http://www.noizemag.com/index.php en ronn@spongeworks.com Copyright 2010 2010-02-13T07:41:24+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/the_elements_of_freedom/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/the_elements_of_freedom/ I’m not implying anything when I say this, but no one can write a love song like a gay person, and if Alicia is not gay, it’s a disservice to our community. There is a total self-abandonment that seems a hallmark of gay love, a starkness to the emotion that comes with finally finding love amidst the feelings of fear and secrecy—a trait most clearly exemplified by the severe pathos of Morrissey—that is very present in Keys’ music. This is Alicia’s third album since 2001, and not one album has ever failed to provide me with at least one, if not several, songs to lament, long and love so pointedly that I feel a deeper understanding of myself for the song’s addition in my “life playlist.” The influence of the Grammy for “No One” is evident on several tracks, most notably “Doesn’t Mean Anything”: The usually syncopated R&B bass line has been simplified to the 4-4 beat used on the award-winning song. The album’s character is mid-tempo and contains ballad tracks perfect for those late-night moments with another (or just yourself). Be sure to pay special attention to “Empire State of Mind (Part II) Broken Down,” the sans-rap, all-vocal alternate of the radio version featuring Jay-Z, which fully deserves a radio presence of its own. 2010-02-13T06:41:24+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/animal/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/animal/ This girl is going to own 2010. Ke$ha is all the fun of Lady Gaga but without the pomp, theatrics and feigned profundity. She’s the girl who danced on a table at the frat party; the girl who crawled the length of the bar while downing everyone’s shots; the girl who rode in the trunk from one party to the next because at least there she could keep drinking. Ke$ha’s Animal brings to the new decade all the careless fun danceability of the ‘80s, but with the heart and soul to back it up.  The album harnesses pop’s new obsession with electro sounds, along with its teen-strength love affair with Auto-Tune and severe vocal editing, and creates the soundtrack to 2010 nightlife. She does the sloppy drunk fun thing with “Tik Tok,” “Take It Off,” “Blah Blah Blah,” and “Party at a Rich Dude’s House” (about a party at Paris Hilton’s in which she threw up in the closet). But she also shows that the party girl does have some specifics in mind after the lights come on with songs like “Your Love Is My Drug,” “Stephen,” “Dancing With Tears in My Eyes,” and “Blind.”  All in all, you can expect this album to be the go-to at every pool party this summer. 2010-02-13T06:40:24+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/rated_r/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/rated_r/ A therapist once told me after a break-up, “Don’t let go of your anger. Your anger will give shape to all the emotions you’re feeling right now. It will give you strength when you feel weak and broken.” Clearly someone said these words to Rihanna after having had the crap kicked out of her. Though thus far not nearly as commercially successful as her previous releases, “Rated R” manages in 13 tracks to be her most coherent, impacting and resonating piece of work to date. From start to finish, the album approaches the myriad emotional responses Rihanna experienced during and following her tumultuous relationship with Chris (“Why the hell am I not incarcerated?”) Brown, from every possible angle.  She proclaims her resilience in “Hard” and “G4L,” reaffirms who she was before the media frenzy in “Wait Your Turn” and “Rockstar,” and reminds us that through the abuse she also loved in “Stupid in Love,” “Cold Case Love” and “The Last Song.” She even flirts with the idea of the temptation of another woman on “Te Amo.” The disc’s incredible lead single “Russian Roulette” equates being with Brown to holding a loaded gun to her head. Don’t believe the lack of hype. This album is gold. 2010-02-13T06:38:24+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/the_fame_monster/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/the_fame_monster/ GaGa’s ear-popping rise to legend status continues with The Fame Monster. This EP was originally intended as a “tide you over addendum” to her original release, The Fame. But it has already managed to outshine all former radio singles with the career-defining “Bad Romance.” The remainder of the album sounds like perfect permutations of album tracks from The Fame, including “Monster” (sounds like “Poker Face”), “Speechless” (sounds like “Brown Eyes”), “Dance in the Dark” (sounds like “I Like It Rough”), and “Alejandro” (sounds like an updated version of Ace. Also included is “Telephone,” a duet with Beyoncé. Produced by Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins, it presents a more urban radio version of GaGa and a viable next incarnation of the Lady. All in all, no one could have asked for a better follow-up to one of the biggest albums of 2009. From this point forward, all top albums should be followed up with an EP of similar material just to keep the ball rolling. 2010-02-13T06:36:24+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/space_cowboy/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/space_cowboy/ One of the genius producers behind Lady Gaga’s ear-popping sheer vertical rise to fame, Space Cowboy re-releases and revamps his initial Japan-only release “Digital Rock” with reworked production and an expanded tracklisting.  The sound is largely homogenous, a blend of Euro pop, rock-inspired elements and severely auto-tuned vocals, but broken up by different guest vocalists, samples and hooks.  