Some fresh album-length excursions released by Planet Mu recently. Check out Chevron's "Everything's Exactly The Same" , which is the work of Jonathan Valentine, from Blackpool of all places. This is his first long-player and it's rather bloody good. An eclectic mix of ragga-bashment-glitch meets deep melodic/emotive electronics, of an incredibly high standard. I get the impression Valentine could turn his hand to any form of music and make it sound effortlessly great - he's got that sort of talent. From the luscious, almost Jarre-esque string symphonics of "Optic Realisation" and the playful tone clusters of "Cyberia" to the dazzling rhythmic frenzy of "London" and exploring all points in between, Valentine demonstrates his mastery of the electronic arts convincingly. I'm dead jealous, me. Some surprising little touches too, like "Polyphonic Ringtone", which starts with a cheeky ringtone version of "Tour De France" before bounding into an energetic skank and then, just when I'm expecting Suggs to start singing "Return Of The Los Palmas 7" over the top, in comes an understated vocal ( presumably from Valentine himself?) that takes things into a strange pop-ska direction. Sweet!Even better, closing track "Emails & Viruses" features a sample of Kate Bush over uplifting piano and oldskool breakbeat loops that inevitably puts me in mind of Utah Saints' rave-tastic hit "Something Good" from '92 (which is a good thing!).
Damn, this is a cool record! If you can't find anything you like here then frankly there's no hope left for you. Do yerself a favour - buy it now. Even better - why wait for the post - download it now and get it straight in that iPod before bed time. Go ahead and treat yourself. You deserve it.
