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Akron/Family
Meek Warrior
The first time I heard of Akron/Family was sometime late last year, when Young God put out a split with them and Angels of Light. I had recently become smitten by The Angels of Light, having fallen in love with their album, How I Loved You, and I started digging though more of this Brooklyn circle of avant noise-folkers. I was surprised when I found out that the Akron/Family was the backing band on the most recent AoL record, Sing Other People, that had come out earlier, in '05. And the further I dug into this acid folk scene the more my palate craved it.
Now, lets fast forward to the autumn of '06, to the new long play from Akron/Family, Meek Warrior, because I think calling this one of the year's best psych folk records would be a faint praise.
Meek Warrior, opens with Blessing Force, a song filled with string instruments and a heavy percussive beat, that combined are very ethereal and primitive and when accented by hand claps and chants tends to lean in that carefree, campfire jam vibe. It Suddenly convulses into, what I can only categorize as, an unplugged Acid Mother's Temple, free-jazz-freak-out. And this is all within the first ten minutes. In other words, fuck yeah!
The middle portion of the album is very organic and cinematic - painting beautiful soundscapes of oranges and browns, with simple strokes of acoustic guitars, hand drums, and Maracas. The song Lightning Bolt of Compassion sounds like the most beautiful and striped down Elbow song never recorded, with an earthy voice and elegant strumming on a guitar.
Another stand out track, The Rider (Dolphin Song), is a rag tag sailor song (those sailors, by the way, are Broken Social Scene and Do Make Say Think) with big low end bass and eruptions of noise with people shouting, banging and blowing into anything that they can find. I imagine a wayfaring stranger walking through an old war bizaar, with drunk strangers singing his farewell song.
At times, Meek Warrior, is gentle and meditative and others, raging and spontaneous, but all the while, staying glowing and beautiful. -JW
Release Date: 10/03/06
Label: Young God
Genre/Style: Acid Folk / Yaw'ternative
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Beck
The Information
First of all, the packaging for this album is amazing, second of all Beck is still a genius.
The Information, by Beck will include a sheet of stickers for the purpose of "Making Your Own Cd Cover" which is cool. Almost as cool as the brilliant music on this album. At first this disc did not strike any chords with me. I found out that Beck had been working on it for about three years now, and that Guero was actually made in between session for The Information.
The reason this albu did not stand out too much at first is that, i have been listening to Guero (and Guerolito) for so long that i was ready for more catchy hooks, sing alongs, and rockin music. The Information is a lot more low-key than Guero, but after a few listens i can comfortably say that i believe it is better than Guero. Beck described this album as "Quasi Hip-Hop" but dont let that scare anyone away. Beck's version of hip-hop is fun samples, original beats, and meaningful lyrics.
There is also definantly a sense of Sea Change in this album. Not the acoustic style, but a few of the songs on The Information are melow beats and soft warm vocals, telling beautiful stories and theories on everything love to sadness. In all honesty, this is quickly becoming one of my favorite of his albums. Beck runs the gambit here with everything from songs featuring the banjo, to hip hop styles reminiscent of Where It's At.
After a few listens it is easy to see how Beck spent so much time on this album, and it is easy to realize that this record means a lot to him. As silly as it may seem to say this about a self proclaimed "Quasi Hip-Hop" album, there is a very personal feeling flowing through these tracks. But not at the expense of great music, that will have you dancing and singing along. The best of both worlds if you will. -BF
Release Date: 10/03/06
Label: Interscope
Genre/Style: Pop / Rock
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Breaks Co-Op
The Sound Inside
Their first album together since 1997 when Zane Lowe and Hamish Clark put together Roofers. Andy Lovegrove, also of the Away Team, lends his vocal stylings to the mix this go-round. They recorded the album in Oxford, England, but Zane and Hamish call New Zealand home. I can easily imagine New Zealand is the type of place that gives birth to these breezy sounds.
Ima and the appropriately titled instrumental Beats Interlude remind me of easy cuts by Populous or Thievery Corporation with their light and fluffy layers. That may remind you of a piping hot biscuit of the Pillsbury tube variety, which provides an equally big smile. A spy theme bass riff starts off A Question of Freedom and holds the instrumental together as guitar, sax, sampled voice and feedback come and go. A high point of the album is the well-placed lazer/photon sound effect at about 1:30. Perfect theme music for your next late-nite caper.
The Other Side is evidence for the comparisons to CSN&Y I have heard twice of this band already. Apparently Zane and Hamish had been saving this song for someone else until Andy's writing and ear for harmony changed their opinion.
I let students in my German IV class have a listen as they took a quiz one morning. In the spirit of Vice's kid's issue, here's what they had to say:
“This music is not bad, but it’s too slow and makes me tired.”
“I think this music and these songs are very good. I’m happy when I can listen to music. I like to listen to this kind of music. Is it Damien Buckley or Jeff Rice?”
Six of seven seniors at Phoebus High recommend Breaks Co-op. -SN
Release Date: 10/03/06
Label: Astralwerks
Genre/Style: Pop / Rock / Soul
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Cities
Variations
Cities will be releasing a remix version of their debut album on October 3rd entitled Varations. Typically, as I have stated numerous times before, I think the remix album is pretty much a giant waste of time and rarely breathes any fresh life into already solid songs. That being said, this one has promise. Download the following tracks and see for yourself. Plus it is dog ass cheap. -YK
» CITIES - Capital (Free The Robots Remix)
» CITIES - Lounge Act (Daedelus Remix)
» CITIES - OOC (Fog Black Metal Remix)
» CITIES - Writing On The Wall (Ladytron Remix)
» CITIES - A Theme (from CITIES LP)
Also Remember Cities will be playing Live at Relative Theory on Wed. Oct. 11.
Release Date: 10/03/06
Label: Yep Roc
Genre/Style: Pop / Rock / Dance
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The Dears
Gang of Losers
I tried guys. I really really did. I said to myself, “I’m going to write this review without once dropping the words ‘melodramatic’ or ‘brit-pop.’” But after hours of frustration, I realized that just because these words may be overused in Dears reviews, it doesn’t make them any less the core of their sound. With song titles like “There goes my outfit,” “Fear Made the World Go ‘Round,” and “You and I are a Gang of Losers,” how was this not going to be the most melodramatic release of the year? Heck, this band started as an excellent Morrissey rip-off, remember? It’s the best part of brit-pop! So get open up those thesaurusi to “loneliness,” get your hot tea and let the Exaggeration and Crooning Parade begin! Woohoo!
If you’re new to The Dears there aren’t really any better descriptors I could use than “Smiths,” “Morrissey,” and “Blur.” I’m sorry, but if your only hard-line requirement of music is total originality, then this will not be your scene. And it’s odd that I say this because I am usually a stickler about originality, but ever since I heard “Lost in the Plot” from the group’s debut No Cities Left I’ve been hooked, strung along by four chord progressions, loads of ‘doo doo doo’s and woah-oh’s, and over-emotionalized lyrics to match. I could bathe in sentimentality and sing along with this record for days at a time. Then news started to be released of new material. For starters, The Dears switched labels to Arts and Crafts (owned and run by Broken Social Scene), which excited me and made me think A&C is attempting to sign every single good indie rock act to call Canada home (come on, Weakerthans and Arcade Fire! You’re missing out on the party!). However, as it was the clean-cut pop sound of that first album that appealed to me so much, I was a bit scared when The Dears said they had instead used an analog tape machine and live recording (as in studio live, not audience live, look it up) to capture a rougher and grittier sound. And to be honest, when I first put in the album and heard songs like “Death or Life We Want You,” I was turned off. This isn’t sweater music! This is…this is slightly dusty track jacket with small rips at the seams music!
