Queen Elizabeth "Queen Elizabeth" (1994)

Queen Elizabeth [debut]

release date: Nov. 1994

format: cd

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,28]

producer: Julian Cope

label: Echo - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Superstar" - 2. "Avebury: The Arranged Marriage of Heaven and Earth"

Studio album debut from duo Queen Elizabeth consisting of Julian Cope and multi-instrumentalist Thighpaulsandra (aka Tim Lewis) - the latter features on Cope's most recent Autogeddon (Aug. '94). The album (only) consists of two compositions running just under 35 and just over 31 minutes, respectively.

The music is characterised by experimentation and is mainly kept in a simple electronic universe, where synths, mellotron, and programming are main components, and although traditional instruments such as guitar, bass, piano, and drums are part of the compositions, the final product is a work of electronic model completely without any apparent influence from styles that one might be inclined to associate with Cope, such as funk, space rock, or neo-psychedelia. As the experimental collaboration album Rite - made by Cope and the long-time musical associate Donald Ross Skinner (who, by the way, also features here) from '93 - it's easy to think of Queen Elizabeth as music made for a film, but where Rite was influenced by many well-known styles and genres from the past three decades, the album here appears far more minimalistic, more stylish experimental - without being downright masterful for that matter.

The Stone Roses "Fools Gold 9.53" (1989), single

Fools Gold 9.53 (cd single)
release date: Nov. 1989
format: digital (1992 reissue)
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,48]
producer: John Leckie
label: Silvertone - nationality: England, UK

Tracklist: 1. "Fools Gold 9.53" - 2. "What the World Is Waiting For" - 3. "Fools Gold 4.15"

Single release by The Stone Roses originally released in a 7'' vinyl version Fools Gold 4.15 and a 12'' titled Fools Gold 9.53, identical to the cd reissue. The 7'' had what is here track #3 as the first track - and in either case the lead single was partly titled with the running time in the name.
The single was released 8 months after the debut album, and it's without tracks from the album.
With a running time at almost 10 minutes, the title track is an unusual lengthy composition, but given the baggy / madchester style it's just a more dance-oriented / -friendly song that follows close to the style laid out on the debut album. The shorter version is the better.
The front cover artwork is a painting by guitarist and musical composer John Squire titled "Double Dorsal Dopplegänger".

Steve & Russell P. Kilbey "Gilt Trip" (1997)

Gilt Trip [debut]

release date: May 9, 1997

format: digital (2005 reissue)

[album rate: 3 / 5] [3,18]

producer: Russell P. Kilbey

label: Karmic Hit - nationality: Australia

Track highlights: 1. "Gilt Trip" - 2. "The Onset" - 3. "Tragic Mandarin Love Story" - 4. "Eyes Smeared With the Ointment of Love" - 9. "Happy Endings"

1st studio album collaboration by brothers Steve & Russell P. Kilbey, originally released on Vicious Sloth Collectables, in 2005 reissued on Kilbey's own label Karmic Hit. The album consists exclusively of instrumental compositions composed by the brothers - composed together or alone. The two Kilbeys play all instruments, except on "Tragic Mandarin Love Story", which is the only uptempo composition to feature both violinist Linda Neil and drummer Tim Powles (of The Church).

Musically, it is a type of 'soundtrack' to a non-existent film. It's ambient and atmospheric with an almost organic tone, and some tracks are progressive minimalism, and in some ways the album ties to Steve Kilbey's second solo album Earthed (1987), which also reflects some of the same soundtrack quality.

The two brothers subsequently issued several releases and later founded the project Gilt Trip, but here they have released their first collaboration under their own names, which has its qualities.

