Every album here has people who know how to use Auto-Tune better than Lil Wayne, T-Pain, and anyone not named Daft Punk.
Major Lazer- Guns Dont Kill People…Lazers Do
Best Tracks: Keep It Goin Louder, Pon De Floor, Hold the Line…but you really can’t go wrong with this album
Sounds like: Reggae and dancehall (Jamacan dance music) in a blender with electro, rap, and rock set to AWESOME.
This is one of the biggest and best dance releases of the year. Diplo and Switch (the guys who made Paper Planes w. M.I.A.) team up to show the rest of the world how awesome Jamacan dance music is. You will not find a more energetic or fun album this year. Just about every track is a banger. Like Paper Planes, Nina Sky’s track Keep It Goin Louder could be a #1 mainstream hit with the right exposure. PLay it now and brag later. Every track has like 100 people on it, including Santogold, Nina Sky, Amanda Blank, and tons of others. Play this and steal it for you own iPod.
Basement Jaxx- Scars
Best Tracks: Raindrops, Scars
Sounds Like: Schitzophrenic mid-eastern MGMT/Black Eyed Peas on cocaine with the occasional Van Halen-y guitar
Remember that song ‘Where’s Your Head At?’ That’s Basement Jaxx. These guys are icons in Europe with good reason. They consistantly put out dance music that’s really like nothing else out there. Their new album is no exception. The upbeat, cheesy, psychedelic Raindrops is one of the best singles of the year, and its in one of them new fangaled iPod commercials. Your mileage may vary on some of the other tracks though. Tons of guests on this one, including Calvin Harris, Santogold, and Kelis.
David Guetta: One Love
Best Tracks: Sexy Bitch, When Love Takes Over, Missing You, Memories
Sounds Like: Whoever Guetta works with on each track
Nothing amazing on this one, but a lot of solid mainstream house tracks here. Repetitive synths and pianos. rap/R&B/pop vocalists singing over them. Again, Guetta works with a ton of people on this one. Kelly Roland (the one from Destiny’s Child whos not Beyonce) does what’s probably her best post-DC work on a bunch of tracks. And Sexy Bitch feat. Akon is just good fun. I’m not the biggest Guetta fan, but he does his thing here.
