AeschTunes’ Top Five Albums of 2007 December 31, 2007
Posted by aeschtunes in Darren Hayes, Erasure, Nine Inch Nails, Seal, Storybox, music.Tags: Darren Hayes, Dave Gahan, Erasure, Neuropa, Nine Inch Nails, Rupesh Cartel, Seal, Storybox, The Smashing Pumpkins, Virtual Server
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This is a list of our top five favorite albums of 2007.
5. Darren Hayes – This Delicate Thing We’ve Made
This was Darren’s first release as an independent artist. With this album, he took a chance and released a double album. Unfortunately, this chance didn’t entirely pay off. While there are some really good songs on this album, there are also quite a few songs that were either B-side material or “throwaways.” Had this album been one disc with the strongest songs on the album (which is roughly half the album), then This Delicate Thing We’ve Made would’ve been much higher on our top five list.
4. Erasure – Light at the End of the World (limited edition release)
2007 saw the release of Erasure’s twelfth studio album, Light at the End of the World. Overall, this was a decent release, although the last three songs of the material on the “regular” release were rather forgettable. In fact, I felt that the two bonus tracks on the limited edition release were stronger than some of the songs that appeared on the actual album. With a few minor adjustments, this album would’ve ranked higher on this list.
3. Storybox – No Dancing Allowed
The first album underground synthpop artist Dave Montana released under the name Storybox, and it was his first release for Section 44. Overall, this is a pretty good pop-oriented synthpop album. However, there is a three-song section near the end of the album which is more experimental in nature. In some respects, these three songs stand out like a sore thumb on the album, and it does distract from the listening experience somewhat. Like with Erasure, if there were just a couple of minor adjustments, this probably could have ranked even higher. But this is a good album, and is definitely worth checking out if you like synthpop and electronic music.
2. Seal – System
Seal released his fifth album, System, this year. This album saw him make a return to his dance pop sound on his 1991 self-titled album. That’s not to say that he recycles that old sound; he takes that sound and modernizes it. And there are some ballads on the album, but the ballads and slower tempos don’t dominate on this album. There was just one minor weak spot on the album… if not for that, this album would’ve been our number one for the year.
1. Nine Inch Nails – Year Zero
Trent Reznor came up with a definite concept for this album, which he carries successfully through the whole project. This was definitely a stronger album than Nine Inch Nails’ last release, With Teeth.
There were some other good albums released in 2007, but they just didn’t quite have what it took to make our top five. However, I will include them below as “honorable mentions”:
Dave Gahan – Hourglass
Neuropa – The Blitz
Rupesh Cartel – The Disco and the What Not
The Smashing Pumpkins – Zeitgeist
Virtual Server – Setup
EP Review: Erasure – “Storm Chaser” November 8, 2007
Posted by aeschtunes in Erasure, music, review.Tags: Cyndi Lauper, Erasure, review, Storm Chaser
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Erasure
Storm Chaser
This EP is the third release from Erasure’s Light at the End of the World era. This nine-track disc includes three mixes of “Storm in a Teacup,” two mixes of “Sucker for Love,” one mix of “Golden Heart,” one mix of “When a Lover Leaves You,” one mix of “Glass Angel,” and “Early Bird” (a duet with Cyndi Lauper).
First, I have to question the wisdom of choosing to promote “Storm in a Teacup” as the single. Personally, it sounds more like an album track than it does a single. There’s really no hook or anything catchy to help it stick in the listener’s mind. Not to say that it’s a bad song, but it just isn’t a single. There is an extended mix of this song included on the single as well, which adds roughly an additional two minutes in length; however, the additional length does nothing to really improve the song. The “Koishii & Hush Club Mix” is the best mix of the three, and it’s one I could easily hear in the dance clubs. Personally, I would have liked to have seen a radio edit of this mix be made and issued as the single version… the beat is just incredibly catchy!
When I heard the extended mix of “Sucker for Love,” I thought that perhaps this song would have been better suited as the song being promoted as the single. This song has more of a “catchy” quality to it. However, I have to say that this mix is a little on the long side, and that the last minute or so is rather redundant. The “DJ Manolo Remix” is another mix on this disc that I could easily hear being played in the dance clubs. However, this mix is rather long (it’s about nine-and-a-half minutes in length). It’s not a bad mix, but the length is a bit of a turnoff for someone just casually listening to the EP at home. Perhaps this version of the mix could have been issued to the dance clubs, and an edit of it could have been made to include on this commercial CD pressing.
