[2007] Daft Punk - Alive 2007 (Mp3 Download)

Timed to perfection, Daft Punk's second live album landed exactly ten years after the first, and provides a fitting complement to Alive 1997, easily the best live non-DJ electronica record ever released. While the original featured only a handful of tracks (but found them transformed and tweaked ad infinitum), Alive 2007 is packed with productions, most of them short and many of them getting a big crowd response (all recorded at one show in Paris in June of 2007). As on their first two classic full-lengths, Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo display excellent crowd control, pacing the record well, spacing the hits, and building the mood like the good crowd-pleasers they are. (The visuals included in the regular and deluxe editions reveal quite the stage show as well.) It has the feel of a greatest-hits-live concert, but energized by Daft Punk's talents at weaving songs in and out of each other. Even songs from the comparatively desultory Human After All sound rejuvenated in context, with "Robot Rock" getting the show off to a rousing start. It may not be better or stronger than the original Alive 1997, but it's definitely harder and faster. review at John Bush at allmusic.com

Track List

01. Robot Rock/Oh Yeah
02. Touch It/Technologic
03. Television Rules the Nation/Crescendolls
04. Too Long/Steam Machine
05. Around the World/Harder Better Faster Stronger
06. Burnin'/Too Long
07. Face to Face/Short Circuit
08. One More Time/Aerodynamic
09. Aerodynamic Beats/Forget About the World
10. Prime Time of Your Life/Brainwasher/Rollin' and Scratchin'/Alive
11. Da Funk/Daftendirekt
12. Superheroes/Human After All/Rock' n Roll

found at http://www.hivenet.is/

[2008] Jimmy Eat World - Bleed American [Deluxe Edition] (Mp3 Download)

After being dropped by Capitol, Jimmy Eat World returned in 2001 with their most consistent and accessible album to date. Recorded entirely on the band's dime, before they had a new record deal, Bleed American features compelling lyrics, driving guitar work, and insanely catchy melodies. Left to their own devices during the recording process, it wouldn't have been surprising if the band had turned out another layered, sprawling album akin to their previous full-length masterwork, Clarity. Perhaps sensing that they wouldn't be able to top their previous work when it came to spacy emo, Bleed American heads in a new direction. There are no 16-minute songs here, just straight-ahead rock & roll, performed with punk energy and alt-rock smarts. The title track sets the tone for the album with its blistering guitar attack and aggressive vocals. "A Praise Chorus" and "The Middle improve upon that formula, maintaining the forceful instrumentation but toying with the lyrical themes. "A Praise Chorus" uses the most basic of rock emotions for lyrical inspiration, "I wanna fall in love tonight," while lifting lyrics from Tommy James' "Crimson and Clover," They Might Be Giants' "Don't Let's Start," and Mötley Crüe's "Kick Start My Heart," among others. When used in a song about the comfort and trappings of nostalgia, this borrowing comes off more like a well-placed tribute than stealing. "The Middle" offers a pep talk about self-acceptance and fitting in, and one of the most memorable guitar riffs this side of Angus Young. Bleed American's quieter moments recall some of the band's signature instrumentation from their previous work. Gentle keyboards, bells, and stirring background vocals from former that dog. member Rachel Haden enhance the understated beauty of ballads like "Hear You Me" and "Cautioneers." Haden's most enjoyable contribution, however, is to the up-tempo rocker "The Authority Song." On the surface a song about a song (John Mellencamp's "Authority Song), it also name drops the Beatles' "What Goes On." The numerous references to other bands and other songs reveal that although Jimmy Eat World is a critically acclaimed and incredibly talented band, the members are really just rock fans themselves. If they maintain this level of quality, however, don't be surprised if the next generation of ambitious rockers start writing songs that pay tribute to Jimmy Eat World. [The 2008 Deluxe reissue of the album lives up to the deluxe tag, featuring an entire disc's worth of b-sides, live tracks, demos and an unreleased version of "Your House". Many of the tracks were released in Japan, the UK, or Germany, it's nice to have them all gathered together in one spot. None of the extras stand out as relevatory or essential, but they do add quite a bit of background to one of the few pop/punk or emo albums likely to stand the test of time.] review at Mark Vanderhoff & Tim Sendra at allmusic.com

Track List

01. Bleed American
02. A Praise Chorus
03. The Middle
04. Your House
05. Sweetness
06. Hear You Me
07. If You Don't, Don't
08. Get it Faster
09. Cautioners
10. The Authority Song
11. My Sundown
12. The Most Beautiful Things [Bonus Track]
13. No Sensitivity [Bonus Track]
14. (Splash) Turn Twist [Bonus Track]
15. Cautioners [Early Track]
16. Firestarter [Bonus Track]
17. Get it Faster [Session at AOL Session]
18. Bleed American [Live]
19. A Praise Chorus [Live]
20. Softer [Live]
21. The Middle [Acoustic Version]
22. If You Don't, Don't [XFM Session]
23. Game of Pricks [Radio 1 Session]
24. The Authority Song [Demo Version]
25. My Sundown [Inner Ear Recording]
26. Sweetness [Live]
27. Last Christmas [Limited Edition Sample]
28. My Sundown [Demo Version]
29. Spangle [Bonus Track]
30. Hear You Me [Inner Ear Recording]
31. The Middle [Early Demo]
32. Your House 2007 [Bonus Track]

found at http://desi-instincts.com/

[2008] Gemma Hayes - The Hollow of Morning (Mp3 Download)

After the failed attempt to break through into the mainstream with her radio-friendly second album, The Hollow Of Morning sees Gemma Hayes reverting back to the lo-fi guitar sound of her Mercury Music Prize nominated debut. The first release through her self-titled, self-funded label, this is obviously the record Hayes wants to make. Produced by Night On My Side's David Odlum and featuring My Bloody Valentine's Kevin Shields on guitar, its back-to-basics approach is unlikely to yield any hit singles, but by abandoning any notions of commercial success, Hayes has been given a new lease of life. On first listen, only the crunching rock of "Out Of Our Hands" and the California sun-soaked guitar-pop of "Don't Forget" stand out but Hayes' records have a habit of appearing rather nondescript at first only to unfold after further plays to reveal an almost dreamlike quality, and this is no exception. Stripped-down opener "This Is What You Do" is an intimate acoustic number filled with melancholic harmonies; the atmospheric "Home" combines layered guitars with distorted vocals; and the epic "At Constant Speed" effortlessly switches from a wistful ballad to a synth-driven pop song. There are occasions when the presence of an obvious hook or chorus wouldn't go amiss such as on the aimless "Chasing Dragons." But Hayes' secret weapon, her gorgeous Irish-lilted voice, often comes to the rescue, transforming a mediocre song into something worth listening to and a good song into something special. At just ten tracks long, one of them an instrumental, The Hollow Of Morning never outstays its welcome but after a three year absence, some fans may feel a little short-changed at its 36 minute running time. But it's very rare that one of those 36 minutes is wasted. Hayes is unlikely to be challenging for the Mercury Music Prize again, but those who appreciated her innovative debut will find much to like here. review by Jon O'Brien at allmusic.com

Track List

01. This is What You Do
02. Out of Your Hands
03. January 14th
04. Home
05. In Over My Head
06. Chasing Dragons
07. Don't Forget
08. Sad 'Ol Song
09. At Constant Speed
10. Under a Canopy

found at http://desi-instincts.com/