JUSTICE - CROSS
FRENCH HOUSE/ELECTRONIC
SIMILAR ARTISTS: DAFT PUNK, THE GLITCH MOB
This is an album that I have listened to in bits and pieces for a very long time, having heard D.A.N.C.E first (as most do) and then independently finding Genesis. I had never listened to it all the way through until recently, however, and it's hard to ignore the kind of influence this album has had on the modern electronic scene and the post-Daft Punk French renaissance of electro artists. Songs like Genesis and Waters of Nazareth, with grating waveforms dragged across heavy beats that can easily find comparisons to contemporaries like The Glitch Mob, are paired with more minimal sleek bops like D.A.N.C.E, DVNO, and TThhEe PPaARRtTYY in a strange contrast of sound and intention. While my description of this contrast may paint a picture of two albums squashed into one, tracks like Stress, Newjack, and Valentine form a bridge between the two, pairing the harsher sounds with straightforward pacing and minimalist construction.
FOUR TET - NEW ENERGY
ELECTRONIC/AMBIENT
SIMILAR ARTISTS: APHEX TWIN, BURIAL
Incredibly creative enigma of an album, with a ton of small flourishes in fields of textured ambient beats that are way better than the 24/7 Lo-Fi you probably listen to. This album is inventive, catchy in a way only harps can be, and a fantastic example of an ambient electronic album that feels more like a Jamie XX album than a C418 one. Actually scratch that analogy I don't need to bring Minecraft into this. It's just a super solid, fun to listen to, calming, yet intriguing, experiment that is perfect for rest, relaxation, and studying. 100% headphone music though.