Hey world, I’m Colin. I’m a nineteen year old American boy who’s reeling from life’s punches. Whether it be familial alcoholism, or realizing I’m bisexual at the same time I fall head over heels for a Trans boy from Sweden, thousands of miles away, I’ve had a lot of shit happen the last year. Not even including going to university, and how difficult that transition was.
And when, in the last few months, l began to find myself even more lost, confused, and depressed than usual, I understood why; I lived a calm, relatively normal childhood, growing up in a safe and quiet suburban neighborhood. To be so suddenly thrust into the real world, a world of consequence and challenge, of complicated relationships and emotions, was to be caught seemingly off guard. It’s been a hard time, but at the same time, my open mindedness and willingness to accept has let me bear much of the damage with ease. But one thing has been holding me back; my confidence.
My confidence has ruined or hurt some of my best relationships, whether it be with friends, family, or partners. My self loathing, my inability to be satisfied with myself makes me an overly apologetic and pessimistic wreck. I had no faith in my capabilities, my personality, my decisions; anything.
And when I realized much it turned those I loved away from me, especially when it hurt my boyfriend, who I love so much, I came to the conclusion that I needed to work on it as hard as I could.
One way I thought I could help myself was a kind of self-therapy; writing these blog posts to work through some thoughts and put them down almost like a diary, as well as taking a selfie or picture everyday and captioning it with what I accomplished, was proud of, or what made me happy that day. By trying to not only work through my problems, but also force a positive mindset, I believe I can get more of the confidence I need to live without fear of failure.
To wrap up this inaugural post, I figured I would quickly sum up the last few days since I began my self-therapy. I managed to get ahold of the rest of my textbooks for my college fall semester, and I managed to get all my appointments with my doctor, dentist, and therapist done before I go back to school. Also, I managed to get a really good deal on my flights to Sweden to visit my boyfriend, saving me almost $200 off my total expenses. Which means I get to treat my hubby to a nice dinner when I see him!
Well, that about wraps up this post. I’m excited to move forward with my new regiment, if I can gain the confidence I need to be happy with myself and with my life and choices.
Happy 10th birthday, " † "! Hard to believe this amazing piece of electronic music history is a decade old now. Here’s to another 10 years of tasty French disco jams.
Le Le is a Euro-trash band from the Netherlands known for singing in English, Dutch, German, and French. Producing catchy, yet strange, multilingual pop music, they are an odd and underrated bunch.
“Flage” is their sophomore album, and yet they seem to have their style nailed down to a point where most long-established bands took much longer to achieve. They stick with their Euro-trash roots, mixing rock, pop, and house all into one bizarre package.
Some of the best tracks on the album are those with a vaguely hip-hop-esque tracks, such as “Hard”, “Ich Clac Dich”, and “Flage”. They also nail some synth throwback tracks, like “Jean Pierre Le Douche”, “Human Garbage”, and “International Pants”, creating retro synth riffs that bring you back to the 80′s. Simultaneously, they pair the synth with Euro-trash influence, with tracks like “Kickstart le Brommer”, “Sachen”, “Beautiful”, and “Captive Ton Chiffre”, which take a more experimental and Techno/House approach. But, being a Euro-trash group, they couldn’t not include pure House-influenced tracks; and they did, with songs like “Show Monaco”, “La Bouche”, “Drunk with Power”, “Breakfast”, and the rock-infused “Le Grand Méchant Look”.
It’s a weird album, but it has a great array of songs that cross over several different genres and styles. It may not be as diverse as some of the other albums I’ve reviewed; but for such a relatively underground band, and for an album so early in a band’s career, this album is a great introduction for Le Le into the Euro music scene.
This was an experiment I did setting edits to music, with the VHS effect and all the editing knowledge from working on both anime OPs. This was more of an experiment in masking/compositing, looping to beats, and heavy layering. Love the result, probably my most technically complicated video yet.
As a personal test of editing, as well as my new Blue Yeti microphone, I made this shirt-ish review of a game I’ve been enjoying recently. Hope to make more videos like this in the future.
