In Continuum.

Drama by Bitter:Sweet 
Nobody can listen to Bitter:Sweet and say the words "This is horrible music" with a straight face - you just can't. Bitter:Sweet has such a wondrous blend of electronica, trip-hop, jazz and big band that it is so difficult to resist. It's just an overall fun album, like their last outing with The Mating Game. You just kind of feel like getting off your chair and start dancing to songs like The Bomb, because it's just such an infectious song. Besides, who doesn't like a couple of moaning in songs (that's right Joyce, I'm looking at you)? If David Holmes' score for the Ocean's movies represents the type of heist that is cool and suave, Bitter:Sweet's music represents the kind of heist that is fun and cute, at the same time. Though, their cuteness never actually crosses the line of being annoying or irritating in anyway. Shana Halligan's voice is just perfect for this kind of genre, the kind that is soothing to the ears and fun if she has to. That is kind of also why she almost became the Bond girl for Quantam of Solace, you just can't go wrong with a good girl with a wild side. This album is just as good, if not better, than their previous outing. The song "The Bomb" along is enough to, well, bomb every other song they ever produced out of the water. It's just an amazing album and definitely a band that rose up a few ranks in my list of great bands. Who can resist this type of music, anyway? Unless you are chained, or else you can't. 

Albums by the band:

1. The Mating Game (2006)

2. The Remix Game (2007)

3. Drama (2008)

All Rise by Inara George
Inara George's solo effort away from The Bird and the Bee retains the brilliance and quality of what made the duo famous in the first place. There is something irresistible about Inara's voice, though you can't really put a finger on it most of the time. This album of hers represents a kind of departure from the kind of music you would expect from The Bird and the Bee, and a step in the right direction at that. Her work with The Bird and the Bee is more of electronica than anything else, but All Rise feels more like a folk album more than anything else. There is a lot more focus on her vocals this time around, and perhaps the usage of more traditional instruments to boot. With this more stripped down version of her work, the music becomes a whole lot more honest and real, in my opinion. Fools in Love is a great song that touches on how one falls into the blindness of love, and the rest of the album just feels like a great album for a Sunday Afternoon. I actually didn't know that Inara George is behind the same voice in The Bird and the Bee, and I fell for it the same way that I fell for her band in the first place. This is a nice folksy album that is definitely going to find a place in your heart and mind in times of need. 

Albums by the artiste:

1) All Rise (2006)

2) The Invitation [with Van Dykes Park] (2008)

The Distant Sounds of Summer by Susumu Yokota & Rothko
Yeah, the album cover looks horrendous, and don't ask me what the hell it is, because I don't know either. I can assure you, however, the 49 minute-long album is far better than what the artwork. This is a collaborative album between the acclaimed Japanese electronica musician and the British ambient band. Susumu Yokota, to me, makes the kind of music fitting for meditating, and it pulls you into this zone of zen somehow. I am not familiar with Rothko, however, but you can find hints of their style layered on top of Susumu's in this album. Perhaps it is the more generous usage of string instruments, I am not sure, but one thing is for this album: it works. This is a beautiful, beautiful album that puts you into this trance somehow, it's kind of like watching the lava lamp while you are high on drugs. But, this album is completely safe for daily consumption, guaranteed. Caroline Ross contributes to the lyrics as well as the vocals in this album, and she kind of reminds me of Elizabeth Fraser, with her contribution in the song Teardrop by Massive Attack. Both of them have this very crisp and haunting voice that chills you to the bones somehow, and yet you cannot deny the calming effect of it all. The haunting voice blends in with the peaceful and serene music in the background, creating this beautiful musical equilibrium that is this album. Don't believe the album artwork, just let the music take you. 

Albums by the band:

1) The Distant Sounds of Summer (2005)

Prospekt's March [EP] by Coldplay
Coldplay continues their musical brilliance with this little present right in time for Thanksgiving. This EP is like a sequel to their latest album, Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends. These are the so-called "leftovers" from their recording sessions with Brian Eno. You can tell why some of the songs were left out from the album, you can tell that the themes don't really go in line with what they have in the LP. Still, that is not to say that these songs are, in any way, under-produced. Postcards From Far Away is a nice little piano interlude, right before the signature arena bursting Glass of Water. I have no idea why lyrics were left out from the first version of Life in Technicolor, but at least we have the second version of it here in this EP to make up for the loss. Rainy Day is a particularly interesting song to me, in the sense that it probably represents the greatest departure from the style that they are usually comfortable with. I hear a lot of electronica elements in this song, though they are essentially still a rock band. This isn't synthesized sounds we are talking about, but sounds that could have came out from any electronica bands out there. With that said, that is not to say that this album does not have its downfalls. I seriously dislike Jay-Z's remix of Lost in this album, adding his rap to the song towards the end. What the hell is that? Get out of a Coldplay song, damn it. And the Osaka Remix of Lovers in Japan really doesn't add anything new to the table. Still, this is a great EP, and it has received quite a bit of play on my iMac over the past couple of days already. Rock on! 

Albums by the band: 

1) Parachutes (2000) 

2) A Rush of Blood to the Head (2002)

3) X & Y (2005)

4) Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends (2008)

Sun, Strength and Shield by DoF
This album is amazing. I repeat, this album is amazing. This album is probably the result of putting Andy McKee in a room with a computer. This is what happens when you put acoustic guitar with electronica, the result is just mind-blowing. I think I first read about this band on John Mayer's blog, and he mentioned something about how brilliant this album is. It is. Quoting someone off the iTunes Store, "DoF is Jesus", you read that right. This album is everything that makes you happy, or the kind of music that just kinda blows you out of the water because of how good it is. Press Play on a rainy day, let this song run through your room and see everything light up. It's an uplifting album, with no lyrics or any kind of vocal. It's just electronic sounds, piano, and guitar for the most part. This album is one of those albums that I am glad to have found, especially because of the fact that I cannot find this band on Wikipedia (yeah, they are one of those bands). This is the kind of rare gems that I am happy to have found, because I am pretty sure not a lot of people out there knows about them at all. You start to wonder to yourself how did such a wonderful album fall under the radar? It's ridiculous, I tell you. Anyway, this is an amazing album, though I have already said it twice, and no more words are going to justify it any longer. So I shall leave it to your curiosity to find out on your own. 

Albums by the band:

1) If More Than Twenty People Laugh, It Wasn't Funny (2003)

2) Mine Is May (2004)

3) Sun, Strength and Shield (2006)