Mixtape 12/Pedestal 09: Groove Armada In Retrospect

Another treat for the weekend! While I was in Europe a while back, I picked up two really cool album sets. They were budget re-releases in eco-friendly mini-sleeves that bundled together two of an artist's back catalog classics. I got a Suede one (with their first two albums, to be featured in a future post) and a Groove Armada one including their first two major label records, Vertigo and Goodbye Country (Hello Nightclub). I was going to do a quick review of each, but then realized that I haven't posted most of my favorite Groove Armada songs yet and decided instead to do a full mixtape (hooray!). Their first major release (and second overall), Vertigo set the tone for electronic artists in 1999. Taking trip-hop to its logical conclusion and reinventing lounge house, smooth tracks like "Chicago" were interspersed with uptempo bangers "If Everybody Looked The Same" and "I See You Baby" that would set alight the charts alongside Basement Jaxx, Daft Punk, The Chemical Brothers and their fellow house music contemporaries at the turn of the century. Goodbye Country (Hello Nightclub) cemented their reputation as beat mavericks with the deep house thump of first single "Superstylin'," while expanding their sound with genre hybrids like "Suntoucher" and string-laden "Edge Hill." While tripping a bit with the poorly-received Love Box, they regained form on last year's great Soundboy Rock (featured in my favorite albums of 2007 list). In an effort to not repeat tracks, and to make this a worthwhile compilation for fans big and small, I left out some favorites like "At The River" and a couple of their biggest singles in favor of rarer cuts and album finds, including a handful of hard-to-find mixes from their excellent double-disc retrospective Ten Year Story: From The Vaults 1997-2007. Also making the cut are mixes of their recent smashes "Get Down" and "Song 4 Mutya (Out Of Control)," as well as two mixes by the duo of blog favorites Róisín Murphy and Madonna. Enjoy the Groove!

Groove Armada In Retrospect:
1. Groove Armada, "Suntoucher" [YSI]
2. Groove Armada, "Whatever, Whenever" [YSI]
3. Groove Armada, "Superstylin'" [YSI]
4. Groove Armada, "I See You Baby" (Fatboy Slim Radio Edit) [YSI]
5. Róisín Murphy, "Let Me Know" (Andy Cato Vedra Mix) [YSI]
6. Groove Armada, "If Everybody Looked The Same" [YSI]
7. Groove Armada Feat. Stush, "Get Down" (Calvin Harris Remix) [YSI]
8. Madonna, "Music" (Groove Armada 12" Mix) [YSI]
9. Groove Armada, "Lightsonic" (Re-rub) [YSI]
10. Groove Armada, "Chicago" [YSI]
11. Groove Armada, "Edge Hill" [YSI]
12. Groove Armada, "Easy" (Deep Shelf Remix) [YSI]
13. Groove Armada Feat. Mutya Buena, "Song 4 Mutya (Out Of Control)" (A1 People Panic Remix) [YSI]
14. Groove Armada, "Fogma" [YSI]
15. Groove Armada, "Save My Soul" (Live Acid Remix) [YSI]
16. Groove Armada, "Paris" [YSI]

Tracks 2, 6, 10 from Vertigo
Tracks 1, 3, 11, 14 from Goodbye Country (Hello Nightclub)
Track 16 from Soundboy Rock
Tracks 9, 12, 15 from Ten Year Story: From The Vaults 1997-2007
Tracks 4, 5, 7, 8, 13 from various single releases
Tracks 3, 4, 6, 10 also available on The Best Of
Tracks 3, 10, 11, 16 also included on Ten Year Story: From The Vaults 1997-2007

Link: Find more GA in old posts.

