|
 All Good Funk Alliance
Slingshot Boogie (Funk Weapons International)
With ample shout-outs to Herbie Hancock, George Clinton, Giorgio Moroder, Kraftwerk, James Brown (with whom they have performed) and a slew of others who don’t fake the funk, this duo of white boys from Virginia have composed a spazztastic concoction of booming breaks and defibrillating grooves worthy of the freakiest order of funkitude. If you get 20 people in a room, blast this jam at them and, within three tracks, do not have a life-threateningly promiscuous wig-out on your hands, get new friends. 9/10 (Jack Oatmon)
 New Buffalo
Somewhere, Anywhere (Arts & Crafts)
Australia’s Sally Seltmann is a little like her labelmate Feist, minus the shades of jazz and funk that give her Canadian counterpart that café-soundtrack cachet. Her voice has the silken delicacy of ’70s songstresses, with its angel-next-door intimacy, while the predominantly light, straight-arrow piano stylings lend a highbrow sheen to proceedings—though her piano-playing shines when it’s used to more dramatic effect. Best of all, the faint echo of classic pop bands like the Beatles imparts a playfulness that rescues the record from the brink of preciousness. 8/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)
 Heavy Trash
Going Way Out With Heavy Trash
(Yep Roc)
Now that Jon Spencer’s Blues Explosion is on indefinite hiatus, he continues to deliver some serious rockabilly on Heavy Trash’s sophomore. Scotty Moore’s twang is much more his touchstone here than the legions of greasers relying on the dementia of the Cramps, the Meteors and Hasil Adkins, but this is no nostalgia trip either. When Spencer tries to actually croon, though, things go horribly wrong (“Outside Chance”), but when he slaps the slap-back delay on the Sun Records-styled “That Ain’t Right,” he hits new highs. Having the Sadies as his backing band on several tracks is just an added bonus. 7.5/10 (Johnson Cummins)
Dax Riggs
We Sing of Only Blood or Love (Fat Possum)
Riggs is easily one of the most eclectic artists happening right now, with his sludge metal act Acid Bath and his swampy indie blues in the duo Dead Boy and the Elephantmen. This first release under his birth name continues to surprise with the ’70s rock of “Demon Tied to a Chair in My Brain” and the Black Keys creep of “Didn’t Know Yet What I’d Know When I Was Bleeding.” Riggs can croon with the best of them, but it’s his hallucinogenic lyrics that really prove that a great songwriter lay underneath his many hats. 8/10 (Johnson Cummins)
Shot While Hunting
Man Eating Tiger (independent)
These local warehouse rockers’ second release comprises a dozen dreamy, three-minute lamentations. The songwriting is clever and moody in keeping with their grunge predecessors, but ultimately tends toward an upbeat defiance of the depressed mire often associated with Generation X. That, when combined with incessantly punchy drumming and fiddly, indulgent guitar riffs, makes for something more finicky than the Foo Fighters, but more rockin’ than, say, Hot Hot Heat. 7/10 (Jack Oatmon) With All the King’s Horses at Lambi tonight, Thurs, Aug. 30
Liars
self-titled (Mute)
The so-called “back to basics” fourth album by Brooklyn’s Liars is hardly back-tracking, or basic. It was mixed by Gareth Jones, whose extensive work with Depeche Mode is less relevant here than his dalliance with Einstürzende Neubauten. It’s a cold, dark record, drenched in reverb and hard synths, many of its vocals sung like mantras, monotone and repetitive, many of its riffs hammered out like metal, or loosely strummed in the off-kilter fashion of a player stoned out of his mind. There are pretty melodies and beats to sway to, maybe even a club track or two (remixes, perhaps?), and a two- or three-track homage to the earliest incarnation of the Jesus and Mary Chain. Maybe it was their basics that Liars were getting back to. 8/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)
Chainsawtooth
Aliasing (independent)
Industrial in the truest of senses, Aliasing is a stunning DMT trip of snapping tensile wires, spatially disorienting impacts and artfully malfunctioning devices, synthesized to a degree of accuracy that would probably creep out Trent Reznor. However, there’s something about the care with which these machinations are handled that evokes a reverence and delicacy which belies the ostensibly desperate mood of the disc. Instead of being a dubious backlash against our technologically and digitally entrapped world, this is a symphonic celebration of it. 8/10 (Jack Oatmon) With FSK1138, JAWA and Ö at SAT, Fri, Aug. 31, 9 p.m., $10
 Raggedy Angry
Take Me, Break Me, Make Me Pretty (independent)
Obnoxious, unimaginative tripe. A cross between bad ’90s dance synth with new wave aspirations tethered by flimsy rock. Your waify little cousin broke into your studio and used all the cheap stuff. Pulled out his vengeance diary and spewed inane lyrics with the most grating tinny snarl he could find. A wafer with no flavour, Raggedy Angry somehow leaves a bad taste in your mouth. But “Call Me Master,” with its Tetris level-two backing music, is almost amusing. As for the rest of the album, take it, flip it, use it as a coaster. 4/10 (Lateef Martin)
 Ill Bill
