One Sentence Review: 5 Random Books

Robertson Davies: Fifth Business (1970) - Davies' most acclaimed novel is a cathartic and tragic story of a man who lives his life but realizes that those around him, his friends, his lovers, and even strangers, are the people that shape it and his circumstances. 9.6/10

Junot Diaz: The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (2007) - The most complete, hilarious but at the same time heart wrenching look at the society, culture, and people of the Dominican Republic is a fast read full of myth, freakishly relatable characters a lot of Dominican slang. 9.2/10

Jeffrey Eugenides: Middlesex (2002) - Eugenides' Pulitzer Prize winning novel is the story of Calliope Stephanides, an intersexed individual, and of her family, their decisions and her life as an individual who, like many of us, is trying to find meaning in the life she has been dealt. 10/10

Yann Martel: Life of Pi (2001) - This modern classic story of a boy shipwrecked at sea is both frightening and charming, impeccably researched and entirely metaphorical. 8.9/10

Brian Francis Slattery: Spaceman Blues (2007) - A frenetic, pulpy sci-fi story that seems to do without a break button deserves cult classic status and with a story as imaginative and fucked up as this, I'm sure it will. 8.1/10

One Sentence Review: 5 Random Movies

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008) - A three hour epic about a man who is born old and ages backwards is a story that slowly progresses to its conclusion, yet with its many philosophies and takes on mortality it never feels like it should be any shorter. 8.9/10

The Dark Knight (2008) - This epic about a man and his struggle to endure despite tragic circumstances and backlash is often implausible, but any individual with a love for tightly bound plots that unfold in rapid fire will find in The Dark Knight a strong personal contender for best movie of all time. 9.2/10

Soylent Green (1973) - By now we all know the twist that the movie tries to make us care about, but no matter how relevant the plot about overpopulation may be, the movie did not age well. 3.2/10

Adaptation. (2002) - Just when you think you've got the film figured out, an unpredictable and seemingly random event makes the film aware of itself, creating a mindfuck that lasts the rest of the brilliant ride until its hypnotizing conclusion. 9.3/10

Being John Malkovich (1999) - Charlie Kauffman is a genius, coming up with concepts and exploring ideas that slowly unwound until the film that he has written for becomes irrecognizable and all that much better. 9.4/10

One Sentence Review: 5 Random Albums

Portishead: Third (2008) - Darker and harsher than earlier efforts, creating an unavoidable atmosphere and many surprises that warrant a more rewarding experience than earlier albums, though Dummy is still catchier and thus the ideal place to start. 9.0/10

Talking Heads: Remain in Light (1980) - Funky quasi-African polyrythms conjured up by four white folks in their conceptual prime guarantee an immediately accessible, danceable, immersive experience that never lets up momentum until it has to, when we are all sweating and panting. 10/10

The Zombies: Odessey & Oracle (1968) - The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds with Beatle-esque attitude equal one the most unfairly overlooked, absolutely essential album of the 1960s. 10/10

Pavement: Wowee Zowee (1995) - The quintessential indie band of the 90s seem to have lost inspiration for their third full length effort, successfully creating one of the most frustrating albums by one of the decade's best bands. 5/10

My Bloody Valentine: Isn't Anything (1988) - More immediate and edgier than the more influential and beautiful Loveless, but by no means any less essential. 9.6/10

The National: "Boxer" vs. "Alligator"

There's a reason I'm ignoring the first half of The National's album catalogue in this comparison. One: I haven't actually heard the first few albums (and that in itself is reason enough, so you're probably wondering what other excuse I can conjure up), and two: the two albums follow a motif, that is, they both sport a single word as their album titles, probably implying that The National is the Alligator and Boxer. Now that I've justified myself, on to the comparison:

I liked Alligator before I liked Boxer, even though I listened to Boxer first. A first listen through Boxer may remind some people of bands like Interpol and the vocals of Leonard Cohen, which bring a sense of familiarity, and with that feeling intact, one may also feel like they've heard all that The National has to offer in that album.

That's the reason why I stuck to Alligator as my first purchase. That, and the fact that Alligator has "Secret Meeting." I downloaded the latter track thinking that I hadn't given the band a fair chance. The track proved itself well, with a crisp and clear drum-beat, introspective and catchy lyrics, and a rhythm that was impossible to forget. So, I bought Alligator and fell in love with the majority of songs. Alligator was more immediate, catchier, and more memorable - faster.

