Progressive History XXX - Fluke

Advantages: A perfect potted history of an enduring pop band's mixed career
Disadvantages: Early releases are largely ignored, and it's definitely tailored to their new-found audience that came onboard with White On Blonde

...Having re-invented themselves with such staggering success, Texas have taken the natural, and obvious, approach with this this perfectly-timed Greatest Hits CD. 1999's The Hush proved that White On Blonde's achievements were no fluke, and wisely this CD plays to their commercial strengths, even if it does attempt to rewrite their past in the process. With a bounty of recent Top 20 hit singles to choose from, it was never on the cards that Texas would seek to include some of their earlier, rockier, releases. And so the absence of In My Heart, You Owe It All To Me and Thrill Is Gone is not unexpected. The 3 new recordings, including the so-so Top 10 single In Demand, all point towards a greater emphasis on club sounds in their music, with Inner Smile bordering on joyous disco. By arranging the tracks in a mon-chronological order... Read review

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Advantages: Fantastic lyrics
Disadvantages: Too short, a bit samey in the middle

...iLiKETRAiNS unique brand of post-rock, or "wikipedia rock" as it has been called, paints vivid pictures of tragic moments through history, set against a backdrop of thrashing guitars and a frantic wall of noise. Songs on this EP cover such topics as Captain Scott's doomed voyage to the arctic, legendary chess maverick Bobby Fischer's illegal grudge match in Yugoslavia, and the infamous "Beeching Report", which made thousands of National Railway workers unemployed. Although the EP is rather short, and wavers a bit in the middle, it's a very deep and strong affair and songs such as Terra Nova, A Rook House for Bobby, and Stainless Steel (none of which appear on the bands forthcoming album) make it an essential for fans of both post-rock and history.... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful

Advantages: An excellent cross-section of the best mixes of New Order songs.
Disadvantages: Disappointing Armand van Helden effort of 'Bizarre Love Triangle'

...of reverence. They tweak up the bass in their typical style and mash up the vocals a little ? what results is an enjoyable alternative to the original, but in no way superior. After this relatively sedate opening comes a dramatic change. Pump Panel?s interpretation of ?Confusion? warps it into a powerful, unrelenting kick of progressive house. Biff & Memphis twist ?Touched By The Hand Of God? into a ten-minute trance epic ? but not ?trance? in the Ferry Corsten / ATB sense of the word. ?Trance? as in a mellow, smooth introduction slowly gathering pace and forming a clipped, bass-driven track which complements Sumner?s vocals in a new and interesting way. Sadly Armand van Helden?s version of ?Bizarre Love Triangle? is disappointing and strikes the only wrong note on the whole album. I had especially looked forward to hearing this, being quite... Read review

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