Blue Coup

Flush from remixing Elvis to his 30th number one with A Little Less Conversation as JXL, Dutch DJ Tom Holkenborg turned down a request from the Beatles to remix something of theirs and instead reverted to his full moniker for this fantasy league of his favourite vocalists. Along similar lines to Oakenfold's similarly star-studded 2001 Bunkka, the album is based on an imaginary pirate broadcast and mixes Holkenborg's dance/trance sculptures with trademark vocals from the likes of Dave Gahan, Peter Tosh, Solomon Burke and Chuck D, with a real Cure-y jewel in the one sung by Robert Smith, Perfect Blue Sky. Holkenborg reinvents Gary Numan as a trance star and, in a real coup, coaxes Terry Hall into at last revisiting his fabulous early-Specials ska sound for Never Alone. Less successfully, there are a mystifying three awkward contributions from Republica's Saffron, and an accompanying chillout disc is mostly dull. But for all its wobbles and indulgence, this is infinitely superior to a JXL mix of, say, Maxwell's Silver Hammer.

With his lush and sophisticated instrumental approach to pop music, Richard Clayderman (born Philippe Pagès) is, according to The Guinness Book of World Records, "the most successful pianist in the world." Clayderman's albums routinely sell millions of copies and his concerts are quickly sold out. In a review of his 1985 Carnegie Hall concert, Variety wrote, "(Clayderman's) main appeal lies in his youth and boyish good looks…coupled with his gentlemanly charm and his thick French accent, they promise to rope in the romantically inclined middle-aged Yank ladies who cotton to this ilk of soothing entertainment." Nancy Reagan referred to Clayderman as "the prince of romance."

Seigen Ono - The Green Chinese Table (1988) {Venture–Virgin CDVE10}
XLD rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG ->240 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 122 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (jpg) -> 33 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1988 Venture / Virgin Records | CDVE10
Jazz / Contemporary / Post-Classical / Japanese Traditions / Electronic / Experimental

This one is a bit special. Last we heard from Seigen, he was introducing us to his very jazz-influenced take on Japanese New Age music. On the follow up to that epic debut, The Green Chinese Table, we find Seigen dividing his time up between recording sessions in Tokyo and New York City. It’s impossible to stress how that meeting of western and eastern minds really seasons the conditions that make this record sound like it does.

George Fenton delivers on his soundtrack for Anna and the King with an instrumental score that deftly mixes sweeping orchestrations with ethnic percussion. The main theme "Arrival at the Palace" begins with a very exotic violin solo that quickly blossoms into an epic orchestral movement seemingly ready to crescendo at a moment's notice (and it does!). Shorter cues such as "Letter of the Week" and "The House" are passages that perfectly convey the movie's exoticism and its melancholic moods. Throughout, Fenton's music seems to balance between excitement and sadness–the perfect sonic interpretation of The King and I's classic tale. Obviously, many folks will turn to this soundtrack for Joy Enriquez's Babyface-produced single "How Can I Not Love You," included at the very beginning of this disc. One hopes they'll stick around long enough to enjoy the film's score, one of Fenton's very best.

Fink - Hard Believer (2014) {Ninja Tune Japanese Edition}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 358 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 153 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (jpg) -> 93 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 2014 R'COUP'D / Beat Records / Ninja Tune | BRC-430
Rock / Indie / Alternative / Downtempo

After two live dates cut for the long-suffering faithful, Fink – comprising singer/songwriter/guitarist Fin Greenall, bassist Guy Whittaker, and drummer Tim Thornton – offer their first new studio material in three years. Hard Believer is, for the most part, a slow burner; one that employs a more varied, albeit moodier set of textures and sounds than its predecessor, 2011's Perfect Darkness. Recorded at Hollywood Sound with producer/engineer Billy Bush (Garbage, Foster the People), the pace here is generally slow – even dirge-like in places – but the timbral palette that illustrates these melancholy songs puts them across in often unexpected ways.

A guided tour through five years of rock in its many variants: power pop, pub rock, glam, krautrock, punk etc – reflecting the fertility of the time. A 44-track double CD with 28-page booklet.