LCD Soundsystem "London Sessions" (2010) (live)

London Sessions (live)
release date: Nov. 8, 2010
format: cd (2011)
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,64]
producer: James Murphy; DFA
label: DFA Records - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "Us v Them" - 2. "All I Want" - 4. "Get Innocuous!" - 5. "Daft Punk Is Playing at My House" - 6. "All My Friends" (4 / 5) - 8. "I Can Change" - 9. "Yr City Is a Sucker"
[ full album ]

Live-in-the-studio album of recordings at The Pool recording studio of Miloco Studios in London, England, Tuesday Jun. 29, 2010. The album was released as a downloadable album only Nov. 8, 2010 and on cd Jan. 24, 2011. On this occasion the band consists of James Murphy on vocals and percussion, Nancy Whang on keyboards and vocals, Pat Mahoney on drums and vocals, Tyler Pope on bass, percussion and vocals, Gavin Russom on synth, keyboards, percussion and vocals, David Scott Stone on guitar, percussion, synth and vocals and with Matt Thornley on guitar, percussion and vocals.
The collection of songs here are taken from all three previous studio albums, which makes it a good compilation as it comes with two tracks from the debut, three from Sound of Silver and four from This Is Happening. I actually find that the tracks (#2, #3, #7 and #8) from the most recent studio album all sound better in this more vibrant and dance-punk production, and on top of that, they also make the compositions from the various albums feel like one whole.
All in all this is truly one of the band's best albums.
Prior to the album release James Murphy had started rumours about the band's near end, and on Feb. 8, 2011, on the band's website, LCD Soundsystem proclaimed that they would play their last concert in April.
[ allmusic.com 4 / 5 stars ]

Mogwai "EP+6" (2000)

EP+6 (compilation)

release date: Aug. 2000 / Oct. 1, 2001 (first UK issue)

format: digital (10 x File, FLAC)

[album rate: 3,5 / 5]

producer: various

label: Chemikal Underground - nationality: Scotland, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Superheroes of BMX" - 2. "Now You're Taken" - 5. "Rollerball" - 6. "Small Children in the Background" - 7. "Stanley Kubrick" (official video) - 8. "Christmas Song" - 9. "Burn Girl Prom Queen" - 10. "Rage: Man"

Compilation album by Mogwai essentially compiling three eps into one longplayer with EP being their most recent release from Oct. '99. It consists of ten tracks with a total running time at 72 minutes. The first three compositions are from 4 Satin (1997), tracks #4 to #6 from No Education = No Future (Fuck the Curfew) E.P (1998), and the last four are from EP (1999) - thus the title: EP+6 comes with four tracks plus six other tracks... The album was originally intended for the Japanese market only (released on Toy's Factory, August 2000) but was soon made in various digital issues for the European market primarily because the original three eps only had been pressed in limited numbers. Some European cd-issues are enhanced issues containing an extended version of "Stanley Kubrick", the music video, whereas the first Japanese edition has reversed track order (from newest to oldest) and some Japanese issues also came with the music video for "Xmas Steps".

Again, Mogwai has produced a fine album, although, all tracks have already been released in ep-versions, and it's difficult to pin out the best tracks, however, none of them appear on the band's normal full-length albums making this another fine album to know of. Also because the last four tracks here bond nicely to the most recent an otherwise different album Rock Action (Apr. 2001).

Recommended.

EDIT Nov. 2021: The album has been re-issued in a remastered 3 lp vinyl version (for the first time) with the new title "e.p. x 3", but with the same tracklist and with new front cover (still photo by Neale Smith of the same water tower). The album is also made available as download release via the band's bandcamp profile.

The Stone Roses "The Stone Roses" (1989)

The Stone Roses [debut]
release date: Mar. 13, 1989
format: vinyl (ORE LP 502) / cd
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,96]
producer: John Leckie
label: Silvertone Records - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "I Wanna Be Adored" (4 / 5) - 2. "She Bangs the Drums" (4 / 5) (live) - 3. "Waterfall" (studio live 2013) - 5. "Bye Bye Badman" - 7. "(Song for My) Sugar Spun Sister" (live) - 8. "Made of Stone" - 11. "I Am the Resurrection"