So, I bought Boxer because I heard that it was stronger than Alligator, but as soon as Fake Empire ran its 3 minute course - and what a beautiful three minutes it was - the album began to sound very unlike that first song, and much more generic afterwards.

With the exception of Fake Empire, Slow Show, Start a War, and maybe Gospel, the tracks didn't sound as diverse, the lyrics took a backseat, and the drums drove all the rhythm. It didn't offer its whole self as fast as Alligator did.

But, here's the thing about Boxer: You have to give it time to sink in. After watching the video for Apartment Story, I started to notice what the band was aiming for, and it wasn't the immediacy that they accomplished on their preceding effort. The verses, chorus, bridges and even the content of their lyrics become familiar with time, and with time you find that you start enjoying the songs more than you thought you would, as you notice the subtlety that make each track.

It's as if it's a pitch-dark night and its raining; you are alone in a deserted street, and you are going nowhere. As you get used to the rain, you stand and notice the small things all around you, like how traffic lights change colours, slowy, and how street lights illuminate the sidewalks. If you didn't stand still, if you had rushed to whatever your destination was, you would have complained about the rain and missed the night's offerings, the way you probably would complain about the predominant drum-beats on this record, without noticing the depth and irony in the lyrics and sound.

They are two very different albums. Alligator is more immediate, but Boxer grows on you; And thus, Alligator's candle wastes faster than Boxer's, which never has a flame too big for the wax to handle. Whichever album you end up buying, you won't be disappointed - they are both great efforts. Though, perhaps you gave up on The National by the time they released their sophomore disk. If that's the case, then, foolish you.

Aside from the highlights above, here are few others from Alligator: Karen, Daughters of the Soho Riots, All The Wine, Mr. November (Alligator).

Review ! : "Mirrored" by Battles

The first thing I want to talk about is the album's noticeably smaller-than-usual packaging. I'll call it a soft-cover, while what would be hard-covers are known by their more common name: Jewel Cases.

This "soft-cover"album is slightly smaller in width than a traditional soft-cover album. The album art itself is a photograph of what would be the band's instruments, but the band itself is nowhere in the photograph. When the listener opens the album to get to the record, he or she will be treated to a bigger photograph that follows on the cover's motif - namely, many more instruments that seem go on endlessly in a landscape.

All of this is notable because the album cover expertly contrasts and foreshadows what the band has in store for the listener. Battles' sound is as epic as their name may suggest, and the fact that the cover's dimensions are smaller-than-usual whilst hosting a photograph of endless instruments (which allow the band to conjure said epic sound) is almost like a commentary. What I'd like to think they are saying is that their sound cannot be solely experienced within the confines of a recording - so small and compact. If this is indeed the message they're trying to get across, then I must admit that they are right, for I don't think that the band's sound should be limited to a recording - one must see them live. At least I would imagine their sound becoming much more special when listened to in person.

The music itself is both fascinating and frustrating. Its all technical and no soul, like a machine working clockwork on your listening tastebuds yet somehow missing the point of music altogether. That is, the music may be interesting and insatiably catchy, but it doesn't very much try to connect with the listener on an emotional level. You will find your spoken voice in adjectives like cool and amazing upon listening to the album, but after the tracks are done, you don't feel like the track is yours, that you can make a personal connection. That may not be wholly important to everyone in the world, but its worth mentioning.

Aside from the lack of emotional connection, the album does feature some incredible musicianship. The artists here really know their stuff, and if you watch a certain interview (now on YouTube, as all things in the sight a camera tend to end up), you know that they know it. If you can look past their slight egoes, you will realize that the music here goes beyond the artists' personalities. If you thought you couldn't connect with the music, then imagine that the artists themselves cannot connect with it, past the fact that they gave the music life. The music here becomes its own character, a separate entity - apparent as you listen - that goes beyond the artists themselves. These are regular Joes making some uncharacteristic music, but, going back to how talented these guys are, they do that music some great justice. Their perfect timing and unity is what makes the music stand and become its own entity.


Now, here are the really bad bits. This isn't really a listen-through kind of album. Mostly at fault is the length of the tracks, which wouldn't be so bad if they weren't all bombastic displays and more diverse. After a few tracks, you begin to feel desensitized - unable to be surprised by the band. For example, if you attempt to listen to tracks like "Rainbow" and "Tij" in their natural order, they tend to lose their power. "Rainbow" is an exciting track that takes the listener through some twists, turns, and a journey with soundscapes that are incredibly immersing - the closest you'll get to a romantic experience hosted by the band. Sadly, the song follows"Atlas" and "Tonto", which are over seven minutes long and, if you are listening to this album properly, incredibly exhausting. The album slows the pace a little with Leyendecker, but its not enough for the listener, who has to take in Rainbow in all its 8 minute glory. Again, my point is that the length of the track makes this a hard listen-through if you want to take in the absolute power of each track. Over-time, as you discover the bits of each track, the album begins to show its true genius.

