The playful and intuitive music of Ane Østergaard’s debut album could possibly reflect the personality of the young Dane. Her unique way of arranging the numbers is messy yet tidy at the same time, always with an unmistakable glimpse in the eye. A curious approach to melodies, timing or instrumentation; everything is so special that it warms your heart. This makes it easy to listen to, despite its sometimes silly and obscure universe.

The third track, Wood Delivery, is driven by a beautiful piano pattern that seems to evolve itself throughout the song, despite it only being a simple loop. This effective hooks makes you remember this song, and perhaps the album for its successful way of taking a small idea to a whole new level; developing it further until it has said what it has to say. It doesn’t reach that point of annoying hook repetition, and neither does it feel like a long, exhausted jam; it’s perfectly balanced. This is a confirmation of the human being behind the machines, because this music has the same feeling as conventional music does: it’s handcrafted. No matter how many weird sequences or how much glitchy Squarepushing this album includes, its still stands strong as an authentic and real musical performance.

On “Lala”, Band Ane plays around with vocal samples in a truly innovative way. There are no actual lyrics, as it’s merely just the singer (Danish Donna Dalhoff) playing around. A glimpse of “looking through the window” is to be heard in between a beautiful mess of an enchanted voice that tempts the listener to continue. And if you’re convinced to keep on listening, there’s a lot more to discover. The almost picture-like Dragon Weather; atmospherical and moody, or the impressive ambient-electro-glitch track Nonesuch; just two of the many ingenious works by Band Ane. There’s even room for a little pun on electronic music in the end of the record, where the undeniable roots of this music is showed off in all of its glory. Band Ane joyful humour is just as enjoyable as the album, and it’s easy to conclude that this is a personal album. Lovely.

by Emil

LTJ Bukem complied a series of albums that went back to the roots; natural and organic music within the borders of his own thriving musicality. The drum heavy music that LTJ Bukem pioneered is prominent on this album, but it has more jazz and world music influences than usual. The album will set you of to explore the green universe within the title: Earth.

With its pulsing rhythms you enter a green world of feel-good music. The relaxed keyboards is likely sweeping across the surface in a smooth way, just inches from the surface they’re seeking. The nature is essential in the albums concept, and this is justified perfectly by the albums world music inspiration. The choice of instruments is often both acoustic and foreign in opposition to other electronic music of this genre. “Aztec Girl” proves the naturalistic approach to house music, with its jazzy guitars that work well behind the funky choir. It’s almost like a visit to a cosy little jazz club, seizing a warm and soothing atmosphere. The next tracks continues in a bit faster pace, but has the same gentle, open feeling. A single shrieking note leads in to an uplifting and groovy shuffle, long enough to get you into the deep forest of Earth.

The tracks and the album in general are great to set you in a special mood. Its sought to be a feeling of nature, and this is achieved because of its gentle content, but it has more than just that. The songs are sometimes leaning towards a new age sounds; healing and enriching. LTJ Bukem’s choice of music is truly admirable for this, and this album of true and intelligent music proves his major talent.

by Emil

The album cover depicts the five Danish boys in weird postures, all dressed in different black uniforms behind a cloud of bubbles. The music of “Yes” is equivalent to the cover, as their strange indie-pop is just as wonderful and original as their cover pose. The strict indie rhythms and vocals proves their tight uniforms right; a great balance between their own floating dream world and the Madness-esque funkiness. The outcome is hard not to love for its bubbling musicality with just the right amount of quirkiness added.

Oh No Ono is not afraid to set (you) out on very different journeys. Both ballads and big beats are to be found on the album, as the consistent psychedelic vibe leads us through a gallery of strangely enchanted sound collages behind beautiful vocal harmonies. A classic indie guitar is also prominent, squishy and on the beat; important if you look at it from a dancing perspective. Many of the numbers are pure disco, so the dance floor is definitely not left empty. This is accomplished by their intuitive use of drum rhythms, offbeat guitars and unique vocal work – highly pitched voices with reminisces of The Beach Boys; almost pathetic sounding without being it, and furthermore both intimate and attractive.

“Yes” certainly proves its optimistic title right with an all in on joyful musical experimentation. The walls of synthesizers and pianos work in great harmony with the light vocals, which forms Oh No Ono’s signature. Their lyrics match the playing approach, and you could denounce the music for being childish with this argument, but the naive aspect is nowhere to be found if you listen to the record. The lyrics are puzzling and fun, the music is intelligent and their personality is not like anything seen before. This makes Oh No Ono a special band, and “Yes” a very special album.

by Emil

The crazy Swedish 6-man group is known for their eccentric electronic music ready for the dance floor. Their wild concerts have proven them worthy as techno-superstars, but the group is far from what mainstream techno is about. Their name translates into Fight Club which could hint the listener to the raving nature of this band, but despite this, outline they’re much more than your everyday 4 to the floor music.

