A gleaming framework of chrome hooks and steely beats pings random bits of Duran, such as Simon Le Bon's voice, or the odd melody, around like pinballs.
His show blasted through several generations of gospel: the old hymn "Blessed Assurance"; old-school Pentecostal shout choruses; his high-energy early hits; and recent iterations from his new album, "Hello Fear," like "Everyone Hurts," with roiling organ over slow and skeletal drum-machine beats, and "Today," with bits of grandiosity borrowed from Coldplay and techno.
Co-produced by Richard Russell, with whom Albarn oversaw a 2012 comeback effort by soul singer Bobby Womack, "Everyday Robots" forgoes the big choruses and grinning sarcasm that Albarn delivered in Blur; the music layers skeletal guitars over fractured, slow-motion beats and crackles with bits of field recordings the singer made around his old East London neighborhood.
The chef, Eric Ripert, beats bits of butter into boiling shellfish broth, creating a smooth, buttery emulsion sauce that contains a mere two teaspoons in a serving.
The children are introduced, as people are in reality shows, with framed one-liners and held-for-a-beat bits of business: a pink-loving Texas girl with her stuffed bunnies; a pale French boy reading poetry aloud.
Invest in a games console - nothing beats a bit of healthy competition between you and your partner playing online on your favourite game!
Nothing beats a bit of Schubert in the morning, however, and a 9.30am appointment with the Schubert Ensemble on Friday proved the most magical of my Kings Place encounters.
Nothing beats a bit of fishing for relaxation, does it Feifei?
You can't beat a bit of reggae and ska either.
