Electronic > Trip Hop / Big Beat Electronic > P > up to 5 GBP

Advantages: For completists only
Disadvantages: Sterile renditions, not representative of Portishead live.

PNYC is a recording of the band's concert at the Roseland Ballroom, New York to promote the then new album, Portishead. To release this subsequent to the album doesn't seem to serve a great deal of purpose. To my mind, there are several ways of looking at this. The first is a Portishead's Greatest Hits (live) album... unfortunately, Portishead aren't the kind of band who would be suited to such a record, as they write *albums*, records which hold ...
...album and mix them with those from others does not seem wholly sensible. The other is that this is a record of the Portishead live exprience for fans. This isn't the case - Roseland was a carefully planned, thoroughly rigid performance with a full orchestra, and thus entirely different from the real-world experience of seeing Portishead on their 1997 tour. So who is this aimed at? I guess me... the suckers who will buy anything a band releases, ... Read review

Advantages: Every songs a winner
Disadvantages: It needed to last longer

How many people can say they've listened to an album where every song on it is truely amazing! Well ner ner ner nern er! i can this is sheer brilliance. I bought this album after listening to it at a friends house and basically went straight out and bought it. Everysong was just amazing. Undenied is my favourite where she excels herself. Her voice, the lyrics just moved me literally. I mean one minute I'm sat on one side of the room and the next ...
...power of her voice. Well anyone who is into this true intense, beautiful form of dance music please do yourself a favour and be a liquor saver - go out and buy it! Spend your money on something more worthwhile than booze like I did. Well I was muchos imprestos with this album and I don't half talk some bull rush but it's because I truely am excited through this album. Along side with undenied other favourites include only you and humming. - Sheer ... Read review

Advantages: Groundbreaking intro. to trip-hop
Disadvantages: Tears will well up. Guaranteed.

...~ The Album: Dummy ~ It's a matter of both quantifiable and objective fact that if an individual tells you he (or she) is dark, deep and twisted, he (or she) is extremely likely to be as dark, deep and twisted as a well planed, wafer thin sheet of MDF with a light pine veneer to match…it is also possible though - yet highly unlikely - that you have wandered into the wrong type of club on the back-streets of Barcelona where PVC is awash, everybody ...
...John Lewis. Gibbons' voice on Dummy is breathy, breathless at times and at many junctures so raw and overcoming that you can hear her bitter sweet vocals against the distinct backdrop of dry lips parting and lungs reeling back the air to feed the next tortured line of the track. The lyrics in their own right, are so beautifully moving and full of innermost expression that it makes Jim Morrisons' highly acclaimed poetic mumblings sound as self exploratory ... Read review

Advantages: Immense tracks and a sense of excitement
Disadvantages: A couple of useless tracks used to fill the gaps

...sceptical after hearing "The Girls" I was pleasantly surprised by the creativeness and diversity of the tunes this album had to offer. Dance music should make you want to dance, possibly sing, and jump around with your friends and loved ones. That is why it exists. If you're getting ready for a big night out, you'll whoop with joy when the Scot comes through the speakers. Tunes like "Colours" and Merrymaking at My Place" are perfect for those essential ... Read review

Advantages: originality, some finely crafted songs
Disadvantages: towards the end of the 16 tracks, it may start to feel a little same-ey

The Crystal Castles- a Toronto based duo made up of multi-talented instrumentalist Ethan Kath and singer Alice Glass that drown everyone else in a malaise of alternative electro-dance beats. Their music seems to be made up from a series of sounds from the old Atari games, perhaps the inspiration for thier name from the early 80s game also called Crystal Castle For a relatively new band, only forming in about 2004, they have already made a name collaborating ...
...describe the sound of the crystal castles could be to imagine your old atari or nintendo assaulting you with its soundcard from across the room, with some tracks sounding like a balls-out thrash. Particular tracks such as song two, Alice Practice, and song 5, XXZXCUZX are like super-mario on drugs, and can be reasonably conpared to someone like the Nashville based Be Your Own Pet. Others, on the other hand, are finely crafted, for saying they have ... Read review