June 3, 2008 by Willis.

“Much like Matthew Dear’s excellent “Asa Breed,” German duo Booka Shade’s second full-length unexpectedly merges the minimal electro for which it is best-known with a dusty kind of song-based acoustic folk. The result is simple and sparse, but more satisfying than heavier-handed electronic projects. “Control Me” and “Psychameleon” feel like stripped-down Depeche Mode, with vocalist (and Booka member) Walter Merziger in a tin can instead of a Dave Gahan echo chamber. None of the instrumentals reach the dizzy heights of 2006 international hit “Body Language,” which convinced dancefloor holdouts of electro’s propensity for beauty. But “Charlotte” comes close, pounding an irresistible synth riff over Casiotone keys. The title track might sound like the “Doogie Howser” theme song on PCP, but more often than not, Booka proves that even the most tech-nerdy electronic music has a melodic heritage. —Kerri Mason”

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May 19, 2008 by Willis.

“Trance is dance music’s hair metal; all drama, riffs and power chords. Armin Van Buuren’s brand of it is more Bon Jovi than Poison. First single “Going Wrong,” with throaty vocalist Chris Jones, could pass as a BJ remix, with loose guitar strums and self-righteous lyrics under a shower of synth. Beyond that cut, the Dutchman’s third studio album opts for lushness over firepower, featuring soft-voiced females on the eight remaining vocal tracks. The melodies are simple, but Van Buuren packs some surprises, like the ’80s freestyle feel of the impossibly pretty “In and out of Love” and the restrained anger of belter “Unforgivable.” It’s not quite nuance, but he’s got an ear for what works. —Kerri Mason”

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May 1, 2008 by Willis.

“Sandwiched in the fertile years that separated grunge from the Spice Girls was Portishead, a band that didn’t change, start or inspire much of anything. But its two albums of trip-hop noir are suspended in the memory of that generation, beautiful and singular. Eleven years later, “Third” doesn’t fit in the canon. The torch song melodies and crackly samples are gone, replaced by psych-guitar and gothic folk. Tense elements like a skidding tire thump (”Plastic”) or an angry shaker (”We Carry On”) put the entire collection eternally on the ledge, teetering between order and oblivion. Pitch-shifting strings punctuate the background like reminders of the cinema of the past, but this Portishead doesn’t wink at anything, eschewing style altogether. In our self-referential culture, an album like this is an aberration. Again. —Kerri Mason”

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April 1, 2008 by Willis.

“Madonna, Seal: Big pop stars who started as dance artists have circled back to the floor on their latest albums. But “Last Night,” Moby’s homage to/reconstruction of New York dance music during the course of his 42-year lifetime, is the only one that causes the desired effect: making you feel about the artist the way you did when you first heard him. The guy who sold millions of records by stretching gospel samples into lush sonic pastiches is still here—just listen to “Live Tomorrow.” But so is the one who created ‘92 rave anthem “Go”—the frantic piano riff and snare rolls of “Stars” give him away. Then there’s the best ’80s-style radio-friendly house track since the ’80s (”Disco Lies”), and Kudu vocalist Sylvia Gordon closing it down with an apocalyptic torch song. Forget “Play.” This is the definitive Moby album. —Kerri Mason”

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