***Note: Links removed***

Save to del.icio.us

Pedestal 08/Mixtape 10: Stéphane Pompougnac Et L'Hôtel Costes

Perhaps my favorite compilation series, the Hôtel Costes albums set the standard for chilled, lounge-based electronica with their yearly releases. Compiled by now-famous French DJ Stéphane Pompougnac, the records are released to mirror the classy sounds handpicked by Pompougnac and others to soundtrack the posh, world-famous Costes in central Paris. Starting out as a small venture on an unknown independent label, the reputation and audience for the compilation series has grown exponentially in the few years they've been coming out. The series now stands at ten albums and one "best-of" release featuring choice cuts from the first seven. Of course, much of their success is down to the musical genius of compiler Pompougnac, who somehow manages to find exceptional tracks from completely unknown artists for the albums year after year. That's not to discount his own musical output, which includes several tracks featured on the discs as well as two solo albums. This post is a big tribute to the man who's given downtempo electronica a new face and edge, so check out some of my personal favorites, along with a few oddities in place of some more obvious picks (Pink Martini, Louie Austen, etc.), from across the entire range of the Hôtel Costes catalog. For beginners, the best-of is a good place to start, while volumes 4, 8 and 9 are also essential ventures in the genre. The next in the series, volume 11, is due out September 28, so expect a big furor over that release as it arrives on shelves and in my music library.

PS: The playlist is excellent listening for a trip to an art museum. I just tried it out while stranded in New York City at the MOMA, and it is the perfect soundtrack to a classy day!

1. Slow Train, “In The Black Of Night” [YSI] (from volume 6)
2. Stéphane Pompougnac, “Closer To Julie” [YSI] (from volume 4)
3. The Method, “I’ve Got A Cat” [YSI] (from volume 4)
4. Stéphane Pompougnac Feat. Charles Schillings, “Sunday Drive” (Remix) [YSI] (from volume 10)
5. Jehro, “All I Want” [YSI] (from volume 9)
6. Stéphane Pompougnac Feat. Varano & Tiger Lily, “Better Days” [YSI] (from Hello Mademoiselle)
7. Shirley Bassey, “Where Do I Begin” (Awayteam Mix) [YSI] (from volume 3)
8. Ralph Myerz And The Jack Herren Band, “Think Twice” [YSI] (from volume 8)
9. Stéphane Pompougnac, “Last Night” [YSI] (from Hello Mademoiselle)
10. Michael Mayer, “Lovefood” [YSI] (from volume 8)
11. Jon Cutler Feat. E-Man, “It’s Yours” (Jon’s B-Side Breakdown Mix) [YSI] (from volume 4)
12. Stéphane Pompougnac Feat. Clémentine, “Morenito” (Bossa Mix) [YSI] (from volume 6)
13. Doctor Rockit, “Café De Flore” (Charles Webster’s Latin Lovers Mix) [YSI] (from volume 4)
14. Laidback, “Happy Dreamer” (Happy Horse Mix) [YSI] (from volume 10)
15. Paul & Price with Todd Ivy, “Little White Roses” [YSI] (from volume 9)
16. Fantastic Plastic Machine, "Steppin’ Out" (Costes Re-Edit) [YSI] (from volume 5)

***Note: Links removed***

Save to del.icio.us!

Pedestal 07: Daft Punk: Human Before All?

When Daft Punk’s Human After All first leaked a few months ahead of its 2005 release, many fans thought it was a stunt, a throwaway record to heckle internet pirates. However, it wasn’t meant to be. The album, recorded and mixed in a mere two weeks, was harshly criticized in the press for being rushed, repetitive and unoriginal, in stark contrast to the intricate, perfectionist design of their previous two albums, the genre-defining pair of Homework and Discovery. Conceived as a concept album about the dangers humanity faced at the hands of technology, it was ripped apart for sounding utterly inhuman and robotic. In their mission to strip back the music, intending to leave only raw emotion, they ended up digitizing any organic elements left in their sound. If the music press was to be believed, the great Daft Punk were at their creative end with Human After All, and all hope seemed lost for dance music.

