Back to the 90's with Trip Hop

There are sensations that always seem to evoke certain feelings or memories when you hear them. It is often surprising what you associate with a certain taste, feel, or sound. Recently I heard "In the Waiting Line" by Zero 7 while listening to Pandora Radio and I was sent back to an afternoon in high school, talking about boys and life as I shared a pair of headphones with a friend. 

Afterwards I reflected on how much I still love the mellow beats of performers like Zero 7, a band riding on the tail end of the music genre known as trip-hop. Trip-hop is an electronica off-shoot which tended to feature slow beats, female vocals and was influenced by soul, funk and jazz. One of the most influential trip-hop groups of the 90's would probably be Morcheeba who featured beautiful vocals and creative (sometimes hilarious) lyrics. Other popular trip-hop groups include Badmarsh & Shri, Moloko, Flunk and Supreme Being of Leisure. The influences of trip-hop can also be heard in more contemporary music groups, like Thievery Corporation and the Gorillaz. 

For those interested in this genre, or want to try something new, I compiled a list of albums in our catalog which were a part of the trip-hop movement, or whose music has been influenced by it:

Le voyage dans la lune, by Air
Further, by the Chemical Brothers
We Are the Night, by the Chemical Brothers
Details, by Frou Frou
The Fall, by the Gorillaz
Plastic Beach, by the Gorillaz
Singles Collection, by the Gorillaz
Heligoland, by Massive Attack
Third, by Portishead 
Culture of Fear, by Thievery Corporation
The Garden, by Zero 7
Simple Things, by Zero 7

Trip-hop is also available on Freegal, which can be found by browsing under the genre tab or by searching for specific bands. I was able to locate music by Morcheeba, the Supreme Beings of Leisure, the Chemical Brothers, Thievery Corporation and Zero 7 with the search bar on the Freegal homepage.

Happy listening!

Pop Perfection with Imogen Heap

I like to imagine artist Imogen Heap as a magical, musical pop fairy. This is not difficult: she wears flowing, ethereal gowns and braids feathers through her hair. Her voice is as mercurial as the wind - a whispering breeze one moment and the fury of a storm the next. And when I listen to the perfection of her music, I feel like one of J.M. Barrie's characters sprinkled with pixie dust - able to fly.

My favorite Imogen works: the collaborative "Frou Frou" album Details and the self-produced album Speak for Yourself, are (in my opinion) two of the greatest pop albums of all time. Details begins with the mesmerizing opening track "Let Go," which invites listeners to, "Let go, just jump in, oh well, what are you waiting for?" And it would be a huge mistake not to experience the magic of these eleven tracks. "Must Be Dreaming" paints the landscape of love in wild euphoria; "Hear Me Out" explores the swirling emotions of a jilted lover. Her voice glides and soars like a bird in flight across a digital sky of strings and synth, a flawless combination that has led to many triple-digit "play counts" on my media player!