The remix of “Glass Angel” that was put on here to close the EP just wasn’t very interesting. It was boring, and there was nothing in it to catch the listener’s attention; it’s easy for the listener to simply ignore that it’s even playing. I ended up wondering why it was included on the disc, and I especially wondered why they made it the track to close the disc.
I was actually rather disappointed in “Early Bird.” I didn’t think Andy Bell’s and Cyndi Lauper’s voices really complemented each other. Also I thought the music track sounded rather awkward against their vocal delivery.
Overall, I have to say I was rather disappointed in this EP, especially after they released “Sunday Girl” (which I thought was a rather strong single). If you are an everything collector or a track collector of Erasure, I would recommend picking this up simply to help complete your collection. For a casual Erasure fan, however, I’m not entirely sure I could really recommend this EP to them.
Tracklist:
Storm in a Teacup [Single Version]
Sucker for Love [Extended Mix]
Golden Heart [GRN's 'Golden Glow' Radio Edit]
Early Bird
Storm in a Teacup [Koishii & Hush Club Mix]
Sucker for Love [DJ Manolo Remix]
Storm in a Teacup [Extended Mix]
When a Lover Leaves You [Oscar Salguero Remix]
Glass Angel [The Equalateral Mix]
Single Review: Erasure – “Sunday Girl” October 11, 2007
Posted by aeschtunes in Erasure, music, review, synthpop.Tags: Erasure, review, Sunday Girl, synthpop
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Erasure
“Sunday Girl“
“Sunday Girl” is the second single from Erasure’s Light at the End of the World album. The artwork for this single is absolutely gorgeous; in fact, all the cover artwork from the Light at the End of the World era is some of the best Erasure cover art I’ve seen in several years.
The disc opens with “Sunday Girl [Radio Mix].” This is basically just a slightly more uptempo mix of the original album version. There is also “Sunday Girl [Extended 12" Mix],” which is basically an extended version of the Radio Mix; this is definitely a straight-ahead, “old school” extended mix.
There are other remixes of “Sunday Girl” on the disc: the Riffs & Rays Club Edit and the Riffs & Rays Dub Edit. The Club Edit utilizes a “harder” bassline and attempts to turn “Sunday Girl” into a more “dance-friendly” song; the string sounds that appear in the mix help to give the mix a kind of 1970’s “disco” feel to it. The Dub Edit is a “dub version” of the Club Edit; the only vocals that appear in the track are the chorus. While there may not be a lot of vocal in the mix, it still beats the “hack and slash” remixes that were so prominent during the mid-1990’s. While the dub may be a little on the long side, it is a tolerable listen.
“Sunday Girl” also features a B-side called, “Take Me on a Highway.” This is a midtempo song, and it’s kind of reminiscent of Erasure’s material from the late 1980’s/early 1990’s. While listening to it, I could easily hear it being included alongside the songs from the Wild! album. It’s a good song, but it’s easy to see why it ended up being relegated to a B-side; sonically, it just wouldn’t have fit in with the rest of the material that appears on Light at the End of the World.
Overall, “Sunday Girl” is a pretty decent single. If you’re an Erasure fan, this is definitely worth getting.
Tracklist:
Sunday Girl [Radio Mix]
Take Me on a Highway
Sunday Girl [Extended 12" Mix]
Sunday Girl [Riffs & Rays Club Edit]
Sunday Girl [Riffs & Rays Dub Edit]
Erasure News September 27, 2007
Posted by aeschtunes in Erasure, music, release dates, synthpop.Tags: EP, Erasure, Storm Chaser, synthpop
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Erasure has just released their new EP, Storm Chaser, in the UK and Europe; the EP is scheduled for an October 2 release in North America.
In the UK, the EP is available in three formats: a nine track CD, a two track 7″ vinyl picture disc, and as an eleven track digital download.
CD tracklist:
Storm In A Teacup [Single Version]
Sucker For Love [Extended Mix]
Golden Heart [GRN's 'Golden Glow' Radio Edit]
Early Bird (featuring Cyndi Lauper)
Storm In A Teacup [Koishii & Hush Club Mix]
Sucker For Love [DJ Manolo Remix]
Storm In A Teacup [Extended Mix]
When A Lover Leaves You [Oscar Salguero Remix]
Glass Angel [The Equalatrial Mix]
The following two tracks are digital bonus tracks:
Golden Heart [GRN's Golden Glow Remix]
When a Lover Leaves You [GRN Remix]
7″ vinyl picture disc tracklist:
Storm In A Teacup [Single Version]
Sucker For Love [Edit]
Erasure’s recent live performance at London’s Royal Albert Hall will be released on CD and digital download in November, and on DVD in the new year.
