Humour. Not enough of it in electronic music, or so they say. Well, thank goodness for Programmed To Love because as it says on the sleeve notes-"They are Bent". Obvious innuendo aside, the duo are actually bent in the sense that their approach to making electronic music is seriously skewed. The two are Masters of Whimsy, building lush soundscapes from humorous dialogue, fey electronica and even a few frisky efforts like the thinly veiled metaphor for sodomy that is "Chocolate Star". As listening experiences go, the sample-based Programmed to Love is a genuine pleasure. Blankets of melody rise and fall gently over innocuous rhythms, with the odd cosmic sound thrown in for good measure. The duo allegedly locked themselves in a studio for a couple of weeks with just their equipment and a load of vodka for this album, but while some of the tracks bear an amusing, crapulous quality (such as the now classic tune "Swollen", the folkish, almost unearthly "Private Road" (featuring vocalist Zoe Johnston) and the lewd "Chocolate Star"), many of the tracks here are simply enigmatic and charming. From the acoustic chug of "Cylons In Love," the funky "Invisible Pedestrian" and the subtly sweeping feel of "I Remember Johnny", this is a very original and captivating album that posits a genuinely alternative sound to the likes of other downtempo acts like Air, Zero 7 and Royksopp.--Paul Sullivan
Tracklisting:
1. Exercise, Pt.1
2. Private Road
3. Laughing Gear
4. I Love My Man
5. Butterfingers
6. Cylons in Love
7. Wrong Rock
8. Ribbon for My Hair
9. Blue
10. I Remember Johnny
11. Swollen
12. B/Bishop
13. Exercise, Pt.2
14. Invisible Pedestrian
15. Memories
16. Irritating Noises
17. Always
18. Beach Buggy
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