Best Electronica
Random Access Memories is the new album from Daft Punk.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"So when I first listened to Random Access Memories, my first thought was this: Finally, they made the album that really took us back into time, the time of when music was different. For fans of Daft Punk who love dance music, house, and techno, this is NOT an EDM album. So when you listen to Random Access Memories for the first time, go into it with a different state of mind than "House Music." I invite you instead to hop into your DeLorean, and take a plunge back to the year of 1979, when dance music was quite different... Random Access Memories is Discovery if Daft Punk had produced it 30 years ago. While Random Access Memories may not be as mind-blowing as Discovery was, this is a fantastically-produced album."
"So when this album came out, many people were complaining about how theg music wasn't their normal electronic style, things were different, it scared them, boo hoo hoo."
"The only two that I do that with on this CD are Motherboard and Within. A bit of time with the CD and what I initially was disappointed by I started to appreciate."
"The track "Beyond" is practically a sample of "I Keep Forgettin'" by Michael McDonald and there are definite influences from Joy Division, Tower of Power, and Chic (not a surpise as jazz/funk drummer Omar Hakim, Chic's very own guy, lays down the back beat on most of the tracks). Get Lucky, Lose Yourself to Dance, and others are as infectious as you'd expect them to be, but I found myself gravitating to the more groove oriented tracks like the opening Give Life Back to Music."
2014 release from the violinist, dancer, performance artist, and composer.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Before exploring her latest release, however, I'd like to make a couple of observations that may help anyone new to her music. (Full disclosure: when it comes to seventh graders, it is hard to beat flesh-eating zombies who can flat out dance.). I have received several notes from parents thanking me for introducing them to Stirling (and to a lesser extent, The Piano Guys, 2Cellos and some others). In addition to Stirling, we have The Piano Guys, David Garrett, Bond, Vanessa Mae, 2Cellos, and others producing music that doesn't readily fit into any current node. To my ear, they have the same basic rhythm and sound, but seem richer in supportive percussion and orchestration. "Roundtable Rival" has terrific guitar rifts, reminiscent of AC/DC and other classic rock groups."
"Just simple MUSIC and enjoyment you can really feel good listening to and with your kids. My kids are still young but I really have tried to shelter them from the ridiculous music out there today. And they love Lindsey's music."
"This is a great way to get both the CD and the digital format."
"I bought the vinyl version of this album since I just have loads of them in the first place, mine as well keep it going... Definately recommend if you're one for the newer music but more towards the techno/dubstep realm."
"This music grows on you."
"Lindsey and her bandmates have created another landmark album, From Beyond The Veil, all the way to Master of Tides, each track weaves intricate symphonies that will crack the shell of mediocre, listless music. From the title track, "Shatter Me" featuring the guest vocals of Lzzy Hale from the band "Halestorm, her range and passion showcased on this spectacular song is not to be missed. Shatter Me cries out against the shrill, defeated mediocre life of settling for less, We all can relate to Ms. Hale and Lindsey's message to be live freely without creative constraints."
"Digital Love" starts off silly and gets sillier, but the monosyllabic lyrics lull the senses just right, allowing the song's summery groove to grab hold with authority. "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" is a resounding standout amidst the retro/Vocoder deluge that transpired after Cher's Believe turned the kitchy disco device into a worldwide pop music trend, spinning a clever groove around an ever-escalating string of computerized seduction.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I could listen to this forever, And vinyl really does bring out all the nuances, And I will love it more when I get a new needle for me player."
"The art work upon opening the LP is interesting and the LP's are finely pressed... Ok, the songs are stellar and sort of flow into one another making for one cohesive listen... STANDOUT TRACKS: Face to Face, Digital Love, Harder Better Faster Stronger, Something About Us & Aerodynamic..."
"Unfortunately, after receiving my copy of this record, I found a rather unpleasant click/pop that occurred at the beginning of Aerodynamic. To clarify, I borrowed my friend's copy of Discovery and the clicking/popping did not occur as in my two copies!"