Studio album debut by Manchester band The Stone Roses consisting of vocalist Ian Brown, guitarist John Squire, Mani [aka Gary Mounfield] on bass and Reni [aka Alan John Wren] on drums, backing vocals and piano. All 11 songs are credited Ian Brown and John Squire. Stylewise, the album was released as indie pop and jangle pop, which had its roots in the Manchester scene with close bonds to The Smiths, but time has first and foremost put it in the category of baggy / Madchester and neo-psychedelia including bands like Inspiral Carpets and Happy Mondays all of which with connection to the (New Order) nightclub The Haçienda music scene, but also with a distinct relation to other bands like The Sundays (jangle pop / dreampop) and Australian band The Church (jangle pop / neo-psychedelia).
I bought the album upon its release after having heard the single hit "She Bangs the Drums" on the look-out for the "new big thing" after the demise of The Smiths. It was quite all right and pretty good, but it wasn't great, imho. What I became more hooked on was the music by Kitchens of Distinction, also releasing their debut album in '89, music by Bob Mould and Pixies with more power-fuzed compositions. However, time has been quite gentle with this album, I think. Actually, I consider it a whole lot better today than I did back then. I would play the first half of the album finding that part above average, but as a whole, I thought of it as too unfocused and without sufficient variation. I also found it somewhat difficult to label 'cause was it close to The Smiths and jangle pop, or was it more in line with noise pop or dream pop bands like The Sundays?
What is particular good is not just the variation of mood and energy, there's also a fine incorporation of classic pop pointing back to The Byrds and a baroque pop period, which basically had its comeback with britpop - Oasis and Blur, years later - and there's the whole neo-psychedelic part linking the band with the 60s and a long line of bands dealing with that style throughout the 70s and into the 80s where it fuses with other styles and genres. The Church, XTC and Love and Rockets all incorporated neo-psychedelia but none of these bands were dance-oriented like The Stone Roses and the baggy / Madchester scene of late 80s Manchester.
The album is enlisted in "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die".
The front cover is a Jackson Pollock-inspired painting "Bye Bye Badman" by John Squire.
[ allmusic.com, Q Magazine, Uncut 5 / 5, Rolling Stone 4 / 5 stars ]

[ collectors' item, 1989 repress 'near mint' - from ~ €60,- ]

Neil Young "Storytone" (2014)

Storytone
release date: Nov. 4, 2014
format: digital
[album rate: 2,5 / 5] [2,35]
producer: The Volume Dealers (aka Neil Young and Niko Bolas)
label: Reprise Records - nationality: Canada

35th studio album by Neil Young and his second in 2014 is a big band music / orchestrated album with Young singing and a full orchestra backing him live with strings, brass and choir while recording the arrangements. This is a long way from A Letter Home - not to say anything else by Neil Young - and stylistically, it's difficult to narrow down, as Young mostly sings in his traditional folkish and bluesy singer / songwriter style with a full orchestra backing him up without or with only a few traditional rock band instruments. Yeah, there's a electric guitar in some places and bass and whatever, and some tracks are held in a stronger blues or folk tradition by putting emphasis on the use of a guitar or by being less dominating, but it still feels strange when a song kicks in as some movie-theme ballad from "When Harry Met Sally", only to be interrupted by Neil Young's fragile singing voice. It's... odd. And frankly, too strange for my liking.
I won't say I'll never get to appreciate this. I've been wrong before with Neil Young. Perhaps when I'm hanging in there at 78 or 88 I will start to like it. For now, I doubt it. It's simply an odd experiment, 'cause that's also what it is, and these recent years Young does seem to have come to a point where he just jumps into the water without too much thinking or asking about a project's validity. I think, he just goes along with that new idea of his and skips the consulting process. "What the heck! What's there to lose?! The album, the idea will sell itself!! And... I don't know what to do with the money anyhow."
I really can't find any tracks to highlight from this album, and I simply do not find it anything but mediocre - and sometimes hardly even that. Boy, when Neil Young misses he makes sure we all know, but that's how it is with this genius 'cause very often - not to say mostly - he hits a lot better than most.
Not recommended.
[ allmusic.com, Mojo 3 / 5, Rolling Stone, Slant 2,5 / 5 stars ]

