Track Listing

1. Exercise 1
2. Private Road
3. Cylons In Love
4. I Love My Man
5. Invisible Pedestrian
6. Chocolate Wings
7. I Remember Johnny
8. Swollen
9. Welly Top Mary
10. A Ribbon for My Hair
11. Irritating Noises
12. Always
13. Exercise 2

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #114529 in Music
• Released on: 2000-07-17
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.co.uk Review
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

Customer Reviews

Programmed to Love
I bought this album on the strength of "Swollen", I had never hear of "Bent" at the time. The album is a fascinating eclectic collection of songs, electronically based rhythms and samples from artists not usually associated with modern electronic/dance music (i.e. Nana Mouskouri, Norrie Paramour Orchestra etc)and the wonderful voice of Zoe Johnston (Faithless) on two. There are at least four variations of this album available (2 UK versions,US version and French as far as I am aware), the 13 track UK release is possibly the best choice as it contains all but one of the tracks on the US version(the 10 track UK version does however feature a 19 minute track af three sections called "Always"; containing "Always","Toothless Gibbon" and a third sction not present on any other release).
This is an album that has become one of my firm favourites, lookin forward to the next release "The Everlasting Blink" (February) featuring artistes from disparate areas i.e. David Essex,Captain & Tenille and Billy Jo Spears.
I am convinced that these will be two classic albums many people will have in their collection in ten years time.

A complete work
You will have heard Bent already - they are the sort of band that produce music that the good TV and advertising people pick up on. It's fantastic - easy, tuneful, haunting, complex (which I know contradicts the easy). One of the few albums that I will actually listen to all the way through - a complete work with no bum tracks. Something to come home to and relax with. Great song titles. I love the bonus track (although recording the five minutes of silence before it kicks in on my MP3 player is a bit of a waste.

If you've bought any compilation with a Bent track on, and like it, you will not regret exploring them further.

Lovely Lovely Lovely

The thinking mans chill out album. Quirky, Soothing & Clever
These guys deserve megastar status and personally I think it's only a matter of time. Quite a few of these tracks have already been used in TV adverts and most Ibisa chill-out collections will have a Bent track tucked in them somewhere. From the opening quirkiness of "Excerise 1" with it's swirling synths and soothly stabbing chords the chilled pace is set for a truly exhilarating ride through dreamland. Each track has an individuality of it's own yet still having that undeniably cool Bent sound. Soothing Female Vocals on "Swollen" & "Private Road", Opera inflected vocals on "Always" (I swear I can see Snow White skipping through the woods), Mike Flowers (or is it Edwyn Collins?) type vocals on "Chocolate Ways", and even the children singing "London bridge is falling down" on the final hidden track (believe me it works) transport you through glorious, richly textured soundscapes. Play it once and it will never leave your CD player. An odd but strangely wonderful sense of humour is constant thoughout this album and once you've succumbed to Bent's soothing charm you'll be hooked and hunting down all of the 12" singles which are all totally worthy on their own. Outstanding!