Fast forward to 2008, and the blueprint of Human After All has permeated modern electronic music. Three years ago, its looped hooks and gritty guitars were lampooned for masking a lack of real emotion and substance (the pursuit of which, ironically, were the duo’s reasons for simplifying the production process). Now, it’s impossible to say that the record hasn’t had sweeping influence. The genre’s most buzzworthy acts, including heavy hitters from Justice and Simian Mobile Disco to MSTRKRFT and more, are greatly indebted to the album’s raw electronic template. To finish off this tale of musical comeuppance, Daft Punk has in the past year risen from the critically-mauled ashes of Human After All and regained their place at the top of the dance game. Thanks to their frantic, universally acclaimed Alive 2007 tour set, and the sea change in electronic music, the album’s tracks have been re-judged, and now stand comfortably alongside their best tracks as essential dance standards. Here are some cuts from the album (including one of my favorites, the hard-driving, tongue-in-cheek synths of "Emotion") and two reworkings from their recent shows. Juxtaposed with those are eight tracks and remixes by other more current artists that pick up where Human After All left off. Justice and Simian Mobile Disco are the most avid followers, though others like Mr. Oizo and Digitalism have joined the fray as well, dropping the electroclash in favor of fuzzier sounds. The mounting evidence shows that perhaps Daft Punk were actually ahead of the game with Human After All and its guitar-dance revisionism, precociously defying our initial doubts. Thanks to a fellow FlopPop poster for first making the observation--it was spot-on!

From Human After All:
Daft Punk, “Human After All” [YSI]
Daft Punk, “Television Rules The Nation” [YSI]
Daft Punk, “Emotion” [YSI]

From Alive 2007:
Daft Punk, “Touch It/Technologic” [YSI]
Daft Punk, “The Prime Time Of Your Life/The Brainwasher/Rollin’ & Scratchin’/Alive” [YSI]

The Followers:
Justice, “Phantom Pt. II” [YSI] (from †)
Justice Vs. Simian, “We Are Your Friends” [YSI]
The Black Ghosts, “I Want Nothing” [YSI] (from The Black Ghosts)
Simian Mobile Disco, “Tits & Acid” [YSI] (from Attack Decay Sustain Release)
MSTRKRFT, “Easy Love” (Edit) [YSI] (from The Looks)

Followers In The Mix:
Britney Spears Feat. Madonna, “Me Against The Music” (Justice Remix) [YSI]
Depeche Mode, “Never Let Me Down Again” (Digitalism Mix) [YSI]
Calvin Harris, “Merrymaking At My Place” (Mr. Oizo Remix) [YSI]

***Note: Links removed***

Save to del.icio.us!

Pedestal 06: Pizzicato Five

A lot of music tends to go in one ear and out the other, but on rare occasions a band will become an instant favorite. Whatever the reason behind it, there's nothing more satisfying than discovering a new artist that you just immediately love, especially if the group is relatively obscure and has an extensive back catalog that can be explored for years to come. A recent discovery of mine that perfectly fits this ideal is Pizzicato Five, a Japanese avant-pop duo fronted by super-classy singer Maki Nomiya and musician Yasuharu Konishi. Starting out as an obscure pop quintet way back in 1985 and eventually breaking up in 2001, the group released upwards of fifteen studio albums, and countless more compilations, EPs and collectibles. Their rapid evolution saw their sound touch upon numerous genres, pioneering the jazzy, energetic "Shibuya-kei" pop sound while dabbling in electronica, bossa nova, dance pop and indie rock, consistently maintaining a tangible kitsch factor.