But I got over it, I shifted wardrobes a bit, gave it another try and found myself dancing that kind of uncoordinated suburban white kid dance around the city with every listen. The shift isn’t humongous, and once you’ve made it Gang of Losers becomes a very lovable record. Just think a bit less Smiths/Morrissey Dears and much more early-nineties-brit-pop Dears. Sort of. Here, just listen to the highlights of the album (”Ticket to Immortality,” “Bandwagoneers,” and “You and I are a Gang of Losers,”) and you should know exactly what I mean. In fact, I’d go as far to say those songs are a perfect barometer for the rest of the album. So just come in and try ‘em out. Tracks two, six, and eight. Two Six Eight. Two Six Eight. Two Six Eight. Repeat it to yourself all the way to the store, ask for Gang of Losers, and try two six eight. Two six eight. How easy is that? So easy, you should say. -JM
Release Date: 10/03/06
Label: Arts & Crafts
Genre/Style: Pop / Rock
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The Decemberists
The Crane Wife
“Oh no! My precious curators of heartfelt world-infused indie-pop, my lovingly sincere and pleasantly self-aware story-crafters of the sea, my lyrical wizards The Decemberists have signed to…*choke*…a MAJOR LABEL! Did they sell out?! Is their new record loaded with radio single crap?! Did they throw away their originality to please the suits?!” Umm…no. Not really. It’s about as different from the previous albums as they were from their previous albums, and it’s really good. For the handful of four minute radio friendly pop songs there are also twelve-minute legendary song cycles full of extravagant folklore and wonderfully exaggerated, novelistic songwriting. I loved The Decemberists in the minors, and I’ll stick with ‘em in the majors.
Colin Meloy said in a recent Pitchfork Interview concerning The Crane Wife that “this record has more to do with The Tain than Picaresque,” and he hit the nail right on the head. If you haven’t listened to The Tain ep (which you should, it’s marvelous), this means that the new material ventures further into the avenues of progressive rock than the world music paths of their past, with the use of heavier drumming and rhythm sections, distorted guitars, and extensive organ usage. For example, “The Perfect Crime 2″ jumps straight into a Steely Dan-esque funk guitar riff with a rhythm section to match, and other parts of the album even remind me of Yes. But don’t worry, the tales of WWI heroes and pirates and sea adventures are still aplenty on The Crane Wife.
One of these fantastic stories is the song around which the album is focused, “The Crane Wife,” a three part cycle split across two tracks. Parts one and two are the second to last track of the album, and part three is actually track one, opening the album with the ending of its center story. The legend of the crane wife stems from an ancient Japanese folktale, which you can read about in this Colin Meloy interview from Pitchfork Media. The other epic is a set of four less plot-centered movements, called “The Island, Come and See, The Landlord’s Daughter, You’ll Not Feel the Drowning.” The movements have a pleasant disparity in style, as follows: two-minute Steely Dan intro, into an ominous acoustic driven pirate-like tale, to high tempo’d organ swashbuckling music, and finally a beautiful and morose account of a funeral-at-sea for a close friend/lover painted over a Spanish-guitar canvas.
Unfortunately, next to these eclectic long-plays, some of the shorter songs come off flat and lacking in dynamics, which I would say to be the primary fault of The Crane Wife. And while it’s certainly growing on me, I must say I currently prefer Picaresque and Her Majesty. But a band’s got to move on, make new material and expand its territory. And for this, I salute Meloy and his rag-tag band of musicians. They’ve given me a really good album, with some really great songs.
All that said, the primary reason I love The Crane Wife is, without question, its closer “Sons and Daughters.” It’s an instantaneous wonderful mood, the theme song for a perfect world, the soundtrack to an eternal smile. As soon as I finish that wonderful final track, I hit stop, I grab the arm of my future wife (whomever she may be), and we skip off to the sunset singing “Hear all the bombs, fade away… here all the bombs, fade away….” -JM
Release Date: 10/03/06
Label: Capitol
Genre/Style: Pop / Rock
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Ensemble
self-titled
This comic has a seemingly endless supply of endearingly off kilter one liners and an over-active imagination. Hes one of the most unique voices in comedy today and has written for performed on Conan O Brien Letterman and Carson Daly. Hes the latest correspondent on The Daily Show with his critiques on pop culture. In 2003 he taped his first stand-up special Comedy Central Presents Demetri Martin which remains one of the highest rated half hours on the network. This release puts all his best material on one CD. The DVD compiles the Comedy Central Presents and a bunch of other secret stuff. -CP
Release Date: 10/03/06
Label: Fat Cat
Genre/Style: Pop / Experimental / Folk
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Future Sound of London
Teachings From the Electronic Brain
The first time I remember finding out about the Future Sound Of London(FSOL) was in 1992 while working in a shitty corporate music store. I was very much into elctronic dance music already at this time and remember getting in the Soundtrack for Cool World (an animated movie with the voices of Kim Basinger, Gabriel Byrne, Brad Pitt). The soundtrack also had artists Moby, Electronic, David Bowie, My Life With The Thrill Kill Cult, Brian Eno, and Ministry. Not ever hearing of FSOL before I wanted to know more since they were featured on this very first of its time electronic/eclectic soundtrack. Their song on the soundtrack “Paupa New Guinea.” The song became a popular rave and club track almost immediately upon its release. The original mix notably samples the bassline from Meat Beat Manifesto’s proto-jungle track “Radio Babylon”. A sample of Lisa Gerrard’s voice is also lifted from the Dead Can Dance song “Dawn Of The Iconoclast”, from their 1987 album Within the Realm of a Dying Sun. “Papua New Guinea” was perhaps FSOL’s most club-oriented track; most of the remixes on the single are very dancefloor-friendly. After Accelerator’s release, however, they moved in increasingly ambient and experimental directions. Taken from Wikipedia.
