LimeWire Music Blog

 

So many artists hate to pigeonholed. But here, trendsetting electronic label Ghostly International does it for them. The Michigan-based imprint here boldly dubs many of its best acts “avant pop,” describing the genre as fusing “an electronic methodology and a pop sensibility, encompassing the avant-garde and the catchy, the alien and the familiar.” That’s an apt description for much of the underground digi-pop packed onto this comp. “Disco Rout” by Legowelt, for instance, is just a Lady Gaga hook away from Billboard gold. But don’t be fooled into thinking this is wannabe pop. It’s exactly what it wants to be: smart, hook-laden electronic music that’s a righteous alternative to overproduced, over-marketed and over-consumed electro-pop trash. Some of the highlights are Lusine’s “Two Dots,” Matthew Dear’s simply Chromeo-like funkfest, “Don and Sherri,” and Solvent’s “My Radio.” Also included is Deastro’s gem “The Shaded Forests,” which appeared as a bonus cut on the Detroit laptop producer’s awesome 2009 album Moondagger.