[...music...]: johnny hollow, robyn

2008-05-14

i had my weekly meeting with my advisor today. not sure if my thesis is progressing. i will need to begin on my two conference papers soon. i am kind of nervous about that; i haven't written any kind of paper in a long time, probably since i had to write that english exit exam back in cegep.

after the meeting, i passed by hmv to check out the new releases. (my weekly fix).

i recently heard johnny hollow's recent album "dirty hands", and really liked it. i went to get it today. i first heard about them when roxanne introduced me to their music, a couple of years ago, when they had released their debut self-titled album.

listening to "dirty hands", i like this more than their older release. on "dirty hands", they've continued with the slightly gothic ethereal feel from the first album. on some songs, their use of stringed instruments mixed with electro elements reminds me of rasputina, which is good.

i love their album art. their website is also very pretty. they've a flash game; every completed level unlocks a track from the album.

at one of the listening booths, i spied robyn's most recent self-titled album. it was at a bargain price, so i got it too.

ah, memories... her debut "robyn is here" was one of the first cd's i bought, before i started to build my cd collection. it's good to see how she's doing her own thing now, with her own style, rather than become an aging has-been pop princess (like some others from that period).

this album was first released a couple of years ago in sweden, and now finally released here, a couple of weeks ago. the songs don't sound dated at all. very pop, kind of electro, with some hip-hop elements here and there. there are a few very good stand-out songs; the rest are filler and uninteresting.

my favourite tracks: "cobrastyle", with those dance-able electro beats. "handle me", the typical pop song. "be mine", the opening bit is my favourite part of the whole album. "with every heartbeat", another electro song.

although i don't care for the songs, "curriculum vitae" and "konichiwa bitches" have some kooky lyrics.

~~~

Labels: cd purchase, johnny hollow, robyn