a Song For The Dark Times

OMD (Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark) - Architecture & Morality (1981) [CD+DVD] {2007 Virgin Collector's Edition}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 388 Gb | MP3 @320 -> 116 Mb | Artwork (jpg) -> 13 Mb
DVD5 -> 3.82 Gb | All Regions | PAL 4:3 | LinearPCM, 2 ch | ~63m | ISO Image | 5% repair rar
© 2007 Virgin Records | 0946 3 89075 2 7
New Wave / New Romantic / Synth Pop

After a delay in 2006, New Romantics old and, well…new can enjoy the highly anticipated release of OMD's Architecture and Morality, remastered and enhanced with DVD footage. This third album from the bruised nucleus of bassist/singer Andy McCluskey and keyboardist/electronics enthusiast Paul Humphreys is often regarded as their seminal work, not least because it achieved critical and commercial success (over three million sales and several top ten hits) unlike its predecessor Organisation (for all its sonic ambition, overly challenging) and its follow up Dazzle Ships (which lacked memorable songs).

The act with the first arena-sized sound in the electronica movement, the Chemical Brothers united such varying influences as Public Enemy, Cabaret Voltaire, and My Bloody Valentine to create a dance-rock-rap fusion which rivaled the best old-school DJs on their own terms – keeping a crowd of people on the floor by working through any number of groove-oriented styles featuring unmissable samples, from familiar guitar riffs to vocal tags to various sound effects. And when the duo (Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons) decided to supplement their DJ careers by turning their bedrooms into recording studios, they pioneered a style of music (later termed big beat) remarkable for its lack of energy loss from the dancefloor to the radio. Chemical Brothers albums were less collections of songs and more hour-long journeys, chock-full of deep bomb-studded beats, percussive breakdowns, and effects borrowed from a host of sources. All in all, the duo proved one of the few exceptions to the rule that intelligent dance music could never be bombastic or truly satisfying to the seasoned rock fan; it's hardly surprising that they were one of the few dance acts to enjoy simultaneous success in the British/American mainstream and in critical quarters.

Once Upon A Time is the definitive last word on Family. A long-awaited 14 disc box set that collects the band's entire back catalogue for the first time…

Uri Caine & Gustav Mahler - Dark Flame (2003) {Winter & Winter 910 095-2}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 412 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 184 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 30 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 2003 Winter & Winter | 910 095-2
Jazz / Classical / Modern Creative / Third Stream / Piano

In his time, European classical composer Gustav Mahler (b. 1860, d. 1911) had both his supporters and his detractors. Some people in Europe understood his work; some people didn't. And in the 21st century, the same thing can be said about Uri Caine, a risk taker who has been called everything from ultra-pretentious to a musical visionary. The latter, not the former, is accurate; Caine's jazz/Euro-classical experimentation has had its excesses at times, but dismissing him as pretentious or silly is unwarranted – and his pluses greatly outweigh his minuses.

Gretchen Wilson set the country music charts on fire with her smash single "Redneck Woman" and her debut album, Here for the Party (2004). The track – though composed by colleague John Rich (of Big & Rich) – became an anthem for women all over America. Written especially for Wilson, it is from-the-gut, working-class feminism for the post-feminist age, straightforwardly sung with a celebratory vengeance. As a slice-of-life singer who embodied and brought to life each cut on the album, she became an "overnight sensation." Her follow-up, All Jacked Up (2005), was recorded and rushed out by Sony a year later…..