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Cover Art Ken Ishii
Jelly Tones
[Medicine]
Rating: 8.7

Tokyo's Ken Ishii has already established himself as one of Japan's premier DJs. Jelly Tones (which is just now being released in the U.S.) has made its mark in Tokyo, with the Japanese release selling more than 250,000 copies, making it a critically-successful, indie smash.

With its throbbing bass beat, oozing jelly tones and smouldering rhythms, Ishii's album is nothing short of incredible. These ten lengthy soundscapes push beyond typical electronica into realms only dreamt of. From the smacky, static snare of "Stretch" to the bass-o-matic "Frame Out," Jelly Tones is an electro-ambient dream.

-Ryan Schreiber

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RATING KEY
10.0: Indispensable, classic
9.5-9.9: Spectacular
9.0-9.4: Amazing
8.5-8.9: Exceptional; will likely rank among writer's top ten albums of the year
8.0-8.4: Very good
7.5-7.9: Above average; enjoyable
7.0-7.4: Not brilliant, but nice enough
6.0-6.9: Has its moments, but isn't strong
5.0-5.9: Mediocre; not good, but not awful
4.0-4.9: Just below average; bad outweighs good by just a little bit
3.0-3.9: Definitely below average, but a few redeeming qualities
2.0-2.9: Heard worse, but still pretty bad
1.0-1.9: Awful; not a single pleasant track
0.0-0.9: Breaks new ground for terrible
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