Its now over fifteen yeas since this duo of Brian Dougans & Garry Cobain came together. After producing several albums and being together for such a period of time its not suprising to see a “Greatest Hits” These guys have paved the way for so many of todays electronic superstars like Daft Punk, The Crystal Method, and Chemical Brothers. They have also been responsible for making music that has created new generes like Ambient-techno. Their very unique sound is very organic in nature yet its completly been re-worked and tripped out using modern technology. This “Best Of” contains tracks that are not much more than just soundscapes as well as tracks that sound as if they are the soundtracks to voyages between heaven and hell. There are songs that can take you back to a time when raving was something you did to escape everyday lifeand there are songs that can scare the living shit out of you. This music takes you on a trip without ever having to leave your home. There are beats that just make you feel the funk. This is music so raw, so there but at the same time you can feel a million mles from home. So many influences involed between the middle east to the psychedellic west. Does it matter where you are? This music is so original, simple, natural, yet it gives me a feeling of being in a place where tomorrow may never come so I should just live, breath, and exisit while I can. At times there are feelings of confusion and uncertainty but at the same time it feels that I am just realizing I am just a pawn of evolution. This is the music that if you have never done drugs might scare and intice you to do them. Music is just that. music. Be scarred of what you don’t know but relize if you dont explore what scares you your at square one. What is a square? Why not question reality? Why not just give this a listen? Why do we have to make sense? -JP
Release Date: 10/03/06
Label: ATO
Genre/Style: Dance / Electronic
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Hall of Justus
Soldiers of Fortune
Soldiers of Fortune is the title of the upcoming album from Hip Hop collective the Hall of Justus, also known as the Justus League. The crew features Little Brother, The Away Team, Chaundon, L.E.G.A.C.Y., Joe Scudda and Big Dho. Album guests include Skyzoo, Cormega and Sean Price.
As you can see this team is no stranger to the banger. Expect head bobbing beats, catchy choruses, and style so ill, your lady is gonna blush. -CP
Release Date: 10/03/06
Label: ABB Records
Genre/Style: Hip Hop
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The Hold Steady
Boys and Girls in America
To be perfectly honest, The Hold Steady isn't that great of a band. They have always been a group of blue collar workers with drinking habits and a pompous air to them. Which is why I like them. We've always had that friend growing up, that one that was smarter than most and decided to not to do anything with it, except be the wisest gas attendant or bus boy. The Hold Steady is for them - rock n roll for men with forward thoughts and dirty hands. And on Boys and Girls In America, you find that band, standing up, knocking the dust off their pants and coming into their own.
The band has really matured here, stepping away from there barroom deminure and coming in to a recharged group, reminiscent of late 70's E Street. Craig Finn's on-record persona and performance style have also been revamped. omparatively, he seems much more subdued here, actually SINGING more than barking and yelling; his voice is still scratchy, of course, but he no longer sounds like he's half-drunk and ranting at a bar somewhere. His lyrics are still filled with strange imagery, rambling stories, weird non-sequiters, and quirky humor, but here it feels more like Tom Waits-style storytelling than anything else.
So, is this a step backward or a step forward for the band? Well, my first impression is that I don't like it as much as Separation Sunday, and yet my respect for this band has only grown. They're trying new things and pushing themselves in strange new directions. Sure, I miss the raw, raucous energy of their first two albums, but this is a fine record in its own right-- a bold statement from an important band, a first-rate rock album. -TM
Release Date: 10/03/06
Label: Vagrant
Genre/Style: Rock
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J Dimenna
Awkward Buildings
J DiMenna may come across as typical folk rock to some, but to those who really take the time to delve into the well of emotion that is his debut album Awkward buildings, they will find that there is much going on beneath the surface musically as well as personally for J DiMenna.
To beat a dead horse of a comparison, the best way to imagine J DiMenna’s music is Elliott Smith with a more full band sound (throw in a little bit of Ray Davies of the Kinks). The difference between the late Heatmiser and the modern J DiMenna is just that, timing. J DiMenna uses the effects, instruments, and production that are readily available to create a borderline masterpiece of a debut album. Awkward Buildings soars with intricate guitar breaks, reverberated vocals, and a plethora of instruments to accent the solo artist’s songwriting. More than the music itself, the lyrics are on more of a metaphysical level; struggles with higher beings, deep relational experiences, and the heavy questioning of why we are here are all themes for this album.
The songs are catchy, but not cheesy. Many times I am completely surprised at the lyrics I am singing along with, melodic hooks that pull you in and have you involved with the music immediately sometimes cloak the fiery lyrics sung on top (Never fall in love/ There is no God above, to greet you… Depression is a disguise/ There is no other surprise, to greet you). It takes a great songwriter to find a balance between making music that is entertaining to listen to, while also relaying content that is mature and true to life.
Though all of this makes the album great, I think the best part about the music of J DiMenna, is the haunting air of the artist himself, and the mystery/questions it creates. A resident of New York City via North Carolina is more than most people know about his personal life, and maybe not for some people, but this sparks my interest in wanting to find out more through the music. In a way, try to figure out what this seemingly under the radar singer-songwriter is all about. -BF
Release Date: 10/03/06
Label: Exotic
Genre/Style: Pop / Rock
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Kid Koala
Your Moms Favorite DJ
Eric San aka Kid Koala is a one-of-a-kind sort of turntablist. There’s the fact that he’s an illustrator, graphic artist, film maker, puppet master and musician. There’s the fact that he always wear shorts. Then there’s the fact that he sees his chosen means of expression not as a way of showing that he can do faster crabs than anyone else, but as a way of telling stories.
And here he is, with another story, a semi-autobiographical one, obviously, as it’s undoubtedly true that if your mom had a favourite DJ, it would be Kid Koala. And if you want to take that as a snap, well then be our guest. This fresh-faced Kanadian Kasanova can play it however you like. Ma’am.
Although there is the romance, silent movie comedy and swing that your mother may well smile at and even shake her booty to, the enthralling deftness and complexity you’d expect from Kid Koala is also here - woven together with classic hip hop beats, breaks and generous swathes of heavy guitars.
It looks back to the seminal “Scratchcratchratchatch” cassette of a decade ago and the Kid’s first full release, “Scratch Happy Land” (as well as referencing his multimedia project “Nufonia Must Fall”). But it also, in ways we won’t even explain yet, hints at the many projects Mr San has to come. There are references throughout to a book about a clarinet-playing mosquito that Eric is currently working on, plus to the musical puppet show he has in development (honest). And there are also some “tests” from a new group called Slew.
But don’t worry too much about second-guessing stuff that will become clear later. Instead focus on the small but perfectly formed delights of “Your Mom’s Favorite DJ”. Try to follow the stories, headnod to the beats (Eric has always liked his beats), develop your own Charlie Chaplin routines, snigger at the vocal samples, marvel at the dextrousness of the vinyl manipulation, but most of all, enjoy the complete ease and class with which the whole thing is put together. -CP
Release Date: 10/03/06
Label: Ninja Tune
Genre/Style: Hip Hop
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The Killers
Sam's Town
They're back after their sky rocketing 2004 album Hot Fuss. When The Killers hit the airwaves after their hit single "Jenny Was A Friend Of Mine" they just seemed to get bigger and bigger. More of their singles hit top 40 radios and music videos on TV, one single being "Mr. Brightside" Everyone used to think that song was the shit. If you're into that sound and you thought Hot Fuss was the shit, just wait until you listen to Sam's Town. To me, their sound still sounds the same but with a small twist I guess. A lot of artists say it's hard to follow up from a huge album that made them big, and can't decide wether to change their sound or stay the same. They're definitely still The Killers and Sam's Town could easily be Hot Fuss rarities . The huge radio song right now is "When You Were Young" and people are going crazy over this 3:40 minute jam. There's no doubt in my mind that The Killers are going to put out a whole bunch of singles because The Killers have maintained their synth rock attitude and Brandon Flowers is still puts that little effect on his voice that makes it sound like he's singing out of one of those fake microphones you get at the dollar tree. And somehow someway their Depeche Mode sounding jingles will get you on your feet. There's actually 1 song on the album that sounds kinda different to me, and in a good way. If you pick up this album hoping for The Killers to change their sound a bit skip to Uncle Johnny. If you took what a generic Killers song would sound like a striped it down, it would sound like Uncle Johnny. There's another cool song on the track called "Why Do I Keep Counting" it sounds a little different from their stuff, but for some reason i fancy it.