Another huge complain is the track titled "Prismism." This track is the devil's tease, what with its length barely at a minute, yet its make-up so exciting and captivating. If it was a full-length effort it would have revived the album's dwindling momentum. It sounds different enough to rekindle the interest of the listener, yet not too different, so that it maintains its natural place within all other tracks. But, no, it's not so, and that fact on its own almost inspired me to hate the band and dismiss this record altogether.

To have done that, however, would have been foolish.

Mirrored is a fantastic album, probably unlike anything you've heard before, and incredibly accessible to boot. The unfortunate thing is that the band attempted to make this a listen-through album, assumed when looking at the first track titled Race:In and the last track titled Race:Out, though the album's momentum dwindles after Leyendecker. This could have been avoided if Prismism, one of the latter-end tracks, was developed into a full-length effort, but it was not so. Whatever your opinion of this particular record, you have to respect the band for their incredible effort and genius musicianship.

Buy it if you are a fan of music.

Listen to: Atlas, Tonto, Leyendecker, Rainbow, and Tij

8.9/10

Kavalier & Clay's Lengthy Adventure

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay is a novel written by Michael Chabon, which deals with the title character's lives as they live through the comic book's golden age. Now, the latter is how I would start a review of the novel, but seeing as how I'm barely on page 130 (out of a behemoth 600-and-change), and I have come upon a thought, I have chosen to drop the novel for a minute and talk about why I think it's so long (and other, more interesting and less obvious thoughts).

Okay, so I forgot to mention that when I'm not reading about Kavalier and Clay's amazing odyssey, I'm reading Yann Martel's Life of Pi, which I have already pictured a couple of decades down the line with the slick Penguin Modern Classics cover (the ones with the silver bottom). I've drawn some similarities, see? Both novels are very heavy on narrator monologue and very, very light in character dialogue, which means that the reader is mostly subjected to tons of descriptions, predominant in the case of Kavalier and Clay, and character reflections and thoughts, as with Life of Pi. Very little is revealed about the characters via their dialogue, as the authors decide to talk about the characters omnipresently, describing every bit of their lives by jumping through time as naturally as breathing.

What saves the novels, and perhaps what made them Pulitzer Price and Man Booker Price winners, is the fact that the narrator's prose is such a pleasant read, though, in the case of Kavalier and Clay, often not a simple read.

Simple doesn't always have to mean shallow, or lacking in imagination, but certainly with words less complicated as these. I'm only talking about Kavalier and Clay here. There are words that will fly right over the heads of people who do not have the better part of a thesaurus memorized. I don't want to complain too much about this, however, for this is how one learns new words (or at least me) - by highlighting them and then looking in the dictionary for definitions (and maybe using them as everyday vernacular when the sound of the word is not too awkward), but when the reader is subjected to sentence after sentence of environmental description, which makes the bulk of the prose in any section so far, then not only can the reader find him/herself losing track of what the narrator is describing, but they may also decide to skip right through the descriptions on to the parts where the narrator does something else, like, talk about a moment in time relating to present scenarios (which makes another big bulk of the prose).

Though I may complain about, I always realize that I probably wouldn't take Kavalier and Clay any differently than what it already is. Its epic prose (minus a few complex words) is what gives the novel character, and in it I find a break from Life of Pi's much more simplistic and readable prose. The narrator in Pi doesn't do with descriptions altogether, but he does condense them; he doesn't love his character's surroundings as much as the narrator in Kavalier and Clay, which is a shame, really, for I could stand to read more about the surroundings of the temples which Pi visits in the novel, and not so much the urban make-up of Kavalier and Clay's Brooklyn.

The key-word with Kavalier and Clay is immersion - it's an experience. Chabon wants you to be there with his characters, and he wants you to forget your surroundings immediately upon opening the book for the first time. I, however, am more of a quick reader, for I take most books as means to ends; I want to have a collection of books that showcase how many books I've read in my lifetime, and if I ever read a book a second time it's to highlight words I didn't know before and learn them, so that I may use them in my own writing. But if you disagree with me completely, then you must be a reader who enjoys immersing yourself in a book, in which case you will absolutely love Kavalier and Clay.