The album I started on a few weeks ago, 1997's Happy End of the World, was a total impulse buy, having never really heard their songs in full and just picking the cheapest used disc I could find at the record store. To my pleasant surprise, I'm already in love with the album and all of its infinite quirks. Kicking things off, the slow-burning optimism of "World Is Spinning at 45 RPM" sets the pace for the pop masterpiece ahead. The short, clubby "Trailer Music" picks up the tempo to set up the joyous single "It's A Beautiful Day." Complete with chants of "P.I.Z.Z.I.C.A.T.O. Five!" and a rolling rhythm recalling surf rock, bossa nova and lounge pop all at once, it's the brightest song you'll hear in a while. Things get a bit moodier with "Love's Theme" before rebooting with the simple, yet extremely catchy beats of "My Baby Portable Player Sound." "Mon Amour Tokyo," the album's other single, is a bit more straightforward pop (which for P5 is still weirder than anything else out there). It gets a bit repetitive towards the end, but the silly phone introduction and singalong feel of "Arigato We Love You" keeps it interesting until "Happy Ending" wraps up the album on an almost cheekily cheerful note. Overall, an extremely addictive listen and up there with many of its contemporary greats, alongside the likes of Saint Etienne's Good Humor and The Cardigans' Life with its successful integration of retro elements for an utterly fresh sound. Though the majority of the record is in Japanese, I didn't feel lost at all, as Pizzicato Five's energetic, grab-bag sound somehow transcends language, genre and any sense of time or musical context. I already can't wait to explore them some more, starting with the US-exclusive compilation The Sound of Music by Pizzicato Five that I just picked up, so expect to see them show up in some of the more eclectic posts in the future.

Pizzicato Five, "Mon Amour Tokyo" (from Happy End of the World)


From Happy End of the World:
"It's A Beautiful Day" [YSI]
"My Baby Portable Player Sound" [YSI]
"Mon Amour Tokyo" [YSI]

From The Sound of Music by Pizzicato Five:
"Happy Sad" [YSI]
"Groovy Is My Name" [YSI]

From Playboy & Playgirl:
"Such A Beautiful Girl Like You" [YSI]

***Note: Links removed***

Save to del.icio.us!

Pedestal 05: M83

M83, the name of a distant galaxy, is a fitting moniker for Anthony Gonzalez's acclaimed electronica band. Coming out of France at the beginning of the decade, Gonzalez and former bandmate Nicolas Fromageau began crafting music combining elements of ambient electronica, synth pop and shoegazing alternative rock that drew comparisons to Mogwai and My Bloody Valentine. Their European-released self-titled debut put all their influences out on the table, but their sound wasn't fully developed until the majestic Dead Cities, Red Seas and Lost Ghosts in 2003 (which I highly recommend getting, even if you're not so into electronic music). It combined loud, overbearing electronic washes with hushed overlaid vocals, ranging in tone from sprawling, ambient chillout to frantic, highly-charged crescendos, as in the still-unmatched "Run Into Flowers" and "America." Fromageau left the partnership after that album, but Gonzalez continued and released Before the Dawn Heals Us in early 2005. Enhanced with more vocals, guitars and organic instrumentation, it stayed true to the core M83 sound, with standouts like singles "Don't Save Us From The Flames" and "Teen Angst" holding up well alongside frenzied cuts like "*" and the reflective "A Guitar And A Heart." I had the chance to catch M83 live after the album's release, and it was truly a mindblowing experience. The wall-of-sound approach translated into a spectacular live show, with more emotion than I've probably ever seen in the electronica genre. Last year, M83 released the digital-exclusive ambient side project Digital Shades, Vol. 1 as a precursor to the fourth proper M83 album. Slated for release this April, Saturdays=Youth is produced by Ken Thomas (of Sigur Rós and Suede fame) and Ewan Pearson (the famous dance producer noted for his work with Goldfrapp, Ladytron and The Rapture). Said to focus more on tight song structures, and with a truly tantalizing slate of collaborators (not to mention brilliant promo artwork), it's a record I'm already anxiously looking forward to. Look out for a US tour in May (I'll definitely be in attendance), and in the meantime fill yourself in with selections from M83's albums below. Also notable is the remix work he's done for Goldfrapp, Placebo and others (including an excellent mix of Depeche Mode's "Suffer Well" that I unfortunately don't have in MP3 form).

M83, "Sitting" [YSI] (from the album M83)
M83, "Run Into Flowers" [YSI] (from the album Dead Cities, Red Seas and Lost Ghosts)
M83, "America" [YSI] (from the album Dead Cities, Red Seas and Lost Ghosts)
M83, "Don't Save Us From The Flames" [YSI] (from the album Before the Dawn Heals Us)
M83, "Coloring The Void" [YSI] (from the album Digital Shades, Vol. 1)
M83, "Couleurs" [YSI] (from the forthcoming album Saturdays=Youth)

Remixes:
Goldfrapp, "Black Cherry" (M83 Remix) [YSI] (previously featured in Mixed & Mashed 08)
Placebo, "Protege Moi" (M83 Remix) [YSI]

Check out M83's website for updates and more info.