If you love the upcoming synth rock revolution in rock and roll Sam's Town is your town. If you loved the catchy singles The Killers have been putting out since 2004 then you'll love Sam's Town too. The Killers have gone places and they seemed to be wanting to stay there. This album should do good for them, because it's the same sound, just different notes and lyrics. -WB
Release Date: 10/03/06
Label: Island / Mercury
Genre/Style: Pop / Rock
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Kooks
Inside In / Inside Out
Man, the Kooks freak me out. “Eddie’s Gun” their new single from their debut album is everywhere. Flipping channels, I see it. Pop in my CD and I get bombarded with it. Go to my trusty Myspace, who’s on the front page of Myspace Music? The damn Kooks, that’s who! All I could think putting my disc in my car CD player was, “damn, the ghetto feels a lot better now that the Kooks are with me. I kind of want to drive around a little more.” And I did, believe that. The Kooks just make me happy. British people singing happy tunes are what life is all about. Give them a little edge and I’d say I don’t believe you, but please do. I was lured into this record by an advertisement of “being better than the Arctic Monkeys.” I know everyone is wondering if that’s true, and all I can truthfully say (a little money and I’ll say what you want), it depends. “Eddie’s Gun” is so damn catchy and moveable that obviously the Arctic Monkey’s are going to be transposed with the Kooks, but where the Arctic Monkey’s diverge, so do the Kooks. “Ooh La” is one of the most hypnotic songs I’ve heard in quite a while and Luke Pritchard’s vocals are sensational. The songs are so tightly produced, some would complain of overproduction. Both bands have a sense of who they are and what their band represents and that is refreshing. Excellent acoustic tracks with rockers; the Kooks at the finest are just a rock band that wants to move people. What is wrong with that?! Is this album of the year? Does it say Bob Dylan on the cover, no. Are they going to bend your mind and sharpen your senses? Doubt it. Are they trying to subvert you into the almighty British Empire? Probably. But it’s all good, because in the moment, you just forget it all. Besides, it’s not just girls that can say no to British accents. -DS
Release Date: 10/03/06
Label: Astralwerks
Genre/Style: Rock / Pop / Garage
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Kool Keith
Sex Styles Ltd Ed Reissue
I think most people harbor a passionate fondness for the music of their puberty for an unreasonably long time. Something about the physiology and psychology of the period, where some things become set in stone. The adjective “hardcore” often gets applied, and I suspect Freud would have a field day and that he probably coined the phrase “hardcore.” Of course, the exaggerated cocksmanship and misogyny carried to prison homoerotic extents of hardcore hip-hop left a permanent dent on the sensibilities of former sexually insecure, woman fearing Caucasoid 12-year-olds such as me. It didn’t hurt that it was the most vital popular music available at the time. Still, as my body, social attitudes and musical horizons have expanded, I am left with a residual affinity for hypermasculine, hard ass rappers glorifying murder, rape, and bloody capitalism. This is sometimes embarrassing and hard to defend.
This came up again when I was told that Kool Keith’s “Sex Style” LP was being given a limited edition re-issue for its tenth anniversary. When offered the chance to review it, I got overexcited and started spewing a litany of over the top, beyond the pale pornographic punchlines from the album. Though it got laughs, it must have been at least somewhat troubling, as one of the Relative kingpins asked me if I was sure I wanted to review it, apparently given that I might reveal myself to be the sad porno freak everybody already suspected I was. Once again, my dignity was overestimated, and I jumped at the chance to take the bullet by championing such a problematic release, as I am not a major culturally progressive retailer promoting better dialog through environment that is currently prominently displaying a very male-centric pornographic album whose cover art is not at all misleading.
So here is my attempt to defend “Sex Style:”
Though I bristle at regressive, hateful attitudes in my art, I have to love passion, potency, and power to kick (or tap) ass. I want neither my rock and roll (its very name a sexaphor), nor my hip hop (likewise a sex description, evoking literal hip motion), nor (especially) my pornography to be politically correct. Kool Keith, a veteran of the hip hop world since the days of Ultramagnetic MCs, has always had a penchant for taking things further lyrically. When other rappers often presented a cartoon and called it reality, Keith was more likely to acknowledge the cartoonish appeal and stretch it to the lengths of his imagination. How else do you explain his multiple eccentric lyrical personae, most famously rapping as Dr. Octagon, an alien from Jupiter in the year 3000 who time-traveled into the present day to be a maliciously incompetent, sex-crazed gynecologist?
Of course, when taking on a primarily sexual character, Kool Keith was not content to join in the misogynist platitudes of hordes of N.W.A. acolytes. Rather, he fully committed to a genre as detached from reality as science fiction or horror: porn. Kool Keith goes beyond N.W.A. into 2 Live Crew territory, and probably beyond, as I can’t conjure off the top of my head a taboo he doesn’t toss off casually here. Keith, however, is much cleverer than Luther Campbell and Crew. The thrill and the humor isn’t merely that the material is explicit, but the imagination and metaphor that Kool Keith generates after he takes porn as his medium and texture.
All of the wacky characters Keith Thornton plays turn out to be another vehicle for him to express his frustrations which are atypically typical: the corruption of the music industry and his superiority over other rappers who also imitate him. There was a time in the mid to late 90s when Kool Keith made this work perfectly. The crazy characters gave color to the common themes and the common themes gave resonance to his ventures into space and porn. This is before several half-conceived projects where he ranted and bitched about his lack of esteem while occasionally rhyming a word.
“Sex Style” may rival the Dr. Octagon album for the top release of this golden age of Kool Keith insanity. Kutmaster Kurt may not be the Automator, but he proves himself here to be a solid and inspired producer, and his work with Kool Keith has consistently proved to be among the best of the rapper’s interminable discography. The tracks on “Sex Style” may not make me hard (at least not because of the explicitness), but they all make me want to jump around, dance vigorously, or at least bob my head violently, improvising incompetent but heartfelt toasts. Kool Keith’s verses are still tight, ingenious, and tuneful. In the underground hip-hop emergence of the 90s, Kool Keith was always revered but almost seemed to be his own genre. This is a good illustration why, as the dirty, bass heavy production packs more of a visceral bounce than all of the De La imitators that called themselves “real” hip-hop at the time.
Among the highlights are the ostensive singles. The title cut introduces Keith as a pansexual predator ready to decimate you to a sinuous, omnipresent guitar groove. “Keep It Real
” mocks the undie rap scene and their most overused, meaningless salvos, insisting that we should “Keep It Real
Represent What? My Nuts.” Beyond those, however, “Make Up Your Mind” is the real gem here, establishing a relentless momentum on a sick beat, an unstoppable bass and some violin solos, as Keith Thornton drops the best lines of his life (“suckin’ on a hippie
on the Mississippi
Econo Lodge
a cheap way to get a quickie”).
