Moon Safari by Air:
This is an album and a band I know and like, although I must admit it had been some time since I had listened to Moon Safari in its entirety. However, after just finishing it again a few minutes ago, I was not disappointed. I think this probably remains Air's most cohesive, consistent album to date. They are able to sustain a delicate balance throughout: The music is heavily electronic yet also feels organic; it is futuristic but with a retro vibe; lounge-y but never lapsing into mere "background music". A few of the songs go on a bit longer than I would prefer, I don't know what the hell "Sexy Boy" is about, and occasionally I long for a more invigorating beat, but I also know that's not what Air or this album is all about. That's just me being too American and not French enough.
I used the same silly rating system I used for my first round picks, so...Rating: 4.0
Un-led-Ed by Dread Zeppelin:
Let me begin by saying we certainly aren't dealing with any overly "earnest folksters" here. Prior to the Death Match, I was aware of Dread Zeppelin's existence, and I knew that they did reggae covers of Led Zeppelin tunes. Given that knowledge, I had pretty much steered completely clear of them. (I am not much of a Led Head - Led Hed?- and I have picky music snob preferences in reggae...I like a lot of the early soul-influenced "rocksteady" stuff and the atmospheric, reverb-drenched dub of King Tubby and Lee Perry, but some of the most popular music from the genre - including much of Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, etc.- doesn't get me very excited.)
What I did not previously know about Dread Zeppelin was that they are fronted by an Elvis impersonator. And he does an amazing job: He sounds exactly like an Elvis impersonator. This pretty much put the nail in the coffin for me. While I am not opposed to novelty albums in principle (I loved Weird Al as a kid, and I still enjoy Senor Coconut's cover album of Kraftwerk songs done to a Latin beat), I found Un-led-Ed almost intolerable. It was a real act of devotion to the Death Match that I sat and listened to the whole thing. My wife kept laughing at me as I did, because I was apparently scowling and making pained expressions while listening on my headphones at the computer.
The best explanation I can surmise is that I was not smoking the right sh*t to properly appreciate this album. However, if I were to get appropriately baked, I don't think I would waste my time with this...I'd put some old Neil Young or Madlib or Massive Attack on the hi-fi, and I'd make sure my joint was fully led-ed.
Dismal but generous Rating: 0.7
WINNER: Moon Safari by Air
