Oh, Manchester, So Much To Answer For

United State of Electronica's eponymous full-length , very roughly = VHS Or Beta's On + Daft Punk x vocoders + a dash of Metro Area. It's a storming, thumping sumbitch of a record, but features a few suprisingly tender(ish) moments, notably in the form of "Night Shift" (musically rather than lyrically, really). This is a get-outta-the-way album, capable of and threatening to demolish anything in its path in '04. So full of joy and ebulliance that you can't not love it - unless, of course, you're a pigfucker - United State of Electronica is one helluva party record, but is so much more. It's also my favorite album of the year.