The album starts and ends stronger than most peak. In the middle it is solid jams punctuated by intense little discoveries (particularly “Sly We Fly” featuring fellow maniac Motion Man). This is one of the best hip-hop albums of the 90s, and certainly one of the filthiest. -GB
Release Date: 10/03/06
Label: Green Streets Entertainment
Genre/Style: Hip Hop
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Make Believe
Of Course
Stop asking if this is as good as Owls! Of course not (pun!)! And I doubt anything coming out in the near future will be, so let’s just move on and be okay that. Jeez-Louise. Okay, so to be honest, I’m filled with the same irrational hope with every post-Cap’n Jazz release I hear. And though still nothing has blown my mind in the wonderful way Owls has, I would say Make Believe is the Kinsella band that comes the closest. Their first album Shock of Being was full of weird time signatures, complex guitar riffs, seemingly discordant melodies, yelling, abstract lyrics in true beat-poet fashion, and a general collage of quirks and oddities that can take a long while to get used to. And in this sense Of Course is no different. But in a variety of other sensitudes (even less accessibility, a tad more mellow, less yelling, more discordant and more specific) it certainly distinguishes itself as a new and different direction for Make Believe.
Sometime about ten years ago (with the creation of Joan of Arc), Tim Kinsella launched a life-long offensive against all things conventional in music. Now, it’s easy to stand there and say you think this is wonderful, we all like to think we hate poppy and conventional bands, but for even the most experimental-savvy of rock fans, Make Believe’s awkward style can be very jarring. Immediately at the album’s opening, Sam Zurick cuts into an extremely discordant and squealy guitar-riff that continues for the majority of the song. This sets the tone for the rest of the album, it’s a much less catchy release than Shock of Being, and considering that first record that’s really saying something. The strong upside to this is that for those of us who have grown very sick of repetitive indie rock, you are at the least guaranteed something very new with each song on this album. And I must say, even the most un-melodic of songs on Of Course start to make lots of sense after a few listens, and I even find myself singing along with the discordance and dancing to the off-beats.
This record confirms for me that Make Believe is an actively growing band. These are some of the most talented musicians in the business and they’ve made such a (relatively) big name for themselves already with the plethora of their past bands, they could easily just make an insane pop record, blow up and live comfortably. But they don’t, and I’m pretty sure they never will. Each new release challenges me as a listener more than the last, and Of Course is no exception. I’ve had to work hard for this CD (in the enjoyment sense), and it’s been very much worth it. Their myspace quote used to be “Four really talented dudes trying to reinvent punk rock,” and I don’t think there is a more perfect description of Make Believe. This band kills, and this album most certainly kills. Come in, give this little fella’ a listen, and have the gumption to try and get out of your indie/pop shell. -JM
Release Date: 10/03/06
Label: Flameshovel
Genre/Style: Soul / R & B
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Nina Nastasia
On Leaving
Nina Nastasia doesn’t mince words or morals on her fourth disc, On Leaving. She uses her childhood to weave lessons, more so she uses what our childhood makes us into who we have become in our adult lives. Eerily serene at points, mystifying in others yet wonderfully gritty and furious at others, and clocking in at only 33 minutes doesn’t take away anything from the record, in fact the waning tranquility and uncertainty make her fourth record what it is. From being an acoustic songstress one moment to a full blown rock star it would seem at others, Nina doesn’t lose touch with her theme throughout. Wonderful ballads like “Settling Song” and “Why Don’t You Stay At Home” are bleak in nature but interconnected gracefully with what all humans feel in regards to love and marriage; it is just a natural human nature. She presents an arching moral construct and vividly portrayed characters with clear sense of their morals and convictions. She lets them do the talking; she says what needs to be said and moves on.
Supple drumbeats crowd around Nina’s fantastic guitar work in nearly every song. The intriguing roaming piano is an excellent touch that could have been overdrawn but was shaped creatively into the records on the album. If you give this woman a guitar it seems that she will tell the world a story. A story of a world that one doesn’t need to be a part of to gather significance in the tales told. On Leaving certainly is not a haranguing experience because every song is driven around a central hook that all dominate plus Nina has a great voice with subtleties that will keep you singing as well as thinking. Nina was a new name to me before On Leaving but with people, women or not, using others to convey their beliefs is always a rare gift that I cherish whenever I get the chance. Take a chance. -DS
Release Date: 10/03/06
Label: Fat Cat
Genre/Style: Folk
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Planes Mistaken For Stars
Mercy
There are many words out there to describe Planes Mistaken For Stars. The music conjures up all that is black, grey, tortured, and angry. When listening to the music, it’s not a pretty place to find yourself in, but somehow, it feels like home. It’s a story that has grown darker and bleak with every song written since their Deep Elm days. These guys are dark like Sisters of Mercy. It’s evil and sinister in ways that Danzig and maybe even Nick Cave could appreciate. They’ve finally found their calling.
With Matt Bayles(Botch, From Ashes Rise, and surprisingly, Pearl Jam) behind the production of this album, this might be the most powerful recording Planes has done. Despite the departure of a couple of founding members, things are more intense than the last time we heard from them. The opening song, “One Fucked Pony,” is truly pummeling. The riff is as good as anything on Quicksand’s “Slip” album. In fact, many of these songs have a slight Quicksand vibe. There’s a classic post-hardcore vibe on this record, while keeping up with some contemporary styles. The following song, “Crooked Mile” moves in a minor Northwest grunge-like pace, only to end on a vicious yet almost elegantly swirling melody.
Gared’s voice is crazier than ever. He’s sounding more like a vengeful spirit that wants to scare the living hell out of you. Or maybe it’s the voice of a spirit that’s frustrated for occupying the same area he died in because it seems Heaven and Hell are just too populated and there’s nowhere else to go. Also, as weird as it may sound, Gared also sounds as if he wants to be post-hardcore’s version of Lemmy from Motorhead on some songs.
The first thirty seconds of “Widow: A Love Song” captures some of the most chaotic and frustrating rhythms that the band is capable of. The song ends shortly after two minutes, making it the shortest song on this album. The fifth track, “To Spit A Sparrow,” wipes the floor with any post-Old Man Gloom styled doom-laden post-rock with stoner leanings. It’s emotionally heavier than most bands who embody that genre. Also, the title track is probably the most epic buildup song these guys ever wrote. The song continually rises and swells, yet it almost ends abruptly, leaving you to think whether it launched you into a void or it kept you on your seat experiencing a mirage of some sort.
The defeating sound of the lone strum on an acoustic guitar opens up the last song, “Penitence.” It’s probably the most subdued outing they’ve done and it’s the best way to close this recording. This closing song is almost like the dirt being shoveled onto the coffin, just to give you an idea on how good of an ending it is.