***Note: Links removed***

Save to del.icio.us!

Pedestal 04: The Cardigans

The Cardigans are known to most only for their huge international hit "Lovefool" from way back in 1997, and that's exactly how my nearly-lifelong obsession with them began. In the ripe year of the third grade, I first became hooked on "Lovefool" after hearing it on the radio and seeing its elaborate video on MTV. I went online, with my old dial-up connection, and downloaded clips of songs from their first three albums from their website. Soon after, I picked up two of their records in a big sale at Tower Records and played them non-stop for months. Even at that young age, with a CD player among my few possessions, I knew I had found something special, and to this day they remain my favorite band.

The Cardigans started out as just a local Swedish band with their 1994 debut Emmerdale. Full of bright, optimistic pop songs with serious undertones, it quickly caught on in their home country, fueled by early singles "Rise And Shine" and "Sick And Tired." Their second album Life, released the next year, became a success throughout Europe thanks to its catchy retro-kitsch sound. "Carnival" and a reworked "Rise And Shine" slowly gained them attention and their ironically upbeat tunes began to spread. When First Band on the Moon came out in 1996, it didn't make too much of a splash until "Lovefool" was used in Baz Luhrmann's version of Romeo + Juliet. The song became a worldwide smash and the album became a success all over. After much touring and increased exposure, they returned in 1998 with the darker, electronic-influenced Gran Turismo. Though it didn't get much attention in the US, the album and its singles, especially "Erase/Rewind," were considerable hits in the UK and Europe. After a long break for solo projects, the band finally released their fifth album Long Gone Before Daylight in 2003. A more organic and stripped-back affair than its predecessors, the album didn't really find an audience outside their homeland. A delayed US release, coupled with minimal promotion worldwide, saw them fade into obscurity. In 2005, they released possibly their best record yet, Super Extra Gravity. Full of energy and tight pop structures, it contains some of their finest work, so it's a real shame that it ended up being the least widely heard of all their albums. On the horizon is a Best Of collection, coming out January 28 overseas (or early March in some countries, including the US), containing their biggest hits and selected album highlights. A limited edition will also be released featuring a bonus disc packed with rarities (though I've somehow already collected the majority of tracks on even the special edition!).

Back to my history with the band, after Life and First Band on the Moon hooked me, I tracked down their first album on import and eventually even their b-sides collection The Other Side of the Moon. After Gran Turismo came out, I dragged my dad out to Pomona with me to see them in concert. Disregarding that it was a school night and I was still in fifth grade at the time, I went hours early to line up at tiny club The Glass House so I could be right in front of singer Nina Persson for the whole show. Almost matching that amazing experience was when I finally managed to track down the extremely rare original Swedish issue of Life, containing a different tracklisting to the US version, after two years of intensive searching. While I loved Long Gone Before Daylight and Nina Persson's excellent solo album A Camp, it was Super Extra Gravity that really reminded me of how much The Cardigans have meant to me over the years. I grew up with their music and still love it, for good reason, so here is some of their best for your listening pleasure, including a brand-new remix of "Erase/Rewind" by Robyn collaborator Kleerup, due to be released digitally in Europe very soon.

The Cardigans, "Rise & Shine" [zShare] (from the album Emmerdale; also features on the US version of Life)
The Cardigans, "Carnival" [zShare] (from the album Life)
The Cardigans, "My Favourite Game" [zShare] (from the album Gran Turismo)
The Cardigans, "I Need Some Fine Wine And You, You Need To Be Nicer" [zShare] (from the album Super Extra Gravity)

Exclusive:
The Cardigans, "Erase/Rewind" (2008 Remix by Kleerup) [zShare]

***Note: Links removed***

Save to del.icio.us!