Ukendt Under Andet Navn "Glade dage i St. Vemod" (2014)

Glade dage i St. Vemod
release date: Apr. 3, 2014
format: cd (ukendt 003)
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,52]
producer: Troels Bech & Henrik Olesen
label: non-label-release - nationality: Denmark

Track highlights: 2. "Drømmen om et liv" - 3. "Glade dage i St. Vemod" - 6. "Hjertet" - 7. "Drone" - 9. "Nat falder" - 10. "Skridt" (4 / 5)

Full-length studio solo debut by Ukendt Under Andet Navn (aka Henrik Olesen) is produced by Troels Bech together with Henrik Olesen and is like the mini-album Ekskursion (2012) another non-label release. Co-producer Troels Bech is also credited for several instruments on this, and the album also features songwriter Solveig Sandnes on vocals. All songs are credited Henrik Olesen, except track #2, "Drømmen om et liv", which has words by (the late) Danish poet Morti Vizki, who also gave name to the final album by Olesen-Olesen, on which the song appears with slightly different musical arrangement - also by Henrik Olesen.
Without being over-produced with multi-layering, the album is more orchestrated than the first two releases by Henrik Olesen, and the album also contains two tracks that are found on his ep debut from 2010, "Hjertet" and "Skridt", however, both have been altered, lengthened and also improved. Especially, the end-track "Skridt" with its repetitious / droning form is quite successfully transformed.
The album received some fine reviews but failed to attract any interest from national radio stations and sales numbers - also as a consequence of being a non-promoted self-release, which is sad, 'cause it contains some fine compositions and deserves far more recognition. That said, it doesn't appear much as a full-coherent album. Some songs are quite introspective, some are light-weight indie-pop songs, which makes me think of early releases by Radio Dept. and another Swedish band, the duo-project Paus by Joakim Berg of Kent and Peter Svensson from Cardigans, and yet other songs are slower compositions with a bold ambient style. The strongest tracks are musically driven progressive compositions, whereas the weaker ones focus more on a lyrical force that lacks the poignant weight, imho, but it's altogether a very fine and also highly original collection of songs.
[ Gaffa.dk 3 / 6, Berlingske 4 / 6 stars ]

The Durutti Column "Heaven Sent (It Was Called Digital. It Was Heaven Sent)" (2005), ep

Heaven Sent (It Was Called Digital. It Was Heaven Sent) (ep)
release date: Mar. 2005
format: digital (6 x File, MP3)
[album rate: 3,5 / 5]

Tracklist: 1. "Bruce" - 2. "Keir" - 3. "Neil" - 4. "Mike" - 5. "Alan" - 6. "Anthony"

A digital ep (download album only) by The Durutti Column released through F4 Records [4th incarnation of Factory Records] produced by Vini Reilly. The release consists of 6 tracks distributed by F4 Records for download only. The ep was later included as a bonus disc on the album A Paen to Wilson (2010), which is where I got it.

Cliff Richard and The Shadows "Please Don't Tease" (1960) (single)

Please Don't Tease, 7'' single

release date: 1960

format: vinyl (45-DB 4479) (yellow vinyl)

[single rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,45]

producer: ?

label: Columbia - nationality: England, UK

Tracklist: A) "Please Don't Tease" - - B) "Where Is My Heart"

Single hit by Cliff Richard and The Shadows with misprinted B-side label: "Were Is My Heart" instead of "Where Is My Heart". This Norwegian issue is a yellow vinyl where the original sleeve has gone missing. The A-side is credited (British) Bruce Welch (aka Bruce Cripps) and Peter Chester, and the B-side is credited Tepper-Bennett, and alias for the (American) songwriting duo of Sid Tepper and Roy C. Bennett.

This issue comes from my parents' record collection, and I recall playing this at age 6-10 years old, and for some years found this a preferred single. Some years later, it was not the kind of music I enjoyed, and I never saw myself as a huge fan of Richard.

