Yeeeeeah…So we know it’s a little late. Blame Jesus and the lunar calendar for that. But we figured it would be a good would to kick off the new year.

So without further adu, we present you with…

SOAP’s TOP RELEASES OF 2007!

And now for the obligatory disclaimer: Instead of railing off 150 tracks like we did last year, we decided instead to focus on individual releases from similar sub-genres. This required a lot of recall and classification. Two things we’re not particularly good at. So take this list for what is is and feel free to let us know if you think we left anything out.

Makina Girgir - The Spell EP || Das Drehmoment - Das Drehmoment has slowly, but surely, become one of SOAPs favorite labels. For our money, nobody does electro-pop and wave music better. Makina Girgir is the embodiment of everything we love about Das Drehmoment. Squeaky-clean electro-pop, with a dark sense of humor. Every track on The Spell works as a single, but the cohesive tone of the EP is what makes it such a poignant a memorable release. Fit for the dance-floor or the living room, this is a truly beautiful record that is not to be missed.

Honorable Mention - Suicide Booth - Aura EP || Das Drehmoment

Glass Candy - Beat Box & Miss Broadway || Italians Do It Better - So we’re gonna cheat here and mention two releases by Glass Candy. Miss Broadway was without a doubt one of the best covers we’ve ever heard and really solidified Ida No’s position amongst modern day disco divas. Beat Box is just a solid all-around release. It’s pretty amazing how a song like Digital Versicolor, with it’s super-silly lyrics and super-simple melody, can convey such passion and sensuality. But isn’t that what Glass Candy is all about?

Nimoy - Untitled || Bunker - In 2007 we were reminded that electro can be unique, inspiring, and soulful. For us, Nimoy’s untitled Bunker release was the harbinger of this re-realization. Haunting but not dark, lush but not overwhelming, just the way we like it. Electro for electro’s sake.

Honorable Mentions - ERP - Vox Atomaton || Frustrated Funk & Duracel - Hole In Head EP || SD

Aeroplane - Aeroplane & Caramellas || Eskimo - Aeroplane has mastered the art of seduction. We’ve known this ever since we heard their self-titled track on the Lindstrom & Prins Thomas Essential Mix. What we didn’t know was that the EP would contain a B-side that was (arguably) even better then the aforementioned A. Aeroplane’s electronics just sound so, er, organic - a perfect blend between the natural and the synthesized.

Burial - Untrue || Hyperdub - We’re not going to pretend that we’re dub-step experts. In fact, we wouldn’t be surprised if Untrue is shunned by the dub-step community, as is the common fan-boy reaction when a piece of the underground becomes slightly popular. But the fact remains that Untrue is truly (pardon the pun) an inspirational album. We won’t waste your time trying to explain exactly why Untrue is so amazing. The appeal of the record is about as mysterious and unique as the producer himself. Give it a listen or read one of the 29032189438 other reviews floating around the blogosphere. If you’re not moved by this record your probably dead, deaf, or in denial. Brace yourself dub-step fan-boy, we’re gonna be hearing a lot more Archangel in the near future.

Honorable Mention - Boxcutter - Glyphic || Planet Mu

Newworldaquarium - The Dead Bears || NWAQ - There’s something so familiar yet so unique about Newworldaquarium’s music. Beautiful, atmospheric, slow-motion techno of the highest caliber. What separates this release from others in the same vein is its funky undertones. It seems that every track has some element that keeps it from running too deep. Top notch production.

November Növelet - Magic || Galakthorrö - We were a little late on November Növelet’s latest release, but it didn’t take us long to realize that Magic was indeed a worthy successor to 1999’s From Heaven On Earth. Dark and monotone female vocals can easily be dismissed as cliche, but Mrs. Arafna pulls it off and deserves a spot amongst the Beta Evers and Nancy Fortunes of this world. Beautifully haunting or hauntingly beautiful. You decide.

Stereo - No More || CBS Disques

Dark beauty.

