SlashNOT

Matthew writes: Following on the heels of Apple’s critically acclaimed Panther, expectations for Tiger could not be higher. Old school fans who relish Classic Apple hits need not apply—this slickly produced CD is rock solid and clearly the most complete work since the re-invigorating return of front man Steve Jobs five years ago after retiring his critically acclaimed but commercially unsuccessful solo project “NeXT”.

Heavily influenced by Jobs’ experimentation with NeXT, Tiger finds Apple retaining its pop influenced techno while layering in a substrate of heavy industrial influence. Heavily multithreaded and expansive, Apple continues its operating system hit machine unabated, but this time with less obvious surface glitz and tighter underlying code. At first glance, Tiger can seem almost cartoonish in its glam influence, but a few minutes spent exploring the work reveals a technical depth and intriguing completeness sorely lacking in modern contenders like Microsoft’s over-reaching Windows at one end and the overly quirky, too-folksy Linux at the other.

Accessible hits as Expose, Dashboard, and Spotlight lift the compilation to new heights that will doubtless bring the Apple faithful out, and even convert a few new fans who have been waiting for a Best Of compilation to buy into this time-tested journeyman group.