Pedestal 03: Mark Ronson

The latest in a new wave of production geniuses starting an all-out assault on modern music is popular DJ Mark Ronson. Over the past few years, his production work for Lily Allen, Robbie Williams, Christina Aguilera and, most notably, Amy Winehouse, has earned him widespread attention and acclaim. Tending to favor horn-heavy compositions, and with a knack for the slick electronic production values that only come from DJ experience, his signature sound has infiltrated all the best airwaves. His excellent second album Version was released earlier this year, and is made up of cover versions of iconic British songs from the recent past, with vocals provided by many of his recent muses. Check below for a selection of his own songs and some of his best production work and a recent remix of Bob Dylan (the Amy Winehouse collaborations are crucial!).

Mark Ronson feat. Daniel Merriweather, "Stop Me" (cover of The Smiths) (from the album Version)
Mark Ronson feat. Amy Winehouse, "Valerie" (cover of The Zutons) (from the album Version)
Amy Winehouse, "Back To Black" (produced by Mark Ronson) (from the album Back To Black)
Robbie Williams, "Bongo Bong / Je Ne T'Aime Plus" (produced by Mark Ronson) (from the album Rudebox)
Bob Dylan, "Most Likely You Go Your Way (And I'll Go Mine)" (Mark Ronson's Re-Version) (digital bonus track from the compilation DYLAN)

Get his excellent new album Version here, and Amy Winehouse's album Back To Black here (featuring mostly Ronson's production). They're among my favorite albums released in 2007.

***Note: Links removed***

Save to del.icio.us!

Pedestal 02: Kylie Minogue

Kylie Minogue is known to most Americans solely for her two big Stateside hits: "The Loco-Motion," from way back in 1988, and "Can't Get You Out Of My Head," the catchy dance anthem that hit number one worldwide in 2001 and 2002. Despite her patchy US success, she has remained a consistently-selling act worldwide since her debut in the late '80s, reinventing herself a number of times along the way. Her first run of hits, starting with "The Loco-Motion" and "I Should Be So Lucky," carried her through to 1992, when she left her first label PWL and decided to ditch her manufactured pop princess image. She came back with a more mature sound in 1994, gaining critical respect and new listeners with the ballad "Confide In Me" and her fifth album Kylie Minogue. Her 1998 album Impossible Princess, however, was derisively labelled "Indie Kylie" and didn't go over too well with the public, leading to her parting ways with dance label Deconstruction and falling off the musical radar completely for two years.

Then, in 2000, she returned with the storming disco track "Spinning Around," hitting number one for the first time in ten years in the UK, Europe and Australia. On the advice of friends and fellow artists the Pet Shop Boys, she signed to Parlophone (a division of EMI) and returned to the top of the charts with her disco throwback album Light Years. Just a year later, she unleashed "Can't Get You Out Of My Head" and her seventh record Fever, hitting the top spot worldwide and achieving the best sales of her career. That single and "Love At First Sight" became some of her best-known hits, and her Kylie Fever 2002 tour sold out arenas across the globe. In 2003, she released the edgy number one smash, "Slow," but her ninth album Body Language failed to meet the high expectations set by her recent successes.

In May 2005, she canceled the Australian leg of her sell-out Showgirl: The Greatest Hits tour with the announcement that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer. After a long and very public battle with the disease, she returned to the stage late last year and early this year for her Showgirl Homecoming tour. She joked on stage that, while she is usually only ten minutes late, the one-and-a-half-year wait for the tour to resume was the most "fashionably late" she had ever been. Her tenth studio album X is due for release internationally on November 26, with a US release set for February 2008. It will be her first new album in four years, and is preceded by the glam-rock single "2 Hearts." Also featured are highly-publicized collaborations with Calvin Harris (the catchy electro number "In My Arms") and The Freemasons (disco ballad "The One"). The anticipation is almost too much to bear (listen to the album minimix and you'll see why)! Check out some classic Kylie tracks and new album tasters below.