~ ~ ~

This post is part of MyMusicJourney, which enlists key releases that have shaped my musical taste when growing up and until age 14. Most of these releases come from my parents' and / or my older brother's collection.

Steve Kilbey "Narcosis +" (1997)

Narcosis +

release date: Feb. 1, 1997

format: digital (11 x File, FLAC) (reissue)

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,42]

producer: Steve Kilbey

label: self-release - nationality: Australia

Track highlights: 1. "Somna" - 2. "Limbo" - 6. "The Egyptian" - 7. "Midnite in America" - 8. "Linda Wong" - 9. "Double Exposure"

5th studio album or 'only' an ep re-issue with bonus tracks, or a compilation? The Narcosis EP was released Jan. '92 as a 5-track EP and was Kilbey's final release on Red Eye Records in Australia. In '97 the album was re-issued on Vicious Sloth Collectables under the title Narcosis +, consisting of nine tracks, and then in 2004 released as Narcosis + More with twelve tracks, and at some point [unknown year] it became a digital self-release [this one] again under the name Narcosis + with eleven tracks, but with three new songs compared to the '97 CD version. In all cases, the first five tracks are identical to the tracks from the original ep, however, with varying content [!]. The digital self-release has a total running time of 57 minutes.

The compositions are of experimental nature and fall relatively far from contemporary releases such as the solo album Remindlessness (Jul. 1990) and the three collaboration albums Charms & Blues (Sep. '90), Vast Halos (Sep. 1990), Jack Frost (Nov./Dec '90?) and Priest = Aura (Mar. '92) by The Church. Although the added extra tracks were probably composed later than the first five, the album is nevertheless a reasonably coherent volume. There is, however, a clearer electronic touch to the newer tracks, which in the end appear to be the most elaborate, but in terms of style they are quite a close extension of the other tracks. This is Kilbey all alone and as with his compositions they go in all directions but still maintain a distinct fingerprint, and Kilbey seems to have an inexhaustible well to dip into to come up with new tracks, which always contain quality and originality.

The fron cover is a detail of the original cd-cover of Kilbey with his and Karin Jansson's twin daughters, Elektra and Miranda.

[ bandcamp ]

Trentemøller "Fixion" (2016)

Fixion

release date: September 16, 2016

format: digital (13 x File, FLAC)

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,56]

producer: Anders Trentemøller

label: In My Room - nationality: Denmark

Track highlights: 1. "One Eye Open" (feat. Marie Fisker) - 2. "Never Fade" - 4. "River in Me" (feat. Jehnny Beth) - 6. "Redefine" - 7. "My Conviction" (feat. Marie Fisker) - 11. "Complicated" (feat. Jehnny Beth) - *13. "Redefine (Trentemøller Rework)"

*Bonus track on digital album

4th studio album by Trentemøller following three years after Lost showcases the combo of Trentemøller's own stereotypical IDM microhouse progressive compositions in between more uptempo and bolder standard melody-structured and chorus-based songs with vocal arrangements made in collaboration with the two songwriters Marie Fisker and Jehnny Beth - much in the same manner as he presented with his 2013 album, only here, he has cut down on the number of featuring artists. With Beth he stood behind two single hits from this album, the almost electroclash-shaped song "River in Me" and the bolder post-punk / gothic rocker - the Siouxsie and the Banshess-like: "Complicated".

Although, the songs point in many directions - with inspiration from post-punk, from electroclash and from his catalogue of microhouse and ambient material it's still held together by a striking and predominantly coldwave soundscape. I suppose many would tend to label it darkwave and thus being inspired by gothic rock of the 1980s, but I also find it one of his better and more straightforward albums. Compared to his most recent album, this may contain stronger singles, but as a full-scaled album it lacks some of the cohency he after all demonstrated better on Lost.

A fine and yet somewhat flawed album with strong individual compositions and a lack of direction.

