Sessions Five – Ministry of Sound
Mixed by the unstoppable Top 10 local Irish dance act The Potbelleez alongside Ministry’s own Goodwill, Sessions Five will excite the ears of the nation. Set over two CDs, Sessions Five delivers the perfect dose of current club smash hits along with a swag of audible goodies that are well on their way to becoming club phenomena. Featuring over forty tracks, Sessions Five has an armoury of secret weapons up its sleeve which are set to unleash on stereos the nation over. Just a few of these audio bombs include first usage on the highly anticipated follow-up singles from The Potbelleez, Alex Gaudino and TV Rock. Add to this the hottest club tracks of the moment from the likes of PNAU with their hit Bby, The Presets’ This Boy’s In Love, Utah Saints’ Something Good ’08, Sam Sparro’s Black And Gold, and club smashes from Eric Prydz, Freemasons and The Aston Shuffle and you’ve got yourself one killer album. –SM
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V – Van She – Modular
Van She have a lazy, infectious groove, one which is effortless, esoteric and instantly recognisable. It’s the kind of music that you’d listen to while cruising through a sleepless city or recklessly squandering the day away in bed. Post punk mashed with synth pop and all fuzzy at the edges, Van She’s highly anticipated long player is worth the wait. Highlights include the soft, low blow lullaby of The Sea, the jut and strut of Strangers plus the now iconic sound of signature song, Kelly, which originally appeared on last years EP. All up V is a victory for those who love their shoe-gazing melodic and pumped up on power pop.-SPM
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Modern Guilt – Beck – DGC Records
Beck is back! Folk’s new-wave anti-hero returns with another long player, his (unlucky for some)13th. In recent times Beck has wandered off and well – sucked. But now he’s back in form, thanks largely to super producer Danger Mouse. The result is a toe tapping ’60s inspired excursion infused with the usual Beck weirdness without the outright freak in your face like some of Beck’s work. Gamma Ray is a chic treat, all driving elegance, while title track Modern Guilt has a haunting understated anthemic feel. While the album doesn’t grab you and demand attention, it is a much welcomed return to form. Very cool. -SPM
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The Time Machine Tour 2007 DVD – DARREN HAYES
Former lead singer of Savage Garden Darren Hayes has recently released his third DVD, this time from the successful Time Machine Tour. Filmed in his hometown, Brisbane, on the last night of his Australian tour, the theatricality bursts from the screen with the opening number. Clever, but very clunky choreography gives the songs an awkward interpretation. To his credit it was all live and he was singing in tune, but with the trademark high pitch vocal that Hayes is noted for become somewhat monotonous by the end of the recording. The ‘every 8 seconds and now there is a new camera angle’ c was quite honestly doing my head and eyes in. Unfortunately, while it’s evident that there was adequate stage lighting for the live performance, the images captured on the DVD are very dark. Simply? it could have been done better. For Darren Hayes die-hard fans only. -TL
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Anthems 1991-2008 – Ministry of Sound
Looking back on the history of the UK’s love affair with dance music, Anthems 1991 – 2008 spans two decades of momentous musical moments, tracing back to the birth of Ministry of Sound in 1991 as the UK’s first super club. There’s early club classics from Gat Decor’s Passion, Rhythm On The Loose Break Of Dawn, and Nightcrawlers, Push The Feeling On, moving on to the underground rave days of the early 90s, from Old Skool and acid house classics including Double 99 Rip Groove, Underworld’s Born Slippy and Josh Wink’s Higher State of Consciousness, to the heady days of Trance in the late 90s, from Zombie Nation Kernkraft 400 (a track marking Ministry of Sound’s critically acclaimed progression into the professional music industry with the labels’ 1st number 1), Three Drives Greece 2000, ATB’S 9am (Till I Come). The Naughties are also well represented with a selection ranging from Eric Prydz’s phenomenal Call On Me (a track that burst the underground bubble of funky house, taking it right to the top of the charts and placing dance music back on the map), to Stonebridge’s beautiful Put Em High, and Fedde Le Grand’s recent Number 1 Put Your Hands Up For Detroit. -SM
Digitalism РKitsun̩ Tabloid РKitsun̩
Digitalism follow up their debut LP Idealism with a mix for the trendy Kitsuné label. The result? A serviceable track listing with no major surprises; obviously aimed at all those indie kids who like to dance a bit, and all those dance kids who want a bit of indie roughage. Is it just me or is this particular cross-pollination starting to sound a little bit tired? Artists vary from the well known (The Human League, Calvin Harris, The Presets) to the obscure. A couple of the boys’ own tracks make the cut, including the fine, Daft Punk-ish Echoes. It ranks among one of the few genuine bangers here. The Seventies gay disco stylings of Hercules & Love Affair (fronted by Antony Hegarty of Antony and The Johnsons) and Muscle’s Sweaty (who can resist someone shouting ‘Peace! Love! Ecstasy!’ over a punchy electro backing?) are the others. A few more wouldn’t have gone amiss. –SM
