Wow! This CD is definitely in a class of its own! In combining dance, pop, rock, blues, electro, etc., etc., etc., these guys have created a very unique sound with god-like production. The vocal work is quality and the edits are full of trickery. I would almost call this an upbeat concept album if that didn’t sound too artsy fartsy!
                            Read more...
                        

                            
The mesh shirt dance club scene has never been my cup o’ Red Bull, however, Peplab might just change that.  Lower East Side meets Bridge And Tunnel on their first domestic release, Drive.  Mixing disco sensibilities with funky house beats and poppy melody Peplab produces catchy tunes such as “Wondergirl,” “Lucky Lucky,” and my personal anthem “Seven Inch Heels.”  The clear winner however, is a track called “Beautiful People” which continues where Daft Punk’s dance club/Murray Hill fave “One More Time” left off.  If you are so inclined to do some online research on these guys, good luck, as most of the sites are in Dutch or Italian.  Until then, whip out them glowsticks and shake what yo’ mama gave you.
                            Read more...
                        

                            
Neurodisc's new release by Peplab, "Drive," is a mixed bag for me. On the one hand the beats are grooving and catchy, are, in fact, one of the strong points of the album. The mood generated is one of melody and color and, in that way, appeals to the fan of melodic electro dance music. The downside for me (this isn't the case of a so-so CD but merely a matter of what I like and don't like) is the album's poppiness. The main reason I find some pop tunes occasionally interesting is because they are distant cousins to the electro music I prefer, such as trance. However, there's a strong enough electro element here to set them apart from, say, Britney Spears or whatever other mainstream pop dance star you want to fill in the blank with. The vocals are well executed and are supported by lovely melodies, but the pop element is a little too strong for me and the music, while inarguably bright, seems to lack a certain energy I can't put my finger on. Peplab would be a good purchase if your listening tastes lean toward poppy/clubby electro dance tunes. If you gravitate more toward trance or house, it might not be. I suggest sampling them first, Peplab's good enough for that, before deciding to buy. But please do sample.
                            Read more...
                        

                            
Once in a while, the music gods bless the audiophiles.  For example, “Drive”, the second album from Peplab, appears…and dazzles from start to finish with a scintillating array of tunes.  ‘Wondergirl’, the first single, burns with an electro-house beat accentuated by a passionate falsetto howl and a blissful crowd-noise sample.  ‘Lucky Lucky’ stews in rich disco-funk seasoned with ironic lyrics both shouted and crooned.   As sludge drips from ‘Pornstar’, all you want to do is move to this dirty, yet euphoric track.  The intoxicatingly sweet pop sensibility of ‘Beautiful People’ charms the party people.  ‘Drive’, the title track, is posed to be a summer bedroom anthem in the ‘hood.  The funk returns with ‘Mr. Psychorock’, and ‘Big Time’ recalls some of my favorite 90’s dance-rock.  ‘Giv’m a Call’ seethes while ‘Seven Inch Heels’ may become the theme song for some progressive ‘lady’ out there.  Buy “Drive” now!
                            Read more...