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Dance & Electronic | |
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List Price: £16.99
Our Price: £7.98
Artist:
Sash!
 VOCAL CLASSICS AT IS BEST!!, 2008-12-22
I have to say what a great album back from the good old days on this are all the Sash classics and more. I know not everybody likes this sort of thing but if you are a Sash fan this is a must buy even if you own one already. For me two stand out tunes with female vocals Stay and Mysterious Times totally brillant!!
List Price: £16.99
Our Price: £4.99
Artist:
Sugababes
The sixth chapter in the life of Britain’s most indefatigable all-girl pop group finds Heidi, Keisha and Amelle facing a new generation of female pop competition. The question: to take on modern soul songstresses like Duffy and Adele at their own game, or turn up the glitz and war it out from the dancefloor? Catfights and Spotlights hedges its bets, which is to say it does a bit of everything. Luckily, it does it mostly well: the opening “Girls”, a horn-led pop-soul number is mostly shallow and unconvincing, but “Sunday Rain” is a tear-stained, vintage-flavoured torch song with husky vocals and rolling piano, and a handful of songs penned by Britney/Robyn songwriter Klas Ahlund are smart and original. “You on a Good Day”, in particular, stands out, a stomping Northern Soul number dealing with the predicaments of a dundering partner: “That’s you on a good day/Disaster is always just a beat away/But I’m sticking with you anyway”. The album highlight, however, comes with “Side Chick”, fluttering R&B from the perspective of the girl that won’t be shared, fatalistic about the prospects of gettin...
Much more like it., 2008-12-25
At last, an album that does justice once more to the girls, and is their best since 'Angels With Dirty Faces' in my opinion. This is by far a much better album than the last two outings, in that the songs are stronger and have more character and bite. There is more control by the girls over their breathing and pitch, with far less sharp intakes of breath before each line, a facet which spoiled the 'Change' album for me in particular. Amelle especially seems much more polished in her performance overall, though that is not to detract from either Keisha or Heidi.
Standout tracks for me are 'Girls', 'You On A Good Day', 'No Can Do', 'Sunday Rain' (why do the opening lyrics on this track remind me of upper-class arthouse movies?), 'Every Heart Broken' and 'Sound of Goodbye'. The best track on the album for me, 'Every Heart Broken' has a wonderfully dark wit about it, which makes me chuckle every time I hear it - what did those boys do wrong?! There isn't a duff track anywhere, not even the two bonus tracks. 'Can We Call A Truce', the impassioned reconciliation plea initally set to strings only is a full fruition of a style of music that was only hinted at on the track 'Undignified' from the last album. I only wish, however, that the producers had had the guts to stick with strings only throughout this song.
This is an album where you don't have to pick and choose your favourite tracks to enjoy the girls' music, it can be played straight through without ever sounding tedious. The girls sound far more at ease with themselves which inevitably rubs off on the listener. It is with a sense of some relief that I am able to write in this manner, as I had thought that the girls had lost the edginess that was evident on the early albums. If they can continue in this manner and take it further to new heights, even in the face of up-and-coming new talent, then we can hope to enjoy their music for many more years to come. That is something that is certainly to be wished.
List Price: £13.99
Our Price: £4.32
Artist:
Ting Tings
The debut album by Salford's The Ting Tings comes hot on the heels of their No.1 single "That's Not My Name", a nugget of pop gold that comes on like a genetic splicing of Toni Basil's "Micky" and The Knack's "My Sharona". The bulk of We Started Nothing follows a similar formula, navigating a path between the smart, angular indie of CSS, Bonde Do Role, et al and the pop mainstream. Here and there, they pull it off perfectly: the stutter-rap of "Fruit Machine" sees vocalist Katie White leading on some poor sap with sultry charisma and lip-gloss sass, while the excellent "Shut Up and Let Me Go" is snappy dance-punk in the spirit of Blondie's "Rapture" or Tom Tom Club's "Genius of Love". Elsewhere, they branch out with mixed results. "We Walk" builds from quiet flourishes of piano into a surprisingly steely manifesto: "Smash the rest up/Burn it down/Put us in the corner cause we're into ideas", sneers White. Rather less good is "Traffic Light", a light, jazzy number that employs a number of somewhat forced driving metaphors to describe a relationship hit the skids. Still, it's a debut with promise, and a string of good singles is nothing to be sniffed at. --Louis Pattison
 Every 8 year old should have it!, 2008-10-20
First heard these early this year, about the same time as I saw the Kills. For me, they are a bit 'candy pop' but it's a great compromise when arguing with my 8 year old daughter about what music is going on the CD player. It's worth it just to catch her doing air guitar and miming the words....very badly! A fun Album.