Okay, so, maybe that was a review of sorts. However, I promise that a formal review of both novels will come up as soon as I'm reading them, though Kavalier and Clay may just take me a lifetime.

Top 10 Most Complete Albums Final Part

Come On Feel the Illinoise! (or, simply, Illinois) by Sufjan Stevens

It's a funny and exciting thing, so exciting it leaves you giddy, when an album can command your moods as good as this one can.

To say that it is also epic is selling it short: Sufjan Steven's masterpiece (so far) is fantastic, which happens to likewise be an understatement. If you're familiar with Stevens, you've probably heard that he's been working on dedicating an album to all the states in the United States, which almost makes the albums that come from this project appear as if they are going to be mere means to ends. But whatever preconception you have about this album, be it negative or even positive, should rest happy in the back of your mind as you listen to this record.

These are songs of joy, of religion, sadness, adventure - essentially, if you are feeling down, up, happy, sad, or are just looking for a few good tunes, then Sufjan hits the spot with this one. The strings, the harmonies, the epic songs and the short interludes - they all work so well. Clearly, this is a listen-through-from-beginning-to-end album, but if you must listen to a handful of songs to be truly convinced, then listen to: Decatur, Chicago, Casimir Pulaski Day, and The Man of Metropolis Steals our Hearts - though they are a billion times better within the flow of the album. The truth is, not everyone will enjoy this record, but then again, not everyone is a fan of good music.

Takk... by Sigur Ros

It is true, Agaetis Byrjun was their breakthrough album, and in many people's opinion, it was their best album, what with the Untitled album being too morose and quiet at times, and the debut being almost inaccessible.

Many will disagree with my choice, but this is the way I look at it: Takk... is an album made by a band that, one day, looked back at the three full length albums they have released and noticed that though their sound become more epic, often beautiful and even dreamy, it never really changed much. Essentially, I feel that they got a bit bothered by that fact and decided to up the ante.

No, this is not a rock/metal or really anything louder in demeanour than what Sigur Ros has released in the past. Most of these aren't pop songs, either. Takk..., is, instead... well, much more alive. You still get the mourning strings and beautiful compositions, but you also get a more epic, much more sound-filled soundscape. You will hear it on tracks such as Hoppipolla, its accompanying Med Blodnasir (spelling?) and Saeglopur, but you will also listen to tracks that are more spaced out, much more dense, and much longer, such as Se Lest (a beautiful track that compares well with what Olsen Olsen did in Agaetis Byrjun) Milano, and Svo Hjlott.

If the last three albums didn't really captivate you the way your indie friends keep saying they will, then I can assure you that Takk... will at least gain your respect. It's an album that does happy and almost turns it into a religious experience for the listener.

Here are the Top 10 in order from best to not best.

10 - Thunder, Lightning Strike - The Go! Team
Every song is incredible, but a lackluster production brings the energy down a bit.

9 - Rumours - Fleetwood Mac
A great summer/early morning album, but it isn't the most complete, or even greatest experience when compared to the rest of the albums on this list (clearly).

8 - Apologies to the Queen Mary - Wolf Parade
A beautiful, poetic, energetic album that is brought down by some disappointing filler (but what filler isn't disappointing, anyways?)

7 - The Runner's Four - Deerhoof
Deerhoof do things their own way, though, after 20 tracks, any love at first had will most likely dwindle, no matter who you are.

6 - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot - Wilco
Amazing collection of music, though each individual track works better on its own than when listened to the album in full, which dampens the experience much.

5 - Illinois - Sufjan Stevens
Like Pink Floyd's The Wall, the album has a few outstanding tracks, but it gets a bit tedious when you feel like you have to listen to the obvious filler to get the whole experience.

4 - Takk... - Sigur Ros
A beautiful album that will not disappoint anyone, unless you have an insatiable hard-on for their sophomore record and can't get over the fact that the band has to grow to get better.

3 -Now, More than Ever - Jim Guthrie
I wanted to make this number one, as there are no filler tracks in any portion of the record, and it works very well as a listen-through and a single's album. Ultimately, however, there are two bigger albums competing on this list to be number one.

2 -Dark Side of the Moon - Pink Floyd
The album upon which all albums should be measured. This is a religious experience from the first track to the last, each song working very well (and often perfectly) as both singles and as a whole. Sadly, no matter how much genius was poured into the album, it works better when listened to on your own, or when the mood is really mellow, otherwise it just doesn't work. Which isn't the same in the case of our #1 album...