Black Metal (Uncle Howie/Fusion III)
Man’s never-ending quest to recapture the Anthrax/Public Enemy rap-metal elixir has resulted in yet another awkwardly fused Frankenalbum. Truthfully, only four songs on this mixtape attempt to turn it up and bring the noise, but one listen to the annoying shredding on “Come One, Come All”—a crappy basement metal band meets crappy basement rappers trainwreck with wrestler-entrance-music aspirations—was enough to ruin my appetite for the Brooklyn native’s aggressive style. The brooding second half features some good, dark verses and they deserved better. 5/10 (Erik Leijon)
 Dalek
Deadverse Massive Vol. 1: Dalek Rarities 1999-2006 (Hydra Head)
New Jersey underground hip hop act Dalek aren’t exactly making music that you’re going to hear on Top 40 radio, but the dark beatscapes produced by Oktopus, as well as the bleak and gritty realities described by MC Dalek, are also an alternative to straight-ahead underground fare. There are several hypnotic passages on this record, and few uplifting tracks, but Dalek’s plodding drums and pensive moments are the perfect backdrop for songs like “Rouge” and the depressing “Desolant Peasants.” This won’t make you slit your wrists, but it will bring your angst to the surface. 7/10 (Scott C)
Blockhead
Uncle Tony’s Coloring Book (Ninja Tune)
Blockhead is indeed an unsung hero when it comes to his varied style of production, often getting overlooked for work he’s done with guys like Aesop Rock, Murs and El-P. The truth is, Blockhead is capable of flipping it in many different ways, often relinquishing his stylistic seal for a much wider degree and depth of production. Perhaps more than any of his previous works, that point is demonstrated on this album, where the chameleonic nature of his production style morphs from track to track. You’ll find some hotsteppers on here, but my track is “Put Down Your Dream Journal and Dance.” 8/10 (Scott C)
 Camp Lo
Black Hollywood (Good Hands/Fusion III)
For the Tarantino fans in the house, Camp Lo is the musical equivalent of Jackie Brown: a rapid-fire blaxploitation tribute that respectfully touches upon all the recognizable traits of the genre. Only stopping short at a background chorus telling us about Shaft, Ski Beatz rolls through swinging orchestras and upbeat funk, most notably the vibrant strings on “Sweet Claudine” and the jazz flute and sampled backing vocals on “Suga Willie’s Revenge.” Sonny Cheeba and Geechie Suede’s lyrics make no sense, yet their nonsensical wordplay works perfectly, and they perform with much heart. This honky was thoroughly impressed—it never feels gimmicky. 8.5/10 (Erik Leijon)
Carl Thomas
So Much Better (Umbrella/Universal)
On his third set, soul crooner Thomas is laid-back almost to the point of laziness. His sturdy baritone isn’t particularly distinctive, so he needs solid material to distinguish him from the pack. Unfortunately, this set doesn’t work to his advantage. Tracks like the pseudo-reggae “Oh No” and the equally mundane title track leave Thomas struggling for a hook. Guest vocalists are also hit-and-miss—tracks featuring Brandy (“Somethin’ Bout You”) and Dave Hollister (“Can’t Get Over”) work, while guest-spots by Lalah Hathaway (“Thought You Should Know”) and E-40 (“Late Night Rendez-vous”) fall flat. Next time out, Thomas actually needs to do so much better. 6.5/10 (Gerard Dee)
Knoxville Jazz Orchestra
Blues Man From Memphis (Blue Canoe)
Westchester Jazz Orchestra
All In (WJO Productions)
Two lesser-known big bands both loaded with top-notch soloists. The former features music from the pen of pianist Donald Brown, an ex-Jazz Messenger. Eight originals with solos from the likes of Stefon Harris, John Clayton and Bill Mobley, all in fine form. From Knoxville we move to NYC and the array of soloists and arrangers active in that area. Music by Wayne Shorter, Horace Silver and Bill Evans, arranged by people like Pete McGuiness, Mike Holober and Ed Xiques, with solos from the likes of Ted Rosenthal, Marvin Stamm, Harvie S and Tony Jefferson. Both have much to offer for the big-band fan. Both 9.5/10 (Len Dobbin)
Mini CD Reviews
Eugene Marlow Wonderful Discovery (MEII Enterprises) More wonderful compositions, 12 in all, from the pen of Marlow and played by an excellent big band directed by Arturo O’Farrill, the son of the late Chico. Soloists like the leader, Mario Rivera, Hayes (or Haze) Greenfield and Bobby Sanabria add to the enjoyment. 8.5 (LD)
Northern State Can I Keep This Pen? (Ipecac) The Beasties’ Adrock co-produces a capable third LP by this white female hip hop trio, who are clearly embracing the “female Beasties” tag. 7 (LC)
Sunnyboys This Is Real: Singles/Rare/Live (Feel/Shock) Ironically named Australian act of the early ’80s (the singer was schizo) compiled on two discs, a junction of power pop and MOR rock, paved with punk. 7 (LC)
Slayer Christ Illusion CD/DVD (Red Ink) Slim pickin’s for even the most ardent fan in this repackaged re-release. Two songs and a five-minute doc on the DVD and one bonus track and an alternate version tacked onto the original record. Whatevs. 6 (JC)
State Property Out on Bail (CMR/Fusion III) Over two dozen guest stars. Difficult to follow what’s going on. 4.5 (EL)
>> Music Listings |