[ bandcamp ]

[ allmusic.com 3,5 / 5 stars ]

The Divine Comedy "Fin de siècle" (1998)

Fin de siècle
release date: Aug. 31, 1998
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,66]
producer: Jon Jacobs and Neil Hannon
label: Setanta Records - nationality: Northern Ireland, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Generation Sex" - 3. "Commuter Love" (4 / 5) - 6. "National Express" (4 / 5) - 8. "The Certainty of Chance" (4 / 5) - 6. "Sunrise"

6th studio album by The Divine Comedy. After the great but short A Short Album About Love (1997), Hannon has returned to his tongue-in-cheek stories about modern life. The album isn't really great but still contains a number of fine compositions worthwhile, however, it's seen better from Mr. Hannon. Somehow, and apart from the fine track highlights, this appears as one of his "middle of the road" albums.
[ allmusic.com 3 / 5 stars ]

The Chemical Brothers "Born in the Echoes" (2015)

Born in the Echoes
release date: Jul. 17, 2015
format: cd (Deluxe Edition - XDUSTCDX 10)
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,86]
producer: The Chemical Brothers
label: Virgin EMI - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Sometimes I Feel so Deserted" - 2. "Go" (feat. Q-Tip) - 4. "EML Ritual" (feat. Ali Love) - 5. "I'll See You There" - 7. "Reflexion" - 9. "Born in the Echoes" (feat. Cate Le Bon) - 10. "Radiate" - 11. "Wide Open" (feat. Beck) - *14. "Go (Extended Mix)" - *15. "Reflexion (Extended Mix)"
*Tracks 12-15 are bonus tracks included on the Deluxe Edition

8th studio album by The Chemical Brothers, released 5 years following Further (Jun. 2010), is a nice return to the big beat foundation of Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons. Five years is a long time to wait but luckily the two have released a soundtrack album and a fine live album following Further. After having experimented in a more electronic area with focus on electro house and expanding the duo's musical universe, which I enjoyed to great extent with the 2010 album but I didn't fully get the soundtrack album for Hanna (2011), they here turn to their glorious past. They kind of reach back and basically, as I hear it, combine the danceable greatness from Surrender with the more... electronic Further, and thankfully, also skip the neo-psychedelia, tribal house, and hip hop influences from all the duo's three albums in the new millennium. The two best tracks are "Reflexion" and "Radiate" - quite similar in style, and perhaps even the two compositions that are most in "family" with the sound and style found on the previous studio album, Further, and although, it doesn't reach the quality of the 2010 album, it' still one of the best albums of the year.
[ allmusic.com, NME, Mojo 4 / 5, Rolling Stone, Q Magazine 3 / 5 stars ]
[ Anthony Fantano's needledrop review ]

Deftones "Around the Fur" (1997)

Around the Fur

release date: Oct. 28, 1997

format: digital

[album rate: 3 / 5] [3,06]

producer: Terry Date, Deftones

label: Maverick / Warner Bros. - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "My Own Summer (Shove It)" (4 / 5) - 6. "Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)"

2nd studio album from American band Deftones following the debut Adrenaline (1995). The band is a quartet consisting of Chino Moreno as lead vocalist, Stephen Carpenter on guitar, Chi Cheng on bass & backing vocals, and with Abe Cunningham on drums.

Stylistically, alt. metal is at the heavy end of the foundation, where you also find bands like System of a Down and Marilyn Manson. I only discovered Deftones with the song "My Own Summer (Shove It)" which was part of the original soundtrack to the first "The Matrix" movie from 1998 and I have to admit that along with track #6 those are the album's highlights, as these tracks contain a good amount of aggressiveness and at the same time also have a harmonic side, which the album's other compositions simply lack. Both Marilyn Manson - who is admittedly more of an industrial rock act - and System of a Down play on the opposites of beauty and ugliness - somewhat in the manner as Rammstein, but where Deftones, at least in the band's early phase lacked the counterplay to the raw, the dirty, and the brutal, and then alt. metal just isn't one of my favourite styles. The '95 debut and the follow-up to this one, White Pony (2000) have roughly the same shortcomings, while on later albums the band, starting with Deftones (2003), where the simple title indicates a change in style, but also Saturday Night Wrist (2006), Covers (2011) and Koi No Yokan (2012) reveal a soundscape where the band partially succeeds in bridging to other styles thus creating something other than a brutal wall of sound.

