- Administrator
- Albums and Singles
![](http://www.brainwashed.com/brain/images/rivuletsdebridement.jpg)
Read More
- Administrator
- Albums and Singles
![](http://www.brainwashed.com/brain/images/nawresound.jpg)
Read More
- Administrator
- Albums and Singles
![](http://www.brainwashed.com/brain/images/triangles.jpg)
- Side 1 - excerpt 1
- Side 1 - excerpt 2
- Side 1 - excerpt 3
- Side 2 - excerpt 1
- Side 2 - excerpt 2
- Side 2 - excerpt 3
Read More
- Administrator
- Albums and Singles
![](http://www.brainwashed.com/brain/images/loosefur.jpg)
Read More
- Michael Patrick Brady
- Albums and Singles
![](http://www.brainwashed.com/brain/images/helmsmccarthy.jpg)
- It Takes Skin to Win
- The Ten Thousand Things
- Robots are Great, But are we Ready for Them to Dance on their Own?
Read More
- Administrator
- Albums and Singles
![](http://www.brainwashed.com/brain/images/gobetweensbrightyellow.jpg)
Read More
- Administrator
- Albums and Singles
The BBC Radiophonic Workshop's theme to the Doctor Who series firstaired in 1963, and I'm willing to bet that some, if not all, of thefuture members of the Human League were watching and listening veryclosely. Those spine-tingling washes of synthesizers and alien metallicclangs must have seemed pretty mindblowing to a group of "blind youth"growing up in impoverished Sheffield. Lap dissolve to nearly 15 yearslater, and Phillip Oakey, Martyn Ware and Ian Marsh have formed TheFuture, soon to be rechristened the Human League. While fully revelingin the punk attitude and political urgency of their contemporaries,Human League's music always sounded a little different, theircollective unconscious memory of that Doctor Who theme having pushedthem towards the formation of an all electronic group. Not drums, bassand guitars augmented by synthesizers, mind you. Rather, The HumanLeague were one of the first electronic purists; they used exclusivelysynthesizers and drum machines. What could be more standoffish and punkthan that? From the beginning, Human League had a keen talent foruptempo songs and catchy melodies that set them apart from fellowSheffield bands like Cabaret Voltaire and 23 Skidoo. The Human Leaguewere harboring a desire to make the world's greatest pop record.Electronic pop will never save the world, it's true, but listening tothese Human League re-issues after 20 years of musical developments isan eye-opening experience. Pop music like the Human League's isresistant to musical modes and trends, and if you submit to itspleasures, it is timeless and perfect. - Jonathan Dean
1979's Reproductionis the first full-length LP by The Human League, following some 12"singles and EPs released the year before. The reissue treatment fullyremasters and restores the sound, as well as adding loads ofsupplemental material, including the ultra-rare The Dignity of Labour EP and their first single Being Boiled. Reproductionfinds the group in pristine form, matching dark, futuristic lyrics withmechanized beats, icy synth melodies and keyboard swooshes. PhilOakey's lyrics elaborate on his childish, science-fiction obsessionwith an apocalyptic view of the future. The second track "Circus ofDeath" is a rambling, surreal narrative about a future holocaustperpetrated by narcotized clowns. Fans of early Gary Numan classicssuch as "Down in the Park" will appreciate this album. All of theelements of the latter day, chart-topping Human League are present, butthe album maintains a consistently arch, clinical distance from thelistener. This is only enhanced by Oakey's wry, detached wit andpassionless delivery. One of Human League's best songs is here, thestrangely upbeat "Empire State Human," a song about avarice and thedesire to attain superhuman powers, set against a relentlessproto-electro beat. By far the strangest track, "Morale," begins withsome ambient synthesizer arpeggios, reminiscent of Tangerine Dream.Philip Oakey pipes in with some mournful lyrics, and the song slowlysegues into an absurdly overproduced cover of The Righteous Brothers'"You've Lost That Loving Feeling." I'm not sure what the League werethinking here, but it somehow works. The Dignity of Labourfunctions as a four-part tribute to early electronic pioneers likeMorton Subotnick, Raymond Scott and Bernard Parmegiani. It's completelyinstrumental, and consists of a series of musique concrete soundscapes.As such, it is the most avant-garde recording that The Human Leagueever released. Tacked onto the end of this re-release is The HumanLeague's first single, "Being Boiled (Fast Version)." I won't go into adescription of this song as it is has popped up on at least 20compilations in just the past year. This version has the exact sametempo as every other version of the song I've heard, so I'm not surewhat makes this a "fast" version, however. Reproduction is essential listening for anyone getting into The Human League or the Sheffield post-punk scene.
