|
 Neko Case
Middle Cyclone (Anti)
The sequel to 2006’s Fox Confessor Brings the Flood—
co-produced by Darryl Neudorf, featuring M. Ward and members of the New Pornographers, Los Lobos, Calexico, the Sadies and Giant Sand—brings more sombre tales of love and hate, told through the metaphorical prism of spirit animals and natural disasters. Over the course of the album, Ms. Case evolves from spider to killer whale to tornado to Mother Earth herself, oozing melancholy heartache and supreme power simultaneously. That crystalline voice, consistently gripping songwriting and bang-on arrangements (including the impeccably orchestrated crickets on “Marais la Nuit,” the record’s 31-minute ambient closer) make this a near-perfect album. 9/10 Trial Track: “This Tornado Loves You” (Lorraine Carpenter)
 Various
Covered, A Revolution in Sound: Warner Bros. Records (Warner)
All compilation cover records have their fair share of faithful cuts, uninspired rehashes and WTF moments tacked on for comedic purposes. Covered, a simple compilation supposedly reflecting 40-plus years of Warner Bros. music, is no different. With a few exceptions, Covered tends to concentrate on the heavier side of the Warner stable, as neo-punkers such as the Used, Disturbed and Avenged Sevenfold provide the yawners. The surprises include Mastodon covering ZZ Top’s “Just Got Paid” with the frontman doing his best Lemmy-from-Motörhead impression. The Flaming Lips take on Madonna’s “Borderline,” while Adam Sandler does a fun Neil Young impression for “Like a Hurricane.” 5.5/10 Trial Track: Taking Back Sunday “You Wreck Me” (Erik Leijon)
 Various
Watchmen Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Reprise/Warner)
Tyler Bates
Watchmen Original Motion Picture Score (Reprise Warner)
Director Zack Snyder has taken care with the soundtrack, dodging the tradition of getting the hottest bands with the widest appeal, instead going for songs that reflect the film’s mood and alternate timeline—Billie Holiday, Leonard Cohen, Jimi Hendrix, the apt “The Times They Are A-changin’” by Dylan. The lack of Smashing Pumpkins and Muse songs used for the trailers may irk fanboys, but they would be in stark contrast to the rest. As for the score, sometimes it’s not a question of a good composer but the right one (Danny Elfman did wonders for Batman and Edward Scissorhands but was just wrong for Spider-Man). The mystery, wonder and grandiosity of the Watchmen story are captured well in the symphonic score by Bates, who’s unafraid to add rock elements to punctuate action or violence. Points lost for echoing composer Hans Zimmer’s Batman theme here and there. The fanboys are listening! Both 8.5/10 Trial Tracks: Soundtrack, Jimi Hendrix, “All Along the Watchtower”; Score “Prison Fight” (Lateef Martin)
DM Stith
Heavy Ghost (Asthmatic Kitty)
David Michael Stith is a protégé of Sufjan Stevens, another Christian-friendly, experimental pop artist schooled in strange folk, chamber music and contemporary composers. His style isn’t quite as accessible as that of his mentor—for every easy folk pop number or tame piano ballad, there’s a noisy howler wherein Stith’s ubiquitous choir chants unsettling incantations. Even his own hushed vocals sometimes verge on hysteria, though they tend toward an intimate warmth reminiscent of Nick Drake. It’s an intriguing debut, brimming with novel arrangements, and spiked with pomposity—perhaps, in both respects, Stith takes after his father, onetime director of a wind ensemble. 7/10 Trial Track: “Creepmouth” (Lorraine Carpenter)
 BLK JKS
Mystery EP (Secretly Canadian/Sonic Unyon)
At first blush, you’d think BLK JKS hailed from the Brooklyn loft next door to TV on the Radio’s, what with the nimble polyrhythms, the lefthanded soul moans and the spangled washes of textural guitar. The quartet is South African, however, and what lies under the blankets of dare I say mysterious noise—witness the escalating, agitated jumble of the title track—is inner-city Zulu blues with a rather vexed pop twist. For all its bright vigour and sad-eyed sweetness, “Summertime” barely keeps its storm clouds at bay. Conversely, opener “Lakeside” punctuates its heaving desolation with bursts of scintillating Afro-pop cheer. 7.5/10 Trial Track: “Summertime” (Rupert Bottenberg)
Tombs
Winter Hours (Relapse/E1)
In case you haven’t been keeping tabs, some of the most innovative and challenging music seems to be coming from more metallic corners, and this debut from Brooklyn’s Tombs proudly continues the trend. Armed with a slow and plodding beat, Tombs take over where Killing Joke and Godflesh left off and update the tribal thump with newfound ferocity. The true feather in their cap is that Tombs realize that space is indeed the place and manage to utilize its full expanse. With heaviosity looming so large here, one can only wonder where they can go from here. 8.5/10 Trial Track: “Golden Eyes” (Johnson Cummins)
Cannibal Corpse
Evisceration Plague (Metal Blade)
Cannibal Corpse never stray very far from their tried-and-true, often imitated formula, which proves both a weakness and a strength. Their signature death metal sound was completely perfected more than a couple of records ago and this 11th release of the same blast beats, breakdowns and throwaway lyrics gets a little fatiguing. Don’t get me wrong, these elder statesmen are still the kings of death and probably the genre’s greatest ambassadors, but the constant retracing of their steps and redundant, reheated riffs is really starting to dull their impact. 7/10 Trial Track: “A Cauldron of Hate” (Johnson Cummins)
 Bernardino Femminielli
Las Enamoradas (independent)
This local vintage synth surgeon’s thinking of shooting a film, a two-player existential-meltdown-in-a-hallucinatory-desert sorta deal, but he’s too impatient to save the soundtrack for whenever the hell his movie happens. Just as the premise for the film recalls Jodorowsky and Antonioni, the tunes here are cut from the same blotter sheet as the mystical Moog mantras of Goblin and Tangerine Dream. The alternately serene and sinister melodies are utterly minimal but driven home in a mesmerizing max-out of tingly, cascading tone clusters. 7.5/10 Trial Track: “Santuario de las Apariciones” (Rupert Bottenberg) CD launch with Stellar Om Source, Oneohtrix Point Zero, Hobo Cubes at Zoobizarre, Tues., Mar. 17, 9 p.m.