Made an anime intro parody using footage from my New York City trip this December with friends, including artwork by my sister. Had a ton of fun making this!
A friend of mine recently “nominated” me on Facebook to post a picture of one of my favorite albums. I chose not to, but I decided to introspect which albums (plural, because I can’t rank them) I liked the most and to post them here.
I will explain for each one why I love the album. My one criteria is that I had to enjoy a large majority of the songs. It couldn’t be that I liked only one of two; One or two flops are okay. Overall, these are my favorite albums that I believe are filled with goods songs, with little to no bad tracks. Obviously, this meant some other albums I liked had to be cut from the list, and many singles and EPs were left out as well per the rules.
Thus, these are my top albums, in no particular order. Contents and text below.
Contents
“Panic” by Caravan Palace (2012)
“Discovery” by Daft Punk (2001)
“Cross” by Justice (2007)
“I Love You, Dude” by Digitalism (2011)
“Down to Earth” by Flight Facilities (2013)
“White Women” by Chromeo (2014)
“1749″ by Lemaitre (2016)
“Club Coeur” by Les Loups (2012)
“To Rest is to Rust” by Louis la Roche (2015)
“Complètement fou” by Yelle (2014)
“By Your Side” by Breakbot (2012)
“Homework” by Daft Punk (1997)
“Robot Face” (stylized as “<Iº_ºI>”) by Caravan Palace (2015)
1.) “Panic” by Caravan Palace (2012)
“Robot Face”, or “<|°_°|>”, the newest album by Caravan Palace after a four year touring and sound room session, is a very good album. But the tracks are split into two categories; more pop-lite songs and some that adhere more to their unique “electro-swing” style. It feels like, while remaining themselves, they sold out the A-side to a more diverse audience. And that’s not a bad thing; this is my own opinion, after all. But between the first, self-named album (which was much heavier on the instrumentals, and “Robot Face”, I found myself wanting an album of electro swing that was actually electronic swing. That perfect blend between electronic production and live instruments. It manifested itself in “Panic”, the band’s sophomore title.
This album has a myriad of songs that are all unique, yet adhere to the same general style of dance-mixed Parisian swing. You have your slow, melancholy songs such as “12 Juin 3049″ and “Glory of Nelly”, with your bouncy, dancy songs like “Beatophone” and “Newbop”, with your hits like “Rock It for Me” and “Dramophone”. The common thread between all of these works is that they all share the electro-swing characteristic - live instruments remixed by talented DJ’s to add some modernity to these pieces.
Whether you’re looking for something for your down time or to dance about the kitchen to, this album is for you. My only regret is that they never released it on Vinyl.
If you’ve never heard “One More Time”, either you’ve had your head in the sand or you weren’t around in the early 2000′s.
Although that song, along with “Harder Better Faster Stronger”, seems to get most of the press off of this album, I believe the whole thing's a masterpiece. This is the oldest entry on this list, but the French duo Daft Punk’s sense of musical foresight can be felt with “Discovery”.
It even had a frickin’ anime!
Many people have a hard time getting into Daft Punk, and I don’t blame them. “Random Access Memories” is a little too avant-garde, and “Human After All”, despite producing several hits “Technologic” and “Robot Rock”, feels a little too edgy and grating to most. But “Discovery” was a different kind of test; the creation maintained a kind of disco-like bounciness to it, something its creators aren’t too unfamiliar with; Thomas Bangalter and
Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo were both accomplished solo artists before Daft Punk, with Bangalter being a pioneer of the French/Filter House genre and Homem-Christo co-founding on of the genre’s biggest studios.
So, with “Discovery”, their sophomore album (a lot of sophomore albums on this list!), they channeled their dance talent into a bubbly, happy love song to disco. You’ve got pop hits, such as “One More Time” and “Harder Better Faster Stronger”. You’ve got disco-house tracks like “High Life”, “Crescendolls”, and “Digital Love”. You’ve got your downtempo disco songs like “Face to Face” and “Too Long”, and the funky “Something About Us” and “Voyager”. And if you’re feeling adventurous, there’s the synthed- up classical track “Veridis Quo”.
