Albums recommandés

Love- Love

Psyche, folk rock.

Great, great piece of music. Pretty melancholic and,
to a 21st-century ear, it seems to have really captured the atmosphere of the late 60s-early 70s era.
This is the kind of album that's found its sound and will
faithfully stick to it. But, "Can't explain;" "A message to pretty" and "Emotions," as well as "My little red book" (a cover of Burt Bacharach) and the powerful "My flash on you" that both sound like early punk-rock inspirations, play well enough around the same theme to stand firm as original pieces.

Albums recommandés

Elephunk- The Black Eyed Peas

A hip-hoppish r'n'b.

Catchy rhythms and creativity meet perfectly, here. From "Hands up" to "Third eye" flows a series of original and varied styles that keep on surprising you without ever falling into an over-experimentation whose only point would be to difference itself from the rest, nor the other commercial extreme of only trying what is sure to work.
Pearl

Monkey Business- The Black Eyed Peas

Commercial hip hop with Americanised elements of dancehall music.

Lord have merc-yyyyyyyyy. Ok, this is a definite Black Eyed Peas wrap over a definitely more commercial package.
If you take it in the strict dance context, it's beautiful! If you want something closer to the artistic research of Elephunk, then forget it. There's their usual sound creativity but you can feel they're more enjoying their success and drawing on it than trying to take all of this further. And why shouldn't they?! As long as it fulfills its purpose... Hell, it got me dancing and singing gibberish all night long !      Pearl      P.S. Apart from "Disco club"; that is one real annoying song. Whatever happened there?!
Beware: some dirty lyrics!

Proto-punk

Albums recommandés

The Velvet Underground & Nico- The Velvet Underground (feat. Nico)

Art & experimental rock, proto-punk.

Reed's sweet vocals murmur texts that meant to experiment with music the way The Velvet meant to experiment with life. Add to that Nico's rough singing capacities and Warhol's claws, the end result is often disturbing and meant to be so. The album is a pearl that would have shone brighter had its originality sounded a little more natural. "Sunday morning," "Venus in furs," "Run run run," are fine pieces but it's "I'm waiting for the man," "Femme fatale," "Heroin," "There she goes again" and "I'll be your mirror" that make the album a Pearl

Loaded- The Velvet Underground

Art, experimental rock. Proto-punk.

In this 4th album they seem to have found their thing, mixing their cherished weirdness with a more rock'n'roll sound. Aimed at a more radio audience, it doesn't carry the consistently melodious sadness of their 1st album but then, the tracks are more diverse. Apart from "I found a reason" which sounds too much like the Beatles at their least best and "Train round the bend" and "New age," both pretty weak as stand-alone songs, the album carries itself without much effort yet, with a lot of success. While "Who loves the sun" is closer to their initial attempt (and to the Beatles at their almost-best) "Cool it down," "Rock & roll," "Sweet Jane," "Head held high" and the terribly beautiful "Oh! Sweet nuthin'" are individual pearls which when gathered produce a diamond.    Pearl    P.S. Belle and Sebastian really took their style from that "Who loves the sun" sound !  

Albums recommandés

Exodus (the definitive remasters edition)- Bob Marley & The Wailers

Reggae.

Some of their best are on this: "Jamming," "Exodus," "Three little birds," "One love," "So much things to say" and "Punky reggae party."
"Turn your lights down low," "Natural mystic," "Waiting in vain" and the "Heathen" vary between good enough and almost great with "Guiltiness" being the only weak link in the chain.   Pearl

Rap

Cdthèque recommandée

Watch The Throne (deluxe edition)- Jay-Z & Kanye West

Rap.

But a Wonderful, Dramatic, Extreme, Over-produced, Symphonic, Orchestral, Opera-esque, Surprising, Baroque, Unusual, Magnificent, Superb, Genius, kind of rap.
Really worth getting the deluxe edition with H.A.M. and "Illest motherfucker alive."
Pearl of pearls, one of my favourite songs ever: "Why I love you."

Pearl