Customer Reviews

Destroy Rock & Roll

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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.

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! -

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.

This album is an original - yes Mylo we are all breastfed! Every track offers a unique sound, from the groovy "Sunworshipper" to the intense melody of "Zenophile". If you've heard the edited version of "Drop the Pressure" it doesn't even compare to the real thing - This is chill electronic music with strong complex beats and allot of 80's undertones, that does NOT dissapoint. All this from some guy from the Isle of Skye with a vision and a computer. The only track I would say that's even close to being skip-able is "Guilty of Love", but I still like it. The title track is a catchy recording sample from a religious cult gathering, calling for the destruction of rock & roll - it actually made me laugh. My favorite tracks? "Drop the Pressure" and "Rikki" - but that's cause they really raise things up - play loud while driving fast!!

People complain that Dance music is not that good anymore and it's true that you have to dig deep to find something really good lately. Recently we've had the luck to get grreat albums from both Daft Punk and the Chemical Brothers but this album take the price cause it's the best out of the 3. 24 year old Mylo(Myles MacInnes) was totally unknown for me and it was almost a co-incidence I found this brilliant album when I was browsing new Electro albums. This album "Destroy Rock & Roll" is a great mix of Dance music such as Daft Punk and Royksopp, It got some great chillout but some more uptempo aswell. It certainly is commercial but at the same time wonderful music that is exprimental and meliodic and all songs are diffrent sounding aswell. "Destroy Rock & Roll" is the most complete Electro album in a long time.

Let's start, the first song is called "Valley of the Dolls" which is a suitable title since it's very slow beautiful meliodic chillout music, A mix between Röyksopp and Daft Punk, and one of the album highlights for sure. "Sunworshiper" is what some people call "lounge" or more traditional chillout with influents from "Air" especially. It's quite jazzy, also beautiful and meliodic. Third song is called "Muscle Cars" and it's mid tempo with more dance influents, sound like early 90's techno with good beats and melody.

"Drop the Pressure" is also one of the highlights here, and I think it was the first single release aswell. It's a uptempo house/dance song with cool beats and catchy melody. This one will get you to the dancefloor in two seconds. "In My Arms" has taken the sample from Kim Carnes 1981 hit "Bette Davis Eyes" and made it a club hit, very good despite being commercial. "Guilty of Love" sound like Daft Punk with cool electronic sound. "Paris Four Hundred" is also pure electronica, but always mid-tempo ofcourse. The title song got a voice mentioning alot of diffrent rock-artists, he'll mention all the great one's from the 80's, the backround music is rock-electro.

"Rikki" is a midtempo song with a voice on repeat saying Rikki, quite cool aswell. "Otto's Journey" sound very much like Daft Punk, happy and meliodic electro. One of the album highlights aswell. Would work perfect for radio. "Musclear Reform Repair" sound like "Muscle Cars" but with a female voice talking, not my favorite here. "Zenophile" is great chillout again. "Need you Tonight" got some cool female voice samples but it's a slow song, not chillout but like a dance-ballad. "Emotion 98'6" is yet another chillout duh!, sound like Röyksopp.

This album is near perfection if you like meliodic electro with chillout influents. Mylo is also faithful to the dance origins here and does not, like many other neo-dance artists sound like Rock or Jazz, he uses his many influents here but this is still Dance music which I'm very glad to hear. I hope we'll hear more of him on radio and on tv soon cause I'm certain that his music will get attention. Few albums these days, can be this complete like "Destroy Rock & Roll" was. Well done Mylo!.

In this day and age where a quality electronic album is hard to come by, I URGE you....look no further.

Mylo's debut album is an instant classic, a very diverse yet listenable 14-tracker that is sure to satisfy the die-hard dance fan and that hopefully will convert a few new fans as well. As a long-time Daft Punk fan, it takes a lot for me to write this, but after listening to "Destroy Rock & Roll" I am now convinced: this is what Daft Punk's second album should have been.