With an amazing lineup of music ahead of its time, Daft Punk knocked it out of the park with this LP; it produced some of their catchiest hits, and remains timeless even 15 years on from its release.
Recommended Listening:
“Digital Love”
“Face to Face”
“Something About Us”
Tracklist
"One More Time" (featuring Romanthony) 5:20
"Aerodynamic" 3:27
"Digital Love" 4:58
"Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" 3:45
"Crescendolls" 3:31
"Nightvision" 1:44
"Superheroes" 3:57
"High Life" 3:22
“Something About Us" 3:51
"Voyager" 3:47
"Veridis Quo" 5:44
"Short Circuit" 3:26
"Face to Face" (featuring Todd Edwards) 3:58
"Too Long" (featuring Romanthony) 10:00
***Back to Top***
3.) “Cross” by Justice (2007)
“Cross”, at its release in 2007, was a game-changer for electronic music. By 2006, many of the French House/Touch legends, such as Daft Punk (having just released “Human After All” to poor reception), Fred Falke, and Alan Braxe had begun their transition out of the electronic music spotlight. Many were left wondering; what was the next step for this genre, and who would lead it?
Enter Justice. Starting with remixes in the early 2000′s, including of Daft Punk (and featured on the “Human After All” remix album with the track “Guy-Man After All”), they eventually signed onto a new startup label called Ed Banger Records, headed by DJ and old producer of Daft Punk called Busy P. They eventually released their first single, including the track “Waters of Nazareth”, which launched their career. Only a few years later, they released “Cross” to critical acclaim. Their success also kickstarted the Ed Banger Label, leading to many successful musicians signing on (such as Breakbot, Mr. Oizo, DJ Mehdi, Cassius, Mr. Flash, SebastiAn) and redefining the French touch genre as a new wave of talent improved and tweaked the previous generation’s technique.
While the catchy “D.A.N.C.E.” may the best known song (due, in part, to its very creative music video), there is certainly more to be had on this album. “DVNO” and “TTHHEE PPAARRTTYY” are the vocals on this album, creating funky synthed-out pop featuring the talent of rapper Uffie (also signed on Ed Banger). “Newjack”, “Valentine”, and “One Minute to Midnight” are the in-betweens, the samplers, between the titans of the album. “Genesis”, “Let There Be Light”, and “Phantom Pt. I/II” are the classic glitch-French House that has made the group so popular, with dark dance hall beats and imposing synth. “Stress” and “Waters of Nazareth” are the more experimental songs, but definitely worth a listen.
Justice not only jump started their career with this album, but they redefined the genre of French House, and lead the charge into the next stage of the music’s life, working their way and innovating the whole way.
Recommended Listening:
“Genesis”
“D.A.N.C.E.”
“Phantom Pt.I/II”
Tracklist
"Genesis" 3:54
"Let There Be Light" 4:55
"D.A.N.C.E." 4:02
"Newjack" 3:36
“Phantom” 4:22
"Phantom Pt. II" 3:20
"Valentine" 2:56
"TThhEe PPaARRtTYY" (featuring Uffie) 4:03
"DVNO" (featuring Mehdi Pinson) 3:56
“Stress" 4:58
"Waters of Nazareth" 4:25
"One Minute to Midnight" 3:41
***Back to Top***
4.) “I Love You, Dude” by Digitalism (2011)
Digitalism are a rare breed of band; they are able to create both crazy dance hall hits, catchy pop, and fascinating experimental tracks all at the same time. This album, “I Love You, Dude”, contains all of these things.
The German band stuck it big with their “Idealism” album in 2007. The follow up, this album, proved to be even more successful than “Idealism”. It had a tracklist of gems; it was music that was catchy, blissful, it made you want to dance and sometimes to “just gaze”.