"Nothing wrong with my copy far as I can tell."
"My son is a drummer and finds 90% of the music in this cd great practice resource....."
"Love it."
"best daft punk album!way better then newer lp."
"Obviously the album itself is gold, but vinyl buyers beware - you're not gonna be happy with how this sounds."
Best Dance & Electronic
i. am, as well as 'For All Time', a previously unreleased track from the Thriller sessions that has been newly mixed and mastered by Michael Jackson.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"As with most new records these days, it has a slight warp; but with the proper tracking force it plays just fine."
"Item arrived quick and just as described!"
"Absolute classic, my little sis loves it!!"
"Specifically, the new versions of Wanna Be Startin Somethin (With Akon was really good), Billie Jean (Kayne West with a nice remix), Beat It (With Fergie which was a nice twist), P.Y.T (with Will.I.Am which is better than the original IMO) & even The Girl Is Mine (which was my least favorite on the original album but made better this time around). You get the original nine songs, the little Vincent Price rap and the 6 new versions PLUS a DVD of the Thriller videos (Billie Jean, Beat It, Thriller and the Motown 25th Billie Jean performance). With the exception of the original "The Girl Is Mine" (which I never really liked) this is the perfect version of Thriller released to date."
"One of the greatest albums of all time by one of the greatest artists of all time."
Best Drum & Bass Electronic
When it was released, fellow electronic artists such as Orbital and Underworld had just begun to filter moderate amounts of drum n bass in their work, but the Richard D. James Album was more extreme than virtually all jungle at the time.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I give it 4 stars because it is so hard to listen to; however, it is a brilliant and bold statement made by one of the greatest musicians of recent times."
"What I wanted to point out was that the quality of the record itself is superb."
"Don't let the album cover scare you away this album is great!"
"it's all in the title. and apparently I need to put fifteen more words here..... one two three four five. Whey Hey!"
"The insistent rapid snare drum roll overwhelms the music."
Best Freestyle
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Great collection I would recommend it,to anyone who loves freestyle like I do."
"There are songs in here I haven't heard in years!"
"I have been able to find one or two songs here and there, and I just tripped over this accidentally and started having heart palpitations when I saw the track list."
"i love my freestyle collection."
"So even though I was a metalhead at the peak of Freestyle's hayday, I got into listening to it a few years after it was popular. I bought this set FREESTYLE EXPLOSION (Volumes 1-5) for my husband's birthday. This is a good "starter kit" featuring such freestyle artists like STEVIE B., CYNTHIA, THE COVER GIRLS, GEORGE LAMOND, NOEL, EXPOSE and CORO. I am a stickler for detail and work very hard on my personal mixes and repeating songs is a big no-no for me. NU SHOOZ was an 80s synthesizer group that had the hits I Can't Wait and Point Of No Return. I like NU SHOOZ but do I think they belong in the ranks with freestyle acts like NOCERA and NAYOBE?"
Best Ambient
The album introduced Moby to a worldwide mainstream audience, not only through a large number of hit singles but also through unprecedented licensing of his music in films, television and commercial advertisements, making Play one of the most commercially licensed albums ever produced.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I lost this CD years ago and now I have it again it so worth it."
"Moby uses this link to create very coherent and effective songs, like "Honey", "Why does my earth feel so bad", "Find my baby", "Natural Blues", "Run on", "My Weakness". There are other are very good songs: "porcelain", "rushing" are slow and catchy: they make a good musical background and perfect soundtrack music."
"Great price, fast shipping."
"This artist must be some kind of genius!"
"When I first heard Natural Blues on the radio I thought to myself, "Now hear is something that will keep me from doing 100 in the 55 zone on my daily 45 mile commute to school.""
"CD is defective, but my printer's defunct, so I can't print a return label."