At a run time of just under 38 minutes, the album plays like a continuous party soundtrack and could probably be played on repeat without anyone being the wiser.  Guest vocalists include Natlia Kills, Chelsea of the Paradiso Girls, Cinema Bizarre, Chentelle Paige, Cherry Cherry Boom Boom, Kee, Vistoso Bosses, Nadia Oh and LMFAO.  “Falling Down” and “I Came 2 Party” have already been released as the lead singles with remixes by FrankMusic, Robot to Mars, DJ Dan, Starkillers, Jump Smokers, Discotech and David Garcia. 2009-12-29T03:37:51+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/memoirs_of_an_imperfect_angel/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/memoirs_of_an_imperfect_angel/ On first listen the response to this is disappointment, as everything is either slow or mid-tempo.  And it’s this very reason that it took me 2 months to appreciate this album following putting the promo in the first time, and missing out on those two months of loving it.  Mariah is an undisputed master of the ballad, having the ability to change the emphasis of the genre, which tends to be on the lyrical storytelling, to the pop instrumentation and the radio hook quality she’s capable of creating.  All of these songs, if you let them, pull you in immediately and have some form of pop quality that has you hitting the back step button by track’s end because you want to hear that catchy thing she did on it again.  They’re slow jamz that don’t put you to sleep.  But to satisfy the radio crowd, and to make up for the somewhat lackluster sales in comparison to many of Mariah’s other albums, it has already been announced that the disc will be re-released as a remix package, every track getting a treatment, and judging by the mixes that have already been leaked, it’s gonna be freaking hot.  And for a quick fix, a two disc version of the present version of the album is available featuring the remixes of “Obsessed,” radio edited, and includes productions by Seamus & Emanuel, Cahill, Jump Smokers and Friscia & Lamboy. 2009-10-29T22:43:00+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/wait_for_me/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/wait_for_me/ So if Moby went back to the club on the Last Night album, he’s gone back to the hipster coffee house on this one.  Perhaps the stylistic sibling of the “Hotel” album, “Wait For Me” is an endlessly mellow, thoughtful, and sometimes melancholy set of 3- and 4-minute passing thoughts that would do well alongside William Orbit’s “Pieces in a Modern Style” album as mood-setting atmosphere treatments best served sometime between the sunset and sunrise, and preferably beneath conversation dipped in dancefloor exhaustion.  The first single, “Mistake,” was of course released as a remix package, as will all subsequent singles most certainly.  But in its native format, this album really feels like an antithetical response to the former album, reminding us of all that Moby is capable of communicating. 2009-10-29T22:41:00+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/blacksummersnight/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/blacksummersnight/ Not exactly the sound we normally include in this column, but vastly too good to be overlooked for that.  Maxwell’s new “first of three chapters” album “BLACKsummer’snight” is short, with a total running time of about 37 and a half minutes, but creates in those minutes an atmosphere of intense masculine intimacy and sensuality.  Now I know when a lot of you come home from the party with your flavor of the night, you’re looking to pound hard, pound fast and pass out fifteen minutes or less, but I encourage you to let this album’s duration outline an extended session, and maybe, just maybe, take your time and make it last.  I’m never one to use the term “love making,” I prefer “porking” far more, but dare I say that the former best describes the activity that goes best with this concentrated 9-track set.  2009-10-29T22:40:00+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/a_state_of_trance_2009/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/a_state_of_trance_2009/ Yet another perfect installment in the ASOT series piloted by Armin Van Buuren, this 2009 chapter is no different than any of the previous.  And for a fun change, that statement’s not a downer.  This time pulling almost exclusively from his Armada label, 2009 serves as something of a resume for what the label’s been up to since the last ASOT release, and frames some of the music luscious vocal and instrumental trance heard since, well… the last one.  Longtime fans of the genre will recognize several update mixes of trance classics, including the phenomenal reconstruction of “Come To Me” by Phuture Sound feat. Angie, a few new classics are established, such as “Man On The Run” by Dash Berlin and “Change Your Mind” by Sunlounger. 2009-10-29T22:37:00+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/anjunabeats_volume_7/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/anjunabeats_volume_7/ At this point Anjunabeats has established itself as one of the most reliable things in existence alongside the toaster and the condom.  Now on it’s seventh volume since 2001, the Anjunabeats label has become synonymous with the pulse of trance and progressive and, with every semi-annual release, presents us with an accurate cross section of the tracks and artists that are or will be dominating the genre.  Staple powerhouses like Mike Koglin, Mike Shiver and Super8 & Tab with newcomers to the series like Aruna, Dirty Vegas and rising star Mat Zo.  Music nerds like myself will also note that this is the first time the album cover art design has changed, from the left justified all-Helvetica Neue title, to the centered Helvetica Neue and serif type treatment.  Go team go. 2009-10-29T22:21:00+00:00