You’ve got your catchy dance hits, like “Blitz” and “Encore”. Some tracks, like “2 Hearts”, “Circles”, and “Forrest Gump” maintain the kind of indiepop you’d hear in a chic clothing store (this kind of “garage rock” derivative was what they began on), while still being unbelievably catchy. Songs like “Antibiotics” and “Reeperbahn” harken back to their previous album’s style, a kind of grungy house with rock elements that is their garage rock-style. And then you’ve got your atmospheric trips like “Just Gazin’” and “Stratosphere” that feel like the kind of songs that you’d turn on in the car on a long road trip.
Digitalism created a fantastic album of catchy hits and edgy house, all fit into one neat package. You’ve got to hand it to the Germans.
Recommended Listening:
“Blitz”
“2 Hearts”
“Just Gazin’””
Tracklist
"Stratosphere" 3:00
"2 Hearts" 3:56
"Circles" 3:48
"Blitz" 4:17
"Forrest Gump" 3:33
"Reeperbahn" 3:52
"Antibiotics" 3:58
"Just Gazin'" 3:31
"Miami Showdown" 3:25
"Encore" 4:19
***Back to Top***
5.) “Down to Earth” by Flight Facilities (2013)
This album was one of the few I had been following prior to launch; or, rather, the artist, Flight Facilities. The album itself had come as a complete bombshell, out of nowhere. They’d already released a handful of fantastic tracks, like the disco track “Foreign Language”, the house track “With You”, and the gentle, groovy dance track known by many, “Crave You”. Once this album dropped, I was initially disappointed by the selection on the album, expecting more tracks that had already been released as EPs to be re-released on the “Down to Earth” LP. That turned out to be a good thing, though; besides “Stand Still”, “Crave You”, and “Clair de Lune”, all of the other tracks were completely new.
After listening and relistening, the album grew on me. The group, Flight Facilities, are remarkable in their ability to cover multiple genres of music in one album, not just tones and tempos like the previous. You’ve got your more pop-dance hits like “Crave You” and “Stand Still” (both still fantastic songs), as well as deep house (”Heart Attack”, “Two Bodies”, “Down to Earth”), ambient music (”Merimbula”, “Apollo”, “Waking Bliss), and even hip-hop/R&B (”Sunshine”, “Why Do You Feel”). All of these genres can be found packed into this one album, along with an intro and reprise of “Crave You” that focuses entirely on the beautiful vocals and lyrics.
I have found that this album makes the perfect road-trip/long drive music. I’ve many a time turned this album on during a long car ride, because of its relaxing yet engaging nature. I can’t help but tap my fingers on the wheel to the smooth beat in “Crave You”, yet the tracks are never too intense as to startle. I just sit back, relax, and enjoy the flight.
Recommended Listening
“Crave You”
“Heart Attack”
“Sunshine”
Tracklist
"Intro" 1:50
"Two Bodies" (featuring Emma Louise) 6:08
"Sunshine" (featuring Reggie Watts) 4:25
"Waking Bliss" 4:00
"Stand Still" (featuring Micky Green) 4:19
"Apollo" 3:51
"Clair De Lune" (featuring Christine Hoberg) 7:39
"Hold Me Down" (featuring Stee Downes) 4:43
"Heart Attack" (featuring Owl Eyes) 6:28
"Merimbula" 6:27
"Why Do You Feel" (featuring Bishop Nehru) 4:06
"Down To Earth" 4:30
"Crave You (Reprise)" (featuring Kylie Minogue) 1:12
"Crave You" (featuring Giselle Rosselli) 3:54
***Back to Top***
6.) “White Women” by Chromeo (2014)
This album, by the Toronto-based electro-funk group Chromeo, is a love story to funk music and disco. With synths and vocoders galore, this music is always happy, upbeat, and energetic. This is their fourth studio album, and unlike some bands, they have not lost their style nor their soul; in fact, their sound is even more refined.
Whether it be the happy pop hits like “Jealous (I Ain’t with It)” or “Come Alive”, the disco-esque “Fall Back 2U” or “Play the Fool”, ska-like “Hard to Say No”, or the sexy “Over Your Shoulder” or “Frequent Flyer”, every track is a good time. Whether listened entirely or individually, this album is a hit, providing plenty of catchy, funky beats to keep you busy in the car or on the go.
