CD-Charts Position 1
Average Rating:

Give Up

CD-Charts > Music > IDM
by: The Postal Service

Release Date February 18, 2003
I like this album as much today as I did when I purchased it four years ago.

CD-Charts Position 2
Average Rating:

Selected Ambient Works, Vol. 2

CD-Charts > Music > IDM
by: Aphex Twin

Release Date April 12, 1994
The dark ambient sounds layered in light beat makes the music infinately enjoyable. Tons of rythmic tones and cords to pick apart and enjoy from every song, over and over again.

CD-Charts Position 3
Average Rating:

Music Has the Right to Children

CD-Charts > Music > IDM
by: Boards of Canada

Release Date March 23, 2004
This Scottish electronic duo rightfully stuck out amidst their more generic trance or mild idm cohorts with unique synths and unpredictable beat patterns, but in retrospect certainly did not live up to all the praise has suggested. Their signature style includes warm yet gently menacing keyboards, juxtaposing the innocence of youth with something far more sinister to a satisfying effect. But after admiring the aesthetic, it becomes all too apparent that some of these vacant, methodical exercises are too sterile for their own good. Compositionally, MHTRTC is mired in a redundancy that articulates sluggishness, though there are many exceptions where finely tuned subtle production saves listeners from ear-apathy.

CD-Charts Position 4
Average Rating:

Wipeout XL

CD-Charts > Music > IDM
by: Various Artists

Release Date October 15, 1996
I will admit, after purchasing this game, I found myself sitting in front of my Playstation hearing 3,2,1, GO! and then placing the controller on the ground in front of me listening to the great music coming from my 13" TV. After a while, the game simply became a visual to a near perfect soundtrack. If you enjoy heart racing, adrenaline pumping electronica then this is the soundtrack for you. Highly recommended however Coffee + This Album may = excessive speed on the road. Buy at your own risk :)

CD-Charts Position 5
Average Rating:

Richard D. James Album

CD-Charts > Music > IDM
by: Aphex Twin

Release Date January 28, 1997
As indicated by the running times above, this album is relatively brief, such that it could almost be considered an EP -- the best stuff is found when Aphex Twin mixes frenetic beats with lush melodies. The paragon of that is "Girl/Boy Song", fusing pizzicato strings with crisp, yet at-times sloppy drumwork. Snares flail and assail as the string bite back, harmonic development pulling you in deeper (as opposed to the same thing repeating over and over, which is a common failing with this kind of experimental music).

"4" has a delightful, Oriental steppishness to it, with an overall mood that sounds fast and slow at the same time -- RDJ, when he gets it right, is a temporal master of controlling mood through precise sound selection and arrangement.
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CD-Charts Position 6
Average Rating:

Carboot Soul

CD-Charts > Music > IDM
by: Nightmares on Wax

Release Date January 28, 2003
I'm a hip hop fan first, so I found this when I was looking for good beats from the likes of Pete Rock and DJ Shadow. This CD blew me away. It has a very gentle sound that underwhelmed me at first, but then punched me in the face with its absolute beauty.

The first track Les Nuits is very cool, with a very serious bassline moving the listener in and out of a building symphonic string melody that sounds like the soundtrack of a very profound movie. Morse follows, another standout track which breaks into the fun side of Nightmares on Wax. The bass is very upbeat, and synthesizers complement this perfectly until you reach the female vocals, which brings the song to a whole new level of sound. Now you are ready for what's coming.

Ease Jimi is the ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 7
Average Rating:

Nah und Fern

CD-Charts > Music > IDM
by: Gas

Release Date June 10, 2008
This boxed set contains over four hours of minimalist drone/techno. If you like Stars of the Lid, listen to these samples.

CD-Charts Position 8
Average Rating:

Silent Shout

CD-Charts > Music > IDM
by: The Knife

Release Date July 17, 2007
This is great stuff. While the music is electronic, the sound is unique, haunting, and in many cases beautiful (even when the voices are distorted). The videos are really creative - definitely a cut above the usual stuff, even when done on a smaller scale. The video of the live performance is worth the price of the CD set alone. You will want to see these folks live! The Knife is my musical discovery for 2008.

CD-Charts Position 9
Average Rating:

Geogaddi

CD-Charts > Music > IDM
by: Boards of Canada

Release Date February 19, 2002
I've been belaying this review for a long time. Since the album has been around for six years, I'm already late, but I've only been listening to it for three, so I'm only half as late as some.

I've read some of the lowest rated reviews, and some of them have good points: "This is not Music Has a Right to Children," "It's weird," "It's evil," and "It's garbage." Respectively, my opinion on those four matters are as follows; yes, sometimes, wrong, and that's your opinion.

For those of you expecting the flutey melody lines of Music Has a Right to Children, expect to be surprised. Or disappointed. Whichever you choose. Boards of Canada has yet to duplicate the same techniques in a subsequent album (since the release of The Campfire Headphase, ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 10
Average Rating:

The Campfire Headphase

CD-Charts > Music > IDM
by: Boards of Canada

Release Date October 18, 2005
I first picked up on BOC in 2/2002. Geogaddi is the album that did it for me. Perhaps I've had a different experience than many long-time BOC fans, but I thought Campfire was pretty decent. I picked up MHTRTC about 5 years after the fact and have loved it ever since.

For me, 'Dayvan Cowboy' was actually one of my least favorite tracks on the disc. I think many people might be looking for more beat-populated songs and faster paces, as many didn't like this album.

Boards always come along with drastic changes in my life. I'm not sure how BOC fans can label 'Oscar See Through Red Eye' as a poor effort. Likewise with "'84 Pontiac Dream" and 'Peacock Tail.' Well, I guess I was living in a yurt in northeast Kansas when this came out, and it reminds me of that. ... Read More: