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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Destroy it, or revive it, July 3, 2005
The Isle of Skye is not exactly where most people think of bright, inventive new electronica coming from. But that is where label founder/artist Mylo got his start, crafting complex, warm and danceable electronica on his computer. Now he's being put up as the savior of dance music.
Why? Apparently he says he's "just having fun." Here's hoping he keeps on having fun, for the sake of music fans. His debut "Destroy Rock & Roll" is a surprisingly fresh and fun sound, with bubbling electropop, staccato breaks and unstoppable basslines.
The first trio of songs show the sunnier side of Mylo -- it starts off with a warm wash of summer electronica that seems appropriately called "Valley of the Dolls," some languid downtempo, and some fun dance music that would sound at home in a kids' video game.
Then things take a slightly harder line, with rapid electronic jabs, computer twiddles and sampling. Songs like "In my Arms" sound like thinking men's club tune, danceable but also very complex. Then there are songs like "Guilty of Love," a smooth, sweet, still catchy number. The title track is a break from the usual, with a tongue-in-cheek recitation of all the legendary people who have contributed to the "destroying of rock'n'roll."
And as the album winds down, Mylo gives his colorful album another twist. The final three have a stately, almost classical downtempo sound, with yearning vocals layered in. Listening to these, it's impossible not to wonder where Mylo will go next in his career.
Like any other kind of music, electronica is hard to do -- for every genius, there are a bunch of idiots who think a catchy beat is all it takes to make it memorable. Which makes it impressive that Mylo has done all this at twenty-four, with mainly a computer, and put it out on his own little label.
Aside from his rich electronic noodling, Mylo also layers in some charged guitar licks and thin basslines. He also diddles around with the pace of the songs -- "Rikki" opens with your basic electronic song, but it's deliberately given little breaks, so that it sounds like a CD skipping, even as a smooth little electropop melody comes in. The skipping vocals will probably drive you insane after a few minutes, but it can't be said to be boring.
"Destroy Rock & Roll" won't destroy your taste for rock'n'roll, but it might revive some interest in the tumultuous world of electronica/dance pop. Definitely worth listening to.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
STATE OF THE ART ELECTRO/POP CIRCA 2004 & Bette Davis Eyes!, July 6, 2004
Just when you thought all things electro were tired, along comes our pal MYLO to refresh the whole thing again - witness this full-length debut DESTROY ROCK AND ROLL - and that it does, but with contagious affection, recycling subtle samples and deconstructing pop/rock hooks to create state of the art electro-pop circa 2004 with help from his Brestfed partner in crime LINUS LOVES! Everything old is new again: check out the killer 80s "Bette Davis Eyes" melody hook from IN MY ARMS or the quaint Cali hippie-speak on SUNWORSHIPPER, etc. Mylo borrows a bit from AKUFEN on cuts like RIKKI and French housers on PARIS FOUR HUNDRED, but just try to keep sitting down! Armed with grooves like DROP THE PRESSURE, GUILTY OF LOVE, and more, Mylo is unstoppable both as a remixer and producer - but where oh where is LINUS' debut CD? Or FREEFORM FIVE? - who turn in a cool vocal nu-wave/New Order-esque remix of the formerly vocaless MUSCLE CARS? Or for that matter, AGENT SUMO? The list goes on, but until then, snag this CD! -
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Easily the best commerical Dance album of 2004......, January 17, 2005
The Music press (in the UK), has been predicting the demise of Dance music, for some 2 years now, citing 'More varied musical tastes' & 'A lack of innovation' to blame for the diminishing sales of Dance albums. And while Dance album sales certainly aren't as strong as they were several years ago, those willing to dig a little deeper for their dance music, will still find a thriving scene.
Enter 24-year-old "Myles MacInnes" (aka "Mylo"), who has taken the template of mainstream Dance music, and reinterpreted it, to fit within a retro/electro dance arrangement, that has the distinction of being one of the most accomplished (if not the best) mainstream dance albums of 2004. Mylo makes the wise decision of not loading the album, with hard-hitting dance numbers, and instead fuses smooth electronica, with upbeat-electro & couple of big-beat/techno tracks.
"Sunworshipper", is gorgeous downtempo electronica, that is so simple in its creation, that its a surprise that it works so well. Think smooth & elegant downtempo 'Nightmares on Wax' style electronica, with a looped dialogue sample (which seems to be from either a film or documentary), overlayed, and brought in & out of the mix. it doesn't actually build or climax into anything, but it's simplicity is so beautifully devised, its laughable.
"Drop The pressure", up the ante with full-on dance floor electro, that immediately stands out, due to its catchiness, that throws a hard hitting electro beat, that fluctuates in tempo, with a crowd please dialogue sample of: "mother****ker's gonna crack under pressure". (think prime-era "Chemical Brothers" dropping, a knowingly cool electro-number).
"In My Arms" again moves away from presenting the listening with relentless simplistic & thudding beats, and weaves a hypnotic disco spell chopping up a riff, and rearranging the pieces to form something closer to disco-house/funk hybrid. Joyous, refreshingly different, and above all...funky as hell.
"Musclecars" leaps off the album with another slab of genuinely attention grabbing electronica, a sneaky little electro tune with woo-hoo-hoo-hoos and bleeps that sounds a bit like 'Royksopp', and therefore has that ability, to reach out to a wide audience, with something that seems to chime perfectly with people that don't usually like to electronica/Dance music.
A lot of this album is made up of ideas that in someway either reference, or give a knowing nod to music of a decade or two ago (especially 80's Pop/Rock). Whether it being tracks to owe a little debt to "Prince" ("Guilty Of Love"), or taking retro-dance ideas from "Daft Punk" ("Otto's Journey"), you'll find that although the source material from which the ideas may not be original. It's implementation represents itself in a reasonably innovate & refreshing way, and the electro/house feel running throughout the album is complementary to many moods.
Those that like their dance to be 'Underground' or consider themselves to be 'music enthusiasts', and generally avoid the sort of music, that would classify for 'Radio-play', would do well to give "Destroy Rock and Roll", a miss....and search for something a little more geared, to the 'Niche' market. As "Destroy Rock and Roll", is a mainstream dance album that uses clever stealing of 80's/90's tracks/samples, and subtle electronica to reinterpret those sounds into something more palatable for todays more demanding/discerning listeners. And manages to sit in that category of electronic/Dance albums such as: ("Royksopp's - Melody A.M."), ("Moby's - "Play"), ("Air's - Moon Safari"), ("Daft Punk's - Discovery") & ("Zero 7's - "Simple Things"), as examples of albums that have that seriously broad appeal, and yet still remain fantastically unique albums in their own right.
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