There’s not much else I can say. I mean, this album is just really good.
Recommended Listening:
“Jealous (I Ain't with It)”
“Hard to Say No”
“Fall Back 2U”
Tracklist
"Jealous (I Ain't with It)" 3:48
"Come Alive" (featuring Toro y Moi) 3:58
"Over Your Shoulder" 4:32
"Sexy Socialite" 5:36
"Lost on the Way Home" (featuring Solange) 5:24
"Play the Fool" 5:15
"Hard to Say No" 3:35
"Ezra's Interlude" (featuring Ezra Koenig) 1:54
"Old 45's" 3:47
"Somethingood" 6:30
"Frequent Flyer" 3:13
"Fall Back 2U" 5:50
***Back to Top***
7.) “1749″ by Lemaitre (2016)
“1749″ by Lemaitre was the one on this list I was debating the most; after all, at only five tracks, it barely registers as an LP. But I feel its merits as an independent album prove it deserves to be on this list.
Named after the house address of the place the band bought in Los Angeles, this album represents the band’s ascension from underground glitch-house producers to hit makers and big names. Remixing for the likes of Madeon, and garnering millions of views online, Lemaitre have hit their stride.
This album, mainly, contains what I would classify as feel-good, upbeat dance, still reminiscent of their glitch-house origins. Some have heavier electronic elements, some songs more intense than others. Yet they all come together in a representation of their rise in the music scene and their growing popularity.
Some songs, such as “Closer (feat. Jennie A.) and “Stepping Stone” fill the niche for vocal-driven pop dance, with both songs seemingly perfect at home on the radio. “Not Too Late” is similar, but perhaps a bit more traditional to their style. Meanwhile, “Nishio 2 (feat. Giraffage)” and “Day Two” fill the spot as the more traditional, both in respect to the style of the band or to house music in general; both are, however, good songs, with “Day Two” being a energetic house song that features a steady, catchy beat.
This album may be the best for new listeners, while veterans of the band’s discography may cling to the early “Relativity” albums. However, this is no attack on either the band or this album. “1749″ represents the success of the band, and their breakthrough into the more mainstream electronic scene.
Recommended Listening:
"Day Two”
“Nishio 2″
“Closer”
Tracklist
"Not Too Late" 3:16
"Stepping Stone (feat. Mark Johns)" 4:16
"Closer (feat. Jennie A.)" 4:31
"Day Two" 3:59
"Nishio 2 (feat. Giraffage)" 4:01
***Back to Top***
8.) “Club Coeur” by Les Loups (2012)
This lesser-known album by the German DJ group Les Loups is a nice mix of disco-inspired dance tracks. It’s upbeat, yet mellow; it’s dance music, but more relaxed and easy going. The use of synth, bass, and samples gives the album a French House feel, but it’s not quite as frantic as some other dance music. It’s catchy, but easy to listen to.
None of the songs really stand out, but instead create a whole experience together. Don’t expect anything too hardcore, just relaxed disco house. This is an album that benefits from a full straight-through listen, but its songs are perfect on their own. It’s a kind of collective that, individually, is good but nothing amazing, but becomes a lovely disco-infused trip all together.
Recommended Listening:
“Elephant & Ivory”
“Save the Night”
“Last Danse (Outro)”
Tracklist
“Club Coeur Theme (Intro)” 1:02
“Save the Night” 4:21
“Perfect Situation” 4:35
“Paradisco” 4:15
“Elephant & Ivory” 4:21
“Must Be Love” 4:00
“The Break-Up” 4:21
“Nostalgia” 4:41
“Good Friends” 6:25
“Last Danse (Outro)” 2:31
“Side to Side (Bonus Track)” 6:18
***Back to Top***
9.) “To Rest is to Rust” by Louis la Roche (2015)
Unlike the previous work of young English DJ Louis la Roche, which is more deep/french house oriented, this album is much more relaxed and funky. With both his DJing and singing talents, Louis la Roche has created a simple, relaxing disco experience, similar to the Les Loups album mentioned before but even more mellow.