The first 3 tracks welcome the listener into Mylo's world, which apparently isn't much more than a modest home studio and a Mac somewhere on Scotland's Isle of Skye. "Drop The Pressure" is where things get cooking, subtlely poking fun at the much overused vocoder, culminating in a hook that you won't be able to get out of your head....well, hopefully ever! "In My Arms" is sampling at it's most brilliant, meshing 2 80's classics in Kim Carnes' "Bette Davis Eyes" and Boy Meets Girl's "Waiting For A Star To Fall." "Muscle Cars", "Paris 400" and "Rikki" give the album some depth, but the real hiddem gem in this treasure chest is "Otto's Journey", a spectacular Daft Punk-ish themed nugget that shows off Mylo's very unique production techniques.

The album has a solid flow from start to finish, and succeeds at really drawing the listener in and keeping their attention to the very end. It certainly is an impressive debut for Mylo, his recent efforts include a very textured remix of "I Believe In You" from Kylie Minogue and the Scissor Sisters.

I simply cannot find fault with this album. I hope this isn't the best(or last) that we hear of Mylo, and regardless of what we hear next from the Scottish wizard he can definitely file this beauty under "M" for "masterpiece".

One of the little gifts I purchased for myself (when trying to buy for others this Christmas) was Mylo's album "Destroy Rock & Roll". I'd heard some good things about this album, indeed having downloaded one or two tracks and thinking highly of them, notably "Drop the Pressure" and "Sunworshipper".

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN WE HAVE A WINNER!

All I can say about this debut album from a 24 year old Scot is CRIKEY! It is a lovely cross between Daft Punk and Röyksopp, a mix of downtempo vibes and some uptempo, funky house tracks. Mylo has apparently written and produced this album with limited funds and production, having essentially done it from home with his Mac and a couple of mates. He uses imagination, warm basslines and very French production (think Dimitri from Paris, Bob Sinclar and Air) but retains the very British sense of... BANG!

I'm quite serious - Dance music has had a fantastic, hit-filled 2004 punctuated by some excellent songwriting and production. This could very well be the jewel in the crown.

Mylo has put out one of the best electronic albums to arrive on the scene in years. Destroy Rock & Roll combines nearly every electronic sub-genre imaginable and does so flawlessly. Here's a track-by track-review:

Valley of The Dolls- A breezy, down-tempo reinterpretation of The Sandpipers easy-listening hit "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls" from the Russ Meyer film.

Sunworshipper- Sample-heavy smooth Jazz cascades over an unknown recording of a presumed former hippie.

Muscle Cars- The pace picks up a bit with this flawless Electroclazh.

Drop The Pressure- One of the album's most popular tracks. A fun, though potty-mouthed journey into Acid-House.

In My Arms- An 80's influenced electro-pop gem combining the chords from Kim Carnes "Bette Davis Eyes" and the vocals from Boy Meet's Girl's "Waiting for a Star to Fall".

Guilty of Love- The Electro-pop theme continues with this quirky though enjoyable masterpiece which combines strings from George Duke's "Guilty"(The title gets its name from a line in the aforementioned song) and a child-like piano melody.

Paris Four Hundred- Fast paced electroclash reminiscent of Kraftwerk.

Destroy Rock and Roll- Title Track in which a conservative cult leader calls out the names of many "devilish" 80's rock musicians over a house beat that uses an inverted section of Steely Dan's "Aja". The spoken-word portion is actually a sample of a recording made by The Church of Universal and Triumphant. Experimental Rock group Negativland famously used the sample on their album "Escape From Noise".

Rikki- Electroclash combining a cut-up female vocal.

Otto's Journey- Daft Punk-esque electro-disco. Used in a Kraft Zesty Italian Commercial.

Muscle Cars (Freeform Five Reprise) - A driving, up-tempo remix with female vocals.

Zenophile- The album switches back to down-tempo territory with this 60's pop-influenced nugget combining a guitar, smooth electro chord progression and a section from Dusty Springfield's "Where am I Going".

Need You Tonite- Revisiting familiar territory with this sample-heavy adaptation of UK pop songstress Judie Tzuke's "Stay With Me Till Dawn".

Emotion 98.6- Moby-influenced fare brings this album to a close.

Definably worth checking out.

Since I am not big of a writer, and i had the feeling to support Mylo in any way, heres a short review.
I really like every single song of this album, he did a great job, my favs are "Otto's Journey","Paris Four Hundred" and "Guilty of Love". So if you like something to chill, dance or sleep in with, pick MYLO.
Iam really lookin forward to future Albums.

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.