Music review: Mr Oizo - Lambs Anger

Quentin Dupieux's latest full-length album is a self-confessed mixed bag - the first track Hun admitting that of the collection of this recorded stuff, "some are good, some are bad and some are just OK." That track happens to be very good, impressively climaxing into the less-than-brilliant bare-bones raver Pourriture 2, which then leads into the phenomenal floor-shaker Z, and so on. Instead of continuing my review in this disjointed format, I might as well announce that I have come to a decision based on Quentin's honest statement - of the 17 tracks there are five good, eight OK and four bad. A disappointing realisation considering the consistent brilliance of his previous albums Analog Worms Attack and Moustache (Half A Scissor).

Nonetheless, any serious electronic music fan will have already scrutinised this release in its entirety and decided on which tracks belong in which of the three categories, the reason for this being that he remains one of the most popular, exciting and opinion-splitting musicians around.

As I mentioned, Hun and Z are highlights, as are Jo and Positif. Elsewhere, the shorter tracks such as Lambs Anger and Lars Von Sen are little more than filler, while tracks from the second half of the album like Erreur Jean and Gay Dentists lack the expected luminosity to match those from the first.

Sadly, the bad tracks really do reach some extremely low depths. I was disappointed to hear music so normal and mainstream in the form of Two Takes It. Bruce Willis Is Dead sounds like something from the bargain bin of a Cock Rock Disco sale and for me both of the Pourriture tracks provide little pleasure.

Integrating Lambs Anger into an Extreme Electronic Experience is an interesting experiment. You could do worse than add the tracks to your custom radio station on GTA IV or listen while playing a hectic game of Team Fortress 2, these combinations sparking feverishly high levels of quirkiness.

It's a real shame that Lambs Anger doesn't come close to Mr Oizo's first two albums, and the respect I have for the artist makes me feel dirty for having to give it such a mediocre score, when he is clearly anything but mediocre. So I'll shower now.

6/10

Game review: Left 4 Dead

Since it's release, I've read nothing but praise for Left 4 Dead. A rare feat for a computer game (or in fact any art form), and I must admit I'm mildly surprised by the unanimous approval. Many gamers are harsh critics these days, even games like Fallout 3 and Grand Theft Auto IV seem to have caused almost as much disgust as they have joy. All credit must go to Valve for somehow developing a game that is proving to be as popular as the Team Fortress and Half-Life series.

They consistently pull off winners because they know what gamers want. Silky-smooth gameplay, satisfying and intense combat, interesting characters, enemies and locations, all running beautifully on a perfectly optimised engine. It is a thoroughly professional product, nothing less is expected of Valve.

Left 4 Dead is a co-operative survival horror first-person shooter. Four survivors, humans or bots, shoot their way through zombie infested campaigns set in the city, the countryside, an airport and woodlands. If the nippy hordes of zombies aren't enough to stop the team in their tracks, special infected characters such as the immense Tank and the pouncing Hunter provide a huge challenge on higher difficulty settings. There is a chance to play as the special infected in the well-executed Versus mode. Dying regularly is a given, it is persistence, timing and luck that can eventually overwhelm the survivors.

Choosing music to accompany proceedings is somewhat of a no-brainer. Dark, atmospheric drum 'n' bass adds to the terror of having dozens of zombies rushing you at once. It can be a truly exhilarating Extreme Electronic Experience.

So why am I surprised that the game hasn't suffered the usually mandatory backlash? Well, because content is so thin on the ground at the moment. There is roughly an hour of gameplay within each of the four campaigns, and players who tend to dip in for short blasts will usually be forced to play the first couple of levels of a campaign over and over, causing disappointing repetition. Also, the weapon count is low - fingers crossed this is an area Valve will work on. Downloadable content is expected to trickle out to extend the lifespan of the game, but considering the speed the developer works at there could be frustratingly long waits between updates.

Nonetheless, Left 4 Dead is a worthy addition to my Steam games list, which I now turn to solely for my need to shoot real people in their virtual faces. For once, those people are fighting by my side as I shoot hundreds of virtual zombies in their virtual faces.

8/10

Various news

GTA IV's Independence FM

Following on from my post in April when GTA IV was being enjoyed by console kids the world over and I was left wondering whether it would ever see the light of day on PC, Rockstar has indeed incorporated a user-built radio station into the ultimate version of its masterpiece. Players can choose to play their own track list either in order, shuffled or with DJ banter and adverts in between. Slick.

Spotify

This had to happen eventually. A miniature download opens up a world of freely and legally streamable music with no buffering times. The free version is invite-only and an advert plays after every few songs, however an advert-free day pass costs 99p for account holders and a monthly subscription £9.99 for anyone. A peek into the future and definitely one to watch.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 confirmed

Infinity Ward has confirmed the unimaginative and confusingly named sequel to its much-loved shooter will be released in 2009 and has been roughly dated for Autumn.

Christmas shooters and beats

Any self-respecting PC gamer will know that this year's Christmas period has been even more special than last year's feast. The story is not the same for electronic music, with a weak release schedule suggesting the state of the music industry is becoming increasingly dire. I have chosen my favourites from the thriving shooter scene and a worryingly skimpy electronic music selection.

Games

GTA IV - Finally released on PC. Neither a perfect game or a perfect conversion, but it's the most fun you'll have this Winter.

Left 4 Dead - Low on content, but high on co-op fun and zombies.

Far Cry 2 - This sandbox shooter has split people down the middle with the best graphics ever and awesome combat, but poorly simulated freedom.

Call of Duty: World At War - More impressive single-player action and multiplayer fun from the wildly popular series.

Music

Mr Oizo - Lambs Anger - One of the most inventive and unique producers around is back with an album half-genius and half-rubbish.

Ricardo Villalobos - Vasco - The best techno producer in the world delivers another batch of sprawling, mind-blowing epics.

Last Step - 1961 - Aaron Funk's more laid-back alias outdoes his latest effort as Venetian Snares with an album of solid IDM.