Destroy Rock & Roll

Destroy Rock & Roll presents another success story in the genre of bedroom electronica. Isle of Skye's Myles MacInnes recorded this debut album entirely at home with relatively basic computer software, and the resulting 14 tracks are every bit as compelling as contemporaneous efforts from like-minded electronic artists Daft Punk, Lemon Jelly, and the Orb. Though Mylo is a bit of a musical chameleon in that he raids influences from acid house to ambient techno to downtempo trip-hop, the album is held quite cohesively together by a smart sense of humor and what might be called a case of the warm fuzzies. These warm fuzzies are most apparent in the smooth beats, funky grooves, funny voice samples, and cute sound effects that tone down even the album's most aggressive moments. The most obvious comedy is found in the potty-mouthed cut-and-paste affair "Drop the Pressure" and in an evangelist ridiculously calling out "sinners" like Duran Duran and REO Speedwagon over goofy lo-fi grooves on "Destroy Rock & Roll." While album highlight "In My Arms" isn't blatantly funny, it's sure to bring a smile to any fan of 1980s Top 40. The track is an addictive, somehow soulful mashup of Kim Carnes' "Bette Davis Eyes" and Reel Life's "Waiting for a Star to Fall." It's quite a treat hearing the repeated fragment "in my arms baby yeah" cut and flanged to the point of euphoria with the somewhat ominous, emotional synth notes of the Kim Carnes track icing the cake. But Mylo doesn't cop out to comedy. Indeed, he straddles the techno film score realm of Moby with aplomb on "Emotion 98.6" and gives IDM hero Mike Paradinas a run for his money with the high-pitched, childlike melodies of "Guilty of Love." There is a sense that some filler could have been excised, but the album is so much fun while it lasts that it's difficult to nitpick. Mylo's singles attracted quite a following and led to remix assignments for the Killers, the Scissor Sisters, Annie, and Moby, among others, and Destroy Rock & Roll only seems to cement his status among the elite of electronic cut-and-pasters of his time.