Word: electronica
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...great part, the reinvention of the Cardigans has been enabled by their bold passage into the world of trip-hop electronica. Rather than the familiar panoply of flutes, horns and strings of their previous work, Gran Turismo grooves to the unfamiliar rhythmic contortions and techno loops of an electronic beat box. Impressively, the Cardigans integrate these new elements seamlessly, brewing a series of the catchiest pop songs this side of Alanis Morissette; every track sounds as if it were designed to rule the airwaves. Unlike the beat-driven atmospherics of classic trip-hop bands like Portishead, the Cardigans fix their...
Musically, one might criticize the Cardigans for their lack of originality. Admittedly, it does seem somewhat faddish and even artificial for them to embrace the trendy electronica sound after every other band and their mothers have already dressed up as techno gear-heads. Dusky distortions on tracks like "Marvel Hill" sound a lot like vintage Portishead and the guitar-driven "Starter" disturbingly suggests an even catchier Aimee Mann impersonation...
...songs may range a bit in style, but Depeche Mode has always been securely grounded in electronica. They were one of the first bands to rely heavily on the synthesizer, and they're still enjoying success in that medium. In fact, Depeche Mode was one of the few electronic bands to weather the early nineties rush to Seattle-based grunge and acoustic rock. They get little credit for really sticking to their guns as far as their overall sound goes. Depeche Mode is progressive in its own right but that evolution stayed within the bounds of the original medium...
...finally make that big blunder that you miraculously avoided last time round. Beck's new album, Mutations, suffers from these post-success symptoms all over the place. Rather than depart too much from his established persona or strain too hard to maintain his position at the forefront of the electronica vanguard, Beck holds back like a worried date, making minimal headway in order to wreak minimal havoc. No hard core fans will be distressed by the modest, competent roots rock that dominates Mutations, but it won't be winning any Grammy's this year...
...between Memphis, Manhattan and Mars. The country rambler was still here, but now he was hobnobbing with bubbling psychedelic guitars, booming hip-hop tracks and distorted space-age bleeps. Splashed through with enough classic soul samples to put Stax Records back in business, Odelay was a manifesto for eclectic electronica, busting out all over the place with the joy of being retrospective and fresh and whimsical. Odd pieces were all there--funk, jazz, roots rock, old-school rap, nonsense lyrics--but suddenly they sounded compatible, credible and organic. The self-proclaimed loser was suddenly "the enchanting wizard of rhythm," devouring...