Nocturnal Emissions - Rusting Shells || Sterile

My first time under the Eiffel tower was to attend a birthday for this Brazilian male model that went to my school that all the girls loved. He played guitar and had long hair, so he had this kind of nice guy/model crossover potential that pretty much killed it with girls of every nationality. Anyways, it was early on in the year, so it seemed like a safe bet for a Saturday night.

We loaded up on cheap champagne (2 Euros) and headed up, secretly planning to make some sort of entrance that would put a damper on the guest of honor. Upon nearing the Champ de Mars, we each opened two bottles of champagne to greet the crowd and look really really cool, cause that’s what modest people do, right? Anyways, there was lots of cheers-ing, clanging of bottles, and staring at the girls staring at the Brazilian dude.

Suddenly….cops! Two vans drive onto the sidewalk, lights and sirens bearing down upon the group of international political optimists. Cops here to bust up the party, I immediately presumed. I seemed to be the first one to see the fiasco about to unfold, and I acted in the only way I knew how. I walked quickly up to the Brazilian and his friends, handed them my two bottles of champagne in mock congratulation, and ran as fast as I could in the opposite direction.

Alas, the cops drove right by. Worse than my shame of returning to the group and requesting my champagne back was learning to suppress my high school tendency to run from the cops. Such youth, after all, were merely making the best use of the public space, a tradition taken very seriously in the French capital.

Since 2004, to kick off the coming summer months and onslaught of international visitors, the Seine transforms into a beach, complete with pools, petanque concourses, and tons and tons of sand. Paris Plage, for better worse, made quite an impact along the city center.

Most recently, France’s 5th largest structure and most notable phallic iron rod became home to a massive scuba tank. Free one-on-one scuba diving lessons under the Eiffel tower. Free. The same tower that was sold by a con-man for scrap metal, twice. The same guy. The same tower whose elevator cables were cut so a certain someone would have to walk to the top.

I know many readers who love to hate France are reveling in the seemingly endless depths (!) of irony of this defiant act of Gaullist artistic expression, be it an eternal embrace of art, or weird for the sake of being weird.

Regardless, the ability to reinvent oneself as a city. New York needs more of this. Band in a Bubble does not count. I suppose turning McCarren Park into a concert venue is great, but wouldn’t it be better as the giant pool it is?

Informatics - Proximity Switch (Accidents In Paradise) || Last Chance

At the risk of sounding over-dramatic…

Loss…rage…acceptance…forgivness…gratitude…motivation…pride…all emotions which I’ve experienced in MASS quantities over the last two days.

Now I’m not going to launch into a long-winded explanation about why I love the CBS because I could go on for days. That’s for you to find out yourself. But I will say that, as a music lover, I’ve been a part of many online and offline music communities/scenes/whateverthehellyouwannacallit, and none have even come close to rivaling the CBS’s breadth of musical knowledge/resources. It truly was a virtual haven for me…a library…a teacher…

At approximately 17:18:45 CET on May 1st it was all taken away. I felt empty…gutted… As despair set in across the CBS forums I began considering the alternatives. Was I really about to embark on a journey to find a suitable replacement? My efforts would have been futile.

If you are wondering about the effect that the CBS has on people, considering the following events that took place over the last 48 hours:

Unwilling to accept the apparent loss of their virtual home, CBS robots banded together in an attempt to rectify the situation. The first step was to clearly identify the reasons why the CBS shut down in the first place. After some prying, it was revealed that the issues were financial and promotional. Basically, it cost RobotDJX (Ferenc, I-F for those who don’t know) a ton of money to keep the CBS alive. Unfortunately, the revenue generated from advertising and the CBS shop don’t come close to covering the expenses that are associated with maintaining such a high-quality stream and online community. And although most robots are willing to pay for the stream, any sort of subscription service would sort of go against the CBS ethos. To make a very long story short, it became clear that donation was the only way to go. Once this was determined an amazing thing happened: Robots began throwing money at the CBS in a last ditch effort to keep it going. As the dollars and euros continued to flow in from around the globe, mourning turned into hope. Even if the CBS was done for good, at least everyone got the chance to show their appreciation for years of incredible music…

About two hours ago we received the word that our efforts were a success. The CBS is to continue (with some new conditions, of course). DJX fired up the system and Don’t Let Me Down Again blared through the speaks of robots across the universe.

