The Cedar Lounge Revolution

Downloads are making a mess of chronology and stuff, so, here are tracks I heard in 2007 for the first time, but not necessarily from 2007, and which will sit on the iPod for quite a while. If you see what I mean. I used to dismiss the argument that downloads etc were destroying the album, but I’m reviewing it again. Certainly I don’t listen to albums with the same dedication as I used to, in part because it’s so easy to flick forward. Good thing or bad thing? And downloads have long since crowded out CD purchases, in part because finally they’re being released at half-way decent bit rates. Still, even the current 256kb (which is the highest rate available at the iTunes Store) seems a bit thin to me and there are providers out there who sell either Variable Bit Rate (VBR) or 320kb MP3s which are vastly more satisfactory. Still not CD quality, but not too far off. Which means that CD purchases tend to be for sentimental reasons or convenience. And sentiment is being beaten back by price.

Losing Houston – All India Radio … ambient music for the soundtrack of films that haven’t yet been made.

September Sun – Type O Negative… imagine, if you will the Beatles at a Nuremberg Rally filled with Goths. No, wait, that doesn’t sound right…

Arctikal – Antarctica – electronica, a dash of dreampop, all good.

Ausgesetzt – Giant Brain… It’s Neu! again (or as someone said ‘the guitars are either too fast or two slow for me’…. yeah, that’s the point)…

lazy – freezepop … lives up to its name

trauma – electro group… stereolab go noisy…

Freedom – Cathedral… an unlikely combination of Fool’s Gold era Primal Scream and metal…

All Ones And Zeroes – The Early Years… It’s Neu! again again again again again

Waterplanes in Snow – Chin Up Chin Up… ghosts of the Go-Betweens

Farewell Fire – Boards of Canada – an elegy for electronic music.

Put Your Hands Up For Detroit – Fedde Le Grand… a homage… or so I’m told.

That Was Me – Paul McCartney… it was too…

Test Pilot Blues – Black Francis … best since Pixies? Sure seems to be…

Hormone Love – Blowoff Hmmm… Bob Mould does an album, most of which is camp(ish) night club dance, some of which is Husker Du inflected pop… weirdly I think I prefer the former.

Exceeder (instrumental club mix) – Mason … better than the version with the vocals.

glixen – Loveliescrushing … female vocals – check, shimmering guitars – check, subtle percussion – check… more dreampop.

I Never Lose. Never Really – Belong They took the My Bloody Valentine template and decided to replicate it… but without such bourgeois conceits as basslines… or drumbeats… or vocals… or melodies…

Sirens over the Bridge – The Peoples… a brilliant reworking of early synth driven New Wave…

Raising Your Voice… Trying to Stop An Echo – Hammock They took the MBV template and decided to replicate it with basslines, and guitars and drumbeats, the very occasional vocal and lots of melody.

White Lights – T.O.Y. … electronic trance which reminds me of Double, but in a good way. So we can take it as read that it’s cheesy.

Until the Lights Go Down – Highspire... more worship at the church of MBV

Cosmomatic – Rank 1 … I’m sure I heard that bassline on the Bruderschaft single, but hey, that’s trance for you.

Digital – Seabound… Electronic Body Music, but without the keyboards, just the percussion, and a whispered vocal that talks of bondage in the woods. Hmmm… okay then.

On Our Own – The Meeting Places … dreampop

The Farthest Star – VNV Nation – they’re still angry, or maybe just frustrated… who can tell? Impeccable electronic dance music.

Killer Application – Exilanation... imagine if you will a cross between hard EBM and the Sex Pistols. Perhaps best not.

Stars – Ulrich Schnauss a genius, perhaps. Let’s hold out the verdict for the ‘difficult’ fourth and fifth albums … eh?

Dog House Boogie – Seasick Steve… it boogies y’know.

Doing it Right – The Go Team! – more fun than we have any right to expect from their second album

Ancients – Gary Numan… angst, the hint of a Bond soundtrack… ah it’s that nice Gary Numan…

Blue Sky – Fluke … the inheritors of the late lamented Shriekback mantle deliver a slice of Screamadelica era dance. Okay, so it’s a decade and a half late… but worth the wait.

In Shock – Kristen Hersh… she likes this riff so much she uses it at least once more on the album. But that’s okay. It’s a great, great riff.

Certainty – mind.in.a.box… it’s EBM and it’s dance and it’s pop… and it might be something quite innovative.

Sing me Spanish Techno – The New Pornographers... a little bit Jayhawks, a little bit Fleetwood Mac… don’t let that put you off.

From a Motel 6 – Yo La Tengo… years old now, but still great.

Glis – Sunrise… if you like European women telling you the time in a monotone against a trance background this is definitely for you… It not it ain’t.

Merging Oceans – Rotersand… suspiciously like a better Sisters of Mercy… not a hugely difficult feat.

The Garden at Night – The Clientele… harder than their usual fare. Which is a good thing.

We hold on – Rush… they do you know… whether they should is a different matter.

Universe B – Killing Joke … still at it too (see above)…

Age of Computers – Interface …. scary EBM… well, it is if you find Terminator 2 and Skynet scary, if not, you’ll probably sleep easy.

Honourable mentions (some repurchased or re-released in 2007)

Rereleased Horslips albums in MP3 format.
The Cult – Dreamtime

Flesh for Lulu – Long Live the New Flesh

Hawkwind – Choose Your Masques (Live)

The Pastels – Up for a Bit…

Belly – Star

Daniel Ash – Coming Down

Julian Cope – Autogeddon

Easterhouse – Contenders

The Fall – The Infotainment Scan