Between the funky, Breakbot-esque “Direct Drive” to the nostalgic “Lonely Girl”, to the funky pop songs like “Just Like You”, “Let Me Go”, and “Give Our Love A Chance”, this album is a great nudisco experience without being too intense or involving. Simply put the album on and relax.
Recommended Listening:
"Give Our Love A Chance”
“Let Me Go”
“Excuses”
Tracklist
“Bright Future” 02:58
“Let Me Go” 03:41
“Mainline” 03:47
“Just Like You” 03:35
“Undercover Lover” 03:57
“Tonight” 03:34
“Direct Drive” 02:28
“Lonely Girl” (feat. Crystal Bats) 03:29
“Excuses” 03:34
“Give Our Love A Chance” 03:41
“Jealousy” 03:30
***Back to Top***
10.) “Complètement fou” by Yelle (2014)
"Complètement fou" is an interesting addition to this list. Yelle is a French indie pop group that deals mainly with the vocals of one of its female members and Madeon-like synth, creating catchy and upbeat pop songs all in French.
You have your more mainstream pop songs like "Complètement fou" and "Moteur action"; Bass-y numbers like “Toho” and “Ba$$in”; sentimental songs like "Florence en Italie" and "Dire qu'on va tous mourir". It’s a good mix that suits the album well, and creates a well-rounded album that can appeal to most listeners in some capacity.
Recommended Listening:
"Moteur Action”
"Un jour viendra"
"Florence en Italie"
Tracklist
"Complètement fou" 3:50
"Ba$$in" 2:59
"Coca sans bulles" 3:38
"Les soupirs et les refrains" 3:45
"Nuit de Baise I" 2:15
"Toho" 2:53
"Moteur action" 3:23
"Florence en Italie" 4:14
"Un jour viendra" 3:31
"Nuit de baise II" 1:20
"Jeune fille garnement" 4:22
"Dire qu'on va tous mourir" 1:34
"Bouquet final" 4:14
***Back to Top***
11.) “By Your Side” by Breakbot (2012)
“By Your Side” is, I’d say, one of the best examples of modern French House or NuDisco; a perfect synchronism of old-school Bass guitar riffs and whiny synth with more modern contemporary techniques and vocals, blended together to create a positively funk-a-licious mix.
As mentioned before, Breakbot is one of the newer additions to the French electronic scene (relativelly speaking), having arrived at Ed Banger Records after its boom with Justice’s rise to fame. An talent in his own right, Thibaut Jean-Marie Michel Berland (who goes by “Breakbot”) is an amazing powerhouse of funky disco beats and synthed-up tracks. Besides his own work, he’s an accomplished remixer for the likes of Kavinsky, Aeroplane, and Chromeo, as well as a fantastic mixer.
This album, his first besides several EPs released over a few years, is a beautiful love story to the late Disco era, without borrowing too heavily from the artists of the time; it belongs as much to the late 70′s as it does to the 2000′s. From pop vocals to some bonkers synth, this album is a treat; always upbeat, always happy. It’s as if the soul of the artists is encapsulated in their work; the music seems eager to make you smile and tap a foot to the beat.
Tracks like “Baby I’m Yours” and “Fantasy” are the more well-known vocal tracks of the album, although “Why”, “”You Should Know”, and “One Out of Two” are fantastic hits as well. Instrumentals like “Programme”, “Easy Fraction”, and the ever-popular “Shades of Black” are fun trips of borderline-comical synth and bass. Even the more subdued tracks, like “A Mile Away” and “The Mayfly and the Light” are great palette cleansers, acting as smooth in-betweens.
This is a great album, but there is one major problem I have; it’s impossible to listen to the music so stoically, as you always end up bouncing along to the music, smiling away.
