Paul Oakenfold - DJ Boxes June & July - 2015

Here's a few DJ Boxes for you tonight.  Just some mind-numbing dance music, which is exactly what I need right now.

You know, when it rains it fucking pours in my fucking house.  I thought that by this time in my life, approaching 50 (in five years, I know) I would have sorted myself by now.  But, shit keeps stacking and life keeps piling and you feel like you're drowning and don't know which way is up.  I want to get in my car and start driving and keep driving until I run out of gas, then start walking and keep walking until my legs can't support me anymore.  I know running from my problems won't solve them, but that's all I feel that I can do.  What's bad, is they're fucking problems that have haunted me my entire fucking god-forsaken life.  If it weren't for the sake of my boys and my wife, I would have checked out a long time ago.  Sometimes, I just hate living.

Have a happy Friday.

June 2015      July 2015

Marsheaux - A Broken Frame - 2015

OMG! Is that blasted watermark gone?!  Holy Shit!

Alright, I will admit I'm a little embarassed to be posting this one.  I haven't ever been a fan of Marsheaux, I don't care for their music, really.  But, this IS a Depeche Mode album, even if it's just a cover version.  What's almost as embarassing is that I'm posting this version of A Broken Frame before I've posted the actual ABF.

BUT...  I heard a couple of the songs from this one, and they grew on me.  So, I listened to the whole thing and I found something great.  With indirect translations, they've done a pretty good job interpreting the originals as their own.  They maintain a lot of the original elements that made the originals great, but have added enough to make this dancefloor-prone.  I've read many different reviews on this one, and the best that I've read have said exactly what I've felt -  Marsheaux have taken the nostalgic synth past that I've always loved from a bygone era, and brought it into the modern day, to be relived, and reloved all over again.

My version differs from the original as I've included the non-album tracks and the remixes.  Other than that, you get it as intended.  Hopefully it will help you see the album in a new light as it did me.

Marsheaux - A Broken Frame - 2015

Xilent - We Are Virtual - 2015

I honestly haven't been the greatest fan of Trance or Dubstep.  I sample artists when I can, but I rarely have found any worthy of following.  The ones I hear most about, are usually too trendy and their music sounds like shit, anyway.

I happened upon Xilent here last year, and have enjoyed him the most of all the artists so far (followed closely by Datsik.)  I wouldn't put him on par with BT or Oakenfold, but he's definitely on par with ATB or Van Buuren.

The cool thing about Xilent's work is that he uses the dub and the sounds to actually create a melodic creation.  Too often these artists are just interested in creating a beat and going crazy all over it with the dub.  That is a waste of time.  Xilent actually turns it into something worthy of artistic merit.

I collected the tracks from the Virtual album and the accompanying singles and some additional remixes that he's done for others.  This is a good CD to listen to while your driving about town with your mates (listen to me, trying to talk like I'm British or something.)  It's great loud, but it's also good as simple background music while you're chatting.  I like it, I hum it occasionally at work, and it's one that I've included in my permanent collection.

The Falling Apart mixes are the best...

Xilent - We Are Virtual - 2015

Hayley Richman - Teardrop - 2015

Alright, so maybe you like it, maybe you don't.  All I know is once I started hearing her cover songs, I could see definite talent and deserved of a following.  This is my latest entry in my "Pleasantly Surprised" series.  It's nice to hear quality, amateur cover versions of some of my favorite 80s, 90s and up alternative songs. And she has chosen some of the best.


Hayley doesn't have an album that I know of.  It's just her on vocals and her dad on instrumentation.  It appears that they have a little studio set up in their living room or family room, and they sing songs for video on Youtube.  It's a very simple thing.  But, the quality of the recording is CD ready.  She sounds, I guess, a little like Fiona Apple, with a higher pitch.  It's apparent that she isn't classically trained, and that she's emulating styles, but what rock star is classically trained?  They've recorded several dozen tracks, but I picked my favorites and burned them here.  If you look for her on Youtube, you will find more and different tracks, maybe you can download them and make your own CD.

Anyway, the cover is one of the very few pics that you can find of her online.  And the library on back is a stock photo from the internet.

I know it seems risky now, but give it a shot.  The worst that can happen is you don't like it and you delete it off your hard drive.  Just try it!

Hayley Richman - Teardrop - 2015