List Price: £16.99
Our Price: £4.89
Artist:
Portishead
Portishead's Third has been a long time coming, the result of a lengthy creative topor following 1997's dark, distinctly underrated album Portishead. Importantly, though, they've shaken it. While the core trio of Beth Gibbons, Geoff Barrow, and Adrian Utley remains, this is quite a different band to Portishead's 90s incarnation: gone is the slo-mo turntable scratching and smoky jazz feel, replaced by heavy, brooding rhythms, vintage-sounding electronics, and spindly guitar. Still present, though, is that sense of emotional fracture and deep gloom. "Silence" opens with a dense drum loop which suddenly falls away to reveal Gibbons' voice, cold but magnificent: "Wounded and afraid, inside my head/Falling through changes". "Nylon Smile", meanwhile, is a fine example of Third's occasional folksy edge, an acoustic song reminiscent of Leonard Cohen that, around its midpoint, lifts off on a propulsive electronic rhythm, Gibbons holding one clear, hard note as synthesisers bubble beneath. At times, it's a harsh and foreboding listen: the electronic drums of "Machine Gun" might put off the listener hoping for smooth dinner party fare. But Third is a brave and forw...
Prog-dub Snapshots of the Apocalypse, 2008-12-30
A soundtrack to some post-apocalypic world movie.
This is a wonderful album - to sit back and listen to and also to dance round the campfire!
There's elements of prog-rock but tastefully done in the dub style.
One weird thing about the songs though is that they seem to be amateaurishly put togeather and end too soon, but this is one of the spells that the landscape creeated by this music invites.
Worth every penny!!!
List Price: £16.99
Our Price: £6.80
Artist:
The Pussycat Dolls
You'll be stupid not to get it, 2008-11-29
PCD was good, this is as good as not better.
Ignore all the negative reviews, they aren't hitting the point, you hardly get a group producing such varied genres, from the mature/vulnerable (I Hate This Part) to the club bangers (When I Grow Up).
When I Grow Up - Instant hit. 10/10
Bottle Pop - Features Snoop, OK attempt on a flirty electro song. 8/10
Whatcha Think About That - Features Missy, the standard PCD type song. 8/10
I Hate This Part - heartfelt ballad. 10/10
Takin Over' the World - Nice upbeat, Doll dominating song. 9/10
Out of this Club - Features R Kelly, bog standard ballad. 7/10
Who's Gonna Love U - Taken from Nicoles solo album, amazing addictive ballad, unique. 10/10
Happily Never After - again taken from 'Her Name Is Nicole', hearteflet ballad, better than the Backstreet Boys' version. 9/10
Magic - Different genre, first of Timabaland ingenious producions, Very well planned beat/rythm. 9.5/10
Halo - Just brilliant. A full 10/10.
In person - Again, something different. A very concert-friendly song. 8/10
Elevator - Rihanna type song, normal R&B that people love. 9/10
Hush Hush - Grammy worthy, 10+/10
Love The Way You Love Me - A nice addition. 8/10
Watchamacallit - Name comes from their love of having names like Stickwitu etc, ingenious song, easily to get addicted to. 10/10.