These guys play louder than most. They have long hair, beards, and an affinity for cigarettes and alcohol. You’re saying to yourself, “So what?” Well, these guys are the real deal and are genuine than most hipster heavy metal groups out there that share their image. I seriously want to see these guys outdo themselves next time. Planes Mistaken For Stars are continuing to be the most enigmatic force in the post-hardcore world. They’ll murder the competition if they can’t have it any other way. -BS
Release Date: 10/03/06
Label: Abacus
Genre/Style: Metal / Post Hardcore
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The Slats
Boom Patrol
Let's not beat around the bush here, these boys are the shit. Relative Theory has been bumping random mp3's from their camp for a while. I mean anyone who has been to a show here in the last five months, has been subjected to "Teena" cranked up super loud with David running around fist pumping to the chorus. And we all did cartwheels and backflips when we heard, Boom Patrol was dropping.
It is tough to pigeon hold The Slats sound. If you have downloaded the some songs you might be want to jump all over the Cars for comparisons, however, they are a little schizophrenic in nature. Some of these tracks make you wonder what the hell they are doing. With songs like "King of Hawaii", the coolest new wave pop song since The Cars, to "Ignatius" a rap song, filled with crunching guitars, that would put the Beastie Boys to shame in '86 and in '06, and "Stegosaurus WrxxX" which could easily be a lost gem in Thurston Moore's solo catalog. The record is called Boom Patrol and has some sort of comic book inspiration about being technologically dated yet idolized. My new favorite is "King of Hawaii" - when you hear it, you will wonder how 60s surf culture ever got along without it.
This is highly recommended for any guys night out, keg party, or cruising at the oceanfront.-JW
Release Date: 10/03/06
Label: Latest Flame
Genre/Style: Rock / Pop
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Thunderbirds Are Now!
Make History
Make History, Detroit band Thunderbirds are Now!'s 3rd full-length and second on Frenchkiss Records, does away with a band in full tail-chase and depicts one at it's peak: no longer stressing about what people might expect, but rather wearing their influences better than one of Interpol's tailored suits. "We live off of pop music," says singer/guitarist Ryan Allen. "Some Beatles for breakfast, a little Smiths for lunch, and the Pixies for dinner. Sometimes we'll have a little New Pornographers for a midnight snack." Further, "making an album full of melodies, actual choruses, songs in major keys... it's something I think we all grew up with, so it was inevitable that we'd make a record like this. It's our chance to do right by our influences and by ourselves." -CP
Release Date:10/03/06
Label: French Kiss
Genre/Style: Pop / Punk
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Various Artists
Chrome Children
Chrome Children” is a cooperative effort between two superior camps of stoner friendly, eccentric visionaries, the musical alchemists of Stone’s Throw Records and the programming masters at Adult Swim. It does not disappoint. Adult Swim has long shown a concise brilliance by giving a cohesive personality to a diverse, rotating line-up of often non-sequitor, idiosyncratic animated programs with brief, white on black “bumps,” sequences of brief texts addressing the viewer and giving shine to new music in the background. It is natural for Adult Swim to move into record making, as they have with last year’s DangerDoom triumph and an online-only project with Chocolate Industries. “Chrome Children” finds the Adult Swim brand attached to a compilation of Stone’s Throw artists. Like the cartoons on Adult Swim, no single description can encompass the artists on the Stone’s Throw roster, which ranges from leftfield hip-hop to skewed modern funk and soul to revelatory re-issues of forgotten artists to realms uncharted.
Unlike the DangerDoom album, which was conceptually obsessed with Adult Swim characters, even giving them cameos, “Chrome Children” is Adult Swim-free in content, rather sounding like a celebratory party for Stone’s Throw on its tenth anniversary. Label head Peanut Butter Wolf is present to remix a sticky new wave jam for Baron Zen. Mascot Madlib is all over the proceedings, offering production work and contributions on several tracks (unlike many comps, no track here was left flaccid), a cut of his own, and collaborations with Percee P (with Madlib donning his helium voiced Quasimoto disguise), with MF Doom on the Madvillian cut “Monkey Shine” and with J Dilla on Jaylib’s “No $ No Toke,” which sounds like the sermon of a funky robot prophet at the church of weed-addledness (its rilly good). The dead J Dilla continues threatening to become as posthumously productive as Tupac, also contributing a solo cut, “Nothing Like This,” a driving, washed over dub hop track that could lift one to the heavens or wash them up on the beach after an exhilarating wave, both transcendent and overwhelmed.
Georgia Anne Muldrow, Aloe Blacc and Dudley Perkins drop jazzy skewed soul tracks, and bumping hip hop is provided by Oh No, M.E.D., and Roc C. The penchant for unearthing old oddities and obscurities is represented by “Dream(s)” by Gary Wilson, a credibly dynamic and smooth funk jam from the damaged ‘70s basement recorder Stone’s Throw resurrected recently to make new music, and “Third Rock,” by Pure Essence, a choice ‘70s discovery that creepily evokes “There’s A Riot Goin’ On” era Sly Stone. The party hits are present as well, with J.Rocc, Koushik, and particularly James Pants offering crushers marrying soul scholarship, copious oddity, and undeniable groove to different degrees. Pants’ “Do A Couple of Things” may be a highlight, evoking the kind of dancefloor soul killers highlighted by the previous Stone’s Throw comp “The Funky Sixteen Corners.”
Ultimately, it is difficult to identify highlights, as this is all killer, no filler, the kind of album that perfectly demonstrates the killer contributions Stone’s Throw makes to music all the time without ever sinking into sounding tiresome. Both Stone’s Throw and Adult Swim might seem batshit crazy on paper regarding their wide umbrellas, but it makes sense intuitively when one hears or sees it. There is a sense with everything that “Yeah, these guys would like that.” Adult Swim makes their presence known on the DVD, offering an account of the Stone’s Throw showcase they sponsored at South by Southwest. Headlined by Madvillian and narrated by those familiar bumps, the show is much tighter, colorful and pleasing than most carelessly compiled DVD extras, always right on stage. Also illuminating the identity of Stone’s Throw, poolside interviews with Madlib and Peanut Butter Wolf are included. -GB
Release Date: 10/03/06
Label: Stones Throw
Genre/Style: Hip Hop / Funk
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Various Artists
The DFA Remixes Chapter 2
DFA is probably one of hippest lables right now. Not only are they label putting out very original sounding new bands they are also a remix team consisting of James Murphey (LCD Soundsystem) and Tim Goldsworthy. DFA are talking dance music to new levels and breaking boundries with the help of their remixes With past artists like The Rapture, Black Dice, and The Juan Maclean to increase exposure and respect to this once small time independent lable. DFA the Remix Duo have been getting every walk of life: Indie, Punk, Raver, Hippie, and even Baptist Church Goers back on the dance floor. They will take any style of music and shape into there own style of could be called Dance-Punk. With its roots from late seventies to early eighties influence of bands like the Talking Heads, Blondie, and New York legends ESG. With most of the releases on the label being all original work from the acts signed to the actual DFA label. It came time to put a compilation of all the remixes that have previously been available only on each of the respected artists own labels. With a newly signed distribution deal with Captiol/EMI’s Astralwerks, DJ’s and Non-DJ’s alike have been given the chance to get some of the best remixes the DFA duo have done. Put out in two seperatly and fully filled CDs and Double LP’s.
