| 4.5 superb |
| Air Premiers Symptomes |
| Al Di Meola Elegant Gypsy |
| Baths Cerulean |
| BNJMN Black Square |
| Bob Dylan Blonde on Blonde |
| Bonobo Black Sands |
| Brian Eno Ambient 1: Music For Airports |
| Bruce Springsteen Born in the U.S.A. |
| Damien Rice O |
| Deftones White Pony |
| Deniz Kurtel Music Watching Over Me |
| DJ Sprinkles Midtown 120 Blues |
Released under the moniker DJ Sprinkles, Midtown 120 Blues reflects Thaemlitz’s experiences in almost every aspect of its construction. The album presents an unabashed view of the commercialization of the New York house scene, and the mix of ambience, deep house and melancholy throughout the album embodies this disenchantment. Though scathing when on attack, Thaemlitz produces great warmth in the soft ambience of songs like House Music is a Controllable Desire You Can Own. Yet the album does not get lost in emotion, often taking an analytical approach to the topics covered. Underlying the lyrics though is the emotion he conveys. By no means grandiose, Midtown 120 Blues excels for the simple fact that it takes a part of Thaemlitz and expresses it consistently throughout all aspects of its construction. |
| Fat Freddy's Drop Based on a True Story |
| Florence and the Machine Lungs |
| Flying Lotus Cosmogramma |
| Gnarls Barkley St. Elsewhere |
| Gorillaz Demon Days |
| Hikaru Utada Heart Station |
| John Martyn Solid Air |
| Johnny Cash At Folsom Prison |
| Joni Mitchell Court and Spark |
| Jose Gonzalez Veneer |
| Through his simple song structures and impeccable Spanish guitar playing, Jose Gonzalez steps ahead of his modern day contemporaries with Veneer and offers a tantalising view of what he is capable of. Gonzalez's single for the Sony Bravia ad offers only a glimpse of the beautiful melodies available in Veneer, with songs like Slow Moves and Lovestain capturing a magical sense of beauty. Whilst Gonzalez does not reveal enough of his feelings, his passion and his true soul in the album, the quality of his musical creations is never in question. |
| Joy Division Unknown Pleasures |
| Joy Orbison Hyph Mngo/Wet Look |
| Kanye West The College Dropout |
| His verbal skills do not come close to some more verbally skilled Hip-Hop artists. Yet what Kanye West provides is a production value far above most other artists and bands from the mainstream, and even more so outside the mainstream. His backing harmonies on songs like All Falls Down and Jesus Walks are simply exquisite. His songs are catchy from the first lesson, yet maintain appeal for long periods of time. The highlights on the album far outweigh the one-off gimmick songs, and the album is wrapped up beautifully by Last Call. One of the most underrated Hip-Hip songs of recent times. |
| Kashiwa Daisuke Program Music I |
| Kate Bush Hounds of Love |
| Kelis Tasty |
| Klute The Emperors New Clothes |
| It seems that if any songs on Klute's latest album The Emperor's New Clothes were to be described as self-inspired, Toiler would be the most appropriate fit. Klute's music merely reflects what sounds good to him, and it seems his deft touch always takes songs just where they need to go. The album packs both laid back experiences with pure melodies and high-paced, bass driven songs. Our Leader proves the focal point of the album, a hair-raising melody and strong unrelenting breakbeats creating a memorable ride. And in every song the album maintains a standard of quality reflective of Klute's hard work. Those unfamiliar with Drum & Bass may not know where to look, yet those who turn to Klute are unlikely to turn away with a feeling of disappointment. |
| Kraftwerk The Man-Machine |
| Kraftwerk Autobahn |
| Kyuss Blues for the Red Sun |
| Marvin Gaye What's Going On |
| Millencolin Pennybridge Pioneers |
| Mistabishi Drop |
| Modest Mussorgsky Pictures at an Exhibition |
| Nala Sinephro Space 1.8 |
| Nick Drake Bryter Layter |
| Nils Frahm Spaces |
| Nobuo Uematsu Final Fantasy IX: Original Soundtrack |
| Nobuo Uematsu Final Fantasy IX - Piano Collections |
| OutKast Speakerboxxx/The Love Below |
| Patti Smith Horses |
| Pete Namlook Air II |
| Pixies Doolittle |
| Placebo Without You I'm Nothing |
| Refused The Shape Of Punk To Come |
| Rhian Sheehan Tiny Blue Biosphere |
| Robag Wruhme Thora Vukk |
| Rush Moving Pictures |
| Shed Shedding The Past |
| Simon and Garfunkel Bridge Over Troubled Water |
| Soundtrack (Anime) Neon Genesis Evangelion |
| Spice Girls Spice |
| St Germain Tourist |
With Tourist, St. Germain provides a deliciously sexy fusion of jazz beats and house stylings. St. Germains work in the ever-improving French house scene cannot be ignored. Tourist encapsulates the French city life, with its vibrant beats creating a unique atmosphere within the music. Nearly every song on the album feels like it'd shine on its own, yet the albums unified mood and theme is never lost.
