Trent Reznor’s work here is obviously influenced by his more electronic Nine Inch Nails records, which I love. In fact, some songs — like In Motion — are remixes of work from Nine Inch Nail’s Ghosts (which is also a fantastic record).

Hand Covers Bruise is drenched in melancholy, but A Familiar Taste is dripping with angst. The Gentle Hum of Anxiety is a perfect title for one of the most anxiety-inducing bits of music from a film I’ve ever heard. But at the end of the day, the track you most need to hear from this is the cover of In the Hall of the Mountain King.

If there was ever an obvious pairing, it’s Trent Reznor and David Fincher. Both of them are fascinated by using digital techniques to improve what are traditionally analogue mediums. While both are praised by fans and critics, there’s also a left-wing conservative group of people in both mediums who say they’re going against what music and film is all about. But it doesn’t matter. With The Social Network in particular, they’ve made their piece de resistance: a piece of digital art in an analogue framework about a movement to make real relationships more digital and artificial. There’s something beautiful about that.

Film soundtracks are interesting because they rarely stand on their own. The Social Network not only stands on its own, but it’s one of my all-time favourite albums — and perhaps my favourite electronic album of all time.

The post Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross: The Social Network Soundtrack appeared first on Unsung Sundays.

Every single review I read of this record is awful. It’s all “John Mayer throws women away and half the songs are about ex-girlfriends” and all that kind of stuff other less-popular musicians don’t have to put up with. But isn’t that what blues is about? It’s a relief to hear Mayer stick to what he knows.

I’m of the belief that John Mayer’s always been a good songwriter, despite some of his lesser records. While Paradise Valley is no Continuum, it’s his best since. It’s got a little blues, a little country, a lot of Americana, and a little more of an optimistic outlook than songs like Dreaming With a Broken Heart.

Want some great tracks from the album? Check out Wildfire, a nice intro to Mayer’s newest stylistic country. Waitin’ On the Day and Paper Doll are the most old-school like Mayer cuts. My personal favourite, I Will Be Found (Lost at Sea), is beautiful, and Badge and Gun is as breezy Americana as you could ever expect.

The real talk of the record is Who You Love, which features Katy Perry. We’re all talking about it because Perry’s on it. But the song sucks, naturally, despite Katy’s less in-your-face vocal mannerisms. It’s not a good fit for her sexually grandiose style — Perry singing softly doesn’t feel natural. It’s the stuck-up thumb on an otherwise great record.

The post John Mayer: Paradise Valley appeared first on Unsung Sundays.

The St. Louis Blues has got what I’d call a rollicking piano riff, but goes through standard and modern jazz and blues vibes like a monkey let loose in a smokey 1940’s bar after being taught to tango. The whole album almost goes on and on forever, with Laurie seemingly boundless with energy, and it never overstays its welcome.

Laurie doesn’t perform alone, though: with a backing choir and full set of performers stomping through tracks with him, Laurie really captures the essence of New Orleans jazz by making you feel like you’re part of the live experience. Maybe it’s because Laurie isn’t American and has had to find ways to recreate the New Orleans soul experience with the context of Great Britain, but he’s remarkably successful at channeling a nearly gospel-like reverence for the sound.

Wild Honey just roars with bristling piano riffs and Laurie’s powerful vocal work. When he says he’s a “jack of all trades, a master of fun,” for what it’s worth, I believe him. I Hate a Man Like You stings like it’s something your ex-partner once said. Changes resonates with me, as everybody I know is moving all over the world after school and we’re all saying these constant bittersweet goodbyes. Laurie’s right — love does always change to sorrow, and life is here today and gone tomorrow, but still the world keeps going. And how cruel is that? At least the foot-stomping trombones will keep us company even when nobody else will.

The post Hugh Laurie: Didn’t It Rain appeared first on Unsung Sundays.

Fritz & The Tantrums are also a lot better than the usual fluff, with catchy songs like Out of My League, Spark, Keepin’ Our Eyes Out, and more. This is one of those albums that you don’t need to listen to the tracks in order. That’s not to say that it doesn’t reveal more with deeper listening, but that Fritz & The Tantrums are multi-faceted. They know how to write a great song, and they’re willing to let it stand on its own. I suspect it’s largely because the songs would be great live.

You could also grab a few tracks and throw them on next time you throw a party, and just dance. You’ll have fun, and that’s the bottom line. Fitz & The Tantrums are a lot of fun. And sometimes, you don’t need much more than that. Surprisingly, although “deluxe editions” are usually gimmicky piles of crap, the Deluxe Edition of More Than Just a Dream has a couple remixes that are well worth listening to at the end.

The post Fritz and The Tantrums: More Than Just a Dream appeared first on Unsung Sundays.