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Deep Forest
: :The primordial unknown--or the modern urban dweller's impressions thereof--has long been a staple of New Age music. So it was only a matter of time before some studio whiz got the notion to take the translation process one step further and bring that atmosphere to the dance floor. It's definitely authentic--the creators studied and borrowed genuine chants from African tribes--but just as importantly, it's remarkably seductive. The chart-topping signature song, 'Sweet Lullaby,' is indicative of what's going on in the grooves of the other nine tracks; ...
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The Emancipation of Mimi - Platinum Edition
:Album Description:Includes the bonus tracks Secret Luv and Suplang. :Early buzz on The Emancipation of Mimi predicted that this would be the disc to mark 'the return of the voice'--the voice being that glass-shattering instrument that propelled Carey to bestselling female artist of all time status--and mostly it is. But because of the small army of talent involved in its assembly, the album is way more than just a comeback vehicle. For proof, try the straight-ahead, look-out-Beyoncé-Mimi's-still-got-it 'Mine Again'; the '70s-soul cuddle-up 'Circles,' a don't-attempt-on-American Idol ...
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Untrue
:Album Description:2007 sophomore release from the UK's mysterious and much-acclaimed Burial. Of all the artists past and present who claim to let their music do their talking for them, Untrue, is a record of weird Soul music, which lovingly processes spectral female voices into vaporized R&B and smudged two-step garage. Vocal lines are blurred, smeared, pitched up pitched down and pitch bent until their content is cast adrift from their original context and they whisper their saccharin sweet nothings into the void. Forget central heating -- ...
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Millennium
: :For their hard-core under-18 fans, of course, the Backstreet Boys are all that, and a bag of chips and free soda to boot. Millennium, the follow-up to the quintet's umpteen-million-selling debut, offers more reasons why so many of the rest of us have found a place for them in our hearts. The Boys' ultrapackaged look and up-to-date production underscore the quality of their best tracks; only a churl could deny that 'I Want It That Way' is one fine radio-aimed declaration of love, or that 'Larger ...
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Scissor Sisters
: :Those dismissing the self-titled Scissor Sisters as a product of New York's latest band fad are jumping to conclusions. Yes, there's a certain cabaret aspect to what they do, but that's not to dismiss them as frivolous nightclub entertainment. That's only half the story. 'Comfortably Numb' may nod to gay disco but this eclectic bunch of fashionistas have more interesting reference points tucked up their puff sleeves. If anything, the prevailing mood here is sunny AM rock, the kind of thing you might have tuned into ...
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Vegas
: :When Ken Jordan and Scott Kirkland started distributing homemade singles around Los Angeles at the beginning of the '90s, their bass-fortified, hard-rolling techno concoctions perked up the ears of industry impresarios and local scenesters alike. Vegas, their affectionately-titled major label debut, refines the formula. Thick with layers of pounding beats and rock dynamics, it takes the typical club fare and beefs it up with a uniquely western slant. The detectable influences range from the power chords of AC/DC to old school hip-hop patterns to the smooth ...
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The Cosmic Game
:Album Description:The most fully-realized Thievery set to date, their fourth studio record packs an all-star punch, with cameos by FLAMING LIPS, PERRY FARRELL, DAVID BYRNE, and more of their usually lovely futuristic bossa/lounge/downtempo sound. Check out ThieveryCorporation.com to launch soon. :There's always been a psychedelic edge to Rob Garza and Eric Hilton's Thievery Corporation project. 2000's Mirror Conspiracy is a downtempo classic precisely because of its druggy expansiveness; sober listeners and saucer-eyed trippers alike could find common ground. Similarly esoteric and nocturnal, The Cosmic Game floats ...
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The Midnight Organ Fight
:Album Description:The most fully-realized Thievery set to date, their fourth studio record packs an all-star punch, with cameos by FLAMING LIPS, PERRY FARRELL, DAVID BYRNE, and more of their usually lovely futuristic bossa/lounge/downtempo sound. Check out ThieveryCorporation.com to launch soon. :There's always been a psychedelic edge to Rob Garza and Eric Hilton's Thievery Corporation project. 2000's Mirror Conspiracy is a downtempo classic precisely because of its druggy expansiveness; sober listeners and saucer-eyed trippers alike could find common ground. Similarly esoteric and nocturnal, The Cosmic Game floats ...
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The Wedding Singer Volume 2: More Music From The Motion Picture
: :Is it forgivable that the second volume of songs from Adam Sandler's mid-'80s-revival comedy begins with Kajagoogoo's famously limp 'Too Shy'? Not really, but the rest of the disc does a good job of recapitulating worthy memories from the era of torn-sweatshirt necks and mulletheads--not just with new-wave novelties but with Madonna and Hall & Oates staples ('Holiday' and 'You Make My Dreams,' respectively) as bouncy and glossy as anything the also-present Depeche Mode ('Just Can't Get Enough') and Dead or Alive ('You Spin Me Round ...
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Substance
: essential recording:It's a simple concept--the first dozen singles by New Order collected, a couple of them rerecorded--but it's also a totally entertaining seven-year history of the band that married British post-punk alienation to the relentless hedonism of the dance floor. The band's hits were always deeply unconventional (like the haunting 'Blue Monday,' essentially a seven-minute drum machine test with a short lyric that alluded to the Falklands War), but they were brilliant productions, layering dozens of electronic countermelodies and percussion tricks over Barney Sumner's uncertain ...
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