Hungry Lucy have been around for over a decade, and I've definitely enjoyed everything that I've heard from them in the past. "Pulse Of The Earth" is to the best of my knowledge the fourth full length album from this trip-hop/ electro-pop/ darkwave duo, and it is in a somewhat more organic direction than their previous releases. By "organic", I guess I mean that while the songs are still heavily electronic, there is also quite a lot of piano and occasional string work mixed in as well, and also there is a little more emphasis on Christa Belle's vocals (not that she was at all lacking in vocal presence in the past). These are all definitely good changes.

All of the 10 tracks here are extremely well produced and arranged, with a very potent emotional resonance to them.
These songs are all very lush and dramatic, both in theme and in sound, much like their contemporaries BloodWire (who I like a great deal).




It's hard to pick favorites from these tracks, since they're all quite good, but there are definitely a few that stand out: "Balloon Girl", with it's catchy chorus yet somewhat sombre tone (it kind of makes me think of what Depeche Mode could sound like with a female vocalist), "Bumble", which reminds me a little bit of mid-nineties era Tori Amos, and "The Standing Ones", which has another amazing chorus, as well as some orchestral stabs in the middle that seem quite close to the opening part of the imperial march from Star Wars. "Sunday Smiled" is also a highlight for me as well. But like I said, all of these songs are great, so it's hard to choose.


All in all, "Pulse Of The Earth" is a warm, beautiful piece of dark electronic pop music. It is currently available as a free download, so you have no excuse not to check out this masterpiece. You won't regret it, I promise!

For all intents and purposes "Slow Motion" by Minus 8 is a kind of jazz record, a new take on Lounge Jazz with elements of house, trip-hop, pop and other genres thrown in (including a reggae song!). There are a few different vocalists featured on this record, with some instrumental tracks thrown in as well.

The most featured vocalist here is Virág Keszthelyi, who is really great on each track, as she displays a very nice amount of range and diversity. The other vocalists are quite good as well, especially Rachel Montana. I prefer the vocal tracks here to the instrumental ones because while they make be immaculately produced, they just fall a bit flat and fade into the background without the vocals to keep the listener's attention.

All of the tracks here are good, but he highlights to me would be "Close Your Eyes", "Juy" and "Everyone's Gotta Learn Sometime".

All in all I think that "Slow Motion" is a nice record that should appeal to fans of trip-hop, chill out, smooth jazz and dramatic electro-pop music in general. If that is your cup of tea, check it out.

"Sonic Landscapes" is a record from Swiss IDM project Alphatronic. There are a lot of very nice textures explored here, and I think that "Sonic Landscapes" is indeed a very apt title for the audio contained within.

There are many different styles explored here, but the general theme is lush analogue bleeps and pads accompanied by nice mid tempo beats and lots and lots of atmosphere. There is a definite emphasis on texture and experimentation via the various synth sounds, but there is also a sense of melody and rhythm that gives the tracks a balance of sorts.

It is most certainly complex ear candy, but it also does not betray your ears or your body. A true IDM record, you can simultaneously shake your head and scratch your beard to this stuff.

Every track on "Sonic Landscapes" is quite good, so it's hard to pick favorites. Standouts for me include "Lhuntse", "Trongsa" and "Autsho".
But they are all really good. If you dig acts like Richard Devine, Aphex Twin or Autechre, you will definitely like Alphatronic.

"Satellite City" is the new album from Dub/ Electro-Reggae act Noiseshaper.
I've actually been getting into a lot of reggae and dub recently, but I'm going to be up front by saying that I really can't enjoy this record. While
this record is expertly produced and it features some very nice sounds and performances by talented vocalists and musicians, I just can't shake the feeling of soulless cultural appropriation that I get from most of these songs.

Every one of the 10 tracks here just seem so bland and sanitized, there is no emotion or feeling, nor is there any particularly innovative King Tubby style dub experimentation to peak my interest. Just track after track of dub meets deephouse boredom. Some of the vocals are good, but not good enough to make the entire album worthwhile.

Noiseshaper have been massively successful, and chances are you may enjoy this. But personally, when I'm in the mood for dub or reggae I'd rather listen to some Linval Thompson or Lee Perry.

While the silly title of the album might make you think otherwise, "Internet Album" is actually a very solid, well-produced effort. From what I can gather this is the first album by Cyber Snake, and it is a nice addition to the goth metal/ electro metal genres. Actually, there are various genres explored here, but the easiest points of reference are bands like Lullacry and Lacuna Coil, but with synths thrown in, and with a Russian vocalist and guitars that aren't afraid to get funky with the wah pedal on occasion.

This is nice stuff, though it does suffer a bit from the "let's combine various musical genres to cover up our lack of identity" syndrome. A lot of the songs start off in a more EBMish vein, before they eventually kick in to a metal or rock sound. I certainly wish they would stay with the former, as they have good beats and nice synth sounds. That said, Cyber Snake are talented musicians, and "Internet Album" is a good album. If you like your metal spiced with strong female vocals, prominent synths and the occasional funk bass, this is for you. It's available for free, so you may as well give it a chance.