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11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
From left field! (Almost 2 years ago!), February 7, 2006
When I first heard of Mylo, I decided, sure, I'll check out some of these songs. I honestly hadn't the foggiest of what to expect, except that this man labeled his CD Destroy Rock & Roll, and I didn't know what that meant. I downloaded the title track and another song, "Drop the Pressure". I...was NOT impressed. In the least bit. "Destroy" was erratic, unforgiving, and a complicated listen. I really cannot afford to sit around and just listen to things whenever they come on. Music may be my passion, but it is a wonderful backround atmospheric passion. You know, stuff to bop along to while I...write reviews. Haha. "Drop the Pressure", with it's squiggly vocals and weird electro sounds similarly put me off. Mylo was not the saviour of dance in my eyes!
But then his songs kept turning up in compilations. Mostly "Drop the Pressure", but then an interesting mash-up of "Drop the Pressure" and "Dr. Beat" surfaced, resulting in the 80's retro-smash "Dr. Pressure". I started to come around, also, after the wonderful "Mash-up Mix" by the Cut-Up Boys put out by Ministry of Sound. It fused together vocals and instrumentals from many popular dance songs from the last few years. Pure dancefloor genius, but that's another review. Needless to say, "Drop the Pressure", in it's many forms, was growing on me. Other songs started to pop on my radar as well, notably "Paris Four Hundred" which was mashed-up with Tegan & Sara's "Walking With The Ghost" to create the ultra-poppy, wonderfully dancy, "Walking With A Ghost In Paris". Fans of Tegan & Sara should acquire this wonderful little mash-up by Party Ben. Then the song "In My Arms" was soon found by me in the form of a music video I was unaware of. The video is quite heartfelt, a girl arriving by train to someplace. Then we see a boy, in bed with a girl, notice the time and run out of the door (presumably) to pick up the girl from the train station. When he gets there, she points at her eye, her heart, and at him. (I love you) They do various things, all very romantic, all very kissy, and then proceed to fornicate back at his place. The next morning, we realize the scene of him getting out of bed hadn't happened yet, and as she wakes to see him leave, he points at his eye, his heart, and then at her. I love when things are flipped on their heads. The song itself is an interesting rendition on "Waiting For A Star To Fall", using the bare minimum in the way of vocal sampling over some dreamy, melodic synths. Finally I heard the song, "Muscle Car", featuring vocals from the group Freeform Five. In the normal method of Mylo, the vocals are purely anti-normal. The female singer intones over the fast-paced synths, "Well oiled, that's what you are. C'mon and ride in my muscle car." She then lists a variety of muscle cars, from Chargers to GTOs. It's a wonderful song, maintaining the creamy dreamy synths that the album seems to capitalize on.
And what about the actual album? All of the previous songs mentioned I heard before ever hearing the album. How is it? Well...the songs I mentioned (save the Tegan & Sara mash-up) are featured, and if nothing else, they make the album an extraordinary buy. A version of "Muscle Car", sans Freeform Five, is also present. It is simply the background music, and it is quite odd to hear the negative space. Many of the songs border on chill music, one actually looping the vocal of a young man talking about getting over drugs. They can tend to drag, but the obvious achievement is overwhelming. Mylo was only 24 when he created this album, put out on his own label, made from his computer, in the wonderfully electronic-deprived country of Scotland. It may be tough to comprehend, on an album titled "Destroy Rock & Roll", but there is something here for almost everyone. If you like your metal black just like your coffee, perhaps you should look elsewhere. All of those interested in a relaxing trip down dance's dreamier pathways, definitely indulge. And I don't even take drugs!
For the beauty and rapture, I give this a big B
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Destroy it, July 7, 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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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Consider this the "Special Edition" of "Destroy Rock & Roll", January 22, 2007
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.
But with this re-released version of "Destroy Rock & Roll", what is new, and indeed different from the previous version, is the addition of a pretty nice Re-working of "Destroy Rock & Roll", and more importantly a bootleg style mash-up of Mylo's own "Doctor Pressure" mixed with Gloria Estefan's 'Doctor Beat' with the Miami Sound Machine. Which is a gloriously cheesy but energetic house track, that fits in perfectly with the 80's dance mood of the album. And it would take a seriously uptight person to not enjoy it for what it is...a wonderfully disposable piece of groove based dance music, that would fill the floor of any downmarket nightclub.
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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