Austria contributes: Parov Stelar - Shine

Those of you who like to relax in style, prepare to hear great news - Parov Stelar came up with a new album, longer and better than anything he's produced before. An elegant mix of nu-jazz, breakbeat, downtempo and perhaps a pinch of lounge - but don't be scared, it is quite far from elevator music. Quite on the contrary, the tunes on Shine (2007) manage to engage, just enough to put you in a good, relaxed mood. His Myspace page perhaps will say this better than I:

"The freedom of jazz combined with the groove of house and breakbeat describes the character of Parov Stelar. The main theme is clearly defined, high quality music engaged in functionality."

Indeed, it is all about very well-produced intelligent grooves than will leave even the most fastidious listeners pleased. While it starts off a bit lounge-esque, the first two compositions employ very lush vocals, and so were forgiven by me for their sometimes tiring escapades. The album really kicks in around the area of "Your Fire", quite a catchy tune with some piano thrown in for a good measure. It all gets better from there, with impossibly stylish "Lost In Amsterdam", very reminiscent of Bonobo's lightly jazzy electronic downtempo. "Love" (both parts of the song) set a mood-lifting groovy and upbeat atmosphere, separated by a couple of tunes, most notably "Charleston Butterfly" which could very well be the most elegant and groovy effort on the record, and "Autumn Beasts", a somewhat darker and more sinister streak in a mostly light atmosphere of the album.

Overall, Shine is a clever, refined statement that will leave you asking for more of Marcus Füreder's work. Don't miss out:

Download here.

Tracklist:
1. Come Closer (feat. Kristina Lindberg)
2. Good Bye Emily (feat. Gabriella Hanninen)
3. Shine (feat. Lilja Bloom)
4. Tango Muerte
5. Your Fire (feat. Luke)
6. Lost In Amsterdam
7. Little Lion
8. Love (Part 1)
9. Charleston Butterfly (feat. Gabriella Hanninen)
10. Autumn Beasts
11. On My Way Now (Love Part 2)
12. Crushed Island
13. War Inside
14. Happy End
15. Homesick (Bonustrack)