Category: Electronica (Page 22 of 34)

Daniel Lenz: Stuck in a Dream

February 9, 2009 /

There’s something tasty about Daniel Lenz’s electronica forays. It might be that it echoes some of the more carefree aspects of Information Society back in the early ‘90s, but then again the 15 tracks here sound like a lot of the stuff that was coming out back then – for better and for worse. The good news is that there’s a lot to enjoy here if you’re of the dancefloor crowd. The bad news is that like a lot of the other stuff in that genre, this album can wear a little thin before it’s all over. Still, solid tracks like “I Do It Again,” “This and That,” and “Time to Rock” are the kinds of things that would work amazingly well in some summer blockbuster action movie or even a video game. A few too many vocalists spoil the groove here and there, but overall Lenz is a lot better at doing this thing than many other similar-minded artists. (self-released)

Daniel Lenz MySpace page

CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Dance, Electronica, Pop

Lowfish: Frozen & Broken

January 23, 2009 /

Now’s the time on ESDMusic when we dance! Lowfish (Gregory De Rocher) is Canadian, but his synthesizer-drenched style of electronica has more in common with “Spockets”-era Kraftwerk and other ’80s European minimalist electronic music than anything from the land of indie hipsters. There’s also a hint of IDM (Intelligent Dance Music) in Lowfish’s low-key melodies and beats, reminiscent of the golden age of the genre that brought us acts like Orbital, Orbit and Aphex Twin. However, Lowfish does little more than reference his idols, rarely branching out and experimenting with his own sound. For someone who probably thrives himself on being experimental he’s not doing much in the way of experimenting. In fact there’s just not much of anything on Frozen & Broken, and not just because most of it is minimalist in nature. Everything sounds the same. “Things Fall Apart” sounds like “DFD” which sounds like “Lies,” and so on and so forth. Near the end of Frozen & Broken things get a bit more glitchy and experimental, with “Clastrophobe” and “Pulled & Put Back” both using Kid 606 cut-up sounds to a certain amount of success, but even then it’s not enough to stand out. When Lowfish isn’t sounding like his influences he’s not sounding like anything at all. This music has become tiresome. (Noise Factory Records 2008)

Lowfish’s MySpace Page

Alternative, CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Electronica, Instrumental

Paul Van Dyk: Hands On In Between

January 16, 2009 /

Paul Van Dyk has been releasing music since the early ’90s, and in the world of electronic music that’s a very long time. He’s a trance pioneer, but if his 2007 album In Between was any indication, he’s getting a little tired of the genre. This was his most non-trance album to date, embracing house, techno and even some pop-friendly dance music into the mix thanks to guest appearance by Pussycat Doll Jessica Sutta. If you thought that the departure from trance was a mistake for Van Dyk, then you’ll probably eat up Hands On In Between, a remix album that trances up the original in a big way, with mixed results. Trance is in its very nature a droning and repetitive genre, and that’s not helped here by the fact that multiple songs are remixed multiple times, while others tracks from the original In Between are left off entirely. Why include two remixes of “New York City” but none of the far superior “Sabotage”? Even more maddening is the snub of “Fall with Me,” the David Byrne-featured track that served as a perfect closer to the original album. It’s a scientific fact that David Byrne makes everything better, so why he was needlessly cut out here is insane. But even though Hands On In Between is Byrne-less, it should still satisfy the fans of Paul Van Dyk, even if they were lukewarm on the original version. (Mute Records)

Paul Van Dyk MySpace Page

CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Dance, Electronica

Lioness: Lioness

January 16, 2009 /

Lioness is a three-piece electronic act from Toronto who combine ’80s-influenced alt-rock and 90s electronic music successfully on their five-track self-titled debut EP. Unlike many other Canadian rock bands who have sucked the power and emotion out of their music with their desire to be hip and indie, Lioness is a powerful and bombastic band that oozes energy thanks to killer electronic beats and powerful vocals by lead singer Vanessa Fischer. While the music of Lioness is good, it’s Fischer that makes the band, bellowing and moaning with fierce intensity. Her power lies in the fact that she doesn’t sing like a rock singer, instead she gives songs like the fast-paced “You’re In My Heart” and beat-heavy “Haunted Magick” an funky jazz/blues vibe. If Beth Gibbons from Portishead screamed more, she’d sound like Vanessa Fischer does here. Lioness has crafted quite a tease with this short EP, it will be interesting to see if they can carry it for a full album. (New Romantic)

Lioness MySpace Page

Alternative, CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Electronica

Peter Buffett: Imaginary Kingdom

January 9, 2009 /

Few musicians have carved a career as strange and wonderful as that of financial guru Warren Buffett’s second son Peter. After decades of electronic-based instrumental albums and Native American-themed works – one of which landed in “Dances with Wolves” – Buffett didn’t sing a note into a microphone until 2006, at which point he clearly caught the bug. Imaginary Kingdom is his third vocal album in as many years, and while it shares the one-man-show aspect of his other work – one could call Buffett a forefather of bedroom pop – the sum is more than one man jamming with himself. The rhythm section is simple, yes, but warm, something most self-made records lack. Aqualung’s Matt Hales surely wishes he had written “Set Me Free,” and Joseph Arthur could slip “Can I (Again)” into his set without anyone batting an eye. It’s all perfectly pleasant, though he creates a disconnect whenever he runs his vocals through what sounds like an Autotuner (“Ready”). He clearly loves playing with his machines, but what makes Imaginary Kingdom so endearing is its human element. He may be late to the pop game, but better late than never. (BeSide Records 2008)

Peter Buffett MySpace page

CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Electronica, Pop

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