I'm Done - Nicoles affection for Lewis. 9/10
Baby Love J R Remix - Nice remix. 8/10
Lights Camera Action - a bit too sexified. 7/10
Perhaps Perhaps Perhaps - Doll Domination's "Sway". I love it. 9/10
If I Was a Man - Single material dance hit. 9.5/10
Space - Nice R&B ballad. 8.5/10
Don't Wanna Fall in Love - Upbeat, vibrant cover. 8/10
Played - slow, nice song. 7.5/10
Until U Love U - Its a grower. 9/10
Verdict: Every single song isnt a crowd stppoer, but 80% are single material, and there are MANY gems.
If you liked ANY PCD song, then I 100% recommend getting this. Just started liking PCD, theres new material for you too.
Not sure? Then listen to: Halo, Hush Hush, Whos Gonna Love You or Elevator.
List Price: £14.99
Our Price: £7.50
Artist:
Tom Jones
Long qualified for a state pension and generally recognised as a national treasure, Tom Jones is in no need of an unnecessary makeover, which is probably why 24 Hours turns out to be such a relaxed collection. Relaxed is a relative term for the Welsh veteran--Jones still bellows like a man trying to make himself heard over a rowdy crowd. But the best moments on 24 Hours, such as a terrifyingly spirited take of "I'm Alive", originally performed by Tommy James and the Shondells, and first single "If He Should Ever Leave You", a rather knowing if undeniably catchy pastiche of the supper club soul that made his name, could only be the work of one man. The stark title track enters Nick Cave territory while "The Road", a heartfelt if somewhat overdue apology to Jones's loyally obscure wife Linda, will either repel or seduce. The louche "Sugar Daddy", penned by U2 no less, rather exalts Jones's reputation as an ageing lothario, even as he seems determined to shake it off. The odd clunker aside (notably the rather naff "In Style and Rhythm") 24 Hours, produced by Future Cut, a team of studio bods half his age, is an enjoyably effective collection, filling a previously ...
He's... good!, 2008-12-22
I've been a Tom Jones fan for many years, he's just cool. Great voice and appears to sing effortlessly. Now, I am NOT a fan of Strictly Come Dancing but I happened to be channel hopping when I found him singing on the BBC1 series ([]) and I just stopped.
Watch him sing. No effort at all. He just... sings. Amazing. I was captivated.
Finally got around to buying this album over the weekend and I sat down, earphones in, and listened to it from start to finish. It really is a great album. All the songs are good and in my opinion there isn't a duff one in there. There's a few in here which will make a 'best of' album in the future.
Watch Tom on Strictly Come Dancing (YouTube) and then buy the album here at Amazon. I went for the MP3 download. Today, I've listened to the album twice. :-)
Go Tom Go!
List Price: £16.99
Our Price: £6.93
Artist:
Britney Spears
Featuring a flurry of musical moods from a variety of producers--everyone from The Outsyders and Lil to Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins and Lady Gaga--Britney's new album, Circus is clearly a determined effort to haul herself back to the top of the pops after a particularly rocky year. Lead single “Womanizer", with its stuttering drumbeat, buzzing synths and hooky chorus, is reminiscent of the album's other sonic firework, the raunchy “If U Seek Amy". These fiery missives indicate that Britney is back on form--but many other songs come across as damp squibs in comparison. Her extensive use of Auto-Tune adds a robotic aspect to her voice, rendering certain songs less engaging than they could be (the 80s electro of “Leather & Lace" and the title track are two examples). Opener “Mannequin", the ballad “Out from Under" and “Kill the Lights" (a song about the paparazzi) come close to previous form, but still lack the essential spark needed to make Circus the album it could --and should--have been. --Danny McKenna
Circus of Fun, 2009-01-02
Once again Britney creates a musical masterpiece that surpasses the quality of her cd "Blackout". "Blackout" was a good album but "Circus" from my modest opinion is an even better album. I would even go as far to say that because of the greatness in the "Circus" album she will go on to sell many tickets for her upcoming tour which will make it one of the most successful musical tours of 2009. The following are a rundown of my opinion on the songs that led me to feel this way.
