No Hassle (Amazon US Exclusive Version w/Bonus DVD)

Tosca

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 28, 2009)
• Number of Discs: 3
• Label: R.E.D. Distribution
• ASIN: B0023BZ5NQ
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #124,175 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. My First

2. Elitsa

3. Springer

4. Birthday

5. Oysters in May

6. Joe Si Ha

7. Elektra Bregenz

8. Fondue

9. Rosa

10. Raymondo

See all 12 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. Piano Intro

2. No Hassle

3. Oysters in May

4. My First Ambient

5. My First

6. Springer Ambient

7. Springer

8. Knoll

9. Joe Si Ha

10. Elektra Bregenz

See all 14 tracks on this disc

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Tosca, the Viennese masters of deluxe soundscapes of sensual rhythms, are back with their most magical and mesmerizing album yet. No Hassle, is a luxurious tapestry of analogue and digital sounds, submerged samples and live instrumentation that evolves and expands into an hour-long ambient symphony. Two-CD set is packaged in a deluxe 8-panel digipak. Special Amazon exclusive version comes with a bonus hour-long live DVD.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent album, but the DVD doesn't work in the US!, April 29, 2009

By	videodrome "videodrome" (Campton, NH United States) - See all my reviews

This is one of Tosca's best albums yet, but I was seriously disappointed to discover that the DVD won't play in my Region 1 DVD player. And the DVD was manufactured in the USA. What gives!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars 3.5 Stars - Tosca tries something new, but the results are a bit bland, June 14, 2009

By	Steward Willons - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

This kills me: I'm a huge Tosca fan and have been since "F*** Dub" came out in 96, but this album is just too bland for my taste. Tosca are always mellow, laid back, chill - whatever word you like - but there was always a musical intensity from the creative act of composition. On "No Hassle," the music goes from mellow to borderline dull. Worst of all, it sounds like something a great number of downtempo artists could knock out easily, not the work of Richard Dorfmeister - one of the all-time greats of the style.

The music is lovely, but it feels superficial compared to "J.A.C." and "Suzuki." There's nothing as funky as "Opera" and it's just not as flavorful as "Dehli 9." The track, 'Springer' comes close, but not too close. The entire album feels rather uninspired, like Tosca decided it was time for a new album and they had to force out some mellow grooves. Granted, for many artists, this would be a pretty great album, but for Tosca, this is decidedly below their usual caliber.

For one thing, the dub elements are firmly in the background. You've got tracks like "Oysters In May" that have a dub flavor, but again, it's not nearly as dubby as their early work. I'm okay with a group shifting styles, but this doesn't feel like a step forward, or even a step sideways. I think Tosca can do better than this.

Tosca describe this album as 'introspective' and a 'sea of sound' where the listener is encouraged to let it flow gently over the top as it soaks in. This is an apt description, but it also describes a lot of their other work, which is stronger. If they're going to ask me to lay on my couch and listen with my eyes closed, they'd better be sure there's enough musical interest and variety that I won't fall asleep.

I'm pretty disappointed by "No Hassle," but that's partially because I expect a lot from Richard and Rupert. Undoubtedly, many will find this a very pleasant album. Tosca fans should buy this (obviously), but be sure to manage your expectations. Other fans of downtempo and dub would do well to check out "Suzuki" or "Opera" before "No Hassle." From what Tosca say about this particular album, it seems that they were deliberately going in a new direction. I hope that their next album is more of a return to their usual high level.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars DVD has talk over and would be good without the talk, May 3, 2009

By	Joseph Martin Cappadona Jr. "DJ Expressionsat... (Orlando) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

This is a middle of the road album for Tosca. It's as if there were not much hassle in creating it. You won't hear a song like the the popular Honey that was on the Suzuki album. It seems like there are plenty of record companies putting out the mediocre stuff these days. Too Bad... Heck, why not make a DVD and then ruin the value of it with talkover so it won't ruin the market for other items to come out....