Paul Kelly -- Songs From The South

Great stuff. Beefy may or may not agree.

Is that damning with faint praise or does that category just seem more expansive to you than most of the world?

Not damning in the slightest. The innumerable qualifiers are a result of the hypercompartmentalization of electronic music in to endless subgenres and time periods. Allow me to expand a bit:

Left coast means California, durr.

Breaks in this case means "funky breakbeats," a style of dance music popular in CA to this day. Most of it is bloody awful. There are notable exceptions, like YAP.

The first half of the 1990s was the golden era of electronic dance music, period. The California scene was particularly fertile during this time period.

So in more easily parsed English, the eponymous YAP album is in the running for the best example of a great scene during its peak. The historical specifics are not important to the general population, and are probably known only to obsessive nutjobs like myself. That said, the music can be appreciated by anyone with ears.

This is all one really needs to know about YAP:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HxvIuodPmEg

A review I wrote on "Sunrise" sometime in the late 1990s: Downtempo is a music of subtlety, it is often the smallest details that make or break a track. And so it is with this song that it's the fiddly bits - the spaciousness of the reverb, timing of the delay effect on the main melody - that lend so much passion and immediacy. The main arpeggiation is wonderfully mesmerizing as the rest of the song fades away and leaves it pulsating in the foreground. Simply, but powerfully emotive.

I appreciate the education, although I do know what Left Coast and Breaks mean. I might be old but I ain't ignant.

I appreciate the education, although I do know what Left Coast and Breaks mean. I might be old but I ain't ignant.

Condescension was really not what I was trying to get across in my overly-thorough explanation. The entire subject by nature is filled with obscure minutiae, and I started on the ground floor. Now please put away that laser sword.

Now Playing:

The Postal Service - Give Up (2003)

Condescension was really not what I was trying to get across in my overly-thorough explanation. The entire subject by nature is filled with obscure minutiae, and I started on the ground floor. Now please put away that laser sword.

Now Playing:

The Postal Service - Give Up (2003)

I meant the part about appreciating the education, Knuckles. I also liked the clip.

Van Morrison - Moondance

Regina Spektor - Soviet Kitsch

Charlotte Gainsbourg - IRM

Paul Simon - Graceland

The New Mastersounds - Ten Years On

Before that, something quite nice:

Donald Byrd - Places and Spaces

She & Him -- Vol. 2

She & Him -- Vol. 2

Just got this yesterday, but haven't had a chance to listen. What do you think?

Just got this yesterday, but haven't had a chance to listen. What do you think?

I liked the first one better in comparison, but both seem to have the same throw-back pop style. Entertaining but not particularly compelling as music.

Joanna Newsom - Have One On Me

Going to give this another shot, first impression was not great...

Field Music - Measure

Horace Silver - The Baghdad Blues

moar pavement

David Oistrakh, Staatskapelle Dresden - Tchaikovsky: violin concerto, Sarasate: Navarra

The Church -- Heyday

The Stranglers - UA Singles 1977 - 1982. Three discs of melodic British "Punk".....

Radar Brothers -- The Illustrated [Cap] Garden

Zoe Keating's One Cello X 16: Natoma

Zoe Keating's One Cello X 16: Natoma

good choice

Anything by Erin Boheme.

Built To Spill - There's Nothing Wrong With Love