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."
2 MICHIGAN
SUFJAN STEVENS - MICHIGAN: GREAT LAKE STATE - 2VINYL.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Then I took some time off, came back, and found that I had grown in the interval (or something) and there were sufficient good works on this album to calm down. Stevens has a soft, breathy, passive, almost genderless voice, ("sensitive") and writes mournful songs about beauty, loss, and grace. Holland - starts out promising, and although it continually regains its strength in the verses, in the end it doesn't work. Vito's Ordination - evolves into a ravishing, spinning meditation on the final 4 lines "there's a design.../to all I did and said/rest in my arms/sleep in my bed..." with a chorus singing rounds, until a listener is suffused in lushness."
"Frankly, the music of Sufjan Stevens is a bit too twee and precious for my everyday tastes, but I'll be the first to admit that he comes close to touching something that exists in all of us -- that innate and intangible sense of "place" and "home" the likes of which famed authors John Steinbeck and Thomas Wolfe respectively attempted to dispel and recapture."
"I really enjoy how "mellow" sufjan's work is - you have to hold your breath a little, close your eyes and let it all sink in."
"By all that musicians get fed at schools poor old Ssufjan would get all kinds of obnoxious critiques for the unusual mixes, sounds being in different ambient spaces, and musically, some might go after some outright poor soloing on guitar, yet some students more interested in music and not form might say, "so what, this is a great CD" and I'd be right with them. One of the endearing things about Greetings From Michigan: The Great Lake State is it's songwriting and wonderful vocals that get the emotional feelings across, and while far from happy funtime music, Greetings... offers excellent lyrics, pleasant (in the most positive meaning) yearning that fits the angst frequently masked by seemingly mid-tempo ballads that implode into all the great things behind your school's marching band, a good indie band at one of the only bars for miles that has live music with the geeky guy that sings in a pretty tenor voice and makes you want to drink."
"our college age daughter turned us on to this cd and we bought it in time for our annual trip to Michigan!"
"The best Sufjan Stevens album ever."
Talkie Walkie is the fourth full-length album by French music duo Air.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"One of the best Air albums, very catchy!"
"That's not to say that I won't listen to other music, and even enjoy it very much, but when it comes to serious listening, give me the "1812 Overture" at high volume and I'll be ecstatic. It's a good album put together by two French electronica artists and I think highly of it. I enjoy listening to the CD, but only as background music that doesn't interfere with the other things I'm doing. If you like soft, mellow and, yes, airy, music then you may enjoy this album very much, especially if you enjoy the electronic style of putting songs together."
"If you're a fan of air, check out Brian Reitzell's work on Hannibal as well."
"I've been a fan of Air since hearing the beautiful soundtrack of Virgin Suicides, Talkie Walkie just seals my admiration even more."
"Gorgeous and luscious string arrangements accompany each song that successfully breaks the barrier between time and space, like the altered strings on Universal Traveler and the grand piano rift on Mike Millis. One listen to the song is all you need to realize how perfectly the song blends with the storyline of the movie - a certain loneliness and yearning against the backdrop of the bustling Tokyo nightlife."
"Can't go wrong with a classic."
"This reminds me of so many other artists yet it is original (Laurie Anderson, David Bowie, for example)."
Best Belgian Music
Musician/programmers Patrick Codenys and Daniel Bressanutti brilliantly hold forth with multi-dimensional layers of percussion, noise, keyboards and spoken-word fragments. Backing singer Richard 23 is given the spoltlight on "Moldavia," with Codenys and Bressanutti adding colorful mutilation to his confident wail.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"The music sounds fine, I give that 5-Stars, but the Liner notes, booklet and artwork are all generic!"
"One caveat, like many of the great EBM/Industrial albums, There are tons of little details, nuances and massive amounts of soul wrenching power you'll simply never hear and appreciate unless you listen to this from a CD on a ridiculously massive, state of the art audio system (which I've been lucky enough to assemble) but even a really *good* headphone setup will give you some taste of what it is all about."
"My dad had the tape when I was young, and loaned it out (forever)."
"The album is excellent, but when I buy it anywhere was saying it was made at the time of purchase, just now I can see in the description that cd-r. very disappointed."
