FriendBurst Blog

The Album Leaf is a Californian band, formed in 1998.  These guys combine guitars, keyboards and real drums with subtle electronic elements.  The music is very mellow.  If you like Mum and/or Sigur Ros, you’ll probably enjoy The Album Leaf.  It is ‘lo-fi’ or ‘leftfield’ music (not to be confused with Leftfield, the electronic duo from the UK).

The fifth album (A Chorus Of Storytellers) was released in 2010.  It is not a poor album.  Everything else is better though.  In my opinion, the best two albums are In A Safe Place and Into The Blue Again.  A Chorus Of Storytellers is a bit disappointing, as it sounds like the band is coasting.  Nothing really stands out.  It’s all a bit ‘samey’.

French band Air is fairly well known (mainly for the hit single, Sexy Boy).  Unfortunately, everything since Moon Safari has been disappointing.  Following the dreadful 10000 Hz Legend (and Everybody Hertz, the remix album) Talkie Walkie was a slight improvement (and a return to the chilled sounds which made Air popular in the first place).  The last two ‘proper’ albums (Pocket Symphony and Love 2) have been mediocre.  I’d actually forgotten about Love 2 (I think I’ve listened to it twice).  I haven’t heard Le Voyage Dans Da Lune.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VH5bL_XbO64&feature=related

I stopped collecting ABC after the 1997 comeback album (Skyscraping).  There has been one album since then, but I haven’t heard it.  The eighties was not a bad decade for ABC.  The debut album, The Lexicon Of Love, is a classic.  The band faltered on the follow-up (Beauty Stab).  Half of the band left, but ABC bounced back in 1985 (with a new line-up and a re-energised sound).  There were two more adequate albums before the end of the decade (and a singles collection in 1990).  Abracadabra was the last album with Mark White.  Martin Fry carried on with Glenn Gregory (from Heaven 17).  David Palmer rejoined Martin on the last album (Traffic) – almost thirty years after leaving the band.

Claudia Brucken (from Propaganda) teamed up with Thomas Leer in 1988.  They only made one album (Laughter, Tears And Rage).  They called themselves ACT.  There were a couple of good songs but it was mostly unimpressive.  It has dated badly.  You can hear the best single (Snobbery And Decay) on The Art Of The 12″.  It is a double-disc collection of 12″ singles, which were originally released on ZTT Records (Salvo is in the process of reissuing the entire ZTT back-catalogue, which includes The Art Of Noise and Frankie Goes To Hollywood).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8TT7hMl4tnk

That brings me to the beginning of my CD collection – and thus the end of my blogs.  Thanks to all those who have commented – especially Hyper-Intellect.  I’m glad I broadened your musical views.

KOTN