December 9, 2003

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  Bar de Lune Studio Sessions

  various artists
  label:: Bar de Lune

  'Bar de Lune Studio Sessions' is a budget priced compilation designed to introduce us to 12inch singles the label are releasing, and upcoming projects. It is not a mixed comp - the songs appear as separate entities.

  As far as I am concerned it is a solid purchase for anyone who enjoys chillout comps.

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  Anders Ilar

  title:: Hydro
  label:: Shitkatapult

  This 12inch has three songs that pound a little harder than the tracks on 'Everdom' while maintaining his distinct sound of instrumental spacy unsettlement.

  Anders Ilar has made another engaging record. If you have heard any of his earlier work and enjoyed it, you will not be disappointed by one moment of 'Hydro,' and none of these tracks appear anywhere else, so buy with confidence.

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  Gershon Kingsley

  title:: Music To Moog By
  label:: Dagored

  Along with The First Moog Quartet, Dagored has also released Gershon Kingsley's Music To Moog By, both of which were originally released in 1970. Music To Moog By was one of many Moog albums released in the mid to late 1960s which came about thanks to the Moog instrument's appearance on many pop hits of the day. In the mid-1960s Gershon Kingsley had worked on the phenomenal The Out Sound from Way In! with Jean Jacques Perrey, but afterwards they went on to other projects.

  Where The First Moog Quartet was an attempt at a more serious brand of music and contained a mix of originals and covers which reflected a composer's eye for the musical stage (with the Moog x 4 at the center), Music To Moog By is geared towards the pop song format, combining Beatles covers and flying, easy originals with a bouncing, rollicking Moog based instrumental flare. Music To Moog By is a much more palatable and enjoyable album to listen to than the more experimental First Moog Quartet, and I believe it works better as a whole as well.

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  Ladytron

  title:: Softcore Jukebox
  label:: Emperor Norton

  Ladytron's Softcore Jukebox is a gift for those who missed Ladytron making the DJ rounds this past year (count me as one of those, since they came here to Boston on a Sunday night). Softcore Jukebox is an interesting cd, coming at a time in music history when a number of things are occurring. The death of the album has been a topic of debate, thanks to the combination lull in the music industry and the art of the download. These days, people are relying more and more on homemade Playlists and DJ sets in clubs to hear new and exciting music.

  Ladytron have given us a Playlist and a DJ set all in one in Softcore Jukebox. With one of the hottest album covers this year, Ladytron have also given us one of the most exciting mix cds.

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  23 Skidoo

  title:: The Culling Is Coming
  label:: Boutique (LTM)

  The album is a document of two live performances by the band in 1982-- with this re-issue containing a further show as a bonus track (all roughly 23 minutes each). The disc is divided in to three parts, each containing a different concert. !

  It is hard for me to see the cuts on this album as individual songs rather, they are excerpts from the concert. The 'songs' seem to lose significance when stripped from their context.

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  Sweet

  title:: Sweets, Glams & Glitter Rocks
  label:: BMG Germany

  With the band Darkness making waves, now is the time to re-acquant yourself with the classic glam band Sweet.

  They were a 4 piece rock and roll unit just about halfway between Queen and Slade. Sweet released four studio albums between 1974 and 1977.