samples:
Travelogue is truly a transitional effort, containing both the Kubrickian, technology-obsessed sound that dominated Reproduction, and a healthy dose of the clever, infectious pop that would characterize Dare.The album kicks off with its best song, "The Black Hit of Space," atruly funny/scary song about a 12" from the future that sucks all ofits listeners into a black hole. The music on this track is remeniscentof a lot of the formulaic industrial-style electro and EBM thatdominated the 80's and early 90's. The Human League were pretty muchthe first on the block with this sound, before it had become a hopelessclich?. "Only After Dark" comes on like an electrop Beach Boys song,with its bouncy rhythm and fun vocal harmonies. The rest of the albumis a hit-or-miss affair. Most of the tracks are flawlessly arranged andproduced, but the songwriting is not nearly as strong as the songs on Reproduction or Dare."Being Boiled" also makes an appearance on this album, but it has beenreinvisioned as a hyperactive disco-fied Georgio Moroder track.There are seven extra tracks on this re-issue, most of them fairlydisposable, but fun nonetheless. Who could resist the wackiness oftheir roboticized glam-rock medley of Gary Glitter's "Rock n' Roll" andIggy Pop's "Nightclubbing"? The League also pay homage to theirchildhood science fiction obsession on "Tom Baker," a tribute toeveryone's favorite actor in the role of Doctor Who.
samples:
In my humble opinion, Dareis one of the greatest pop albums of all time, and for me it representsthe absolute zenith of the new wave electropop of the early 80's. It isessential listening for fans of the so-called "modern" pop of MagneticFields, The Aluminum Group or any of the new overabundant crop of"electroclash" groups like Ladytron or Soviet. The new digital popmusic characterized by groups like Lali Puna, The Postal Service andTarwater has also been informed by The Human League's unparalleledclassic. Released in 1981, The Human League have by this time lost twoof their founding members, Ian Marsh and Martyn Ware, who left to formthe new wave duo Heaven 17. With Marsh and Ware's departure, HumanLeague have put aside all of the cyber-punk posturing, to focusexclusively on making ten superbly realized, perfect pop songs. Whatresulted is the Human League's masterpiece, one of the rare albumswhere each and every track is a great song in its own right. PhilipOakey's lyrics contain decidedly more "human" themes this time around,with some very grown-up songs about lost love, the modern world, murderand "the law." The production is a true marvel, gleaming and seamless."The Things That Dreams are Made Of" kicks off the record with abeautiful synth melody and flawless drum programming. Soon, Oakey isreading off an inspired list of the things that his dreams are made of:"New York, ice cream, TV, travel, good times, Johnny, Joey, Dee Dee,good times...". Witty, urbane lyrics and brilliant pop hooks abound onthis record. Things take a rather disturbing turn with the somber,darkwave track "Seconds," which is as dead serious as The Human Leagueget. The album ends with The Human League's biggest hit, and also oneof their best songs, "Don't You Want Me," with its he said/she saidlyrics and infectiously catchy chorus. If you thought this was justmindless 80's flashback music, listen again. As a bonus with Caroline'sreissue, the entire Love and Dancing LP has been included.Originally credited to The League Unlimited Orchestra (in a tribute toBarry White's instrumental side-project), Love and Dancing is one of the first examples of a true remix album. Seven tracks from Dareand one extra track are specially remixed by producer Martin Rushent,whose liberal use of echo and a complement of wacky sound effects andintrumental fills is immediately reminiscent of the early dub approachto remixing. Love and Dancing is quite a sought-after rarity on LP, so to have these tracks available on this re-release is a real treat.
