Pet Shop Boys: Release
EMI 538150

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If you’ve enjoyed the Pet Shop Boys since their "West End Girls" days as much as I have, you’ll rejoice to know that Release is classic PSB. Better still, Johnny Marr’s fabulous guest guitar work takes this album to another level. I won’t say that the album is Neil Tennant standing in for Morrissey, but "Love is a Catastrophe" and "Here" do sound like songs that Morrissey could easily cover if Tennant fell ill with the flu. Still, what identifies this work as characteristically PSB, are Chris Lowe’s pulsating synthesizers supporting Tennant’s intelligent and poetic lyrics. It probably wouldn’t have been the end of the world if Lowe and Tennant hadn’t met twenty years ago, but speaking for myself, life wouldn’t be the same without a little PSB to brighten my day. 

Miles Davis: Complete In a Silent Way Sessions
Columbia/Legacy 65362

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This three-CD box covers all of Miles Davis' studio recordings from a particularly productive six-month period beginning in the fall of 1968 -- the period when Davis gradually incorporated electronic instruments into his compositions. The 17 tracks, including six that were previously unreleased, have been collected from the six studio dates that generated the commercial releases Filles De Kilimanjaro, In A Silent Way, and Water Babies and include several leftover songs that appeared over a decade later on Circle In The Round and Directions. The chronological presentation of the music allows you to experience the vast changes that Davis’ compositions underwent in such a short period, as well as the impact of keyboardist/composer Josef Zawinul on the In A Silent Way tracks. Three decades later, this music remains cutting-edge. Tony Williams top-of-the-beat drumming is truly unique, as is Chick Corea's approach to playing the Fender-Rhodes electric piano. Best of all, these studio sessions have benefited from remastering -- they've never sounded bad, but now they're sonic masterpieces.

Soundtrack: The Million Dollar Hotel
Interscope 542395

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A soundtrack's key objective is creating a film's mood. This has been particularly true of Wim Wenders' films, dating back to 1984's Paris Texas. For The Million Dollar Hotel, Wenders assembled a group of multi-talented artists, including Bono from U2, producer/musicians Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno, guitarist Bill Frisell, drummer Brian Blade, and many others. The results are astonishing -- the music they made creates imagery perfectly in line with the film’s dark, mysterious theme. These 16 tracks range from rock to jazz to ambient styles, but always maintain an underlying mood. Lou Reed’s "Satellite Of Love" is given full treatment, first performed by actress/singer Mila Jovovich, then in a brief instrumental reprise and finally in the form of an edgy remix again featuring Jovovich. An original piece, the hauntingly beautiful "Amsterdam Blue (Cortege)," featuring John Hassell on trumpet and Greg Cohen on bass, will transport you into another dimension for over nine minutes. Film music really doesn’t get much better than this. 

Brendan Perry: Eye of the Hunter
4AD 9015

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There are a few problems with Brendan Perry’s first solo release since Dead Can Dance disbanded. Namely, a short eight-song set, and two songs, "Sloth" and "Voyage of Bran," that go on and on without a real payoff. There are moments of magic, though: "Saturday’s Child" opens the album with bittersweet beauty, and "The Captive Heart" moves along with mellow, hip energy. The recording also provides great ambience for Perry’s sparkling acoustic guitar and shimmering, minimalist synths. Whether Perry can sustain his talent for composition without Lisa Gerrard’s striking vocals is something only time can tell. But those familiar with the DCD songs "American Dreaming" and "Don’t Fade Away" will find a good deal to like about Eye of the Hunter.

Enigma: LSD: Love, Sensuality and Devotion
EMI 811183

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Formed in the early '90s, Enigma immediately found success with its first album MCMXC A.D. Eleven years later LSD does a nice job chronicling exactly why classically trained Michael Cretu’s mix of ethnic chants and ambient rhythms has flourished. Cretu’s creations may not be deep, but they do trigger a raw emotional response that gets the blood moving. Those listeners steeped in Enigma’s chart-popping, decade-plus existence will find nothing new in LSD, while those unfamiliar with Enigma will find this compilation a thorough introduction. Just try not to get a speeding ticket when "Silence Must Be Heard" or "Mea Culpa" cues up.