[.ca] Daft

From Amazon.com:
A handful of the most pretentious artists in post-punk England also happened to be among the most talented. Keyboardist Ann Dudley, producer Trevor Horn, and his ZTT cohort Paul Morley (who made tea and thought up overblown song titles) were clearly onto something with influential sequencer and car-ignition-driven cut-ups like "Beat Box (Diversion One)" and "Close (to the Edit)." This collection of early Art of Noise material evokes a period when pop artists were crass enough to exploit their own hype and naive enough to believe they could still create art in the process. And, sometimes, they did. --Bill Forman

One of these things is JUST like the other!:
If you like the jazzy, lush, orchestral, strange, ecstatic, scratchy, retro-vocal melancholy, sublime, sampled and genre-bending compostions of The Matthew Herbert Big Band, De-Phazz, Enzso, Funki Porcini, Yello, Caleb's Cosmosis, Hugh Marsh, Future Sound of London, United Future Organization or Bowery Electric, then you will love this. 'NUFF SAID.

Don't Be Afraid Of The Art Of Noise:
With their combination of production wizardry, experimentalism and ability to make a hummable tune out of just about anything, The Art Of Noise were as pretentious as their name suggests, but a whole lot more fun. This compilation takes in all the essential early stuff the group did on their original label ZTT - not only the whole of their first proper LP "Who's Afraid Of The Art Of Noise?" but also the pick of their debut EP "Into Battle" and a couple of (excellent) 12" mixes of the classic "Moments In Love". The Fairlight sampler was the group's instrument of choice (indeed the Art Of Noise were one of the first groups to bring the sampler to public attention) and their use of "found sounds" is ingenious and often surprisingly danceable, particularly on the breakout hits "Close To The Edit" and "Moments In Love". The fact that the latter track has appeared on a million "moods"-type compilation albums is testament to its sheer loveliness, but it is all too easy to forget what a brilliantly-constructed piece of music, and of art, it really is. Hearing it alongside a selection of The Art Of Noise's other work gives a whole new perspective on it, and reminds you that there is an underlying sinister-ness to it, all clanking prison chains and insistent "now! now! now!" hectoring. This combination of beauty and cruelty is a common Art Of Noise trick, employed to good effect on tracks like the atmospheric "Realisation" and military-themed "In The Army Now" and "A Time For Fear". Even their catchiest moment, "Close To The Edit", misquotes poet Robert Browning's "Home Thoughts From Abroad" in a distinctly unsettling way. But lest anyone should think the Art Of Noise were all about darkness, it should be pointed out that there's a lot of light here too - the joyful "Snapshot" (present in extended form) and the wonderful, endlessly inventive "Beatbox Diversion One" will put a smile on anyone's face and a tapping in anyone's feet. On the down side, this material is nearly 20 years old now, and it shows. The experimental pop noise of yesteryear cannot be expected to still sound state-of-the-Art two decades on. Even so, it's hard not to marvel at the imagination that went into this music. It may sound a little dated in the 21st century, but the beats still work, and when you hear "Daft" you know that what you're getting is the true, original article.

DRAFT - ART OF NOISE:
I WOULD LOVE TO GIVE THIS GROUP A HIGHER GRADE, THEY ARE VERY TALENTED, BUT UNFORTUNALY ONLY THEIR "LOVE" TRACK IS WORTH THE PRICE. IF THEY COULD PRODUCE MORE LIKE THAT - THEY WOULD BE GOING SOMEWHERE. AS FOR THE REST OF THE CD, THE ONLY WAY YOU COULD APPRECIATE THAT IS IF YOU WERE ON DRUGS - IN A DARK MOOD.

CULTURE VULTURES!:
This is a great starting place for an introduction to The Art of Noise. Co-founder Trevor Horn is a multi-talent who has since gone on to play keyboards on Paul McCartney's 'Flowers In The Dirt" and to produce on Seal's CDs & produce and sing on Tina Turner's "Wildest Dreams." And remember, this is the guy who had the FIRST video on MTV with his goofy song, "Video killed the Radio Star"! And, Art of Noise arranged Prince's "Kiss" for Tom Jones on his "Move Closer" CD and has even done a little electro-funk with fellow performance artist Yoko Ono. Now, to the CD at hand. I call #9 "Who's Afraid (Of The Art Of Noise)," "A Day At The Outdoor Arcade" what with all the laughter and pah-ting sounds. #10 "Moments in Love," is "Pastiche Pop To Drool To." And #14 "Snapshot," is "Kazoo Who?" #16, "Love, (Three Fingers Of)," makes me wonder if that's where Neil Finn got the title for the song "Fingers of Love" on Crowded House's last CD, "Together Alone." If you like the ambient sampling of Future Sound of London, Laurie Anderson or especially Funki Porcini on his "Love, Pussycats and Carwecks" CD, then you'll love the culture vulture's aural travelogue that is DAFT.

A "must have" CD:
I've got this album several years ago, but every time I listen it is like the first. An album where genius and experimentalism are the map traced by Anne Dudley and JJ Jeckzalik, coadiuvated by Trevor Horn. Now the Fairlight CMI is a prehistoric instruments, but it's voice still make me wonder every time I listen for an old Art of Noise's song. This album is higly recomended to whom want to listen the quintessential of a way to perform music mixed by genius.

• Love
• Time for Fear (Who's Afraid)
• Beat Box (Diversion One)
• Army Now
• Donna
• Memento
• How to Kill
• Realisation
• Who's Afraid (Of the Art of Noise)
• Moments in Love
• Bright Noise
• Flesh in Armour
• Comes and Goes
• Snapshot
• Close (To the Edit)
• (Three Fingers Of) Love