In a chaotic mess of corny saw-like offbeat synths and pumping drums you sense that this isn’t so regular at all. Weird compositions are common on this album, and therefore you won’t just be trapped inside the slightly prejudicial term techno; Slagsmålsklubben reinvents the cheesy dance music in their own special way with their old school sound and funny attitude. Most of the titles of the songs are in Swedish, and as strange as the names might seem, as strange might the numbers be. But the weirdness is nowhere to find if you dive into their universe of lost video game sounds and get swept away by their mastery of edgy electronics. In cover of synthesizers and 808’s is to be found simple, but effective melodies and musical ideas that are far more variables than constants. The result: stunning.

By the second track on the album, Slagsmålsklubben properly marks their territory with a hypnotic ecstasy of bleeping electronics and powerful beats. Coming from the happier opening track, Sponsored By Destiny introduces a dark and more melancholic vibe induced by Game Boy fixated sounds played stringent and loud. The hyperactive melodies give this song so much punch and lift it to an ultimate climax: the variation of the main melody. A small spinoff of the heavily arpeggiated lead synth with a simple rhythmic marking by the already upbeat drums is an intelligent and well working gimmick that differs Slagsmålsklubben from their mainstream colleges. Their work reflects a playful and alive approach to a musical style otherwise ruled by unnatural sounds and rhythms. Their love for the extremely artificial world of 8-bit, Atari and other forgotten digital waste is outlived true to the music that can be heard all of your favourites Nintendo classics.

Surrender to this black Swedish voodoo rave and you’ll discover the energetic and fun universe of Slagsmålsklubben. They put old computers, keyboards, video games and tons of other lovely junk back to life in their own fusing of the old and the new school. Perhaps it is aimed at a dancing audience at times, but in general Boss For Leader is a great listen without putting on your geeky dance outfit on.

by Emil

Silent Shout is amazing. It haunts you like a dark film noir, tempts you with its danceable rhythms, scares you with strange vocals, puzzles you with complex lyrics or gives you chills with its moody melodies. The Knife explores a dark and obscure universe with their ingenious compositions made up of electronic wizardry and poetic brilliance. This will certainly affect you in one way or another, possibly towards an appreciation of this fascinating piece of art.

The Swedish duo consists of brother and sister, Oluf and Karin Dreijer. While the texts are solely Karin’s work, they both collaborate on the music. The singing is mostly done by Karin, even though this isn’t that obvious because of the group’s appreciation for pitch shifting. This makes the vocals change gender with a creepy effect adding to the already perfectly eerie vibe that Silent Shout contains. The heavily synthesized sounds are the perfect match to the close vocals, as their grandiose melodies often set the mood to the beautiful strangeness of The Knife.

Their curious and daring approach to music gives this album a life of its own, showed by tracks like “We Share Our Mothers Health” or “Like A Pen”, which actually made it as dance oriented singles. They could be called the two most upbeat tracks on the album, as they certainly differ in some ways from the rest of the album. But then again, they’re still prominent and defining for the album because of their bold rhythms made of up 80’ies-esque squared drums. The sound matches up with the rest of the album, using keyboard sounds that could seem corny when described, but amazingly enough they pull it off perfectly. Digitalized, grainy synthesizers with a more polished sound than on their earlier album “Deep Cuts” sounding just perfect in content with this duo’s impressive work.

When reaching the end of this album, it’s tempting to play it from the beginning again. Its 11 tracks suck you into a dark universe of bulging sounds that moves closer to you every time you hear it. This is right up in your face; an artful package containing so many qualities in terms of thoughts, music, expressions, feelings and much more of the deep things that The Knife is all about.

by Emil

Just as the opening track introduces, this is an easy album to listen to. For the same reason have Röyksopp’s music been used in various commercials, because of their easy-going and laid back sound. The music has warm reminisces of a forgotten time, more specifically the 70’ies. The love of heart-warming melodies and funky rhythms is easy to recognize, as Melody A.M. cherishes a joyful and intuitive vibe. This Norwegian duo has been widely recognized for this album because of their widespread musical creativity, and it’s certainly no wonder why.

Melody A.M. does in a way represent the tunes that were transmitted through radio waves in the 50’ies, 60’ies and 70’ies. The grainy quality that AM radio was known for provided the post-war population with modern dance tunes, and the warm melodies were received well through small transistor radios. The love of the same crackling melodies is very present on this album. With a modern approach, Röyksopp mixes old samples with minimalistic beats and their own retro-styled instrumental parts, all put together to match a very organic soundscape. The catchy single “Eple” has a cheerful organ motif that hums along sweetly with a child-like happiness, and it’s hard not to love it for its catchy simplicity. Its crisp sound continues on the string heavy “In Space”, which could be called a ballet; lightweight and pure – which perhaps could describe what it’s like to be in space. Regardless of the music’s intentions, every track has been made with great imagination, which is one of the great qualities of this album.

