more orchestrated - less simplistic.
Annie Clark is such a gifted woman and does so well on her own. Her previous solo releases all document this. Sadly, Mr. Byrne has a bad habit of infecting talented artists - he was eager to jump on the Arcade Fire train as soon as that took off - he had it slowed or derailed, and he then put his live-less hands around Annie and persuaded her into collaborative work. That experience [read: Byrne's mere presence] sadly disturbed Annie so much that her music here seems infected by ideas of a [parasitic] lesser artist. Annie, please get back on track!
Yes, that may sound harsh, but I never  have been a fan of Mr. Byrne, and it's quite obvious how her music and style has changed on this. I find it less originally sounding - as an attempt to satisfy a mainstream audience, which isn't necessarily just bad, but Clark's distinct sound and style is what makes her interesting, and that is almost gone here. "Rattlesnake" sounds more like Björk, and the album's highest ranked single "Digital Witness" (track #17) is a tedious Talking Heads-like [yea, yawn!] composition that reflect no originality whatsoever.
Regardless, my objection, the album was well-received by the press and fans as it became her best selling album to date reaching number #12 in the US and number #21 in the UK. Several music magazines (including NME, Slant and musicOMH) put it on top of their end-list of 2014.
Although, it's not as poor and indifferent as her collaboration work with Byrne, I find it her least interesting solo album to date.
[ allmusic.com, NME, Rolling Stone, Spin 4 / 5, The Guardian 5 / 5 stars ]

Cocteau Twins "Treasure" (1984)

Treasure
release date: Nov. 1, 1984
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,54]
producer: Cocteau Twins / Robin Guthrie (2003 reissue)
label: 4AD Records - nationality: Scotland, UK

Track highlights: 1"Ivo" - 2. "Lorelei" (4 / 5) (live) - 4. "Persephone" - 5. "Pandora (For Cindy)" - 7. "Aloysius" - 10. "Donimo"

3rd studio album by Cocteau Twins is the first really fine album by the band who still do not operate with a drummer, only using drum machines, but Elizabeth Fraser and Robin Guthrie has now found the replacement for former bassist Will Heggie by expanding the project with Simon Raymonde. The album is the first to be exclusively produced by the band, and the sound is at this point a trademark hailed as a brilliant display of workmanship, and a sound that focuses on Guthrie's guitar sound and Fraser's characteristic undecipherable vocal harmonies using her voice as an instrument of sound.
It's still not entirely harmonic dream pop - a few tracks like "Persephone" and "Cicely" still sounds like heavily inspired by Siouxsie and the Banshees without being poor or lesser compositions but they do point in other directions and have a distinct post-punk feel.
The album was reissued and remastered by Robin Guthrie in 2003. It's an acclaimed album by the band, and many critics (and fans) consider this to be their finest, which is enlisted in "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die".
I don't really consider the album one of the band's absolute best as I find it too incoherent pointing to much more consistent releases but it's undoubtedly important in the way it helps defining their later sound.
Recommended.
[ 👎allmusic.com, Spin 4,5 / 5, 👉Rolling Stone Music Guide 3,5 / 5 stars ]