Best Dance Pop
i. am, as well as 'For All Time', a previously unreleased track from the Thriller sessions that has been newly mixed and mastered by Michael Jackson.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"As with most new records these days, it has a slight warp; but with the proper tracking force it plays just fine."
"Item arrived quick and just as described!"
"Absolute classic, my little sis loves it!!"
"Specifically, the new versions of Wanna Be Startin Somethin (With Akon was really good), Billie Jean (Kayne West with a nice remix), Beat It (With Fergie which was a nice twist), P.Y.T (with Will.I.Am which is better than the original IMO) & even The Girl Is Mine (which was my least favorite on the original album but made better this time around). You get the original nine songs, the little Vincent Price rap and the 6 new versions PLUS a DVD of the Thriller videos (Billie Jean, Beat It, Thriller and the Motown 25th Billie Jean performance). With the exception of the original "The Girl Is Mine" (which I never really liked) this is the perfect version of Thriller released to date."
"One of the greatest albums of all time by one of the greatest artists of all time."
Best Trip-hop
After a long hiatus, Massive Attack returned in 1998 with Mezzanine, a record announcing not only that the group was back, but that they can create a masterpiece as good as their debut.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"But this album is clearly better than the digital version and overall sonics are very good."
"Thank you Algorithms."
"Richly varied in percussive qualities, with voice and other sounds blended so seamlessly, this album transports the listener onto into a quasi transcendental plane. The voices never seem to interfere with the mood, rather they become fused with it perfectly--the percussion and varied sounds, never the "thump-thump" of dancey trancy crap. Sinead O'Connors political content loaded lyrics on the Irish-English conflict totally overshadowed the musical gift of Massive Attack."
"great if you like something out of the ordinary."
"Favorite Trip-hop record with Dummy being a close second."
"How have I never heard of these guys?"
"Love it!"
Best Ambient Pop
French duo Air's debut album is a superlatively happy collection of experimental disco-mood sound nestled between ambient soundscape and breathy pop. Oh, and contrary to sampler fashion, Nicolas Godin and Jean Benoit Dunckel played the instruments themselves.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Accomplished painters have the innate ability to activate neural pathways to create a remarkably pleasing viewer experience that defies explanation or analysis."
"This is my introduction to Air and I bought it soley on the reviews on Amazon and the style of music."
"The French have always led the way in chill/ambient music since I first heatd French avant-garde in the mid 1970s."
"For any of you analog synth lovers out there, this is the album to get."
"The only thing that I don't like about it is knowing that this was a moment of inspiration for these guys: the rest of their albums are more like the rest of electronic music albums out there, they are just not worth the 15 bucks you have to pay for them."
"Highlights include: "La Femme d'Argent". "All I Need". "Talisman". "Ce Matin-La". "New Star in the Sky (Chanson Pour Solal)". "Le Voyage de Penelope" (parts of it)."
"I love it love it love it."
"I played this until I was sick of it, and then I played it some more."
Best Music of Nigeria
Additionally, KFR will be giving the first official release to the entire Koola Lobitos catalogue--this was Fela's highlife band which he fronted through the 60's.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I bought this CD at a brick-and-mortar record store -- oddly, because someone had changed their mind on the way to the register and dumped it in the candy bin (ok, it doesn't take much to get me to buy a CD)."
"Bought this CD as a gift for my dad, he's a fan of Fela."
"This is an excellent compilation of Fela Kuti's "hits," lengthy reminders of what this musician and social activist could produce."
"As some have mentioned before, it is a good album to have to get many of his tracks without having to figure which of his 100 or so albums to purchase."
"Loaded with high intensity sub bass, horns,vocals and a song describing, one truly emancipated lady."
"Felas songs will forever be evergreen."
"I love this I wanna recommend this."
"Fela kUTI I lived in Nigeria for 4 years and I was there when Fela was at the top of his game Fela is a Nigerian who suffered the lost of his mother he play this in this CD."