The latest of the series know as Chapter Two is now here! This Cd takes takes muliple styles of music from some of the biggest names of each respected genre. First up is Canada’s Superstar DJ/Producer Tiga who is known for his unique electro-techno funk. His song “Far From Home” gets an epic building groove that takes you on a journey. Starting at home and finding yourself traveling to the club, getting there, getting your swerve, getting your groove dancing under laser lights and disco balls. Loosing yourself completly then only to have yourself waking up in your bed with a pool of sweat. After a quick shower and shave, pop in Junior Seniors remix of “Shake Your Coconuts” and you will be dancing to the funky beats and jerking side to side with the funky baselines as you eat your coco puffs. Lets move on now shall we? Ok. on now is the group Hot Chip. with a soulful and sweaty tranced out groove called “Colours.” This song is great while climbing on the stairmaster. Lunch time! and that can mean only one think NOONER! Yeah, right, uh huh, N.E.R.D. yeah those VA boys know how to show why they live in a state for lovers and how DFA let you know its always a party in your pants with the remix of “She Wants To Move.” Naw what I mean. What? Rush-hour already? Well with the remix help on Nine Inch Nails “The Hand That Feeds.” your gonna be bobbing your head instead of your fist as you honk your horn since you left your cowbell at home. Home? who wants to head home right now when its HAPPY HOUR! Dance specials and sultry vocals are on this buffet so just “Slide IN” with Goldfrapp. This jammy jam will having thinkg about the good ole days when the Goodlife was a classic Detroit techno tune and the cowbell was still worn by cows. Not quite ready to go home still? well this next little ditty by Chromeo will certainly get you into “Destination Overdrive.” This ones dirty. By dirty I mean this is the reason why there are condom machines in the bathroom. Wow rough night huh? well you made it home and your really not that insane right? I mean you don’t need to check in to a clinic when you got time to still recover and just be “In A State” thats what my Unkle said…-JP
Release Date: 10/03/06
Label: DFA
Genre/Style: Dance / Remix
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Various Artists
ESL Remixed: 100th Release
A decade after dropping its first single, Thievery Corporation's classic "2001 Spliff Odyssey," ESL Music has reached its 100th release! To celebrate this rare milestone Thievery Corporation and their label mates have invited some of the world's finest musicians, DJs, and producers to remix, reinterpret, and rewind gems old and new from the ESL Music catalogue. What better way to honor the catalogue than through the eyes and ears of friends and international music luminaries like Medeski, Martin & Wood, Beatfanatic, Calexico, Boca 45, Quantic, Fort Knox Five, Shawn Lee and more. This is no static retrospective; this is the next stage in the ever intriguing ESL musical journey -CP
Release Date: 10/03/06
Label: Lounge / Remix
Genre/Style: Soul / R & B
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Various Artists
We'll Inherit the Earth a Tribute to The Replacements
The Replacements were a classic band in every sense. Along with bands like the Minutemen, Husker Du, Dinosaur Jr, and many others, these guys laid the foundation for almost every indie rock/alternative rock trend for years to come. They recalled a time when indie rock actually “rocked.” It seems that 1-2-3-4 Go Records realizes that and decided to compile a tribute album.
Let me be honest though, I don’t think the Replacements are a band that can be covered correctly. Just think about it. Let’s say a band does a straightforward rendition; it probably doesn’t match up to the power of the original. If one band decides to deviate from the original style of the song, then that’s just pissing on some holy ground. However, critics forget that cover songs are just a way to show appreciation.
Things start off in a righteously raucous manner with The Ergs opening up the album with their version of “I’m In Trouble.” The buzzsaw guitar riffage with vocals reminiscent of Milo Auckerman of the Descendents sound surprisingly pleasant and fitting to open this tribute. Hi Ho Six Shooter follows it up with a full-band version of “If Only You Were Lonely.” Personally, I prefer the original’s barroom troubadour vibe, but it’s nice to hear the song come alive with added instruments. The same goes for Tiltwheel’s version of “Skyway.” The original song was a low-key ballad, but Tiltwheel decide to speed it up and make a pretty rocking translation of it. However, in the realm of largely acoustic based Replacements songs, a highlight can be found in “Here Comes A Regular,” which is covered here by Thomas Barnett and Rob Huddleston in a similar format. Their version nearly captures the loneliness and alienation found in the original. For those wondering, both Thomas(Strike Anywhere) and Rob(Ann Beretta) were in Richmond’s famed punk band, Inquisition.
While I can’t say I totally liked every cover, the title of this compilation implies that it’s just a tribute, and we should appreciate the effort shown here. However, many of these songs do come off with a ’street punk” vibe for the spiky haired crowd, as opposed to how some of these songs sounded originally. Out of all of the songs that carry that vibe, I was a fan of Druglords of the Avenue’s version of “Favorite Thing.” Their vocalist has a slight Joe Strummer-esque voice, which sounds great. One of the most outrageous moments on the tribute comes in the form of J. Page’s cover of “Left of the Dial,” which extends a closing jam while lyrics from Jawbreaker’s “Kiss the Bottle” and the Cure’s “Pictures of You” are sung. I must give a blatant thumbs down to the Queers for not even taking the time to learn the poignantly strummed intro to “Unsatisfied.” Also, I had some high expectations for Against Me!’s cover of “Bastards of Young,” but it doesn’t pack a punch like the original. In fact, it falls a bit flat.
I would have loved to hear songs like “Hold My Life” and “I Will Dare” covered here, but I guess everyone can’t be pleased. While every band on here did their best, the best Replacements cover ever has to be Pinhead Gunpowder’s version of “Achin’ to Be.” Find it and be amazed. -BS
Release Date: 10/03/06
Label: 1234 Go Records
Genre/Style: Rock / Punk / Tribute
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Against Me!
Americans Abroad! Against Me! Live in London!
Folk Punk or Punk Folk (whatever the correct way of saying it is) has been underground for a while with bands like This Bike Is A Pipe Bomb and the now famous Against Me! and is now getting its recognition as a genre. I don’t know much about Against Me! besides the fact that they sing punk folk songs mostly about the downward spiral of american society due to our president, George W. Bush. I suppose not a lot of Republicans go to their shows or buy their CDs, but in this case it didn’t matter because this CD was recorded in London. My friend is really into them and he said that their live stuff wasn’t as good as the studio stuff, which also made me lenient to listening and reviewing the album. The album opened up with a whole bunch of noise making which is cliche of rockers, to make a “Brief Yet Triumph Introduction” I’m not into the whole “PRESIDENT BUSH SUCKS” or “AMERICA SUCKS” songs only because it kind of gets old. It’s an easy subject to write a song about or none the less a whole album. It’s been done a lot in the past, and quite often here lately because we’re in a war and so on and so fourth. And as i suspected the second track on the CD goes into a howling chant of “Condoleeza, what are we gonna do now?” But surprisingly i enjoyed the song because Against Me! brought the energy to singing it, as if they they were pouring their opinions to the crowed. I then realized what i didn’t like about those “PRESIDENT BUSH SUCKS” songs, which was it seemed like those bands were saying it just to be cool or didn’t really feel that way. Against Me! stands up for their opinions and if you don’t like it, well “fuck you.”If you’re a big Against Me! fan i would suggest picking up this CD because it had a lot of new and old songs on the CD and it’s an energetic set. One thing is for sure though, London loves them some Against Me! because on about each song, you could hear the crowed singing along.-WB
Release Date: 08/22/06
Label: Fat Wreck Chords
Genre/Style: Punk
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CCS
Cansei de Ser Sexy
In Hong Sang Soo’s Oh Soo-jung, a tired but still tender younger girl soothes her feckless lover, on sabbatical from his wife and sobriety, “How about if I be your girlfriend only when you’re drunk?”. Shame and cowardice override any lingering exuberance of clandestine sex and celebration. Though the words are similar, the sentiment is far removed from the lyrics of CSS’s debut, Cansei De Ser Sexy (Tired of Being Sexy) debut, a distorted disco ode to parties and their aftermath.
