Recommended: Eclectic Mixing Plus Rock

What does that even mean? Well I'm trying to think of how to describe a sound that takes the idea of all the mash-ups and splicing of last week's Recommended, but with much more of a rock flair. There's not really a strong connection between these two, I just really wanted to spread the love on these two albums.




Pepe Deluxe - Beatitude

This one is my Precious, the super-unknown that I'd kind of selfishly like to hoard away and keep hidden. Pepe Deluxe is a British/Finnish duo of DJs that are incredibly talented and varied in genre. There's a bit of rock, funk, downtempo, and "world music" to be found in thier second album, Beatitude. Creative inspiration ranges from late-night cheating on the very danceable blaxploitation funk in "Girl!" to the eponymous subject matter found on "Salami Fever". My personal favorite is the beautiful, European sound of Cruel Youth, whose lyrics were taken from an old American folk song, which in turn had evolved from a very old medieval lore called "The Outlandish Knight". All in all this group is just fun - you can almost hear them smirking at you during the riff drop and ensuing pickup in the opening song "Just Let Go", and track titles like "Daddy's Blazin Barbeque" or "Vamos Muchachos" give a good idea of the tone throughout. Definitely in my top 5 favorite artists.





Gorillaz - Demon Days

I'm not going for obscurity on my music selections, just seems silly. So I will mos' def' let this album tag along with Pepe Deluxe, since both are kind of in the playful mixed rock category. Though as most critics will tell you, this Gorillaz album is pretty dark in tone, sound, subject, etc.
Now that's not to say this collection isn't fun either; there are some great dancy songs like "DARE" and of course the huge hit "Feel Good Inc.", but even these are laced with a tone of regretful seediness, a sense you get more from the videos than the music alone.