Womanizer 10 out of 10 A tongue in cheek of song regarding how even though the man she is singing about is charming that there is no way she is going to fall under his charm. A couple of the places that this exciting video to this song can be viewed through yahoo music and youtube
Circus 10 out of 10 This song is even better than Womanizer. This song she sings very confidently about the exciting show she puts on for others that is entertaining. Plus she emphasizes in this song that when it comes to men she likes the ringleader who calls the shots and she likes a firecracker where she can make it hot. Either way this song is a very fun song that also has an exciting video that can be posted on youtube and yahoo music.
Out From Under 9 out of 10 A very touching song and a unique ballad on how she can't look back in her love life on what could have been. I love how she beautifully sings that she will just figure it out when she's out from under.
Kill The Lights 10 out of 10 A song that is reminiscent of "Piece of Me" but expresses how she is more ready to face the paparazzi on her own terms.
Shattered Glass 10 out of 10 A great standout song about her asking an ex lover in her life if it was worth throwing away what they had for the end of their love relationship and confidently expressing that the time will come when she will be missed and wanted back. On a side note (admittedly just my opinion) I would not be suprised if her musical art ended up imitating life and one of her unnamed exes does possibly end up missing her and desiring her back.
If U Seek Amy 10 out of 10 It is very cool and unique how she starts off the song and how she carefully expresses her voice when she says lalalalala and then allows it to raise as the song starts to begin. She expresses how people can say what they want about her regardless how they feel about her but she artistically sings in a rhetoric tone "but can't you see what I see"
Unusual You 10 out of 10 A very beautiful song on how she finds someone in her life that calls when he says he does and is so good to her that this is unusual to her and how she expects this unusual person to break her heart because in her words only an angel can be so unusually nice and kind to her. This is an entertaining song but it is my hope that this song is just entertainment to her and that she does believe and realize that she deserves to be loved for who she is in real life. Aside from these few caveats this is a good song.
Blur 9.5 out of 10 A fantastic song about how the morning after is a blur to her because she is trying to recall how she ended up next to someone she is unfamiliar with and figuring out what she was doing the night before. It would be interesting to play this in a club and to see what a video of this song looks like.
MMm Papi 10 out of 10 She is expressing in the song how she desires the person in her song and her faith that the object of her desire will be there for her. Its funny and cool when she sings mmm papi love you A catchy song that will surely stick in your head
Mannequin 8 out of 10 Truthfully after a few listens to the song I am still trying to understand the full meaning to this song. What I get from this song is that someone wants her and that she will do her thing and that they will like it. I give her credit for her artistic creativity and innovation in this song but admittedly there are other songs on this cd that I like more.
Lace and Leather 10 out of 10 She sings about taking charge for her and her lover in the bedroom with lace and leather but that she is the one who will call the shots because its her show. She tells her lover to take a seat in the song because the fantasy will be on her. An erotic, sensual, and catchy song rolled into one.
My Baby 7.5 out of 10 Admittedly even though this is a song that I like least on the cd it still has grown on me each listen. This was especially the case after someone at my job told me how this is her favorite song on the cd so I decided to listen to it again to give it more of a try. Truthfully this is the only song that was just a 7.5 on my cd but thats mainly because it was so quiet and slower compared to the rest of the songs. This is a good song to listen to when you want to relax for the day because she beautifully sings about how much she loves her baby. Even though baby is obviously singular you can tell she is metaphorically paying tribute to her two beautiful children that I feel she loves very much. So even though I may have felt it was a 7.5 there may be others who will understandably rate it higher.
Radar 10 out of 10 An exciting and fun song from the "Blackout" album where she expresses some of the qualities she desires in a guy with some of her lyrics "confidence is a must" "cockiness is a plus" She turns having a crush into a stylish and fun situation with this song.
Overall if you liked the "Blackout" album you will like this album even more. Even people that are new to her albums will also like this cd. The $9.99 that I paid for this cd was definitely a good value for the various great songs that are on this cd. You can tell by this album that she is definitely getting better and better. Anyhow, whether you are a fan of Britney Spears or not if you are fine with listening to pop, top 40, and/or dance/club music then you will definitely love this album. You will definitely find yourself singing along and moving to many of these songs on this album.
