4Play

Feb. 28, 2007

What would old-school videogames be without - well, cheesy videogame music? The familiar bloops and bleeps of such 8-bit 3rd gen games as Super Mario Brothers, Zelda, Metroid, and Castlevania are some of the “music” that many of us grew up with, and now they’re being reinterpreted on this album. Utilizing the sounds made by handhand gaming units, consoles, and lo-bit computers, musical technicians 
from Nullsleep and Glomag to Bit Shifter and Herbert Weixelbaum have taken on the challenge of rearranging this set of songs from German experimental electronic group Kraftwerk, to make for a fascinating collection. It’s a great revisit of both Kraftwerk beats and those geekily enjoyable nostalgic sounds.


The Apples In Stereo - New Magnetic Wonder - Yep Roc
It’s been a long wait for the new Apples in Stereo album - five years, to be exact - but after one listen to this rich and eclectic set you’ll think it was worth it.  Equal parts Beach Boys and West Coast modern indie pop, these songs bring a whole staircase worth of levels to the band’s brand of pop music, utilizing everything from the expected guitar and keyboard sounds to the surprise tweaks of vocoders and lo-fi meditative refrains.  Robert Scheider starts off the album by entreating you to “turn up the stereo!” and that’s exactly what you’ll want to do, in order to better hear songs like “Same Old Drag,” “Energy,” the two-part “Beautiful Machines,” and the pretty instrumental “Non-Pythagorean Composition Pt. 1.”


John Digweed - Transitions Vol. 2. - Thrive
One of the most accomplished DJs that the scene has ever, er, seen, Digweed drops another lineup of snazzy tracks, putting them all together with his inherent mixing skills to make for a set that’s a cohesive listen all the way through, rife with perfect segues and matchless in its consistent beat flow.  Every track here is selected with careful thought, from Guy Gerber’s mix of the compelling and worldly “Dana” to David K’s spare and reverberative “Boul de Nerf,” the super-sized Joakim mix of Antena’s “Camino del Sol,” and the delicate “The Shivering (Pitch and Hold In Camera Obscura Remix.)” It’s over an hour of music that evolves perfectly, thanks to Digweed’s well-honed skills.


Loney, Dear - Loney, Noir - Sub Pop
At once romantic, whimsical, and introspective, Loney Dear (otherwise known as Swedish one-man band Emil Svanängen) crafts songs that are a throwback to simpler times, yet are still infused with modern touches both fully orchestral and more dainty. Synthesizers, guitars, and Svanängen’s own voice are all processed and produced to the nth degree, as glassy as a Swedish ice rink and poppy in a polished folk sort of way.  There are definitely several standout songs - “And I Won’t Cause Anything At All” and “Saturday Waits” being two of them - but you’re more likely to enjoy this chilled-out album as a whole, as its lo-fi, restful tones sound even better when listened to in one fell swoop.