Modeselektor – Hello Mom

Every now and then you listen to an album that just blows your head off.

I listened to Hello Mom from Modeselektor this morning on the bus on my way to work, it’s utterly bloody brilliant. From 2005 and on the German “Bpitch Control” label it’s a collection of electronic tunes with tons of variation and buckets of noise.

The tracks vary from industrial scary stuff to mellow break driven analogue buzz that wouldn’t be out of place on early Aphex Twin albums all the way through to synth jangle that would fit in with an old school trance set.

Particular tracks of note are “Kill Bill Vol. 4″ and “Vote or Die”. The former starts off with a conversation in a nightclub before kicking into an urgent, intense buzz saw of a track that had me holding on to the bus seat for dear life, knowing I should turn down the volume but refusing to.. you know those nightclub moments when it gets a little too much and you *really should* leave? – a bit like that.

When “Vote or Die” came round a few minutes later I was speechless; five minutes of totally consuming ethereal light break that has my head moving from side to side as I write these lines. One of those tunes that becomes an immediate sound track to whatever you are looking at. In my case a load of tired blokes working on a construction site on the Rock Road became an fitting early morning music video. Strange but it worked and it was really quite appropriate that I was just a few metres from the German embassy.

I shouldn’t go any further without talking about the first track on the album (Dancingbox featuring TTC), it’s a slickly produced hip-hop track (could they squeeze any more genres in there?) that gradually eases from rap into a four to the floor club stomper and back again; I challenge you not to dance each time the stuttering chorus line kicks in.

I don’t often say this but don’t think about it – just buy it; it’s 9.99 euro on iTunes.. basically free for music this good.

*nod to Kev P as ever*