List Price: £18.99
Our Price: £8.80
Artist:
Various Artists
Brilliant, 2008-12-31
Brilliant album. I bought the first and loved it, so bought this too.
Excellent album, though not quite as good as the first, but still chock-a-block with dance floor tunes.
If you've not got the first one, buy it and then get this one too!
List Price: £13.99
Our Price: £6.50
Artist:
TV On The Radio
For a few years now Brooklyn's TV on the Radio's obtuse but powerful art-rock has been consistently acclaimed by critics and peers without quite entering mainstream consciousness, a state of affairs the release of Dear Science is about to change for good. On their third studio set, their best and most cohesive album to date, the five mad scientists that make up TVOTR (no exaggeration--the sleeve photo captures them in a laboratory looking very serious) have managed to marry their love for the sonically indulgent to some seriously impressive songwriting. The results are always convincing and occasionally stunning. Sometime actor Tunde Adebimpe's yearning voice at times evokes eighties icons from Prince to Peter Gabriel while David Sitek, the band member behind the board, enhances his reputation as a producer, placing detailed strings and horn arrangements alongside the most unearthly and inorganic sounds. Brilliant single "Golden Age" sounds like an imaginary collaboration of David Bowie and Michael Jackson, the lovely "Family Tree" is a ballad beamed from the future while the furious, fascinating "Dancing Choose" is a hit in waiting. Ranging from the funky ("Red Dress") to t...
Does,nt blind with science but with brilliance, 2008-10-19
Buying TV On The Radio's new album was a dichotomous experience. On the one hand I ,was , like any right thinking person, looking forward to hearing it immensely after loving their last albumReturn to Cookie Mountain. Yet I was also girding myself for what could have been a major disappointment . How could they top their last album? Hell....I'd have settled for them coming somewhere near .Yet , having heard Dear Science , I am now aware I should have had more faith for not only is not a let down it is in actuality even better than RTCM.
While their previous album was an intoxicating aural mixture of propulsive linear rock grooves, autumnal jazz tones, scuffed up funk and pop, though it's pop filtered through several gauzy layers of dissonance Dear Science is an altogether punchier brighter sounding album with pristine production by David Sitek. You could say it is more commercial with more melodic and harmonious layers yet the band mange to do this without sacrificing any of the sonic depth and gradated nuances of the music. There still more textures than a textile convention , more moods than a double booked hen -party.
Co-vocalists Kyp Malone and Tunde Abipimpe utilise their background in visual arts and production to produce music that is as multi layered as a UFO sized snowflake. Magnificent album opener "Halfway Home" is a gorgeous pop song hugged with heavy reverb and jostling guitars . It would be understandable if the band had taken this approach for every song but TV On The Radio are far too interested in starting a self conscious insurrection for that to happen.
"Family Tree" is the most straight up beautiful track on here - a truly majestic ballad that merges a forlorn acceptance of forbidden love with something approaching elegiac rapture. The band do this sort of thing a lout on Dear Science. "Red Dress" is as twitchily addictive as Talking Heads circa "Remain in Light" but berates sedentary society. "They got you tamed/ they got me tamed. "."Shout Me Out" most recalls their former album but fuses a halfway reggae strut with a silver foil slashing guitar wig out. "Crying " wraps syncopated handclaps and percussion over falsetto soul and wiry guitar motifs ."Dancing Choose" has "Broken dreams and alibi's" over purring keyboards and atonal brass. The stately tip toe arrangement and mellow strings of "Stork And Owl" jar against the preening funk chords and woozy off kilter chorus of the exquisite "Golden Age" .
TV On The Radio rather like Elbow are a modern band who are not just interested in writing good songs but in doing something different with them. Not for them the shameless plundering of rock/pop/ whatever history . Or if they do plunder the past they subvert it and transform it into something else or merge it with something contradictory like on "Love Dog" which is a torch ballad transmuted into a bold unification between Tricky and The Tindersticks. Lyrically Dear Science is pretty bleak , musically it infuses the listener in a billowing cloud of rapture. Another dichotomous experience, another truly great album by one of the best bands around. How could I have doubted them?
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