Recommended Listening:
“Baby I’m Yours” (featuring Irfane)
“Shades of Black”
“Why” (featuring Ruckazoid)
Tracklist:
"Break of Dawn" 2:20
"Fantasy" (featuring Ruckazoid) 3:19
"One Out of Two" (featuring Irfane) 3:40
"By Your Side part.1" (featuring Pacific!) 1:28
"By Your Side part.2" (featuring Pacific!) 3:34
"You Should Know" (featuring Ruckazoid) 4:04
"The Mayfly and the Light" (featuring Irfane) 3:28
"Programme" 4:08
"Easy Fraction” 1:17
"Baby I'm Yours" (featuring Irfane) 3:38
"Another Dawn" (featuring Irfane) 3:54
"Why" (featuring Ruckazoid) 5:25
"A Mile Away" (featuring Irfane) 3:47
"Intersection" 2:33
***Back to Top***
12.) “Homework” by Daft Punk (1997)
I was originally aprehensive about putting multiple albums by the same artist on this list, but I decided that “Homework” was so good that it deserved to be on here.
This was not an album that I liked very much originally. Besides the more well-known songs, like “Around the World” and “Da Funk”, I didn’t know much about this one. But once I gave it a listen, and listened to the whole album, my opinion of it changed quite a bit.
The story of the album itself it fascinating in its own right. Released in 1997, it was the product of two teenagers with a dream; Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo, two Parisian 22-year-olds creating house music in their bedrooms that would completely change both the electronic scene forever. The album, unlike some of their later releases, was very low budget; yet they made it work, and the result was an amazing addition to the House music genre.
The album is a perfect representation of the electronic scene at the time, bundled into one package. Much of the album is comprised of catchy House beats, with tracks like “Phoenix”, “Revolution 909″, “High Fidelity”, “Indo Silver Club”, and “Alive”. Besides this, you have your experimental synth tracks (”Daftendirekt”, “Burnin’”). You also have your late 90′s electro-hip hop beats, like “Oh Yeah” and “Teachers”. There are even a few Acid House tracks, like “Rock’n Roll” and “Rollin’ and Scratchin’”. With some extras thrown in, like the funky “Fresh” or the hilarious intro/outros (”WDPK 83.7″, “Funk Ad”) that imitate radio station advertisements.
Recommended Listening:
“Phoenix”
“Indo Silver Club”
“Rollin’ and Scratchin’”
Tracklist:
"Daftendirekt" 2:44
"WDPK 83.7 FM" 0:28
"Revolution 909" 5:26
"Da Funk" 5:28
"Phoenix" 4:55
"Fresh" 4:03
"Around the World" 7:08
"Rollin' & Scratchin'" 7:26
"Teachers" 2:52
"High Fidelity" 6:00
"Rock'n Roll" 7:32
"Oh Yeah" 2:00
"Burnin'" 6:53
"Indo Silver Club" 4:32
"Alive" 5:15
"Funk Ad" 0:50
***Back to Top***
13.) “Robot Face” (stylized as “<Iº_ºI>”) by Caravan Palace (2015)
As I mentioned before, “Robot Face” is much more tailored to a wider audience than their previous albums were. Whereas the older albums are mostly focused on the swing aspect, this new piece is more heavily electronic, while still maintaining the swing-like aspects that make this band so unique.
The A-sides on this album are the pop-swing hits “Lone Digger”, “Comics”, “Tattoos”, and “Wonderland”. They are uniquely both swing inspired/sampled and modern electronic house influenced, owing to the amazing talents of the band (from the instrumentalists to the DJs). Meanwhile, you have the other songs, which are much more based on 1920′s vocal samples than Zoé Colotis’ singing, and which are more heavily based in the electronic side of their talents. Songs like “Wonda”, “Lay Down”, and the ever catchy “Russian” fill this niche. The others, such as “Midnight” and “Aftermath”, are great songs in their own right, and sound almost like backtracks for a hip-hop song.
The variety accomplished in this album may have dissapointed some fans, who were upset at the deviation from the norm, but, in the long term, their efforts to branch out and experiment will lead to both better tracks and greater well-deserved fame.