Personally, I feel a huge sense of accomplishment. I’ve never been part of such a focused and passionate collaborative effort that actually ended successfully. Obviously, there will be the added pressure of keeping it going now. But it’s a welcomed challenge…a fair trade for getting my home back.

So let the bandwith flow…robots for robots –

Auto Bahn - Do You Like This Beat (Chip E London Calling Mix) || Fierce Records

R.I.P. CBS

12-23-2002 to 5-1-2007

Let us mourn

It’s uphill from here.

Logic System - Convulsion Of Nature || Toshiba EMI Ltd

What the hell happened this weekend?

Severed Heads - Dead Eyes Opened || Ink Records

First of all, big belated birthday shout-out to Tone, keep it real homie. Your innovation to your work is inspiring many a youth to be better people, to use their imagination, and to push the boundaries of possibility.

Speaking of freaks…

The other day on the train I stumbled on an un-shuffled block of Soft Pink Truth. Whereas the landscape of most pop music is one of lost love or vindication, Soft Pink Truth paint one of utter violation, fantasy drenched in psychotic deviance.

According to Wikipedia, the concept group/whatever was started out of a dare with Matthew Herbert. The music of Soft Pink Truth is an absorption and regurgitation of the entire pop spectrum, from US Weekly to American Psycho, equal parts dancey glam and skittish paranoia.

Like some sort of auditory hate-fuck, Soft Pink Truth grovels through misconceptions on sexuality, social deviance, and malcontent with enough toungue-and-cheek intellectuality to make David Byrne proud.

Cheers to pop’s deflowering…

The Soft Pink Truth - I Owe It To The Girls || Tigerbeat6

The Soft Pink Truth - Homosexual || Tigerbeat6

The Soft Pink Truth - Make Up || Soundslike

In an age of sophisticated consumption, gourmet groceries, and a general movement towards more health conscious habits, fast food has been thrown into the spotlight as the enemy number one. While people remain busy yoga-ing their way to enlightenment in the quest for longer, healthier lives, protectionist policies, and ex presidents have joined in the war for a citizen’s opportunity, no, god-fearing right, to the opportunity for better, decisions about food intake.

As fast food industries have gradually become aware of their status as the elephant in an increasingly health conscious room, burger chains have taken vastly different approaches to this sea change:

Wendy’s has modestly added healthier options to value meals, offering a choice of salad in place of French fries.

McDonald’s has gone further, targeting diet conscious foods and even portions specifically for men or women.

*

Will any of these changes, big or small, make a difference for an industry based upon grease and large portions? Can a publicity face lift change the body and soul of the beast?

The only fast food chain to accept its role in society as morally corrupt and tattoo it on its forehead, is Burger King. While Burger King’s recent combination of buzz web activity and over the top machismo (King video games) has sustained significant attention, the real genius has come through their character of the King, and their glorious acceptance that their product is a vice. Fundamentally, it works.

Eating greasy food is indulgent, now nearly universally accepted ‘guilty pleasure’. Burger King does not lie to create a fantasy of health food. Instead they choose to omit the topic of health at all. When not thinking about health, its easier to be unhealthy, and feel good, even proud, about the decision to be unhealthy. Much like a trip to Vegas, a drug binge, or a credit card shopping spree, blocking out regret is easier when you focus on the thrill of the how good it feels to be bad

The Seducers - Unavoidable Infiltrators || Cytown

* Taco Bell is not listed among the restaurants, as it is no longer actually considered food by most Americans.

The first Monday Morning Motions of the new year! Enjoy this one from Peppermint Lounge. The track can be found on the volume 10 of the long running Flexi-Pop French-Wave compilations (which are definitely worth picking up). The original is extremely rare, but if you feel like trying to track it down, it was released in 1983 on the World Of Music Label (if you find a copy, let me know). And if you are not a complete purist, you can cop the re-issue on Flexx Records.

Peppermint Lounge - Perfect High || World Of Music