Not recommended.

PowerSolo "Bloodskinbones" (2009)

Bloodskinbones
release date: Feb. 23, 2009
format: vinyl (FROG 073-1) / cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,44]
producer: PowerSolo
label: Crunchy Frog - nationality: Denmark

Track highlights: 1. "Murder in SFAX" - 2. "Busses" (live) - 3. "Psych Demons" - 4. "Gimme the Drugz" - 5. "Pirates of the Oblivion" - 6. "4-3-2-1" - 8. "Elvin D Jerk (Part 2)" - 10. "Canned Love" - 12. "Nineteen Ninety-Six"

4th studio album by PowerSolo is the usual mix of styles. Most tracks here are melodic and a fusion of psychobilly and alt. rock built on elements from surf rock, punk rock and with a certain twist of Slavic music - and that certain twist is probably a very common expression when referring to the music by Kim 'Kix' Hjort Jeppesen, his brother Bo (on this album credited simply as Atomic Child). The usual PowerSolo trio has now been reduced to a duo, consisting of the brothers Jeppesen; however, the band's regular drummer Jens "Chief Benz" Søndergaard (here credited JC Benz) still handle the drums. On the front cover it reads: "Powersolo is Atomic Child / Kim Kix". Like on the previous album Egg (2006) some of tracks make me think of They Might Be Giants - just listen to "Nineteen Ninety-Six". The album was mostly just ignored by regular music consumers, but this is the band's so far best album, imho.
Once again, PowerSolo music founds it alternative way to consumers. The track "Pirates of the Oblivion" was used in a Danish commercial for a comedy tv-series, and the track "Canned Love" brought some attention to the band when Coca-Cola used it in a commercial.

Beth Hart "Leave the Light On" (2003)

Leave the Light On
release date: Oct. 21, 2003
format: cd / cd (2005 reissue) / digital (2006 reissue)
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,68]
producer: Beth Hart
label: Koch Records - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "Lifts You Up" (live) - 2. "Leave the Light On" (5 / 5) (live 2008) (live 2006) - 3. "Bottle of Jesus" - 4. "World Without You" - 5. "Lay Your Hands on Me" - 9. "Monkey Back" - 11. "I'll Stay With You"

3rd studio album by Beth Hart comes in a number of different issues with highly differing track listings, but the original album consists of 11 tracks and is without later issues containing "Learning to Live" (released as a single in 2005) and "Over You" (included on her 2007 album 37 Days).
The album is a strong release containing a number of fine powerful songs showcasing Hart's dynamic range, and then the heavy metal influence has been exchanged for electric blues rock.
In many ways you could argue that the many various reissues perhaps should be regarded as compilation albums; however, the 2006 German reissue on vertigo is a mighty fine release; although being an almost completely different release than the original issue.

PJ Harvey "The Hope Six Demolition Project" (2016)

The Hope Six Demolition Project
release date: Apr. 15, 2016
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,46]
producer: Flood, John Parish, PJ Harvey
label: Island Records - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "The Community of Hope" - 3. "A Line in the Sand" - 6. "Near the Memorials to Vietnam and Lincoln" - 7. "The Orange Monkey" - 10. "The Wheel"