The vocals, more spoken taunts than singing aimed at notes, are encoded in the Brazilian accent and occasional broken phrases of Lovefoxxx, who calls out lines like “Kiss me, I’m drunk/Don’t worry, it’s true/I want you to show me how mad is your love.” She stirs up moments that cease to matter once music envelops, such as when the singer and her crush heed the song, “Let’s Make Love and Listen to Death From Above,” a cyclone of beats stirring up a replica of a theremin’s whirl among electronic jabs to spur them on. There’s also “Music Is My Hot Hot Sex,” a bucking synth and bass over which the title is cheered and followed by moans in between verses, urging obliteration. When I saw CSS perform recently in Chicago, outside, under a tent in a 90-degree sweatstorm, boys and girls with futuristic haircuts, mullets seldom seen outside Japan, styles that don’t usually witness sunshine hours, twisted otherworldly moves on CSS’s jaunty explorations and energy. But on record, while the 5 girls and one guy of CSS come close to the blackout moment they are looking for, the album falls static, like a too-tidy party that peremptorily concludes at midnight, their guitar chirps and production not yet up to the explosive, winking promises of their live shows, a party that maybe ends sometime the next day.
The best songs on the record echo Kathleen Hanna’s little girl crisp of a whine, tantalizingly breaking into half facetious tremors over lyrics like “baby, baby, I want you.” There are more direct nods to songs of years past, Bikini Kill’s “Rebel Girl,” the Yeah Yeah Yeahs “Art Star,” but the way the Lovefoxxx drops careless “A la la” mocks what she’s stolen, slaying influences like the boys in her past, all destined to disappear in tomorrow’s haze. On a track called “Alcohol”, she circumvents to the heart of the matter, tripping over a circular accordionish wheeze like a kid going round a merry-go-round, lazily reaching for the brass ring: “Do you wanna drink some alcohol?” Acquiesce, put on the record if you can’t find a place to see them live, and prepare to dance into someone else’s bed. -SM
Release Date:09/05/06
Label: Sub Pop
Genre/Style: Punk / Dance / Pop
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CD: $17.98
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Bob Dylan
Modern Times
Rest assured, the clichés end here. This is not Dylan’s best since Blood on the Tracks. Desire gets that honor. This isn’t his best since that, because Time Out of Mind’s got that. It is his best since 2001’s Love & Theft, rest assured about that. This is Dylan’s first record in 5 years and how much the world has changed. There is something about Modern Times that is ages beyond Love & Theft. The musical styles are similar but, Love & Theft seems to represent a past that this world has since moved away from. Love & Theft was released on September 11th, 2001. The album closed an era in American history while Modern Times, released on the one year anniversary to Hurricane Katrina, opens a new one. You ask how the poet laureate is today. You ask what the “voice of his generation” has to say. Well, he says to those who think he’s over the hill and past his prime, “show me what you got, we can have a whoppin’ good time.” Dylan brings the blues and brings them heavy, like he’s been saving this for half a decade. He’s looking for Alica Keys and a woman who’ll do everything he says. He practices a faith long abandoned and misses Nettie Moore. But what does this have to do with modern times?
Dylan opens the album with “Thunder on the Mountain,” rocking his way back onto the scene. Dylan uses his wit and the thunder “rolling”, “clapping” and “heavy as can be” to move, not only your feet, but your insecurities. “Someday Baby” is the surefire hit being used to sell iPod’s, like “Love Sick” was used to sell bras. “Rollin’ and Tumblin’” may be an exact rip off of a Muddy Waters song of the same name, but that’s the point. Dylan bridges these influences seamlessly, seeing if we’ve forgotten the legends that put Dylan here in the first place. Modern Times is the past creeping up on you in your sleep and, excuse the pun, but bringing it all back home once again. Dylan’s done it all his life and he’s done it well.
This is also Dylan’s most political, depending on how much you want to read into his thoughts, since 1976’s Desire and 1983’s Infidels. “Workingman’s Blues #2” and “The Levee’s Gonna Break” both deal with the multinational economics of this day and age and the recent aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, respectively. Dylan sings that “most people never work a day in their life; they don’t know what work even means” over a heavy piano on “Workingman’s Blues #2,” one of the best songs on the record. If one delves into “The Levee’s Gonna Break,” Katrina is certainly on Dylan’s mind, “some people on the road carryin’ everything they own; some people got barely enough skin to cover their bones.”
Time Out of Mind is not out of place in this review. The brooding, sultry voice with sparse arrangement makes it return on Modern Times. “Spirit on the Water,” a gem on this album, rolls along gently contemplating friendship, love, prayer, divinity, happiness, and life. “When the Deal Goes Down” and “Beyond the Horizon” both deal with death in the most beautiful of terms. “Nettie Moore” is Dylan’s ode to the old slave hymn about Nettie Moore and her death, one of the most moving tracks.
But its Dylan’s modern “Desolation Row,” “Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands,” Brownsville Girl,” “Idiot Wind,” “Highlands:” take your pick that truly brings this album to its zenith. “Ain’t Talkin’” will go down as that song to be added to this list. Dylan walks through his “mystic garden” praying for others though “things ain’t going well,” burning bridges before anyone can cross, slaughtering his opponents in their sleep, believing “a faith long abandoned” searching for “an altar on this long and lonesome road.” He ends, shifting between “ain’t talkin’, just walkin’” by standing “at the last outback at the worlds end.
Modern Times follows no formulas and rarely neglects to transcend time and space to not only enlighten but to entertain. Dylan got it right and a five year wait has completely paid off. Dylan’s greatest ever? No. Highway 61 Revisited holds that but Modern Times is something of its own right. Yes, it is Bob’s first #1 record in 30 years, but this album won’t be appreciated until another set of “modern times” rolls around. Some Dylan records don’t hold up to “modernity,” but ole’ Zimmy crafted a classic. This is what timeless music sounds like. -DS
Release Date: 08/29/06
Label: Columbia
Genre/Style: Folk
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CD: $18.98
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Flogging Molly
Whiskey On A Sunday
This full-length documentary was shot over two years and in seven countries, capturing the journey of Flogging Molly from their bar band roots to their current success. Includes footage in the studio, on tour, at home, and at their sold-out homecoming performance at the Wiltern Theater in LA. This "in the pocket" experience with the candid and charismatic Flogging Molly family is set to the driving beat of their thunderous live performances. Brought together through unlikely happenstance and bound by an intense passion and heartfelt belief in what they do, the seven members and their associates provide a good look at how things can be done against the grain. Their formula for success: believing in oneself, refusing to be pigeonhole | |