1 -Emperor Tomato Ketchup - Stereolab
It's number one because it works well as a listen-through album, both with friends and without; with people who are familiar with the band, and for people who aren't. Though not every song is there for a reason, unlike Dark side, the few missteps (far and few in-between) are forgiven, especially when listened to the album whole. It works well in the background and foreground - if you don't own it yet, get it.

Top 10 Most Complete Albums Pt. 3

I know, I know, I missed my Monday reviews. I'll go ahead and put what would have been two parts into one, so that you get four reviews. Ah, well, it's not like anyone's reading anyway.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd

To me it hardly matters that this was supposed to be an obscure list, for Dark Side of the Moon deserves every praise that it gets.

You know by now that this record is classic, and I would go as far as to say that without Dark Side, Pink Floyd wouldn't have been nearly as legendary as they are today. First, without Dark Side, there wouldn't have been anyone to listen to, or care about, their later, classic albums, such as Wish You Were Here and The Wall. Sure, they had The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, which is apparently a great record, but what's the album that you see in every Pink Floyd fan's record collection? And why? Simple: It's almost a religious experience.

It's not just that the themes here are philosophical, but that the soundscapes are beautiful. This is definitely a listen-through-from-beginning-to-end kind of album, but there are some obvious singles like Time, Money, Us and Them, and I would even say Eclipse (which is good on its own but is aided by Brain Damage). I'm 100% sure that if you're reading this then you have already listened to Dark Side, but no-one can overstate the power of this record.

Rumours by Fleetwood Mac

Another album that pretty much defines a band.

This is the sort of record that works in the same way as U2's The Joshua Tree in that before that record, the band was rawer and more hard-hitting than since. Such is the case with Fleetwood Mac, once a known for their blues, yet, since Rumours, they were known mostly for the hits they put out.

Rumours, however, isn't a bad record. In fact, if it was any lesser than great then it wouldn't have made this list. What Fleetwood Mac does with this album is invite the listener to feel the rhythms, bob their bodies, feel relaxed and energized all at once. It's a record that's good for any occasion, is what I'm saying; Whether you are with friends at home, relaxing, or when you're out on a road-trip.

Even when you are alone and just feel like listening to some truly great music. It doesn't matter that you didn't like Don't Stop (...thinking about tomorrow/don't stop/it'll soon be here), you have to give this record a good listen-through. And if you do so happen to enjoy that song, then you already own this album. To get started, listen to: Second Hand News, Dreams, Never Going Back Again, and The Chain.


The Runner's Four by Deerhoof

Here's some weird, weird rock music for you. Actually, it's kind of hard to define Deerhoof's music.

They are not conventional in any shape or form; the drum-beats are often inconsistent, the guitars odd, the lyrics nonsensical (and sung in a cute Asian falsetto), and the overall impression on the listener is that the band members make the music up as they go.

The beauty of it all is that the listener never feels disengaged, and that the band members are having fun with their music. This isn't a selfish album, for you will enjoy what you are listening to; the powerful bass-lines, the loud guitars, the thundering drums, and the strange vocals all come together so perfectly in every song that the first listen-through will most certainly inspire you to listen to the whole thing again, even if the album is 20 tracks long.

Whatever you do, give this a listen. It may not be for everyone, but if you thought that modern rock has lost its thrill then this is the album that will change your mind. Listen to: Twin Killers, Running Thoughts, O'Malley Former Underdog, Spirit Ditties of No Tone, and Lightning Rod Run.

Thunder, Lightning, Strike by The Go! Team

This is a surprising record.

I went into it thinking that it was another power-pop ordeal, that I had, essentially, heard this record before. What I got instead was an honest, inspired work by a band that doesn't rely on being exceptionally loud to inspire the dance in listeners.

Though they are loud, it's the timing and choice of instruments that really deliver on the band's promise - to get you off your couch or bed, and into the world that surrounds you. There aren't even any real lyrics in this record - it's all in the compositions. You can come back to this record at different points in your life and never feel like it's letting you down. Heck, you might even notice some things you missed before, and as the music becomes more familiar to you, so grows your love for this record.

A must have if you are a fan of music, but for the love of whatever, don't listen to their sophomore record: Proof Of Youth. Listen to: Ladyflash, The Power is On, Get it Together, Friendship Update, and Everyone's a V.I.P to Someone.

Final update on Wednesday.