"Awesome lights, rolling fog, huge fans rotating slowly behind the band. The very end of the show will be forever etched in my memory- the music. gradually faded away, and all the lights went dark. All that was heard or felt was JLDM's voice repeating the words at the end of "Soul Manager" over and over and over - "I Am The Guide Of The Lost...I Am The Guide Of The Lost..." and I left with no doubt that for an hour and 45 minutes, he had been."
Best Chamber Pop
Double vinyl LP pressing.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"If you like the Decemberists, you like the Decemberists."
"I really love a few of the songs."
"Almost worth the price."
"This band incorporates both acoustic & electric guitar with other instruments to create their sound!"
"The Crane Wife is still my favorite (along with Hazards of Love which was so good that I went to 3 Hazards of Love concerts in 3 different states--that's when I found out that concert promoters add dates as they go along, so if a concert is not in your town initially, it may still be scheduled)."
"Mostly the music was pretty mellow compared to a lot of the things that I listen to. Overall, I really like the CD and enjoy listening to it."
"I keep searching my mind for some other act to which this group compares; I can find none."
Best Twee Pop
High quality gatefold sleeve.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"After the brilliant landmark album, Trasatlanticism, Death Cab For Cutie made the big jump to Atlantic records and released the more lush record, Plans in the fall of 2005. As with every indie band, moving to a major label is often resented by many fans of the group and while some have still been critical towards the more balladesque atmosphere on Plans, I'm happy to see that others have been very welcome to it."
"As with many of their albums, I grow new favorite songs by listening to the entire album (such as Brothers on a Hotel Bed being my new favorite close to the two mentioned above, and Your Heart Is An Empty Room)."
"I strongly suggest purchasing this album for any record collector / vinyl enthusiast."
"I would say the sound of the album is more "open" than their other LP's, which leaves you with some contemplative lyrics, warm vocals, and soft strings and piano that creates a very peaceful, slightly melancholy atmosphere."
"Good album decent quality vinyl."
"One of my all time favorite albums ever."
Best Dream Pop
A Rush Of Blood To The Head is a soulful, exhilarating journey, moving from the cathartic rock of 'Politik' to the hushed tones of 'Green Eyes' without once breaking its mesmerizing spell.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Love this song; I love the lyrics."
"This is where it all started."
"Would Highly Recommend."
"These cd is awesome."
"Great CD original recording."
"Super fast shipping."
Best Jangle Pop
The sympathetic ballad "Everybody Hurts" must have prevented countless suicide attempts, while the Andy Kaufman tribute "Man on the Moon" (with Michael Stipe affecting an Elvis Presley imitation) and the rock-into-oblivion "Drive" are among the quartet's strongest hits.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Just had to have this to replace a scratched CD."
"One of the best albums of the 90's!"
"Great CD."
"One of the top 10 albums of the 90s."
"vinyl records are hard to find."
"Of course I ordered this after watching the new Vh1 series, "Hindsight.""
Best Electronic Pop
Also includes covers by The Shins and Iron & Wine as well as the remixes from "The District Sleeps Alone Tonight" single.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"The Postal Service's freshman album "Give Up" is nothing short of a musical tour de force. Take the lyrical honesty of Death Cab and marry it with Jimmy Tamborello's "Nintendo-esque" keyboard sensibilities. The result is an absolutely smashing record that harkens back to the days of Depeche Mode and Yaz but with a more modern bent. Starts off slow in almost a dream-like fashion then steadily increases, it's tempo culminating in a climax awash in keyboards and catchy drumbeats. Brand New Colony - Finally....The Super Mario theme song with added vocals!!!"
"Like a soundtrack to a 16-bit video game mixed with the sensibilities of a John Hughes movie, Give Up's beats chirp and hum along happily while the singer sings tales of love and love lost."
"Sounds amazing on vinyl!!!!!"
"Came fast, and listening to the album while cleaning, with the windows open and the rain falling?"
"One of my favorite albums of all time."
"The Postal Service truly gets to the heart of the matter by fusing together several different types of music into one gorgeous collection with velvety vocals and sweet, captivating melodies, this album provides something different in each track, giving the listener the ability to select as he or she pleases."
