Mini-Reviews

Frank (Just Frank)
The Brutal Wave
Rating: Grrrr

For their debut album, French duo Frank (Just Frank take cues from Pornography era Cure, mining the dark side of goth and gloom with icy keyboards and guitars mixed with pummeling drum machines. While they can easily be lumped in with other genre enthusiasts such as A Place To Bury Strangers, they tend to lean towards the more melodic side of the coin, rather than the harsher side. At any rate, it is pure pop gold.

Digital Mystikz
Return II Space
Rating: Grrrr

Not so much a full album than a brief primer from the grime godfather. Showing a merging of grime with the stumbling cadences and wobbly bass of dubstep, Digital Mystikz takes his sound in a more headphone friendly, and less dance floor direction.

Dylan Ettinger
New Age Outlaws
Rating: Meh

Let me say right off the bat that this album is a beautifully constructed set of Tangerine Dream-esque electronic pieces. My problem with it is that the album sticks to almost one tone throughout and rarely makes any sort of impression aside from, "well, that was pretty." I could easily put this on as music for a dinner party and no one would complain about it, or even much notice it.

Autre Ne Veut
Autre Ne Veut
Rating: Grrrr

The flip side to How To Dress Well's insular bedsit R&B. Instead of retreating within, Autre Ne Veut goes outward with lots of sunny and gorgeous textures. It's a bit too experimental to be called "pop" music, but there is definitely a pop leaning towards it. Highly recommended.

Shed
The Traveller
Rating: Grrrr

Gorgeous album that doesn't fit neatly within any set genres.  Deep house, house, techno, dubstep; all of these are fitting for separate tracks and even within several tracks.  The album is made up of mostly short fragments, keeping the listener in an almost agitated state, as if "The Traveler" of the album title is on a disjointed journey.  He covers so many beautiful terrains and vistas though, it is a journey well worth taking.



Rating Guide

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top albums of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and peaks one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not great; could have either been trimmed or polished.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.