It is easy to see why Tourist is popular as background music in cafes. Tourist is perfectly made for lazy sunday afternoons, keeping the sounds fresh and rich across a scrumptious variety of sounds. |
| Swarms Old Raves End |
| Tangerine Dream The Seven Letters From Tibet |
| Tangerine Dream Canyon Dreams OST |
| Tangerine Dream Pergamon |
| Tangerine Dream Autumn in Hiroshima |
| Tangerine Dream’s five atomic seasons series has produced some of their best music in recent years. As the third addition to the series, Autumn in Hiroshima exceeds its two very solid predecessors in almost all areas. The melodies capture a unique take on the aftermath of the atomic bombings in Japan through one set of eyes. The experience when following the albums journey towards inner tranquility after the trauma of the bomb is often mesmerizing. Though not necessarily easily accessible, the beauty of the album lies in the journey and understanding of the rich concept behind it. |
| The B-52s The B-52's |
| The Band The Band |
| The Beatles The Beatles |
| The Mars Volta De-Loused in the Comatorium |
| The Seatbelts Cowboy Bebop |
| The Smiths The Queen Is Dead |
| The Smiths Hatful of Hollow |
| Tool Ænima |
| Tracy Chapman Tracy Chapman |
| U2 War |
| Yasunori Mitsuda Chrono Trigger Original Sound Version |
| Yasunori Mitsuda Xenosaga Episode I |
| Yoko Kanno Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex OST Vol 1 |
| 3.5 great |
| 50 Cent Get Rich or Die Tryin' |
| A-Trak FabricLive.45 |
| Air 10,000 Hz Legends |
| Andy Stott Passed Me By |
| Aphex Twin Selected Ambient Works 85-92 |
| Aspects of Physics Marginalized Information Forms One: Ping |
| Bat For Lashes Two Suns |
| Battles Gloss Drop |
| BLK JKS Mystery EP |
| Bloc Party Silent Alarm |
| Britney Spears Circus |
| Burton Wagner In the Realms of the Unreal |
| Chad VanGaalen Infiniheart |
| Chevelle Wonder What's Next |
| City and Colour Little Hell |
| Common Be |
| Crystal Castles Crystal Castles |
| Daft Punk Human After All |
| Before Human After All, Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo were the mysterious golden boys of the French House scene. Human After All was met with a heavily negative reaction, with much outrage over its heavily industralised sound, its repetitiveness and its poor production quality. But despite this, Daft Punk strike gold in a number of songs with their usual infectious sound still there, but in a different context. |
| Daft Punk Random Access Memories |
| DJ Shadow The Private Press |
| Do Make Say Think You, You're a History in Rust |
| Dr. Dre 2001 |
| dredg Catch Without Arms |
| Editors The Back Room |
| Filter The Amalgamut |
| Flying Lotus Reset |
| Flying Lotus L.A. EP 2 X 3 |
| Flying Lotus Pattern+Grid World |
| Hellogoodbye Zombies! Aliens! Vampires! Dinosaurs! |
| Hot Water Music Caution |
| In Flames Clayman |
| Interpol Antics |
| Jean-Michel Jarre Equinoxe |
| John Legend Get Lifted |
| Jose Gonzalez In Our Nature |
| Joy Orbison Sicko Cell/Knock Knock |
| Kanye West Late Orchestration |
| Kanye West Graduation |
| Kanye West 808s and Heartbreak |
| Klaus Schulze Audentity |
| Lady Gaga The Fame |
| Obvious similarities do exist to Gwen Stefani. Yet with more skillful vocals and a focused synth-heavy sound, Lady GaGa does plenty to carve out her own style. The album seems unconcerned with external opinion, simply aiming for the goal of creating something that sounds good. It’s a charming attitude that extends throughout the album, especially in her lyrics. Combined with nimble control of her vocals and skilled production; it makes for an exceptionally appealing combination. While The Fame only really captures one component of the pop theatrics of Lady GaGa, the strong execution in production and vocals helps GaGa deliver an energetic punch. The Fame isn’t a defining moment in pop culture, but it is a promising sign for Lady GaGa, with plenty to dance to. |
| London Elektricity Power Ballads |
| Power Ballads by London Elektricity is very much in the same vein as Drum N' Bass artists Pendulum, Shapeshifter and Concord Dawn, mixing in large portions of vocal samples with fast paced Jungle break beats. Power Ballads focuses heavily on melodic female diva vocals, at times working to great effect such as in Power Ballads, Out of This World and Will To Love. But never does it reach new grounds nor differ greatly from its contemporaries. The essence of their sound also bears resemblance to Kruder and Dorfmeister, taking organic acid jazz and speeding it up to 180bpm. When all seems to blend together nicely, London Elektricity create mesmerising melodies on top of incessantly addictive break beats, and most importantly a wonderful colour of sound. |
| Meshuggah I |
| Modest Mussorgsky A Night on Bald Mountain |
| N.E.R.D. In Search Of |
| Nils Frahm All Melody |
| Nobuo Uematsu Final Fantasy VII: Original Soundtrack |
| Nobuo Uematsu Final Fantasy X: Original Soundtrack |
| Nobuo Uematsu FINAL FANTASY IX Original Soundtrack Plus |
| Nobuo Uematsu Lost Odyssey OST |
| Norah Jones Feels Like Home |
| Omar S Still Serious Nic |
| Paul Kalkbrenner Icke Wieder |
| Pelican March Into the Sea |
| Pendulum Hold Your Colour |
| Placebo Sleeping with Ghosts |
| Placebo Placebo |
| Radiohead Amnesiac |
| Radiohead Hail to the Thief |
| Santigold Top Ranking - A Diplo Dub |
| Shed The Traveller |
| Silverchair Diorama |
| Sufjan Stevens Illinois |
| Tan Dun Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon OST |
| Tangerine Dream Great Wall of China |
| Tangerine Dream Tangram |
| Tangerine Dream Sorcerer OST |
| Tangerine Dream Jeanne D'Arc |
| Tangerine Dream Risky Business OST |
| The Good, The Bad and The Queen The Good, The Bad & The Queen |
| The Honorary Title Anything Else But The Truth |
| The Killers Sam's Town |
| The Lonely Island Incredibad |
| The Mint Chicks Crazy? Yes! Dumb? No! |
| The National High Violet |
| Thrice Beggars |
| Timbaland Timbaland Presents Shock Value |
| U2 Under A Blood Red Sky |
| WU LYF Go Tell Fire to the Mountain |
