Handsome Boy Modeling School, "Megaton M-Boy 2000"
Guest Alec Empire here was a big thing for a hot minute back in, what, 1996 or so. Critics feigned interest in his noisy, overdriven form of techno for a while, but that quickly passed. It lasted long enough for him to pop up in a few places, including on the iffiest track on the first Handsome Boy Modeling School album.
Steady Ernest, "Wear You To The Ball"
So, if he's going to wear her to the ball, and he wants her to put on a dress, he...wants to wear a dress? I think that's what we're looking at here. Go for it, Dan Vitale! Nobody is going to mind!
The Four Tops, "Call On Me"
There's a certain zone for strings you have to avoid. A little bit, sure, why not, it can really fill out the sound. But if you take it another step, it sounds really cheesy and corny and other kinds of food-y. You need to take a cue from the Four Tops and dial those strings all the way up to 11. You go right past goofy and get into gooey. That's good! I think! I'm drinking!
Death Cab For Cutie, "Death Of An Interior Decorator"
I'm on record as saying that I really only love one Death Cab album, Transatlanticism. But I really do love it! I'm not entirely sure what it is that separates it so clearly from the rest of their work in my brain. I think everything is just one notch better in my view. At its core, I just find the songs more memorable.
μ-Ziq, "Vibes"
This is from the debut μ-Ziq album, Tango N' Vectif, kicking off a long career of experimental, inventive techno. He never strayed too far into music that wouldn't be recognized as being broadly in techno, but he was still always pretty restless in stretching the form. He would later really hit his playful best with Lunatic Harness, but this album is also plenty of fun.