Tasters for the forthcoming album X:

"2 Hearts" music video
"X MiX" (album preview medley featuring "2 Hearts," "Like A Drug," "The One" and "In My Arms")

Classic Kylie selection:

"I Should Be So Lucky" (from the 1988 album Kylie)
"Love At First Sight" (from the 2001 album Fever)
"Slow" (from the 2003 album Body Language)
"I Believe In You" (from the 2004 compilation Ultimate Kylie)

If you like these, check out her amazing 2CD greatest hits album Ultimate Kylie.

***Note: Links removed***

Save to del.icio.us!

Pedestal 01: Róisín Murphy

Way back in 1995, the unlikely pairing of musician Mark Brydon and clubgoer/vocalist Róisín Murphy released their first album as Moloko, with the cheeky title of Do You Like My Tight Sweater?. Full of quirky sounds and eccentric beats, it didn't find much of an audience, and they remained strictly a niche act with sophomore effort I Am Not A Doctor. They skyrocketed to fame with the Boris Dlugosch remix of their single "Sing It Back," which quickly became a monster hit across Europe in the summer of 1999. It ended up being featured on over 100 compilations, and is still remembered as one of the biggest crossover dance hits of recent years (see also Dear Ibiza 01). Moloko followed this up the next summer with "The Time Is Now," reaching no. 2 on the UK singles chart. This was a taste from their third album Things To Make And Do, which subsequently hit no. 3 on the albums listing. Their fourth album Statues followed in 2003, coming after the breakup of Brydon and Murphy's romantic relationship. It contained some of their best work yet, including European hit singles "Familiar Feeling" and "Forever More." They parted ways after the lengthy tour in support of the album. Their greatest hits are chronicled by the recent collection Catalogue.

After years without any new material, it was announced that Róisín Murphy was set to release a solo album, her first work away from Moloko aside from a few side collaborations. Her first album, Ruby Blue, was a collaboration with electronic artist Matthew Herbert. It was released in 2005 after first coming out as a series three limited edition 12" EPs (called the Sequins series). Though immediately gaining widespread critical acclaim, its left-field sensibilities kept it from reaching much of an audience and she found herslef back on the fringes of pop music. Then, just this year, she signed a new record deal with EMI, leaving behind her lifetime independent label home of Echo Records. Her debut release with the label was the "taster" EP Overpowered in July. This month, she released her first chart-eligible single, the excellent "Let Me Know." It debuted inside the UK top 40 ahead of her sophomore solo album Overpowered, which came in a respectable at no. 20 on this week's charts. With production help from dance giants like Groove Armada, Bugz in the Attic, Richard X and Paul Dolby, the album is one of the best pop records released in ages, and a definite contender for my personal album of the year. This is a record that must be heard by any fan of pop or dance music, or just anyone curious for some truly great songs. I've included a link to listen to the whole album (I love her too much to give away her music - but I've included a link for legal downloads). For good measure, I've thrown in some classic Moloko tracks and a few solo tracks for your listening pleasure.
Listen to the album Overpowered by Róisín Murphy!
(Choice selections: "You Know Me Better," "Movie Star," "Cry Baby," "Let Me Know")
Purchase tracks from the album from 7digital!
Order the physical album from Amazon!
Visit her lovely YouTube channel!

Check up on some vintage Moloko:
"Day For Night" (from Do You Like My Tight Sweater? and Catalogue)
"Sing It Back" (Boris Musical Mix Edit) (from Things To Make And Do and Catalogue)
"Pure Pleasure Seeker" (from Things To Make And Do and Catalogue)
"Familiar Feeling" (Timo Maas Main Mix) (from the Familiar Feeling single)
"Forever More" (from Statues and Catalogue)

Róisín Murphy solo recordings:
"If We're In Love" (from Ruby Blue)
"Ramalama (Bang Bang)" (from Ruby Blue)
"Off & On" (outtake from Overpowered, produced by Calvin Harris)

***Note: Links removed***

Save to del.icio.us!