Best Indie Rock
They're drawn by songs like "Ho Hey" and "Stubborn Love," Americana-inflected barn burners in the vein of the Avett Brothers and Mumford & Sons.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I'm not very good at writing about music but if you like stuff like the Avett Brothers or Low Anthem or The Head & the Heart I'm pretty sure you will like this."
"If I had to characterize The Lumineers, I'd say they're similar to Bright Eyes, except 10 times better and a tenth as annoyingly self-infatuated."
"Submarines is what really caught my attention as well as Ho, Hey. If you, like me, sometimes want to find a new band/artist to stimulate your musical taste, I would not hesitate to recommend The Lumineers."
"Fame found them, but when you watch them or listen to their music, you appreciate how deeply they care about their music."
"I may never have bought it if wasn't that low. Yes, the stand out song is 'Ho Hey', but as much as I listen to that song, I find myself equally drawn to 'Submarines' with its upbeat warm feeling. Kind of gives me that warm feeling of being wrapped up in a blanket on a cold morning. Another song worth mentioning is 'Stubborn Love' with its haunting cello. While I do think it's somewhat of a sad sounding song, it somehow keeps drawing me in. In my opinion, if I had just bought one song, namely 'Ho Hey', I would have cheated myself out of an entire listening experience."
"They all have a catchy pure sound and make me smile; Flower in Your Hair is my 2nd favorite so far! I'm looking forward to playing this CD over and over during short trips to work, home, etc."
"Amazing album, amazing band!"
"Great CD!!!"
Best Shoegazing
No Description Available. No Track Information Available Media Type: CD Artist: MY BLOODY VALENTINE Title: LOVELESS Street Release Date: 11/05/1991. Domestic Genre: ROCK/POP.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I finally listened to it as I was embarking on an evening walk through the streets of Leominster, MA. I had squeezed my dated portable CD player into my jeans pocket. Loveless is one of the most beautiful, enigmatic, and unique recordings I have ever had the pleasure to hear in my short life. It has that same warm sensation, feeling like hot water washing over my whole body. You hear two drum beats and then WOOSH, you're swept up in a mindblowing sonic storm of guitar riffs and drones. Maybe you like being cynical about hyped albums (I think a term commonly used is "sacred cow")."
"From the first notes of "Only Shallow", the music sounds fiery yet mystical, owing to the odd softness of Bilinda Butcher's vocals that actually propel the guitar and bass melodies forward in a manner that will never go out of one's mind even after a single listen: the effect is of so many melodic lines moulded perfectly into a single unit. Unlike many self-indulgent instrumentals, "To Here Knows When" find virtue in simplicity and soothingness, epitomised by Bilinda's beautiful "la la la"s. "When You Sleep" moved onto a new plain, but the shrill sounds in the intro were a perfect match to Shields' deep, haunting voice which benefits from being somewhat buried, as it does on the static yet so beautiful "Sometimes"."
"Kevin Shields, the genius behind My Bloody Valentine (who regained notorious status through his participation in the 'Lost in Translation' soundtrack), recorded in 'Loveless' not just the band's best album, one that almost fifteen years after still works perfectly well. 'Loveless' opened up a whole can of worms for me, since there's so much more where this came from... dozens of bands that were in the back, doing their own thing at the time when grunge was at the forefront of everyone's awareness."
Best Lo-Fi
Named Best Album of the 1990s by Magnet Magazine, Aeroplane gives us Jeff Mangum's powerful solo acoustic work, full horn-section marches, history, religion, & sex -- everything you hoped for and more!
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I've always loved this album and am happy to have it on vinyl!"
"It rapidly became a contender for my all time favorite album, and I still try to introduce Aeroplane to anyone who might appreciate it, though it is true that Aeroplane is not for everyone."
"Delivery was fairly quick, but the one thing I'd say is that the packaging wasn't great - the plastic on the album cover was quite badly cracked on both sides."
"I already knew how perfect this album was as I had it on CD upon its initial release."
"The CD arrived as described and on time."
"Saw them live at Markarth, amazing, moved me to tears."
"Bought this on a whim after reading all the positive reviews and it did not disappoint."