samples:
Read More
- Administrator
- Albums and Singles
There are a number of reasons I love vinyl and strongly advocate vinyl usage: it actually -does- sound better for louder recordings with the whole signal-to-noise ratio thing; it comes with pretty big pictures if you're lucky; DJs (and those who think they are) can match beats, scrach and mix; and idiot roommates/junkie friends/random thieves rarely steal it as it's too big and heavy and used stores hate to sell used vinyl. However, let me go on record as saying that for quieter, more meditative recordings, I would prefer the usage of vinyl be very limited (if not eliminated). Every time a record is pulled out of its protective sleeve, thousands of microscopic particles collect—this is inevitable. With the more quiet recordings, the buildup of particles in the grooves is audibly evident. Mirror recordings are all lengthy soundscapes, gently combining musical and non-musical sound sources over long periods of time, with startlingly hypnotic effects. The difference in hearing a vinyl recording of the very first Mirror album released on record and the CD which was issued last week is absolutely amazing.Streamline
With the unpreventable crackles and pops gone, the original sounds are now completely all-encompassing, no longer taking a backseat to high pitched nuissances. Gongs play, highway sounds, rustling winds, chimes echo and sustain, and time is fleeting.
Fourteen minutes pass in an instant. I can't tell if I'm hearing the tolls of a boat bell ringing, or chimes from before sped up or slowed down. Thirty minutes have elapsed and I'm even deeper in a trance with rustling water, low tones, trains perhaps? Forty minutes elapse and a low hum has taken over, like a bowed cello or a digeridoo, faded out into what could be a stream, distorted perhaps slighly enough to ambiguity, but intact enough not to sound like any effects are being used. At the end of forty-three minutes, all sounds cease and I'm honestly aching for more.
Sure, I can pull out the records for the other albums but now that I've tasted the pure stuff, it's going to be hard to compete. There's a reason why some of this music fetches high prices on auctions, some of it is simply fantastic. The advantages of this CD is that it's about $140 cheaper than the vinyl right now, it doesn't have to be flipped over halfway through, and it won't jump if you're playing it while on a peaceful train ride (yes there were vinyl-playing boomboxes available at one time!). There aren't individual pieces of artwork included, however, but images of four of Christoph Heemann's favorite ones are. Furthermore, in the time to listen to this start to finish, I'm sure a nice painting can be drawn. 
Read More
- Administrator
- Albums and Singles
Without the assistance of over-the-top production, Chan Marshall has managed to craft one of the best albums I've heard this year. Her fifth album (sixth counting The Covers Record) is an amazing adventure through the sounds of loneliness, resignation, memory, and empowerment.Matador
The power of her piano, guitar, and voice all resonate throughout the album as clearly as a solo bird's song echoing through the trees on a hot summer day. None of the instrumentation is overly-processed or produced, thankfully. The piano part on "I Don't Blame You" rings clear and true as Marshall's voice floats effortlessly over the top, winding down a dirt road filled with memories both painful and endearing. Energizing tunes like "Speak For Me," "He War," and "Shaking Paper" are going to feel great this summer on the road with the windows rolled down. Visions of the tall grass and green trees and a warm breeze rushing through hair, probably at about 60 or so miles per hour, are all possible on this cold winter day thanks to Chan. Tunes like "Werewolf," "Fool," and the cover of John Lee Hooker's "Keep On Runnin'," on the other hand, evoke images of dark and/or tense and lonely nights under the moon and stars. The best part about this album is that I've barely looked through the lyric sheet provided and yet I feel as if I understand exactly what Marshall is singing about. Her ideas and emotions bleed through the instruments and the sound of her voice with such grace and ease (and the music just sounds so damned good!). The one-two-three punch of "Babydoll," "Maybe Not," and "Names" is both uplifting and heart wrenching and is worth the price of admission alone. All the songs on this album have been stuck in my head for days now and I simply cannot reccomend it enough. It is refreshing to hear an album of this caliber that is both simple and stunning. 
Read More
- Administrator
- Albums and Singles
![](http://www.brainwashed.com/brain/images/turnermoth.jpg)
Read More
- Administrator
- Albums and Singles
![](http://www.brainwashed.com/brain/images/dirtythreenostrings.jpg)
Read More