While we're on the music topic, I've noticed a disturbing trend. Just about all my favorite techno duos have gone in totally new directions within the last year on their new records, and it's weirding me out.Orbital - Blue Album: This disc ends the Orbital era, as they called it quits and played their final set on New Year's Eve. I'll always be sad that I didn't get to see them live. Far gone is the mellowed, developmental techno of the first 3 or so Orbital albums, or even Middle of Nowhere. Their evolution started with The Altogether, except then it was still good. Once that album came out, it was obvious that Orbital's drug of choice switched from weed to X - suddenly their tracks had a lot more energy. Not quite NRG, like the kind that attracts Integra drivers, but everything's more uptempo and more serious. Old-school Orbital was what you played in the background when playing Need For Speed (old-school) - mellow, cruise-able music. New Orbital is what you play when you're actually on the track and you want to get psyched up. It's not entirely an unwelcome change, but it does leave a definite void that may never be filled.
Listen to: Acid Pants, Pants, Initiation
Avoid: Bath Time, Easy Serv
Contemplate: One Perfect Sunrise - this song is the perfect way for Orbital to say "goodbye." Thanks, Brothers Hartnoll, for everything you've given.The Chemical Brothers - Push the Button: We all know and love the Chems here, but let's face it, Come With Us sucked. This new album doesn't fit an evolutionary pattern for the group at all - it's part Come With Us, part Surrender, part Basement Jaxx, and part Fatboy Slim - and the result isn't entirely cohesive. It's like noise mixed with a few good grooves, whereas old-school Chemical Bros. albums were badass grooves mixed with noise. This album is pretty hit-and-miss, but worth grabbing if you like what the Chems stand for.
Enjoy: The Boxer, Hold Tight London, Close Your Eyes, Marvo Ging, Surface to Air
Avoid: Galvanize, Come Inside, The Big Jump
Listen instead: Surrender. It's a much more Chemical-esque album, even if this is enjoyable at times.Daft Punk - Human After All: Yes, boys and girls, our French friends, the Brothers Manuel, are cutting a new album, and even Daft Punk don't sound like themselves anymore. The Dafties still have their trademark insane levels of repetition and sometimes strange sounds, but the sounds have gotten stranger and the grooves have gotten a bit darker and heavier, like something you might expect from Juno Reactor or some other unknown industrial-influenced techno group. At parts, it even threatens to go 80's on us. It's hit and miss, and it hits only where Daft Punk didn't go, well, daft.
Enjoy: Emotion, Human After All, Technologic
Avoid: The Brainwasher, The Prime Time of Your Life, Robot Rock, Television Rules the Nation
Get it just for: Technologic. It's like nothing Daft Punk's ever done, and it's just damn cool.
Listen to: Acid Pants, Pants, Initiation
Avoid: Bath Time, Easy Serv
Contemplate: One Perfect Sunrise - this song is the perfect way for Orbital to say "goodbye." Thanks, Brothers Hartnoll, for everything you've given.The Chemical Brothers - Push the Button: We all know and love the Chems here, but let's face it, Come With Us sucked. This new album doesn't fit an evolutionary pattern for the group at all - it's part Come With Us, part Surrender, part Basement Jaxx, and part Fatboy Slim - and the result isn't entirely cohesive. It's like noise mixed with a few good grooves, whereas old-school Chemical Bros. albums were badass grooves mixed with noise. This album is pretty hit-and-miss, but worth grabbing if you like what the Chems stand for.
Enjoy: The Boxer, Hold Tight London, Close Your Eyes, Marvo Ging, Surface to Air
Avoid: Galvanize, Come Inside, The Big Jump
Listen instead: Surrender. It's a much more Chemical-esque album, even if this is enjoyable at times.Daft Punk - Human After All: Yes, boys and girls, our French friends, the Brothers Manuel, are cutting a new album, and even Daft Punk don't sound like themselves anymore. The Dafties still have their trademark insane levels of repetition and sometimes strange sounds, but the sounds have gotten stranger and the grooves have gotten a bit darker and heavier, like something you might expect from Juno Reactor or some other unknown industrial-influenced techno group. At parts, it even threatens to go 80's on us. It's hit and miss, and it hits only where Daft Punk didn't go, well, daft.
Enjoy: Emotion, Human After All, Technologic
Avoid: The Brainwasher, The Prime Time of Your Life, Robot Rock, Television Rules the Nation
Get it just for: Technologic. It's like nothing Daft Punk's ever done, and it's just damn cool.