9th studio album by PJ Harvey following five full years after the acclaimed Let England Shake (Feb. 2011) is like the predecessor produced in a tight collaboration with John Parish and Flood [Mike Ellis]. On the musicians side it also reflects 'the usual suspects' as Mick Harvey, Mike Ellis and John Parish are among her most frequently used musical partners. And much like her acclaimed 2011 album this is a conceptual album in the sense that the album title refers to the US Hope VI projects where run-down public buildings are being demolished in order to defeat crime and poor social status areas, which has the side-effect that current residents are being chased from 'their' homes.
Musically, it's not far from Let England Shake, although I find that this is less orchestrated and more in sync with her previous works by balancing alt. rock, indie rock with bits of blues rock in her singer / songwriter outing.
Generally, I find this an improvement to her much appraised 2011 album that I didn't embrace as something great, but here I find that she succeeds in combining her past with her more recent works.
[ allmusic.com, 👍NME, Rolling Stone 3,5 / 5, Q Magazine, The Guardian 4 / 5 stars ]

David McAlmont "Set One - You Go to My Head" (2005)

Set One - You Go to My Head
release date: Oct. 24, 2005
format: cd
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,92]
producer: David McAlmont, Guy Davies, tommy.d [Tom Asher Danvers]
label: Blueport Recordings - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "You Go to My Head" (live) - 2. "Night and Day" - 5. "Never Never Never" (live) - 6. "Under My Skin" - 7. "A Certain Smile / The Shadow of Your Smile" - 9."How Long Has This Been Going On"

3rd solo studio album by David McAlmont is co-produced by Guy Davies (who also plays keyboards, piano and guitar) with whom McAlmont would later form the duo Fingersnap. It was originally released by Ether Records but as the label closed later in 2005, it was then reissued on Blue Port Recordings. The album follows his second solo work A Little Communication (1998) and more recently, the sophomore collaboration album by McAlmont & Butler, Bring It Back from 2002.
Set One... is a truly marvellous album. It's far from the pop soul and dance pop of his debut and follows closer to the sound of his '98 solo album, but as an even more quiet and sincere soul and r&b album - closely linked to the spirit of Otis Redding with a huge amount of vocal jazz. McAlmont's voice really shines through on this covers album entirely consisting of classic oldies composed by Cole Porter, the Gershwin brothers, Johnny Mercer, Alberto Testa, Paul Webster, and Rodgers & Hart. These predominantly standards songs are produced in a combination of soul and vocal jazz, and the album is unfortunately one of the most overlooked in the year 2005.
This is highly recommended.
[ The Guardian 3 / 5 stars ]

Jean-Michel Jarre "Oxygène 3" (2016)

Oxygène 3
release date: Dec. 3, 2016
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,36]
producer: Jean-Michel Jarre
label: Columbia / Sony Music - nationality: France

Tracklist: 1. "Oxygène (Part 14)" - 2. "Oxygène (Part 15)" - 3. "Oxygène (Part 16)" - 4. "Oxygène (Part 17)" - 5. "Oxygène (Part 18)" - 6. "Oxygène (Part 19)" - 7. "Oxygène (Part 20)"

18th (or so) studio album by French electronic pioneer Jean-Michel Jarre, who here makes his third sequel to his famous Oxygène from 1976. The most apparent reason to release the album is perhaps that he can celebrate a 40 years anniversary of his first album in the series.
Stylistically, he continues in the same style of progressive ambient electronica that links the three albums together.
The first album was unique and it has its own unequalled position in music history. The second turned out as a fine rework on the basis of his masterpiece without repeating the model. It was both full of references but also shaped with innovative new elements that made it more than just a remake. Oxygène 3 feels on the other hand as more like a remix of the first two journeys. Jarre obviously tries to do what he did on Oxygène 7-13, but simply too bluntly, and the album sounds more like new interpretations of the other two without adding new originality to the project. It's fine but I just don't think, it reaches the qualities of the two predecessors.
It's far from poor or mediocre though, and the music may serve as an example of Jarre at his best, 'cause this style is ultimately what makes him interesting as an artist - not most of his synthpop releases of the 1980s when he became an international pop star. The whole genre of electronic owes so much to his music, and with this he demonstrates the capabilities other artists found inspiring.
It is his least interesting part of the three "Oxygène" albums but nevertheless an album that deserves attention.
[ allmusic.com 3,5 / 5 stars ]