Top 10 Most Complete Albums Pt. 2

I'll just cut right to it:

Yankee Hotel Foxtrot by Wilco

With Yankee, Wilco takes pop/americana (with all its catchy hooks and rhtyms) and gives it an almost ethereal (some would say... spacey) feel via some well placed laptop effects.

Jim O'Rourke pours in his genius in the record, adding some neat effects and instruments where the music requires it. There is no song in the record that feels incomplete - the band and the producer have thought it all. But, the question is, what does the record actually sound like?

See, it's a little hard to describe. It's got catchy, memorable and singable lyrics, but they are also complex and poetic. The music itself shape-shifts to fit the lyrics. For example, on Kamera, you can feel the guitar strings - you can hear the strings being pulled if you listen closely, and you feel forced to dance to the rhythm. You can't picture the song sounding like anything else and being as good as it is. Likewise, War on War could have been on Summerteeth if it wasn't for its effects heavy introduction and core.

But the real winner, in my opinion, is Jesus, Etc, not because the song has anything to do with Jesus himself (or Himself), but because it's one of those songs where the timing of the lyrics matches perfectly with the music that drives it.

In all honesty, the album isn't really a concept record or a journey because its strength lies in the individual songs. Listen to: Kamera, War on War, Jesus Etc, and Heavy Metal Drummer.

Apologies to the Queen Mary by Wolf Parade

If you've heard of Wolf Parade then you've probably seen them being compared to bands like Modest Mouse and Frog Eyes. Truth is, you don't have to necessarily enjoy those bands to enjoy Wolf Parade, and no previous experience with this type of music is a prerequisite to love this album.

Apologies is an album that grows on you, an acquired taste. The music won't resonate with the listener in its first spin, is what I am trying to say. At first the songs feel very standard: loud and heavy, with two alternating vocalists yelling most of the time through. Multiple listens, however, and it helps if you are listening closely, will slowly reveal the lyrics, and they will start to make sense to you. Then its just a matter of realizing that if the music wasn't loud and heavy, then Wolf Parade would sound just like the next guy.

Here, in Apologies, the music is anthemic, hard-hitting, sometimes morose, and certainly honest. Here's an album for those who like to fall in love with the music they listen to. Check: Grounds for Divorce, Shine a Light, I'll Believe in Anything, Dinner Bells and This Heart's On Fire.

Two new picks by Monday.

The 10 Most Complete Albums Pt. 1

I know: Who am I to state which music albums deserve to be called best among millions of compilations? I'm not anyone, really, but I think you'll be interested.
---------------------
By complete I mean that these albums invoke a certain mood, tell a story (where applicable), and the songs have to come together to make the whole organic. The songs themselves don't have to all be amazing, but they do have to make sense within the territory that the artist(s) cover. Oh, and with a minimum amount of filler tracks. I tried not to be too obvious (though there are a couple classic choices). I will rank them after the list is complete
Ahoy! We begin with...

Emperor Tomato Ketchup by Stereolab

Behold the album that inspired this list.

You may be WTF-ing the title, specially because you probably haven't heard of the band, but that is no reason to dismiss the record.

Not if you're a fan of interesting takes on familiar music.

With Emperor Tomato Ketchup, Stereolab take what works about jazz, punk, rock, and electronica, toss it in a blender, spice it with French and the result is the tastiest musical smoothie you've probably drunk in a long time.

The album works so well due to the band's use of the vintage moog synthesizer, which makes constant appearances, becoming the music's main motif.

Immediately gripping, wholly interesting, brightly produced and a delight throughout. Though the album works best when listened to it in full, there are some tracks that definitely stand out: Metronomic Underground, Cybele's Reverie, Spark Plug, Tomorrow is Already Here and the eponymous track, Emperor Tomato Ketchup.


Now, More than Ever by Jim Guthrie

Probably the first album I loved without a reasonable doubt.

What Jim Guthrie does in this record is work the subtle waves, aiming to relax you and then fill you up with joy in slow doses, perhaps believing that immediacy is thrilling, and thrilling in the sense of jolting is not what Jim Guthrie wants to do with this album.

Guthrie knows how to work with rhythm, using multiple acoustic guitars to add layers to the music, and the strings to hold the instruments together. This is a modern rock album that one can claim as their own, for not many people can tell you that they have had the pleasure of listening to this album from start to finish.

If you are a fan of music, then you definitely owe it to yourself. There are absolutely no filler tracks in this record. Check out: All Gone, So Small, Broken Chair, Lover's Do and, once again the title track, Now, More Than Ever.


Tomorrow: 2 more amazing records : )