The Norwegian musician Erlend Øye, known from Kings of Convenience, is featured on the album. This includes the haunting “Poor Leno” where his laid back voice meets one of the first up-tempo tracks on the album. It has a funky forward-minded feel that represents the danceable side of Röyksopp, which they continued on the successor, The Understanding. The second track featuring Erlend Øye is likewise funkier than the rest of the album, and impresses with its edgy bassline and tight drums, but the essence of this album is the downbeat styled beats, which are intuitive and rich with their mixed impressions in both major and minor keys. They take you by surprise and help you on your way back to a golden time with a soundtrack so analog and real it’s hard to imagine it being recreated in the 21st century. Melody A.M. is glad to take you back with its warm and mellow vibe.

by Emil

Amongst other French duos like Daft Punk or Justice is Air to be found on the frontier of electronic music. The group’s 1997 debut album ”Moon Safari” was well received by critics, and served them a spot as a softer electronic band on the active electronic scene prior to the new millennium. Their smooth and airy sound does certainly take off on this mellow and soft electronica-phased album, which stands out for its light and relaxing atmosphere.

The overall outline of this album is in fact quite clean, with its strict rhythms and minimalistic soundscape. With the use of many acoustic elements blended with lightweight electronics, the songs keep a balance that controls the output to be softly balanced; pleasant and rich with impressions. A distinct use of intelligent piano phrases is quickly recognized as a trademark of this album, as the uplifting chords on “Once Upon A Time” that leads in to an adventurous tale seen from the perspective of a little boy. The lyrics are yet another proof of the clear minimalism that rules this album, as they tend to be short but interesting in a small sense. The little boy once upon a time; a centered lyrical universe that does contain something after all, even though it seems fairly simple. “Mer Du Japon”, which translates into Sea of Japan, is another showcase of this albums brilliance. The lyrics contain only two sentences, but they really add a great deal to the number. The driving drumbeat behind the swirly synth and tight bass guitar is the perfect backdrop for backing the French words up, and the number really glitters with what Pocket Symphony is all about: simplicity.

A swell of different voices is introduced throughout the album, but the most prominent seems to be the airy vocal on numbers like “Left Bank” or “Redhead Girl”. In the already laid back feeling, more and more relief seems to be introduced. The simple singing is well fitted in everywhere, and the instrumental numbers, which the album also features, are great to fill in between the more text oriented numbers. Many of these solely instrumental numbers are filled with small creaking electronics and dreamy sequences with delightful strings, pianos, synthesizers or other elements played with true delight, and they’re certainly helping to lift the album up to what its title claims it to be: a Pocket Symphony. And yes, it is true to its title. It fits right into your pocket, because it’s so compact and minimalistic – but the size doesn’t compromise its great content, thus it being a magnificent symphony.

by Emil

Winter is a season that tends to be very quiet. When walking in the newly fallen snow, it’s almost as if the cold white mass puts a filter on words, both in terms of colour and sound. The glowing white shades lights everything up, and softens the sound to be muffled and less widespread. “Soon It Will Be Cold Enough” seizes this beautiful atmosphere perfectly. Small but beautiful piano melodies that shine behind the jazzy breaks, long haunting pads that weep over the snowy plains whilst a crying violin spellbinds you into a dreamy winter wonderland. Just like the title, this album longs for the winter; a truly enchanted and beautiful winter.

The albums title is explained by the track that adds “To Build Fires” to the name. This tells about a longing after colder times, most certainly the winter, which is a major theme on this album. It will soon be cold enough to build fires; a confirmation of the winters coming. The winter and its beautiful ambiguity is greatly covered by this moody and deep music, that contains so damn much it’s hard to hear it all with only a single listen. Emancipator is an artist to admire in many ways, and the authentic and humble yet massive impression that this album gives is certainly one of them. The mastering of this album was done by the late Nujabes, a pioneer and almost legend in this type of music, and the album stands as a great tribute to him.

“Anthem” is one of the many powerful tracks on this album. It certainly doesn’t compromise the cold season theme, as it includes a chill that goes right into your heart. A cold but noble string arrangement is presented after a short line of longing “calls”; windy melody fragments that sound distant – out in the snow, calling up for this massive anthem. The drums drive the staccato strings forward while lighter and much more fragile woodwinds float on top. At this point it is merely an emotional state than a song, because we’re so deeply swept into the joyful sounds. The tragic but magnificent violin tops this anthem to make it fully complete, and the fading outro slowly closes the door to this enchanted winter dream world, only to make you eagerly want to go back inside again.

It’s amazing how this album contains so many different tracks despite its minimalistic approach. Emancipator uses a fair dosage of mellow piano riffs with accompanying bass and strings combined with groovy downbeat drums to achieve the chilling sounds of this album. This declaration applies to many of the numbers, but in fact it isn’t visible in any way. Every track has its own life, provided by the countless small bits and pieces of brilliance, whether its melody or rhythm. The fact that all the numbers are so unique even though the album altogether tightly matches a wintery theme is astonishing, and shows what a remarkable job the then 19-year old musician did on this album.

by Emil