This is a bit of a rare occurrence, but I’ve been listening to a couple of recent albums lately. By recent I mean “probably came out in 2007”. I’ve decided to review the lot of them. Alive 2007 (Daft Punk) lies below, followed by Costello Music (The Fratellis) and Future Future Future Perfect (Freezepop) after the cut.

Having come off a rather successful tour, Daft Punk chose to turn their Paris concert performance into their latest album, Alive 2007. So there is no new material here, but that is entirely irrelevant. Daft Punk have masterfully mixed their entire discography, creating a must-purchase album for anyone with even the slightest interest in electronic music.

As the French duo furiously throw their songs into the mix, they do so in a manner that never gets dull. Samples are played long enough for you to recognize them, but are pulled before they get tiring. My highlight moment is when the iconic Around The World sample get mixed in with Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger. There’s an amazing synergy between the two songs that never fails to stun me, even dozens of listens later. In fact, throughout the album I found myself dumbfounded by how smoothly the songs mix and how well they compliment each other. Songs that I previously didn’t like are brought alive thanks to some creative mixing.

The only thing that I hate about this album is the constant reminder that I could have seen Daft Punk live in Toronto, but somehow managed to miss that. That’s a mistake I’m not going to make twice.

Costello Music is the debut album by Scottish Indie band, The Fratellis. Loud, catchy music combined with strong vocals and lovely lyrics make this a fantastic debut album. The songs deal with love, girls and getting absolutely smashed. The subjects have been done to death, but playful twists on the formula ensure that The Fratellis avoid being cliché. Highlight songs include Whistle For The Choir, Flathead (as made famous by the iTunes commercial), and Ole Black ‘n’ Blue Eyes. I’m tempted to throw Henrietta and Creepin Up The Backstairs in there too, along with For The Girl, and Ever- … well, you get the picture. There isn’t a single weak song in the line-up. Another must-purchase.

Finally, Freezepop give us the excellently named Future Future Future Perfect. It’s an incredibly happy album, an incredibly fun album, and even an incredibly immature album at times (the song Do You Like My Wang? is just as cringe-worthy as you imagine), but ultimately, it’s an incredibly disappointing album. The first two songs, Less Talk More Rokk and Pop Music Is Not A Crime, are not only the stand out tracks, but also characterize Freezepop’s ability to effortlessly move from loud rockin’ tunes, to mellow “chill” music. But I feel indifferent towards the rest of the album. It’s an album with a couple of great songs sandwiched between reasonably good filler. FFFP is worth picking up if you’re into synth-pop, but is nothing particularly special.