These Are Powers
All Aboard Future (Dead Oceans)
Masterfully setting a drudging, alienated mood right off the top with “Easy Answers,” a syncopated, synthesized mutation of rollicking rockabilly, These Are Powers unfortunately blow their load way too early on their third album. Though the clanking, stammering drum machines, howling voices and reverberating guitar tantrums explore some fascinating dark corners, the album’s top-heaviness makes much of the middle sound like semi-developed studio experiments rather than the damaged, radioactive parody of radio that they seem to be going for. It ends off strong, though, with “Sand Tassels,” a haunting, hymn-like lament, and “Blue Healer,” a technological soundscape interwoven with human voices, which simply grinds to a halt. 7.5/10 Trial Track: “Parallel Shores” (Jack Oatmon)
 Serge Gainsbourg
Histoire de Melody Nelson
(Light in the Attic/Outside)
Argued to be France’s first concept album (albeit a short one at 28 minutes), 1971’s Histoire de Melody Nelson was a love letter—and pastiche of Nabakov’s Lolita—from the sultan of suavely delivered sleaze to Jane Birkin, the English “it” girl/ingénue half his age. It’s a lustrous, ornate orch-pop triumph, shy of the zing in Gainsbourg’s ’60s pop hits with Brigitte Bardot but rich in content and highly influential—just ask Beck, David Holmes, Air, Prince Paul et al. The decades-overdue North American release boasts no bonus tracks (nor should it, given the simple and solid narrative arc—call it a lurid pulp novel on plastic), but liner notes by Andy Votel and an interview from the era certainly suffice. 8/10 Trial Track: “Ah! Melody” (Rupert Bottenberg)
Bobby V.
The Rebirth (EMI)
The title of R&B crooner Valentino’s third album is a misnomer, since musically there’s little difference between this set and his previous ones. But thanks to producers like Tim & Bob and Raphael Saadiq, he’s able to use his supple, if indistinct vocals to maximum effect on entertaining mid-tempo jams like “My Girl” and the gospel-inflected “Give Me Your Heart.” His pairing with Saadiq on “Just Me & You” is particularly effective, though Saadiq could have done as good a job on his own. And therein lies the problem with Valentino: if he wants to achieve a real rebirth, he needs to find his own voice next time around. 7/10 Trial Track: “You’re Not Alone” (Gerard Dee)
Torsten Goods
Irish Heart (ACT)
Ada Rovatti
Green Factor (Piloo)
These two CDs would make great St. Paddy’s day gifts. Goods is a vocalist and guitarist, joined by his trio plus guests like the Jurgen Neudert Big Band on pieces like “Carrickfergus,” “Londonderry Air” (aka “Danny Boy”) and a number of Van Morrison compositions including “What Makes the Irish Heart Beat.” Ms. Rovatti plays tenor and soprano sax, and is joined by Randy Brecker, the violin of Christian Howes, George Colligan and guests like Ivan Goff on Uilleann bagpipes. “Kerry Dance” and “Danny Boy” are here as well as some originals. Both 8.5/10 Trial Tracks: Goods “Moondance,” Rovatti “Over the Rainbow” (Len Dobbin)
Mini CD Reviews
Benny Golson New Time, New ‘Tet (Concord) A new Jazztet in which the leader/composer/reedman is joined by Steve Davis, Eddie Henderson, Mike LeDonne, Buster Williams and Carl Allen, and guest Al Jarreau, on 10 tracks mostly by Golson. 9 (LD)
Wavves Wavvves (Fat Possum) Perfectly crafted lo-fi garage pop. 8 (JC)
Holler, Wild Rose! Our Little Hymnal (Backlight) Neo-shoegazer rock artists from New Jersey make a lovely noise to lose yourself in. 7.5 (LC) With Broadcast Radio, Urban Aesthetics, DJ Trevor at Divan Orange, Sat., March 14, 10 p.m.
The Memories Attack The Memories Attack 2 (Noyse) Eric’s Trip guitarist Chris Thompson and Orange Glass’s Ron Bates mould salty Maritime sludge into pretty pop formations. 7 (LC)
Plushgun Pins & Panzers (Tommy Boy) Brooklyn’s Dan Ingala and friends generate smart, empathic nuggets of nervous, light-footed synth-pop that sticks in the ear for ages. 7 (RB) With Wong Boys, Keys N Krates at Academy, Sat., March 14, 10 p.m., $15, and with Wong Boys at Blue Dog Motel, Sun., March 15, 10 p.m., $5
Fake Problems It’s Great to Be Alive (Side One Dummy/Good Friends) Sardonic, curmudgeonly Southern folk punk. The soundtrack to an unplanned brawl outside a roadstop bar. 6 (EL)
Solarcade Songs for the Gathering EP (A&I) With only a couple of indie releases under their belts, this duo is already reaching for U2-style grandiosity. 1 (EL)
>> Music Listings
|
