It’s my favorite time of the week…new CD day! Here’s what I think.

Bent – Fabriclive 11 (Compilation)

Sounds like:

Probably my least favorite of the new CDs I got, the good parts sound a lot like the Bent sound (Fila Brazillia, Mr. Scruff) mixed with some crazy 80’s tracks (Giorgio Moroder – From Here to Eternity, Steve Arrington – Dancin’ in the Key of Life). Sadly the other half of the album is mostly repetitive filler that doesn’t really stir up any crazy dance floor feelings. An alright album, but nothing special.

The Polyphonic Spree – The Beginning Stages of…

Sounds like:

If you watch TV you’ve probably by now seen the half IPod, half VW Beetle commercial that features a song by the Polyphonic Spree. That commercial, plus another track I had heard on the FC Kahuna mix I recently got inspired me to buy this. It’s really good. If you like the Sgt. Pepper/Penny Lane period of the Beatles and the idea of a “choral symphonic pop band” sounds cool to you, pick up this album right now. It’s really good, uplifting stuff. Unfortunately the album is only a little over a half hour long, but you can pick up the new US version that has a bonus disk featuring alternate versions of four of the songs, so at least that adds on 15 more minutes of listening. A good buy.

Swayzak – Fabric 11 (Compilation)

Sounds like:

Much better than the Bent compilation. The majority of this disk sounds like it could be a good Global Underground release, (which is no small praise). Swayzak mixes modern and 80’s electro together with some deep progressive house effortlessly, and it sounds great. You even got a track (Louie Austen – Hoping (Herbert Mix)) that sounds like Lou Reed getting down. Not perfect, but a great addition to my collection.

Underworld – Back to Mine (Compilation)

Sounds like:

The Back to Mine series asks various dance acts to raid their record collections to create “a personal collection for after hours grooving”. I haven’t bought any of the series up until now, but Underworld is probably one of my most favorite bands, and Underworld has yet to make a compilation disk, so I had to check this one out. This doesn’t disappoint. It drifts from reggae to classic techno, to TLC, D’Angelo and Depeche Mode, from hip-hop and drum and bass to Middle Eastern world music. This might sound like too much to handle in 65 minutes, but it all flows together quite better than expected because you can instantly hear the Underworld influence in each song. I quite like this disk.

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Tomorrow–New DVD Day!